Chapter 387:More pressure.

Chapter 387: 387:More pressure.

Thirteen did not feel like a number anymore.

It felt like someone had placed an invisible weight across Antony’s shoulders and then reached inside his body to squeeze his core at the same time.

He remained on his feet, but maintaining the thin layer of power around himself suddenly required actual concentration.

Every breath disrupted it slightly, every movement sent tiny fluctuations through his core, and the simple act of standing straight demanded enough effort that he finally understood why the academy had refused to treat Soul Capacity as a score guaranteeing success.

His Soul Capacity was thirteen, plus the pressure was thirteen and he still felt terrible.

He glanced through the transparent partition to his right.

The candidate there had a Soul Capacity of fifteen according to the display above his lane, yet his power coating flickered badly around his arms.

Sweat covered his face, and his breathing had become uneven despite possessing two more points of natural capacity than Antony.

On the other side, Rebecca was still standing. Her Soul Capacity was eleven, he hadn’t known that before. Now the number displayed above her lane made him stare for a moment.

Yet she remained remarkably steady under pressure equivalent to thirteen.

Her face was pale and her hands trembled slightly, but the energy surrounding her body was much smoother than the fifteen-capacity candidate’s.

She noticed him looking.

"What?"

He immediately looked forward.

"Nothing."

"You were staring too much."

"I’m impressed."

"Focus on your own lane."

"That’s unnecessarily hostile."

Her lips twitched.

The examiner’s voice came through Antony’s speaker.

"Candidate 1472, if Candidate 1439 passes and you fail because you were talking to her, your score will not be adjusted for embarrassment."

He stared toward the observation window.

"Can you hear everything?"

"Yes."

"That’s terrifying."

"Prepare for the next task."

He immediately became serious. A section of the wall ahead opened. Three metallic disks emerged, floating at different heights.

"Maintain core output. Move all three objects through their corresponding marked rings."

Antony looked at them. His body felt as though it had forgotten that breathing and manipulating power were supposed to happen simultaneously.

He extended one hand. Energy flowed into the interface. The first disk moved, then the second, and the third trembled.

He clenched his jaw.

"Come on."

The first disk passed through its ring, the second followed, and the third drifted sideways.

Antony corrected it.

His power coating weakened.

A warning flashed.

[EXTERNAL POWE COATING STABILITY: 71%]

He cursed quietly.

The disk slipped again. He could force more energy through, that would solve the immediate problem, but the examiner’s earlier warning returned.

Don’t confuse versatility with permission to waste energy.

Antony stopped trying to overpower the interface. He reduced his output to a slower and cleaner pace.

The disk stabilized and his coating climbed.

[76%]

[81%]

He exhaled.

The third disk moved through the ring.

A soft tone sounded immediately after.

[TASK COMPLETED.]

He nearly smiled, then the pressure shifted.

His core tightened.

A candidate somewhere behind him cried out, a medical alarm followed.

Antony’s smile disappeared.

The fifteen-capacity candidate beside him suddenly lost control of his coating. Energy burst unevenly around his shoulders.

His display flashed red.

[CORE FLUCTUATION ABOVE PERMITTED RANGE.]

The candidate panicked.

"No, wait!"

The pressure didn’t stop.

"Stabilize your core," an examiner ordered.

"I am!"

"Candidate 1481, reduce output."

The boy did the opposite, more energy erupted around him.

Antony could almost understand why, when something pressed harder, instinct said push harder, but pushing harder was destabilizing him.

"Reduce output!"

"I can handle thirteen!"

The boy’s coating shattered and a red light appeared. The pressure around his lane vanished instantly. The candidate staggered as medical personnel entered through a side door.

His face twisted in disbelief.

"What happened?"

"Your core instability exceeded the permitted threshold."

The boy looked toward his display.

"No. My Soul Capacity is fifteen."

The medic reached him.

"Your Soul Capacity isn’t the issue."

"I haven’t even reached fifteen!"

The examiner’s voice remained calm.

"Correct."

The boy stared toward the observation window.

"I can do it again."

"No."

"Give me another attempt."

"Your evaluation is complete."

"My capacity is fifteen!"

The examiner didn’t respond as medical personnel escorted him out while he complained and begged.

He watched until the door closed, then he looked toward Rebecca. She was still standing at eleven capacity under thirteen pressure.

She was too busy concentrating to look at him this time.

He understood, this was what potential meant. The officer outside hadn’t been exaggerating.

A buzzer sounded.

His next station unlocked.

"Proceed."

He moved, each step felt heavier than the last. The pressure remained at thirteen while he crossed a narrow marked pathway.

The instructions appeared ahead.

[MAINTAIN CORE OUTPUT WITHIN DESIGNATED RANGE.]

[DEVIATION ABOVE 15% WILL REDUCE CONTROL SCORE.]

He clicked his tongue.

"That’s cruel."

No examiner responded.

He took another step as power circulated. The pathway wasn’t physically difficult, it was just painted lines, but the pressure made his core want to release energy unevenly.

Antony kept it contained.

At the three quarters, his left leg trembled. He ignored it until he got to the final line.

[TASK COMPLETED.]

Antony exhaled.

Every display inside the examination sector changed.

[PRESSURE STAGE 13 COMPLETE.]

For a fraction of a second, he expected relief; instead, the next message appeared.

[FINAL PRESSURE STAGE PREPARING.]

He stared upward.

[SOUL CAPACITY EQUIVALENT - 15]

Rebecca swore quietly.

Antony looked toward her.

"Still cheerful?"

She turned her head with visible effort.

"Ask me again when we’re outside." 𝑓𝑟ℯℴ𝓂

He smiled weakly.

"I’ll hold you to that."

The examiner spoke.

"Candidates who have reached this stage are not required to remain functional for the same duration as previous pressure levels."

That caught his attention.

"Your performance will be evaluated according to stability, control and task completion relative to your registered Soul Capacity."

He understood immediately. A seventeen wasn’t being judged the same way as an eleven which was fair but still horrible.

"Candidates may voluntarily terminate their evaluation at any point."

Antony looked around, of course nobody moved. Anyone still standing had already survived enough to believe they could manage a little more.

The examiner continued.

"Pressure increase begins in ten seconds."

He adjusted his stance. He inhaled and exhaled. His core stabilized as the countdown began.

He eventually stopped paying attention to the countdown and focused inward: core, breathing, legs, and power circulation.

The pressure changed.