?”You all call yourself students of the advanced class? Pathetic!” As he approached the group, the man blatantly stated his opinion without a care in the world.

His expression and tone were neither serious nor laid back, almost as if he didn’t care that much about the whole experience that the class had just gone through.

Although people like Mako didn’t pay much attention to the man’s remark which was an obvious taunt and were rather more focused on assessing the power level of the individual who had appeared before them, there were few students whose pride didn’t allow them to sit quietly after being provoked in such a manner.

By this time, the room had released more than a dozen recovery bots that were running around the whole area quickly, healing any wound that was inflicted on the students and then dragging them all to the center of the room where Mako and his group were initially standing.

This meant almost the entire class had been gathered to where Mako’s group was so that the man’s words could be addressed to everyone.

Naturally, this also meant that all the prideful and egotistical students who had charged in at the start of the test were also there, and hearing the man’s remarks in such an uncaring tone sparked a fire in their hearts.

“That’s outrageous!” A boy who had just finished getting healed by a recovery bot at the back of the group shouted with anger and pride in his voice.

The boy had a similar build as Mako’s, roughly the same height as well but was a bit bulkier than Mako in terms of muscle mass. He had long lustrous light hair that had a tint of purple in it with deeply light brown eyes that almost looked like gold.

*****************

Over the centuries, genetic diversity has undergone a noticeable evolution. New and unique combinations of hair and eye colors began to emerge in later generations. While the majority still retained the core genetic makeup, a refreshing diversity in appearances had started to blossom across the world.

Some families adhered strictly to preserving their specific genetic makeup within their bloodlines. They aimed to maintain a distinct and recognizable identity, ensuring that their unique traits remained exclusive to their familial heritage. This intentional restriction created a sense of cohesion and identity, making these families easily identifiable to the world.

Contrastingly, other families embraced the unfolding variations with open arms. They cared little about restricting the spread of their genetic traits and, over the years, allowed these mutations to flourish.

Consequently, these families became a melting pot of genetic diversity, giving rise to an extensive array of unique combinations and characteristics.

As time progressed, the initial mutations within these more permissive families led to further genetic variations. The result was a captivating mosaic of traits, colors, and features that contributed to the rich tapestry of humanity.

Even in Mako’s new class, there were several students with unique traits that would have been considered abnormal in the 21st century.

Mako had always known of the existence of diversity within the current human race, but he hadn’t explored much beyond his hometown in Emerald City. The people there mostly had traditional genetics, so encountering those with newer traits was rare for him. It was only during the recruitment test that Mako was exposed to the wide array of human genetics for the first time.

*****************

“I single-handedly took down 12 robots, and that was only after you suppressed my abilities! I could have taken down that whole army myself if I was at full strength!” The boy yelled at the man.

A couple of others also chimed in, claiming the number of robots they had defeated themself and gave the same excuse of why they were eventually defeated.

The remaining students did feel a bit ashamed by the fact that either they ran or fought with a group instead of soloing those robots, feeling overwhelmed by the strength and power the other students showed just by exerting their pride in their words.

However, after what would happen next, the students were glad that they had kept their mouths shut.

“Hmm? You have something to say?” The man asked with curiosity in his crystal grey eyes and a devilish smile on his face.

“Yeah, I do…” The boy continued to try and exceed his authority on the man but before before he could even finish his sentence…

*WHOOSH!*

A sudden invisible force forcefully pushed the cadets in front of the man either to his left or his right, parting away the group of students to reveal a clear path with the student who was speaking on the other end.

In an instant, it seemed the man was preparing to sprint, but instead of witnessing him actually run, everyone observed him mysteriously teleport from his initial position to directly in front of the boy. The boy’s eyes hadn’t even had a chance to convey the information to his brain before the man appeared, leaving no time for the information to be processed and a reaction to occur.

*BANG!*

In the next moment, a loud bang was heard as the man had punched the boy so hard that he got launched backward into the air in a straight line. The momentum remained unbroken, and the boy’s body only came to a halt upon forcefully colliding with the building’s wall, becoming deeply embedded in its surface.

The crowd of students had their jaws drop wide open as they witnessed a man that they assumed to be their new Power Weapons teacher use his full power to smash a student straight into a giant wall.

‘Damn it! I still couldn’t get a read on his strength! I don’t think he even used 20% of his power in that punch.’ Mako thought to himself as he witnessed the entire thing.

After being personally trained by Commander Sable and having fought a D-tier level threat gang, Mako knew how strong these people could actually be and the punch that he just demonstrated was equivalent to Mako going all out and delivering the same punch while using a strong skill or ability.

Instantly all of the other students who wanted to showcase their pride and assert dominance very quickly shut their mouths, wanting to avoid their fate to become the same as that boy.

After the resounding punch delivered to the boy who had been flaunting his perceived superiority, the man effortlessly pivoted back towards the assembled students.

Maintaining his laid-back and jocular demeanor, he embarked on a speech that carried a weighty message. His words, though delivered with a touch of humor, resonated with profound insight.

“Alright, kiddos,” the man began, his tone lighthearted yet commanding attention. “Strength… isn’t just about flexing muscles or showing off flashy powers! It’s about more than that! Much… much… more!It’s a cocktail of qualities that make a person truly formidable.”

As he spoke, the man’s eyes scanned the group, his gaze landing on Mako with a knowing nod before continuing. “Integrity, adaptability, resilience, and a dash of courage – these are the ingredients that spice up the recipe of true strength. It’s not always about being the loudest or the flashiest in the room.”

“Can you lead others when there seems to be no hope left? Can you influence the aura and outcome of your surroundings by your main presence? Could rise up to the bar when it truly counted knowing that there will be a higher bar to reach?” The man asked with pure passion in his voice.

“This is true strength! This is what makes a person… truly formidable!”

He paused, allowing the gravity of his words to sink in before continuing. “Now, you’ve got to remember that in the real world, you’ll face challenges that go beyond raw power. It’s the ability to adapt, the strength of character, that’ll see you through. So, keep that in mind as you continue your journey.” .𝒎

“The purpose of this initial test wasn’t to see whether you could pass or fail, or how many of the damn things you could take down yourself, but rather I wanted to see what you would do if I changed up the scenario completely and suppressed your abilities. Would it affect your judgment or confidence?”

“Luckily there were some who understood the purpose of the test and acted accordingly for the best possible outcome,” The man gave a slight praise without mentioning anybody’s name, but Mako and a couple of others knew whom he was talking about.

The entire group had become completely quiet as they listened to the man’s words, some out of respect while others out of fear.

It was evident that the silent stares were making it a bit awkward for the man to keep speaking so he decided to wrap things up by introducing them to other Power Weapons Class, explaining to them that the true purpose of this class was not only to teach them how to handle and master weapons but also to use them as tools for situations where they might become their last hope.

Finally, some of the students started to show a reaction by smiling or cheering which helped to break out the awkward tension which was clearly making the man a bit uncomfortable.

“By the way, sir? You never told us your name?” The brown-

haired girl who accompanied Mako’s group asked the man as he was about to leave, signaling the end of their first lesson.

“Hm? My name?” The man said as he turned back towards the girl.

However, before he could reply, strong crackles of electricity resounded throughout the room, making the very air electric.

Mako quickly sensed where the source of this power was coming from and to his surprise, it was coming from the hole in the wall where the boy had been launched into, but what shocked him even more than the fact that the boy was still conscious was the color of the lightning arcs that were forming around the hole.

“Purple Lighting?”

This content is taken from 𝘪𝘳.𝘤𝑜