Before starting the next test, Grandma Yan has Sunz do some light exercise while she watches.
Yan was carefully watching over Sunz but paying the most attention to the lotus flower on his hair. The lotus flower had stopped withering for a while.
For Sunz, who was in the mindset that the lotus flower is a healing item… but after each round of light exercise, his body constantly ran out of stamina and recovered at his normal rate while feeling pain.
"hah…hah… Grandma… question?"
Yan: Yes?
Sunz: Wait…*panting*. I need to recover first.
Yan (Only half of the lotus. C-rank minimum and B-rank max… but with that low stamina and normal body… C-rank.)
…
Sunz: Ok, better. What is this lotus flower on my head? At first I thought it was healing me, but now nothing happens.
Yan: Are you ok with ignoring it for now?
Sunz: Will you tell me during the gardening lesson?
Yan: Yes, so keep all the questions to yourself for now.
Sunz: Ok. I'm ready for the next test. So, me against an army, that kind of sort?
Yan: Within that ballpark. Final question before we start. Do you have any trouble with killing someone?
Sunz, after hearing that, suddenly has flashes of images of him killing his friend:… yes. Will that be a problem?
Yan: It might be, but that's good. You should not think lightly of someone else's life even if that life is willing to take the life of the innocents. But let's leave the moral lesson there. I am glad to hear you are hesitant about this.
Sunz: Well, I also have options to neutralize the target, so I am willing to stab someone with my blade.
Yan: Unexpected, but. Great! That means I don't have to coddle you as much as I thought. Then let's start.
Grandma Yan snapped her fingers, and a black ring immediately formed on the white void, around them at a 10-meter radius, then humanoid ink blob creatures rose up from the ring, each holding a variety of guns in the color of the white void.
Sunz: Ok, what is my objective?
Yan:…
Grandma Yan did not respond and wasn't moving anywhere else, then a small *pop* ring out and splattered on the shoulder of her outfit was something that resembled white paint.
Yan: Sunz, you just killed a civilian.
Sunz (!): Whoa, let's stop right there! I wasn't ready.
*pop* large chunk of white paint hit her arm and splattered on her body.
Yan: That's 2 more civilians. Bullets can pierce human flesh.
Sunz: I'm not-
*pop* hit her straight in the head at a speed that Sunz was able to perceive, then white paint started flowing down her face in streaks and dripping down her chin. When the white paint hit the floor, it turned that spot into a blood red color.
Yan: The other three, to put it lightly, were only injured. While this fourth civilian just dropped dead. Even with our advanced technology, they won't come back after that shot.
*pop*pop*pop*pop*pop*pop*pop*pop*
After hearing that familiar sound being repeated rapidly, Sunz just shut up, immediately drew his hilt, and stabbed the air with force like it was penetrating something. Then an ice dome instantly surrounds him and Grandma Yan… the ice dome is now constantly being hit by a barrage of white bullets from the humanoid ink blob creature.
Sunz, holding on to the hilt while it starts forming an ice blade connecting to the ice dome: I partially understand this. When people are in danger, my first priority and instinct should go straight to protecting them. This is a real mess-up and psychological way of training, Grandma.
Yan: Good for you to learn this quickly, was expecting this to go in the worst directions.
Sunz: Well, I don't know if your psychic-like ability told you this. I have witnessed death many times, so I know to run and fight against it.
The ice blade immediately shatters with a loud *BANG*, causing the ice dome to also shatter and shooting all of its fragments at the many humanoid ink blobs on the circle, piercing through their bullet and killing them upon impact.
Sunz: So, first of many, completed!
A lotus petal withers up and turns into dust before it can fly away.
Grandma Yan: Where did all this confidence come from?
Sunz: I don't know, but I know I can do this. I understand the potential of my skill, and they are best when combined with an overconfident emotion.
A lotus petal withers halfway.
Grandma: Then, plenty more coming up and with restrictions to Elemental Skill.
…
…
After an unknown number of hours and over 20 different types of tests with Elemental restrictions and different objectives.
Yan: That is all for today.
Sunz: Really? I can still keep going.
Yan: Well, the lotus on your head has already withered to nothing, so that means your test is finished.
Sunz: Ok. What does that lotus flower have anything to do with the test?
Yan: Hmmm, only I should know it since the knowledge of it might hinder your growth.
Sunz:… I don't care. You attached a random thing to my head, and now it disappears. Of course I want to know what it did to my body.
Yan laughs at him: Fine, fine. I'll tell you... You are an S-rank!
Sunz was shocked to hear that, but he just brushed it off:…haha, funny joke I guess.
Yan: Oh? You don't like that. Where is all that confidence from before?
Sunz: It… it doesn't make sense. I've only recently started, and suddenly you are saying I'm an S-rank… feel like I just cheated my way through.
Yan, crossing her arms and giving Sunz a skeptical look: Really, you just gonna say that after going through all that harsh training?
Sunz:… well, it wasn't that harsh. I did break some sweat, but very much capable of continuing for longer. Besides, anyone with my ability would breeze through your training easily… I'm not that special.
Yan sighs: Fine, let the inferiority complex speak for yourself. Since you still have the energy to go, I'll show you the power of someone beyond the S-rank.
*hold her palm out toward Sunz*
"Attack Me!"
Sunz: I-
Right after Sunz opened his mouth, Grandma Yan immediately closed her palm, and Sunz was ripped in half.
Yan looking at the two halves of Sunz's body: It's a fortune that you were born as a late bloomer. Talent and Prodigy are very rare occurrences, since it's easy to get rid of them while they are helpless. Just like all wounds and diseases, take care of them early before they become a threat to your life. You're gonna be the cause of someone's Death, even if you don't want to.
…
"You should wake up soon and won't remember what I just said. But everything else will be remembered because they were all real except for your Death."
*snap her finger*
The whole white void warped everything and itself into black, then colors slowly started appearing until it turned into the room that Sunz was sleeping in, with him sleeping on the bed on top of the bamboo sleeping mat.
"3…2…1…"
Sunz violently woke up with sweat pouring off his body: Fuck! *panting*panting* ok, ok that was just a dream. Nothing was real.
*got a glance of his outfit*
(It was real…)
*looking around and see Grandma Yan standing at the door*
"Hi… did you kill me?"
Yan: Of course not, you're still there breathing. No trickery, just you resting in your own room at my house. That Death I delivered on you, was a psychic attack to your mind to knock you out.
Sunz: I see… so that the power of an S-rank… *sigh* glad that I won't be reaching that peak soon.
Yan: Don't joke like that. After that test, combined with the result of Lotus Flower, your floor and ceiling have already been set. Your performance at minimum B-rank. Your true performance is at S-rank. So tell me, what with the inferiority complex? You even said you fought an A-rank before.
Sunz: I don't know. Probably because I am not worthy of such title. I haven't achieved anything to be worth that rank.
Yan sigh: I see, sorry about that. You just seem really confident about yourself and your skills, which makes you seem like a different person. But deep down you are still that indecisive child.
Sunz was surprised by that: haha, I'm sorry.
Yan: What's so funny? Your Grandma is trying to connect with you after realising her mistake.
Sunz: You're just overthinking my reason, and I probably was too brooding when answering it.
Yan: Oh my dear child. You had me worrying.
Sunz: So an S-rank, that sure is a surprise. The body doesn't match the rank, but the skill is.
Yan: Your body will turn out fine, and you are turning 17 this year, plenty of time.
Sunz: So, that's all for the training, right?
Yan: That's all for today.
Sunz: Great. Then tell me! What with the Lotus Flower?
Yan: Look at you getting all jumpy. The Lotus Flower is just a tool to measure your potential. The stronger you are, the faster it will wither.
Sunz: Ok… then why did it suddenly heal me?
Yan: The Lotus Flower acts like a parasite. It feeds off your overall strength, and when it ate too much, it returned the strength back to you and started withering.
Sunz: This plant is very confusing.
Yan: I know, and it only acts like this if the host has the potential to be at B-rank in strength. And you managed to wither it all the way, proving that you can be an S-rank.
Sunz: Well, potential S-rank with a what, C-rank body and S-rank skill, I guess.
Yan: Your Elements Skill is not that much of an S-rank, more like an A-rank skill with an S-rank mind. You can process all of your library of Elements, then use them at the right time, which is quite a complex skill even for an A-rank. That doesn't include the fact that you can dual-wield different Elements at the same time.
"Your brain would be overheated with all the available options before you."
Sunz: haha, you're right. *remember that time when he saw hundreds to thousands of swords flying outside the building*
Yan: Anyway, that was my test to see your strength. The actual test from the Hero Corp will be totally different, with many criteria, so you won't be an S-rank right away.
Sunz: That's fine with me, I don't want to be sent on a Death Mission.
Yan: Great, it's 7 a.m so I'll be outside for my morning walk. Do anything you want around here, I can even send you back home if you like.
Sunz: I'll be fine here… but, how the hell has it only been 6 hours?
Yan: I don't know, but more time for you to relax. See you later.
Sunz: See you later, Grandma.