Free Web NovelChapter 25: The Selections
Four weeks passed in the blink of an eye.
Inside Rentaro’s rented room, he stood shirtless on the cold floor, his physique noticeably more defined than before. Faint steam curled from his body, drifting through the quiet room as droplets of water slid down his skin.
His gaze remained fixed on his open palm, his eyes calm yet thoughtful as he felt a rush of energy flowing through him.
"Alright, this should be enough for now."
After taking his bath and freshening up, Rentaro changed into a clean tight black short-sleeve shirt, paired with white pants and dark boots before leaving his rental apartment.
Without wasting any time, he headed straight for the Fifth Base, his calm expression carrying a quiet sense of focus as he walked through the city streets.
In a matter of minutes, Rentaro arrived at the fifth base. Without slowing down, he walked through the large entrance and headed straight for the secretary’s desk.
There was a line, a long line of over 30 people, and after some minutes, it got to Rentaro’s turn.
"Yes? How may I help you?" The secretary said as she sat gracefully behind the desk, her stunning appearance hard to ignore.
She wore a neatly tucked blue shirt that fit perfectly with her black pencil skirt, giving her a clean and professional look.
Her black curly hair rested softly around her shoulders, while the pair of glasses on her face added a calm and intelligent charm to her appearance.
"I’m here for the selections." He replied calmly.
"What is your name?"
"Rentaro Mizuno." He answered.
"Just a minu-."
Just before the secretary could finish speaking, a loud bang echoed through the entire building. The ground trembled quietly beneath them, causing the desk and nearby objects to shake for a brief moment.
"What was that!?"
"Are we under attack!?"
The crowd grew restless and worried.
Then, just as suddenly as it began, everything became still, leaving behind a heavy silence in the air.
"Ahem." The secretary cleared her throat, as if it was a normal occurrence. "Go through the door to your left, there you will be screened for the first selection." She pointed.
Rentaro stepped into the room quietly, and as his gaze swept across the interior, it landed on a man seated behind a table.
The man wore a black navy uniform, his legs crossed calmly beneath the desk, with a checklist alongside a pen in hand, giving the room a strict and official atmosphere.
On the desk was a tag sitting upright, with the name "Lieutenant Raymond".
Behind the man, the wall was marked with multiple fissures and deep cracks, as though something heavy had violently struck it.
The damaged surface stood in contrast to the otherwise orderly setup of the room, adding a subtle tension to the already quiet atmosphere as Rentaro took it all in.
"Hey kid, are you going to stand there staring like a lost dog, or are you going to show me that you are capable of taking the trial of the fifth sanctuary?" The man’s voice carried a decisive, authoritative edge, firm and unshaken, with no room for hesitation or doubt.
"Right."
’My Soul-Techniques are still a work in progress, showing him a half-completed Soul-Technique may decrease my chances, in that case.’
Rentaro’s eyes flared with a faint blue hue, a quiet intensity flashing across his gaze. He slowly extended his right hand forward, steady and controlled, then brought his thumb to the tip of his middle finger as if setting a precise trigger.
In an instant, his Soul-Energy responded.
A surge of power flared to life, gathering rapidly into his palm as the surrounding air subtly trembled.
The energy condensed and churned, swirling tightly within his hand as if drawn into a single focused point, ready to erupt at his will. freewebnoveℓ.com
"Lieutenant... It’s a bit incomplete and I’m still working on it’s control but, you should dodge this."
The lieutenant’s eyes widened slightly as he felt it, a sudden, oppressive pressure filling the room. It wasn’t visible, but it pressed against his senses like a heavy weight.
His gaze snapped toward Rentaro’s hand.
The condensed Soul-Energy gathering there wasn’t just power, it was uncontrolled, destructive, and intent compressed into a single point.
The lieutenant’s expression shifted, the calm authority in his face tightening for the first time, as he realized exactly what kind of Soul-Technique was about to be unleashed.
"Soul-Technique..."
Rentaro released the tension between his thumb and the tip of his middle finger, snapping his hand forward in a precise motion.
"Temporal Burst."
A moment of absolute silence followed.
Then everything changed at once.
The lieutenant’s eyes snapped wide open as he reacted instantly, pushing himself up from his seat in alarm.
A straight line of blue Soul-Energy shot forward from Rentaro’s hand, cutting through the air in a perfectly direct path toward the wall behind him.
In an instant, it struck.
A violent shockwave erupted on impact, shaking the entire ground beneath them. The cracked wall behind the lieutenant exploded outward as debris scattered across the room, dust and fragments flying in every direction.
The force rippled outward with devastating pressure, and a loud, thunderous bang echoed through the building once again, drowning out everything else.
"Is that enough?" Rentaro flicked his wrist casually, as if nothing out of the ordinary had just happened.
Steam slowly escaped from his fingers, curling upward in thin wisps, subtly hinting at the sheer force that had just been released through his technique.
"Y-Yeah." The lieutenant replied as he got to his feet, carefully tapping the side of his uniform. "You passed the first selection, you may go through that door."
Rentaro gave a firm, nod, acknowledging the lieutenant’s direction.
Without another word, he passed through the specified door the lieutenant had pointed out and disappeared into the final selection, leaving behind the lingering silence of the shattered room.
"Honestly..." The lieutenant sighed as he stared at the checklist in his hands, then checked the box besides the name "Rentaro."
Then he stared at the two names below his. freēwēbnovel.com
"Those three kids are monsters."
