A Distant Reverie

Chapter 88

Vesper stared at the results displayed on the screen in disbelief. The three of them had just completed their physical assessments under Ame's guidance. Over the course of sixty minutes, they were subjected to a series of different activities designed to measure different parameters of their bodies. Reaction time, hand-eye coordination, balance, stamina, strength—every physiological marker and physical characteristic that one could think of was captured by a single number. Vesper found himself in awe at the technologies of this world.

However, at the same, he couldn't help but be dismayed at the accuracy of the results. Everything was done by machines. There was no human bias, no room for human errors, nothing that he could use to excuse his pathetic performance.

He sighed, seeing his name ranked in the bottom half percentile for nearly every measurement.

He felt his mind being dragged down by the familiar, sinking feeling of despair. Flames burned at the edge of his ears, flaring with intensity. It was humiliating. It was the same thing all over again. Memories of his failures at the academy came storming in as he was mauled by a wretched sense of déjà vu.

It never changes.

Before, he might have been able to overlook this bitter sense of inferiority. He has his spellcasting, the one weapon that made himself an indispensable piece to this team. But not anymore. Not in this world that lacked mana. With the one thing that made him useful pried out of his grasp, Vesper floundered as he struggled to find purpose.

How ironic.

The one thing that I desperately clung onto, the one thing that gave me so much grief and despair—is the one thing that gave me value.

Spellcasting turned him into a defective man. Yet, without it, he had nothing.

Vesper closed his eyes, trying to push down his frustrations. It was already bad enough to have his companions witness his pathetic performance. The last thing he wanted was to humiliate himself even further.

He felt a hand on his shoulder.

"It's okay." It was Marine. She had a sympathetic smile on her face. "Even if no one else understands, Suisei and I know what you're capable of."

"...Thanks," he muttered, letting the rest of his thoughts unsaid.

He appreciated Marine's compassion. He really did. But the message just doesn't work as well when it came from someone who topped the charts in every metric.

Marine's performance was so astounding that it left Ame flabbergasted. The young lady had a dumbfounded expression on her face as she continued to scrutinize the results.

"...I had to make sure I didn't calibrate the machines wrong. Damn, seriously?" she mumbled as she shook her head before shooting a cautious glance at Marine. "...Are you even human?"

"Want to take a blood sample too?"

"No," she groaned, massaging her head as if she still couldn't process what she was seeing, "I guess it makes sense why Calli lost. She's going to be pissed once she sees your results."

Marine shrugged.

"As for the two of you, Suisei, your baseline metrics are about on par or slightly above average compared to the norm. You have exceptional hand-eye coordination and tracking. But your strength and speed could use some work."

Ame then turned to Vesper.

"Vesper, hmmm. Well." It was obvious that she was trying to let him down gently. "...The greatest areas for improvement are your stamina, flexibility, and balance. Fortunately, these are all things we could work on with a planned regiment."