Chapter 11: Ch11: Results
Si Nam stepped forward toward the device, which stood on its metallic supports in the middle of the testing arena. She gently and cautiously placed her hand on the thin white thread embedded in the slit, then channeled a minuscule amount of her Ice element into it.
"That small amount of energy won't change the thread's color. You need to channel more into it," the instructor calmly explained from the side. "Then keep it balanced—not a bit more, not a bit less—across the entire thread."
"U...understood."
A single bead of sweat rolled down Si Nam's temple, despite the fact she hadn't even truly started yet. Slowly, steadily, and with great care, she increased the energy she was releasing into the thread. Her eyes were fully focused—despite the tension written all over her face.
After a few seconds, the thread finally changed color—from white to pale blue, the mark of a first-level Ice Seal. But only one centimeter had changed—not even enough to earn a single point.
'I have to rise in rank. I can't keep sitting at the very bottom.' She let out a large breath she hadn't realized she was holding, then started pushing more power through the thread. Its color spread slowly but steadily—centimeter by centimeter.
And after exactly one and a half minutes, the thread reached the 27-centimeter mark—pale blue and visibly warped—before finally snapping.
"Twenty-seven centimeters. Score: 5 out of 100. Control Level: Beginner. That is Si Nam's result. Current rank: 217th," the instructor called out, loud enough for the whole arena to hear.
Si Nam stepped back, met with a wide range of expressions—though most were scornful, save for a few nervous ones from students stuck near the bottom with her.
'5 out of 100... I did my best. Please... just let me rise a few ranks,' she thought, pressing her fingers together in a silent plea, almost like a prayer.
'The Demon Seal Sect believes only in strength—not gods—yet here she is, clasping her hands and wishing. Truly, desperation makes people cling to anything...