The exams for Nero were pretty straightforward. Either he knew the answer because he had already covered the content before, or he did not. Nero did not try to guess or half fill the questions he did not know, leaving them blank.
He was not here to make a good impression - he was here to accurately portray the extent of his knowledge so that it could be appropriately supplemented when the time came.
Despite giving six back to back exams, he was not mentally fatigued at all - one of the benefits of ascending to the Initiate rank, not to mention all his training and actual experiences in long missions that would drain him physically and mentally. Compared to crossing the wilds or Perilith, sitting in a cozy room, giving an exam was nothing.
As soon as he submitted his papers, Nero was taken to a separate room for a full physical exam, which was separate from the medical exam. This… was Nero's moment to shine.
It started with running. Countless nodes and scanners were attached onto Nero's body before he got onto a treadmill and told to run for thirty minutes continuously while going as fast as he could for that duration.
Basically, he had to reach whatever his maximum speed was that he could run at for thirty minutes. Something like this was not easy to gauge, but that self awareness was also something that was being tested.
Nero smiled, and started running at a cool 30km (18.6 miles/h) per hour, covering 1 kilometer every 2 minutes. Although this was nowhere near his fastest speed, he guessed that he'd be able to easily maintain it for thirty minutes uninterrupted. Sprinting and marathon running were two entirely different types of exertions, so he had to manage accordingly.
Based on the expressions and subtle nods of those observing him, he was doing a decent job, but nothing they hadn't seen before. Nero was slightly tempted to show them his actual limits, but decided against it eventually. The point of this test was not to show off, but to judge whether he was physically fit or not.
After the light, refreshing run, Nero stepped off without a single bead of sweat and directly moved onto the next hurdles - weights!
Honestly speaking, even Nero himself was interested in learning what his limits were, so he was quite eager for this test. It started with squats.
At first, Nero was made to do 100 squats with no weight, and instructed to pay attention to form and consistency of speed. These tests were not to determine the maximum weight he could lift, but the maximum burden under which he could maintain control over his body.
The 100 squats were no problem for him, so then he was given a weight of 10 kilograms, and told to do it again. When he did that successfully, the weight was upgraded to 20, and then 30 kilograms.
At this point, Nero was able to surmise that he had already surpassed the normal because the supervising officers were staring at him with a bewildered look. It wasn't just that he was lifting the weights, it was how he was able to ignore the build up of fatigue. Doing 100 squats with 30 kgs was one thing, doing it after 300 squats, of which 200 were weighted, was something else entirely.
Next, they just gave Nero 50 kilograms, and told him to do as many as he could manage. At this point, Nero began to feel a hint of fatigue, though more than that he was feeling great satisfaction at the stupified expressions of the officers. With their bewildered faces as motivation, Nero began once more, maintaining the same speed and tempo he had kept so far.
When he did fifty, none of the officers seemed too surprised, but when he hit one hundred the shock was obvious. When he hit one hundred and fifty, all still without breaking a sweat, the officers had stopped taking records and were just watching him in shock.
This kind of performance was far beyond what a recently ascended Initiate should be able to do.
By the time Nero hit two hundred and fifty squats, they told him to stop. It was taking up too much time, so they moved onto the next test.
By then, Nero's thighs were burning from exertion, but he did not reveal the slightest hint of dissatisfaction or irritation. Was he not exerted during every single mission he'd ever taken? Exertion was normal, and he needed to perform despite fatigue and exertion, so he simply treated this like training.
The next was bench press. Just like with the previous one, the test was more a measure of how long he could maintain his performance rather than testing his maximum weight. To avoid wasting time, they started Nero off with 30 kilograms and told him to do 100 repetitions.
Then they increased it to 50, and told him to do it again. Then to 70, and then directly to 100. Nero was already somewhat drained from the jog and the squats, but seeing how the officers were trying to get him to the point of exhaustion, Nero felt challenged.
A part of him told himself to remember the purpose of this exam, but Nero couldn't focus on that because he was too busy shocking the observing officers!
Eventually, after Nero did 150 repetitions without stopping, they told him to stop so that they could move on.
Since they were monitoring Nero's vitals, they could see that his heartbeat had become elevated and he was not nearly as at ease as he was showing them, yet that hardly mattered. They were testing his performance, and so far he had not given them a single reason to feel dissatisfied.
His physical fitness was more than acceptable for KMA, far surpassing their minimum requirements, yet they needed to complete the tests anyway.
Fortunately, while Nero's physical abilities were enhanced during his ascension to the Initiate rank, so was his recovery. Despite beginning to feel the strain from the exercises, Nero continued to far surpass the requirements of each test he was given, taking up a whole two hours of time.
By that point, even the officers had realised that Nero hardly ever actually sweat, probably due to his innate ability. If only they knew that he does sweat, it just takes a whole lot more pressure than some weights in a controlled setting to get him to that point.
After the physical test, Nero was allowed to rest - mostly because it was time for lunch. He'd already skipped breakfast due to his exams, so he was brought to an early lunch in the building's own cafeteria.
The food… was somewhat lacking in many departments, but it got the job done. He'd gotten too used to the fresh food at Fordham and then at the inn where he was staying, so going back to the ultra-processed military rations was somewhat of a bland experience. At least the heavy aetheric processing ensured that it was free from any cursed elements and could last a long time.
By the time lunch was over, Nero had more or less completely recovered from the exertion of the physical test - at least in the sense that none of his muscles felt like they were burning anymore.
Then it was time for the medical exam. A team of Arcanist doctors gave Nero a thorough checkup using multiple cards to inspect his body for any anomalies or hidden illnesses. Nero was the absolute picture of health, something he was almost certain was due to the additional attention Dr. Iris used to give him back outside Perilith.
His tattoos drew a lot of attention, though, for a thorough inspection revealed that they were dense with aether. Fortunately the doctors hadn't been able to detect the spell models hidden within.
Yet the doctors didn't pry into the origins or purpose of the tattoo - they merely had Nero operate his innate ability to test whether the tattoos interfered with the operation of his internal aether. Not detecting any issues, they moved on with the tests.
Nero was surprised with the depth of the examination, for after it was done one of the doctors even approached Nero to inform him of some of their findings that he may consider important.
It seemed that he subconsciously favoured his right leg a lot more than his left, putting more force on it whenever he exerted himself. Not only was this not a good thing from the point of view of balance during a fight, it could have long-term harmful effects on the health of his right knee.
Of course, with Eldrim cards and countless doctors, it was improbable that he'd encounter an issue that couldn't be resolved - not unless he lost the leg entirely - yet it was still good to know. Prevention was better than cure!
He also seemed to have a bad habit of clenching his teeth too hard because the enamel on his teeth showed some signs of wear. But these were only minor issues - for the most part he was clear. All that was left now was a proper registration, followed by his orientation.
After that, he would be ready to be shipped off to KMA!