Mutagen

Day 318 - 10:44 AM - Testing Area, Registration and Management Bureau, Shibaura Institute of Technology Junior and Senior High School, Toyosu, Koto City, Tokyo

Unexpected suspense filled the few last seconds of the Combat Examination.

In the most unexpected event, the examiner, the "Human Tank" Kenji, made an amateurish blunder. Kenji was well known for his strength, but his control over it was the most impressive thing about him.

Although some might attribute it to the stone that made Kenji lose balance and control of his swing, it was not the case for the experts watching. He had worse circumstances before, but something like Kenji losing control did not happen.

Yet, he lost control this time and accidentally unleashed his full-strength punch on an examinee.

"Papa!"

The youngest girl's worried shout woke up everyone from their stupor.

Mark's group immediately rushed to his location. Of course, the first one to arrive was Abbygale, followed closely by Amihan. Then Mei and the rest arrived soon after.

Ren and Mako also rushed into the field to check Mark's condition. They had dismayed looks on their faces as they knew that this could be a fatal accident. Even if Mark survived, it was very likely that he would become crippled.

"Quick! Call an ambulance!"

The receptionist's voice echoed as she hurriedly shouted to the staff. However, Kenji's voice interrupted the woman.

"Don't rush with the ambulance. First, call a medic or the nurse in the management's clinic."

Those words from the examiner kind of ticked off the receptionist.

"Are you not aware of the situation? We are on an emergency here." The receptionist lashed out. "Damn it, Dad. How can you even lose control of your punch just because you tripped on a rock? It's so unlike you."

The receptionist, who was actually Kenji's daughter, looked at the pulverized rock near Kenji's feet. Although it managed to trip Kenji, it still did not stand a chance and was turned into powder. And where in the world did this piece of rock come from? It definitely came from the side of the field that now had a crater. In fact, it was not the only piece of smashed concrete around. However, it was the biggest one.

Kenji was not being irresponsible, however. As he clenched his left hand that accidentally punched the examinee several times, he knew something was unusual.

"Just the clinic nurse is fine, Rinka," Kenji said to his daughter while watching the staff run to the building. "Though, I think... I also need some medical attention."

The receptionist, Rinka, finally noticed her father clenching his left hand painfully. His entire left arm was turning red because of muscle strain, probably due to a few muscles tearing.

Kenji did not just let the accident happen without doing anything. The piece of concrete he tripped on turned to dust because he forcefully tried to regain his footing. At the last moment, he also attempted to pull his already unleashed punch, even if it meant tearing a few muscles. Unfortunately, stopping a punch at the speed and strength of a tank shell would not be easy, even if it was his own.

And despite Kenji trying to stop his punch, it still connected to Mark as a devastating blow. Think of a force of a speeding truck concentrated on a single point.

However, Kenji was positive that the examinee did not receive a fatal injury, unlike most witnesses around believed. He did not know how the examinee did it, but his punch felt like it landed on a sturdy metal sheet. Although the punch felt like it broke the metallic feel, Kenji was more worried about the examinee's spine after hitting the wall at that velocity.

"Let's go check."

Rinka sighed as she left her father's side and followed the crowd that gathered around Mark.

And when Rinka arrived, she was devastated. She thought she would finally have a good group of [Freelancers] she could be assigned as their personal receptionist. But it was shattered as she saw Mark's hands dangling, broken right at the center of the forearm. That was not an injury one could fully recover from. Fortunately, he was alive. Her father's punch could easily kill a person, after all.

Worse, to Rinka's shock, the examinee's wife began lifting his broken right arm.

"What are you doing? Don't move the-"

Rinka was unable to finish her sentence. The punch and the crash on the wall sure caused many wounds on the examinee's body, especially his arms. However, her eyes widened as she noticed the wounds that lacked any sign of blood began to close by themselves.

A stronger shock came, not only to Rinka but also to those that rushed to Mark's rescue. They saw the arm that the beautiful wife held in place had begun to realign. In just a few seconds, the examinee was already moving his right arm as if it was never broken.

The nurse that hurried with the staff paused in shock after arriving amidst the examinee realigning his left arm on his own.

Those around the group of examinees could hear them talking. Unfortunately, the Japanese crowd could not understand the group. Not a single word. As such, they could only silently watch as they witnessed an unfathomable scene unfold before their eyes.

"[Rank 5]..." The nurse began to excitedly whisper. "A [Rank 5 Regeneration] Ability..."

Everyone who heard the nurse's murmurs felt their hearts shake.

A [Rank 5] ability was not unheard of. In fact, Kenji, today's examiner, had [Rank 5 Body Strengthening] ability. However, a [Rank 5 Regeneration] ability holder was nonexistent. That was until now.

The current examination was only the measurement of the combat abilities of the examinees. And while it was not required, the examinees could have their abilities measured to increase their initial ranks as [Freelancers].

Was it quite odd that ability tests came after the combat examination? It was done on purpose. During the combat examination, the combatants would be able to display their abilities voluntarily or involuntarily. After all, while [Ability Holders] were not required to disclose their abilities, the government wanted the opposite. However, they could not force it either. Thus, the lineup of examinations was done purposely to reveal the abilities of [Ability Holders].

And this plan was pretty much doing its intended purpose, even now. It might have been an accident, but it revealed a [Rank 5 Regeneration] [Ability Holder], especially since he did not specify this ability during his registration.

Mark's regenerative abilities, estimated as rank five, received no negative response from those around. The nurse present was also the assistant examiner for medical-related abilities and was a pretty well-trusted person. She was present in almost all medical ability examinations and was always in attendance in terms of regenerative abilities due to some personal reasons. That was why her estimate of Mark's ability was pretty much as important as the medical examiner's words.

At this time, everyone saw Mark twisting his body and tapping his chest. It was clear that his chest and back were injured during the impact, and he was making sure that his body was regenerating properly.

"Ah, my back..." Mark spoke in Japanese as he stood up. "That's not a good experience. Receiving a tank shell at point-blank distance sure is a bad idea..."

The rest of the people stared at Mark blankly. After all, he did not look like the type to joke around, especially on an almost fatal accident.

"This is unbelievable. Are you really okay? We can send you to the hospital free of charge if you want."

Rinka, the receptionist, asked Mark. This accident was the responsibility of the bureau since it happened during the examination. Injuries were not new due to the nature of the combat examination, and the bureau always shouldered the bills for injuries during the examination.

However, it was different this time. The injury was caused by the examiner losing control of their strength. It was not only the bills, but they might need to offer compensation. And, of course, the people involved in the accident might receive some sanctions.

"Hmm? I'm fine," Mark replied to the receptionist before turning to the examiner. "I failed, didn't I?"

"What are you saying?"

Kenji asked.

"I mean, I got knocked down before the timer ran out. Right?"

Mark said, making everyone freeze.

Like Mark had said, the accident happened a few seconds before the one-minute mark ended. He was flung out of the field and received injuries that required him a little more than half a minute to recover. Following the rules, he failed the examination.

"Haaah..." Kenji sighed. "No, you passed. That punch you received doesn't count since it's far above the strength I should use during the examination. If we failed you because of that, the bureau should better start revoking the ninety percent of the licenses of [Freelancers] just by the fact that none of them can receive an unrestrained punch from me."

What Kenji had said was just the plain truth. What happened to Mark might just be an accident, but he lived through it. The other ninety percent of [Freelancers] would definitely die or become crippled within the same circumstances.

"Then, that's good." Mark shrugged while patting the dust stuck on his pants after sitting on the ground. "Can we continue the examinations? We want to finish it quickly. We don't have a place to stay yet after this."

Those words from Mark made Rinka turn to Ren and the members of the Black Lotus.

"You're kicking them out after they formed their own group? If that is the case, I'll be taking them in."

Rinka asked Ren.

"Wait, Mark," Ren ignored the receptionist and spoke to Mark. "Your family is welcome to stay with us until you find another place to stay. So, don't worry. We won't be kicking you out just because your family is not going to join us. And even if you don't want to, there are temporary shelters near our compound. We can lend for free for a while."

Ren might be a bit unsure because of how Mark managed to trick their scouts. However, with the abilities that his group had shown so far, it was stupid to just let them go. Even if they would not join the Black Lotus, having them as allies were more than enough.

"Is that so? Then thanks," Mark said with a shrug. "Still, I want to finish it quickly. All the attention we are getting is already getting on my nerves, you see."

Mark was not making excuses. Audible murmurs could already be heard all over the place. After all, many unbelievable things happened in just a short amount of time on this hectic morning.

"Excuse me," At this time, the nurse, that had nothing to do after being called, spoke to Mark. "If you are done with your combat examination, we can proceed with testing your [Regeneration] ability."

Mark turned to the nurse. He had rather cold eyes, but no one noticed.

"I'm not going to test it."

"But-"

Before the nurse could protest, Mark interjected.

"There's no rule that said the abilities we had needed to be tested, right? Only if they wanted it to be tested, right? I'm pretty sure I didn't put it in the registration paper. It's because I don't want it to be tested. If not for the accident, no one would even know about it. My secret card was just laid bare to the public without my intention."

The nurse turned to Rinka, asking if Mark did not put it in his registration paper. And since the receptionist had the papers with her, it took no time to show that he really did not.

"Are you sure about this?" The nurse asked, seemingly disheartened. "If you didn't get your [Regeneration] ability tested, it won't reflect in your final ranking."

"I'm sure," Mark replied coldly. "I don't need it. I believe my combat examination is already enough to give me a good ranking. So, don't ask again. My group still has members that needed to get tested."

With that exchange, the tests went on in an unusual atmosphere. Both Mei and Iola passed the range combat tests without problems. After that, a medical check-up followed. Everyone had to undergo physical fitness tests, while a few members of Mark's group went under a few personal ability tests.

Miracle went for the strength test, Abbygale for the Agility Test, and Mei for an Eye Test. The three displayed those abilities in the combat tests while also having them registered in their registration papers. Lastly, Emika faced a few sets of tests while using her [Mutator Ability].

The tests soon finished, although it was already past noon when they ended.

And after they received their licenses, in the form of metal tags, to be attached to their residential identification cards, the Registration and Management Building was already in quite an annoying buzz.