Chapter 40 - Reflex Test
(Rodova Military Academy – Reflex Testing Chamber, Pre-Test Briefing)
Leo stepped out of the Biochamber, still adjusting to the lingering sensation of the previous tests when the assistant gestured for him to follow.
"Come on, Skyshard, you're not done yet," she said, walking briskly ahead. "The next test is a little different. Less about brute force, more about precision."
Leo fell into step beside her, his body feeling lighter—refreshed from the oxygen surge but still tingling with the residual charge from the explosive strength test.
As they moved down the pristine hallways, she glanced at him with mild curiosity. "That muscle composition of yours was already weird, but something tells me your reflex test is going to be even more interesting."
Leo raised an eyebrow. "And why's that?"
She smirked. "Let's just say people with high fast-twitch fibers tend to either be absolute freaks at this test... or they completely choke under the pressure."
Leo didn't respond, but he was intrigued.
Eventually, they arrived at a sealed chamber with reinforced transparent walls. Inside, the room was empty except for a raised circular platform at the center.
Overhead, an intricate grid of thousands of fine nozzles lined the ceiling like an array of surgical instruments.
"Alright," the assistant began, bringing up a holographic interface beside the chamber. "This is the Reflex Testing Chamber, and your task is simple—"
She pointed toward the ceiling. "In a few moments, high-density mana-infused raindrops will begin to fall. Your goal is to slice them before they hit the ground."
Leo frowned slightly, glancing at the nozzles above. "Raindrops?"
The assistant grinned. "Not normal ones. These are mana-dense spheres, heavier than water and fast enough to mimic projectiles. The test is designed to analyze your reflexes, reaction speed, and precision down to the millisecond."
She flicked her fingers over the interface.
"The system will adapt the raindrop pattern to your arm reach and weapon choice, ensuring everyone faces the same level of difficulty."
A side panel slid open, revealing an array of weapons.
"Pick one."
Leo didn't hesitate. He reached for a dagger—a weapon that felt familiar, natural, like an extension of his arm.
The assistant nodded in approval. "Good choice. Quick, lightweight, and perfect for close-range strikes."
Leo entered the circular platform, gripping the dagger as the chamber sealed shut behind him.
A mechanical voice echoed overhead.
"Reflex Test: Initiating."
The nozzles above shifted, realigning based on Leo's height, reach, and stance.
Then—
HISS.
A single droplet formed and fell.
*TUPAK*
Leo saw the raindrop fall from the ceiling, and for a brief second he panicked, wondering if he would miss it?
However, the speed of the drops descent was relatively slow and in the end he was able to slice it off clean before it hit the ground.
*TUPAK*
*TUPAK*
As soon as he sliced the first drop, two more fell from the ceiling around him, and after judging their trajectory, Leo found himself capable of slicing them both in one arc, which he did.
The initial droplets fell in a steady rhythm, each one descending at a predictable pace.
Leo barely had to move to slice them, his wrist flicking effortlessly as his dagger traced smooth arcs through the air.
*TUPAK*
*TUPAK*
*TUPAK*
The sound of mana-dense spheres bursting into mist echoed softly in the chamber.
Outside, the assistant observed with mild interest, her fingers tapping idly against her data slate. "He's handling the beginner phase well," she muttered. "But let's see how he fares when the difficulty ramps up."
Inside the chamber, Leo remained focused, adjusting his stance as the mechanical voice announced:
"Phase Two: Increased Speed and Volume."
And then, suddenly, the droplets coming down from the ceiling each second doubled, and then tripled.
Leo's muscles tensed as a flurry of drops rained down from multiple angles, the pattern shifting unpredictably.
'What the hell? This is too much–' he thought, as his eyes darted in all directions trying to process the most optimal pathway to cut all the droplets.
His movements sharpened, adapting on instinct as his dagger weaved through the air like an extension of his will.
The challenge was evident—the raindrops weren't falling at uniform intervals anymore. Some plummeted faster, others slower, their trajectories crisscrossing in chaotic, misleading arcs.
He felt his breathing quickening— his pulse thumping against his skin, but he was still in control.
Outside, the assistant's expression shifted slightly as Leo kept up with the second stage without missing a single drop.
Most first year recruits faltered at this stage, missing a few droplets as they struggled to track the erratic movement, but Leo—
He was seamless.
His each strike was deliberate, precise, as if he could see the droplets before they even formed.
But just as it looked like he could keep up with phase two, the assistant pushed for the final phase.
"Phase Three: Maximum Speed." the machine declared as the chamber darkened slightly, the nozzles above shifting into a rapid cascade mode.
This was a phase of sure failure, a phase where droplets were not released into freefall but shot out like cannons with varying velocity.
It was a phase where students were expected to fail, as the goal was to see just how many drops they could slice, and not to see if they could continue holding on.
However, unaware of this reality, Leo continued to struggle at the best of his abilities, as he simply did not allow a single droplet to hit the floor, as if his very life depended on it.
'Holy shit, this is too much.... I can't! At this pace I can't—-' Leo thought, as just when he felt like his body was being overwhelmed with information about droplets falling, and how his physical movements could not keep up.
His vision shifted.
And suddenly—
Everything slowed down.
The sensation was abrupt, but not unfamiliar.
The world around him warped, time itself seeming to stretch as he watched each raindrop descend in perfect clarity.
Suddenly, he could see them. All of them.
Their fall paths, their spin, the exact moment they would touch the floor—as if reality had unraveled itself for him to perceive.
His body responded in kind.
His grip adjusted.
His arm moved before he even realized it.
And from the outside—
It was like watching a ghost move through a storm of silver streaks.
Leo's blade danced.
His movements weren't sharp, weren't rigid—they were fluid. Effortless.
To the assistant watching through the chamber's transparent walls, it didn't even look like he was slashing—
It looked like the droplets were vanishing before they even reached his range.
An impossible blur of precision, each movement wasting zero energy, the blade flowing from strike to strike in a seamless, continuous loop.
"What the..." the assistant said, as she released the breath she did not even realize she was holding on to, as the data on her slate spiked past previous records, the reaction time counter flashing red, unable to register a normal measurement.
Leo's entire being was functioning in perfect sync.
His eyes, his muscles, his breathing—it was like his body knew exactly what to do before his mind could even process it.
Then—
BEEP.
The chamber abruptly powered down.
Leo blinked as reality snapped back to normal speed, the world around him seeming too slow for a moment before stabilizing.
The mechanical voice confirmed—
"Reflex Test: Complete."
Leo exhaled, lowering his dagger as the chamber door unsealed with a hiss. He felt extremely weak within seconds, as if all strength had suddenly left his body, as he began to cough and fall to his knees.
Just like the first time when he used this unknown ability, the second time he activated it also left him in shambles, as just activating this ability even for a few seconds, seemed to drain him of a considerable amount of his strength.
Outside, the assistant kept staring at the results in complete disbelief.
In all her career, she had never seen a student quite like Leo before, as the results he displayed were beyond extraordinary.
—----------
Reflex Test Results:
Reaction Time: 0.007 seconds (Above Maximum Threshold)
Accuracy: 100%
Speed Index: Beyond Standard Readings
Overall Reflex Ranking: #1 in Rodova Academy First-Year History.
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