Chapter 8 Trial Qualification
1043 Words
Morning.
Central Plaza of the Academy.
A massive energy screen hovered overhead.
Red letters slowly emerged—
[Raven City Annual Trial – Qualification Begins]
The plaza erupted instantly.
The City Trial.
A ticket into the true Hunter system.
The fastest way to climb the rankings.
Top three would receive direct city resource allocation.
There was even a chance of special recruitment by the Council.
For every student—
This was a chance to change their fate.
Instructor Kane stood on the platform and announced the rules.
“The trial consists of three phases.”
“Qualification screening — Combat simulation — Outer City live operation.”
“The qualification screening begins in three days.”
“Top twenty in combat ranking automatically qualify.”
The screen refreshed.
Leon’s name appeared clearly.
Rank 18.
Below it, a label:
[Evolutionary]
Murmurs rose again.
“He really made Top 20…”
“The City Trial isn’t a game. Can he survive it?”
Damian stood at the edge of the crowd, eyes dark.
He hadn’t slept all night.
Humiliation churned like poison inside him.
“Before qualification screening,” he muttered,
“I’ll push him out of the Top 20.”
Several people beside him smirked.
—
Afternoon.
Special Observation Class training room.
Leon stood alone at the center of an energy array.
The system interface surfaced.
[Failure Catalyst: 1%]
After evolution, he hadn’t stopped.
Every intentional failure stacked reinforcement.
He had confirmed it through repeated testing—
Each failure now permanently increased his base output.
No longer random bursts.
But stable growth.
He took a deep breath.
In a no-pressure environment, he released his skill.
Success.
He frowned.
“Not enough.”
He deliberately weakened his mental control.
The energy sphere destabilized.
Pop.
Failure.
[2%]
Energy flowed back.
Base strength increased.
He released again.
Failure.
[3%]
A faint smile curved his lips.
This wasn’t gambling on probability.
This was controllable leveling.
The door suddenly opened.
Lucas leaned against the frame.
“You really grow stronger by failing?”
“Yes.”
“How much now?”
“Three percent.”
Lucas whistled softly.
“Insane.”
He stepped into the array.
An A-rank pressure descended instantly.
“Here. I’ll help.”
The pressure intensified.
Leon didn’t resist.
He released under suppression.
Failure.
[4%]
Again.
Failure.
[5%]
The air vibrated subtly.
Lucas’s expression turned serious.
“This isn’t my imagination…”
“You’re actually getting stronger.”
At the doorway, Ava watched silently.
She finally understood something.
This wasn’t unstable fluctuation.
This was a mechanism.
Stable. Clear. Stackable.
“If this continues…” she murmured.
“He’ll become unbalanced.”
Not out of control.
But far beyond everyone else.
—
Evening.
Pre-qualification simulation matchups were announced.
Randomized mock combat.
First match—
Leon vs. Damian.
The plaza exploded again.
“That’s too coincidental!”
“Not coincidence. It’s arranged.”
“The Council wants another test.”
Damian sneered.
“This time, I won’t let you farm failures.”
Leon didn’t respond.
He looked at the interface.
[Failure Catalyst: 5%]
Still far from true transformation.
But enough for a simulation round.
—
The next day.
Simulation battlefield activated.
Urban ruin environment.
Collapsed buildings.
Surveillance drones hovering above.
The spectator stands were packed.
Kane announced the start.
This time, Damian didn’t activate his domain immediately.
He charged forward instead.
He had learned.
No more giving Leon time.
“I won’t be your stepping stone again!”
His fist tore through the air.
Leon retreated.
Deliberately reducing control.
First release.
Failure.
[6%]
Damian sneered.
“Still farming?”
He closed the distance violently.
Heavy punch.
Leon sidestepped.
Second release.
Failure.
[7%]
The punch grazed past.
Damian’s eyes grew fierce.
“You’re too slow!”
He shifted tactics suddenly.
Gravity domain activated—
But this time, condensed.
Smaller range.
Higher compression.
Leon’s breathing tightened.
Good.
The greater the pressure—
The more stable the failure.
Third attempt.
Failure.
[8%]
Fourth.
Failure.
[9%]
Damian’s expression shifted.
“Are you… getting stronger?”
Leon looked up.
“Yes.”
He didn’t hide it anymore.
On the tenth failure—
[10%]
System notification:
[Base Output Increased by 10%]
Next release—
A crimson shockwave burst forth.
Noticeably stronger.
Damian stepped back instinctively.
Pupils contracted.
“How is that possible…?”
The stands erupted.
“He’s powering up mid-fight?!”
Ava stood high above.
Her heartbeat tightened.
She knew—
If Leon continued evolving publicly—
The Council would not remain passive.
They would intervene.
At the center of the field—
Damian roared.
Full power released.
Gravity compressed to its limit.
Leon felt his bones strain.
But he didn’t dodge.
He continued failing.
[11%]
[12%]
[13%]
With each failure—
His aura rose.
The crowd shifted from shock—
To fear.
This was visible growth.
Damian finally lost control.
“Enough!!”
He lunged forward.
His fist nearly struck Leon’s face—
At that exact moment—
Ava moved.
She leapt to the edge of the battlefield.
Her voice cut sharply through the arena:
“Simulation rules prohibit lethal force.”
Clear.
Cold.
Damian hesitated for half a second.
That half-second—
Was enough.
Leon released successfully.
A crimson shockwave pierced straight through the gravity field.
Damian was blasted back several meters.
The system announcement echoed:
[Match Concluded.]
[Winner: Leon Black.]
Silence.
Not because of the outcome.
But because—
Everyone had witnessed it.
He had grown.
Step by step.
In real time.
Damian stood frozen.
For the first time—
He felt powerless.
Leon stood at the center of the ruins.
Breathing steady.
The interface displayed:
[Failure Catalyst: 13%]
Still far from enough.
But already enough—
To make others afraid.
Ava walked to his side.
“You need to learn to hide,” she said quietly.
“Otherwise the Council won’t just observe.”
Leon looked toward the distant city tower.
“Hide?”
“That only gives them more time to prepare.”
The wind swept through the ruins.
Drones slowly ascended.
From a distant skyscraper,
the gray-haired man withdrew his gaze.
“Confirmed,” he said calmly.
“Variable growth rate—exceeding projection.”
“Prepare Phase Two testing.”
The screen shut off.
The qualification battle ended.
But the real trial—
Had only just begun.
- Writer
