The Unvanquished: Child of Nihility-Chapter 64: Three Anomalies?

"This isn’t reflexes anymore... it’s rhythm."

’My heartbeat is syncing with the corridor. Every ricochet has a sound, every sound a path. I just need... to move where silence remains. And where silence dwells... a shadow follows.’

A sudden thought struck Morca as he activated his Blank skill. He vanished—just for a moment—then reappeared further down the corridor. His movement was so swift, so seamless, that neither the observing instructor Ania nor Maya noticed. But someone did...

Morca knew the moment he disappeared – the Sense swept through the elongated corridor, brushing past like a predator searching in the dark.

Still, it didn’t distract him. A small smirk crept to the side of his lips.

’They’ll only have some doubts. Nothing to worry about. I’ve shown worth – so at most, they’ll be curious.’

With flawless precision, he evaded the glowing orbs. Some passed directly through him – yet touched nothing but shadow. The monitoring system didn’t flag them. It couldn’t.

Slowly but surely, Morca felt his breath vanish –

No, not vanish.

He couldn’t even feel his own legs anymore.

It was like someone else was moving him.

But just when it seemed he might collapse –

---

"45 seconds."

"Trial Ended."

The projectiles froze in mid-air, then evaporated into silvery vapor. The room dimmed.

Morca stumbled forward, barely catching himself on one knee. His chest rose and fell in staggered breaths. Sweat clung to his collar. His limbs trembled – not from fear, but pure, relentless strain.

And yet... he didn’t feel exhausted.

Only that his legs couldn’t keep up with the speed of his eye. His mind.

"Hah... Each time... the orb passed through me..." (deep inhale)

"The system – didn’t detect it. Because... I was shadow then." (exhale)

"Just shadow..."

A mechanical chime followed.

"Reflexes Trial Completed.

Result: Mythical Grade.

Time Recorded: 45 seconds.

New Academy Record."

The corridor fell into silence.

---

Observation Room, beside the trial corridor

Ania White’s fingers gripped the rail tightly. Her golden eyes locked on Morca’s figure, hunched and gasping onscreen.

"Forty-five seconds... Mythical Grade..." she muttered. "He broke the Reflex Record."

She inhaled deeply, her eyes narrowing with tension and curiosity.

He’s not normal. Dale was right. This one doesn’t follow progression – he defines it.

He’s not a prodigy... but a problem for reality itself.

His results... nearly matched the top ten second-year students.

He wasn’t supposed to be capable of this.

Not yet.

Monster. That’s what he is. A genius? No... something else entirely.

And he’s not alone. This whole batch is weird.

She remembered yesterday – another candidate.

Blindfolded.

Blind, yet danced through the trial as if he saw every pulse.

He should’ve passed Mythical grade – but stopped short. On purpose, maybe. She still wasn’t sure why.

Is something happening? Am I missing something...?

She exhaled, frustrated.

Tch. I’ll have to check the ancient records. Something feels off...

She keyed her final entry into the trial log:

"Morca Sherman – Subject exhibits abnormal adaptive evolution mid-trial. Surpassed Reflex Record by 6.8 seconds. Reflexes at mythic threshold. Left eye likely origin of accelerated perception. Continue advanced surveillance. Possibly Void-Blooded."

--

Maya stared at the screen longer than she meant to.

A strange emotion crept over her.

Not fear.

Not envy.

But dread, wrapped in burning curiosity.

"You’re not just a student, Morca Sherman... what the hell are you really?"

Her decision was made. One path or the other.

Befriend him... or stay far away.

Call me a coward if you want – but I will never make someone like that an enemy.

Although she knew she was stronger than Morca at the moment – and could defeat him now, perhaps even two or three times in a row – was it really worth provoking such a monster? What about later? If she didn’t advance as quickly as he did...

---

As Morca slowly rose, wiping sweat from his brow, one thought echoed in his mind:

I almost didn’t make it... but I did. And this eye – it saved me this time. I have to study it once everything settles.

---

At the Physique Trial Hall – a high-tech hall shimmering with soft golden light that matched the gleam of the hall’s walls – four isolated entrances at the far end pulsed faintly. Each represented a test: Strength, Genetic Compatibility, Comprehension, and Reflexes.

As Morca stepped out of the Reflexes entrance, still catching his breath, a wave of sterilized, cooler air greeted him. His sweat-slicked face reflected the ambient glow of the hall.

Just ahead, Meya waited – arms crossed, posture firm, with a projector screen hovering mid-air, flickering with streams of data. At the bottom corner of the screen was a replay clip of Morca’s Reflexes Trial.

Eyes fixed on him, Maya spoke. "You broke the record, didn’t you?" Her voice was calm, nearly unreadable, but her eyes shimmered with curiosity. Though she didn’t know the official results, she had witnessed enough to make a solid guess.

Only the trial instructor and the candidate received the results. Observers, even senior students like her, were left out of that final reveal.

Still catching his breath, Morca straightened up. "...Forty-five seconds. Mythical Grade."

Maya raised an eyebrow. "That’s 6.8 seconds faster than the previous record. You have no idea how annoying it is watching someone act all meek while pulling those kinds of results. First the strength test, now reflexes – who knows what you’ll pull off next?"

Morca smirked faintly. The tension still lingered in his limbs, his abyssal eye glowing dimly before fading as he willed it dormant.

Maya stepped closer, her gaze sharp. "There’s not much time for chatter. You’ve only got nine minutes left for your scheduled trial. The third one’s up."

With how things turned out in the previous trials, his Genetic Compatibility test shouldn’t disappoint either... right? Maya thought, clearly intrigued. A monster like him can’t possibly have a low-grade bloodline, can he?

Yes – sometimes individuals had strong affinities, e.g Wind, granting them speed and agility beyond their peers. Others, who performed poorly in the earlier trials, were later revealed to possess rare or even epic bloodlines. That’s why the Genetic Compatibility Test was considered the most critical. It defined future achievement and status. No matter how outstanding your prior results, if your bloodline didn’t match, you’d be labeled an anomaly – not worth significant attention.

In the early days of the supernatural path’s discovery, talent was nearly impossible to measure accurately. Without proper tools, they relied on intuition, ancestral affinity, and a handful of archaic techniques. But as the supernatural world advanced, a coalition of genetic scientists and tech engineers created a groundbreaking device: the Diagnostic Gene Pod.

This invention revolutionized everything.

Not only could it measure gene structure with insane precision, but it also served as the foundation for advanced evolutionary equipment. Rumors even circulated that genetic scientists had discovered a way to evolve someone’s genes entirely...

With this invention, institution like Eden Domineer Academy could test not just blood type but even bone marrow, dissecting the essence of talent. The process, however, was excruciatingly painful – serving as both a genetic test and a test of willpower.

Soon after, the experts and ancient families of Eden devised a ranking system for talent, ranging from F to SS+. But one talent level had never appeared on record... the legendary SSS rank, discovered in a mysterious ruin during an elite expedition.

Talent was graded as follows:

F - E —> Common Grade

D - C+ —> Transcendent Grade

B - A+ —> Rare Grade

S - S+ —> Epic Grade

SS - SS+ —> Mythical / Apex Grade

SSS —> ???

---

Morca walked toward the third trial entrance – the Genetic Compatibility Test. Then, a thought struck him. He turned to Maya.

"Is the third trial also divided into phases, like the first two?"

As if expecting the question, Maya replied, "No. It’s not divided into phases. You’ll understand how it works once you’re inside. But yes – it’s also graded like the others, from Common to Mythical."

Morca gave a nod and stepped into the entrance.

---

At the central region of Eden Domineer Academy, not far from the Monument Tower, stood a black-glass building spanning over a hundred floors – a masterpiece of obsidian architecture. This was the Academy Staff building.

At the top floor, in a massive and luxurious meeting room, a long black-gold table gleamed beneath the ambient light. Unlike the empty hall from the previous night, today, fourteen figures were seated – five women, nine men. The air was so dense with power, even a saint-ranked expert would struggle to breathe in their presence.

These were the academy’s decision-makers. Though the final word lay with the Principal, their influence was considerable.

Seated at the head was Principal Stuart di Milla, the Land Ruler of Eden. His eyes were closed, as if detached from the conversation that was about to unfold.

Then, a man in a white-gold suit with interlocked black lines – resembling a DC superhero from Earth’s ancient comics – rose to speak. His white hair flowed down his shoulders, perfectly matching his elegant suit.

His voice was calm but carried weight. "This meeting follows three key issues. One: the growing abnormalities within the seven ancient families. Two: recruiting a new instructor to oversee this year’s recruits. And lastly..." He paused, eyes sweeping across the room. "...the three new anomalies that have surfaced within our academy."

At that moment, silence claimed the hall. The word anomalies had shifted the room’s tone completely.

’Three anomalies?’

These words echo in their minds