Chapter 175: Obstacles

Somehow, Kyle had already expected that Tear might reject him.

But being told to outright leave the moment he introduced himself still caught him off guard.

Amanda quickly stepped forward.

"Tear, I promise you’ll be surprised once you see his abilities." Her tone turned unusually earnest. "This isn’t just my bias talking. I swear."

Tear clicked her tongue in annoyance.

"It’s not about his abilities, Amanda." She folded her arms again. "It’s about where my equipment ends up being used." Her crimson eyes sharpened slightly. "Why would I entrust my precious babies to some examinee?"

Then her gaze shifted toward Kyle once more, scrutinizing him from head to toe.

"And what exactly is your ability?" she asked bluntly. "Can you even leave a dent on this glass panel?"

Kyle blinked before glancing toward the counter.

"This one?"

Tear nodded casually.

"It’s a fortified barrier designed to keep unworthy people away." A faint smirk tugged at her lips. "Think you can break it?"

Amanda instantly frowned.

"That’s unfair, Tear." She crossed her arms. "Even I only managed to crack it during my first attempt."

Tear merely shrugged.

"You said he’s special." Her eyes returned to Kyle. "So let him prove it."

Amanda opened her mouth to argue again, but Kyle gently interrupted her.

"It’s okay, Amanda."

He stepped forward slightly, his expression remaining calm.

"If I can’t even pass a test like this..." Kyle gave a faint smile. "Then maybe she’s right."

Tear’s smirk deepened slightly at his response.

Meanwhile, Amanda looked far less reassured.

Kyle was strong.

But his real strengths weren’t physical.

It was his monstrous Genesis reserve, his absurd abilities, and the terrifying precision of his aim.

In terms of raw physical power, he might honestly still be below Amanda herself.

And on top of that, he still hadn’t mastered the proper use of Genesis enhancement throughout his body.

Meaning this challenge...

Might genuinely be difficult for him.

Kyle stared at the glass panel for a moment before quietly asking the System,

’Can you check its durability?’

[Accessing God’s Eye...]

A faint screen flickered before his eyes.

[Endurance: 30]

[Host, you would require at least half of that level of strength to produce a crack. If you put your full force behind the strike, achieving the minimum requirement should be possible.]

Kyle’s lips slowly curled upward.

’Who said I’m aiming for just a crack?’

As his fingers curled into a fist, he muttered inwardly,

’Use Overlord.’

Instantly—

A violent surge of power exploded through his entire body.

It felt as though harsh storm winds had suddenly burst through veins that had previously remained calm and restrained.

Every stream of Genesis inside him roared awake.

His senses sharpened to a frightening degree.

The subtle hum of the lights above.

The faint breathing of the employees behind the counter.

Even the microscopic vibrations traveling through the floor beneath his feet became painfully clear.

Kyle inhaled slowly.

His muscles tensed violently beneath his clothes.

Though his body showed almost no outward physical change, he could feel the overwhelming difference coursing through him.

Strength.

Pure, brutal strength.

It flooded every inch of his body until even standing still felt unnatural.

For a brief moment, Kyle genuinely felt like he could punch straight through the massive monster he had fought earlier that morning.

And the terrifying part was...

He knew that feeling wasn’t an exaggeration.

He gritted his teeth, a face splitting grin extending his lips, eyes fiery and the aura he radiated had a few guards instantly march in, only to stop when Tear raised her arm, her eyes never leaving Kyle’s figure.

He took a step forward.

The polished floor beneath his feet cracked faintly from the pressure released through his stance alone.

Tear’s narrowed eyes sharpened instantly.

Then—

Kyle punched.

A single straight punch shot forward with compact precision.

BOOM

The sound that followed wasn’t the shattering of glass.

It was the explosion of compressed air.

Before his fist could even fully connect, the pressure released from the strike slammed into the fortified panel first.

A spiderweb of fractures spread across the surface.

Then the entire barrier burst apart.

The shockwave continued forward without stopping.

The reinforced protective displays behind the counter exploded one after another, shards scattering across the showroom as the weapons resting inside trembled violently in their holders.

A powerful gust swept through the entire floor.

The employees behind the counter staggered back because of the pressure.

Even Amanda instinctively raised an arm against the rushing wind.

And at the center of it all stood Kyle.

His fist remained extended in front of him.

The punch itself hadn’t even directly touched the second layer of glass.

Yet the pressure alone had destroyed it.

Silence followed.

A long silence.

One of the employees stared blankly at the shattered protective cases before slowly turning toward Kyle with a pale face.

Amanda’s lips had parted slightly in disbelief.

Because even she hadn’t expected that.

Meanwhile, Tear stood completely still.

The fragments of shattered glass reflected faintly across her crimson eyes as she stared at Kyle without blinking.

For the first time since arriving—

Her expression lost every trace of dismissal.

This strength...it didn’t belong to a trainee or newbie.

He is a special-grade.

....

"Did you hear?"

Inside a dark room illuminated only by the warm glow of a chandelier stood a woman dressed in black. Her dark lips were set in a straight line, and her sleek hair cascaded all the way to her waist.

She stood before a long wooden table. The person she addressed was a man in his late twenties, wearing glasses and focused on the papers spread before him.

"About what?" the man asked.

The woman crossed her arms beneath her chest. "The boy erased a high grade ghoul during his very first assignment."

The man frowned and looked up. "You mean the one Ava went to hunt down? So what? He fought Ava without losing his head, so obviously he’s strong."

The woman smirked. "And doesn’t that make you curious? I mean... Ava is still targeting him."

The man sighed and lowered his gaze back to the documents. "She can’t disobey my orders. We both know that."

"I know. And Ava isn’t targeting him directly."

"Then I don’t care. If she isn’t involved personally, I can’t influence her actions. And truthfully..." He looked up before continuing, "If not for the headmaster, I wouldn’t care what she did to him."

"Hmm. You’re right. He might be a prodigy, but if he can’t overcome a few trials, then he’s nothing more than wasted potential."

The man nodded. "Exactly. So do one thing and add more obstacles from my side."

The woman’s expression stiffened. "What?"

The bespectacled man continued writing as he spoke. "He would have an unfair advantage in the academy. So instead of placing him in the basic first year classes, make him attend the elite third year sessions."

The woman’s lips parted in shock. "But... that’s practically forcing him to work as a Nightwalker instead of actually learning anything."

The man shrugged. "He wants a crash course and freedom at the same time, doesn’t he? Then why not help him understand the kind of danger we deal with right from the start?"

The woman hesitated for a moment, but her superior, The Alpha, had already made up his mind.

"I’ll speak with the administration."