Although many people had achieved a red result on the glowing sphere, only a dozen individuals had eventually been given a red sash. When they had joined the right-hand room, they all looked battered and bruised, apart from one girl who stood at the front who seemed uninterested in what was going on.
They received the stares from all ability users in the room, who likely considered them to be the weakest of the bunch, but Lenny was not so sure. From appearances alone, they looked more physical than most of their peers.
"I don't know why they bother," someone had said.
"Waste of time," said another.
"System," Lenny thought. "What can you tell me about that girl at the front."
"Do you wish to scan?"
"Yes," said Lenny.
"Ability unlocked: scan. Perception plus 1. Scanning… Name: unknown. Ability: None. Strength: 12. Speed: 16. Stamina: 23. Perception: unknown. Spirit: unknown. Health: unknown."
"She has a stamina of 23?" Lenny asked incredulous.
"Why are you surprised?" said the system.
"She's not even an ability user."
"It is a common misconception that the spirited must be more powerful. Although they are often well trained, at the lower levels, their spirit essence provides them with some extra attacking capabilities but only a modest amount of resistance against physical attacks. However, until spirit armour is involved, or the level of essence becomes significant, the gap in strength is not absolute."
Lenny thought for a moment, then used his scan ability on the others in the group. It turned out the young woman was not the only red sash with some stats higher than his, although her stamina was higher than any of the others and her speed put her in the top three. There was also a large male, who looked older than the rest, maybe early twenties, but must have been sixteen like everyone else. He had a large frame, muscular but also carrying a lot of fat, and when Lenny had scanned him, he'd been surprised to see a strength stat of 25, though his speed and stamina were quite low.
"How did the big guy get so strong?" Lenny asked.
"There is of course a genetic component to strength. But also, it's likely that he has simply trained his strength for many years. If each point in the strength stat was worth a certain amount, say 10 kilos in a certain lift, then it would be the case that there are those who could lift several times more than others. Of course, as the strength stat is calculated based on attacking strength, this wouldn't necessarily translate well to a rounded increase in one specific lift, especially as different body types with the same strength would find some lifts easier than others due to the relative length of their mechanical levers."
Lenny's head hurt a little at that explanation, but thought it made sense.
With not much else to do, and intrigued by the previous results, he began to scan his peers. He was surprised to find that himself, Harry and Rose were below average in terms of overall stats. Harry especially. While Lenny's strength stood out above his companions, this was only because of his stat increases. As most of the ability users had come from factions that had trained them in combat for most of their lives, this shouldn't have been too much of a shock.
What surprised him the most, however, was Rose, who had two points less strength, but slightly higher speed and stamina. Both presumably had spirit stats that would put his own to shame; however, Lenny could not see this to confirm, this being a limitation of his scan. Also, with his unique ability to increase his spirit stat quickly, not to mention his physical enhancements, he felt this would offer some advantages not enjoyed by the others.
What had shocked him, however, was that when he had attempted to scan Nicholas, the only blue sash in the room. All stats had come up as unknown, as if his scan had simply failed. He tried to do the same on the few green sashes dotted about, and found that, while he could see their base stats, strangely, their abilities were shown as unknown.
"It seems I can find out more information about the red, orange and yellow spirit users, but less about those above," he thought to himself.
"That is correct," said the system. "As your spirit stat increases, you will gain a stronger sense of your opponent's essence. Your scan will use this information to provide what information it can. However, for the time being, I would avoid confrontations with anyone above the yellow sash. They are out of your league to the point you can't even assess their strength."
"Thanks," said Lenny.
"Also, don't take for granted you can beat the others. There are a lot of different abilities, many of which it will take some time to figure out how to counter, but these should be your main sparring partners. I'd start with the red and oranges."
Lenny focused his scan on the red sash girl again.
"What are you staring at?" said Rose.
"I think we should go talk to them," said Lenny.
"Who? The red sashes?"
"I have a feeling they're a lot stronger than anyone gives them credit for."
Rose shrugged, then followed Lenny as he went to talk to the new group. He was keen to find out what exactly their assessment had put them through, and what their own were likely to entail. But just as they approached, the lights dimmed, and someone stepped onto the stage at the front of the room.
"Good afternoon," said the older man with a strange smile into the microphone. He wore a pin-stripe suit and was balding on top, with whisps of white hair stuck out the side. "We have gathered today a cohort of young people who will hopefully move on to become the next great generation of our forces against the beasts. Whether you are offensive, scouting, or some other utility aspect, we all have a part to play in the war against the beasts. And I assure you, it is that: a war. While many of those sitting at home will be comfy in the knowledge that there are factions to protect them, one of the primary changes that all of you shall face is a change in perspective. We are very much taking the fight to them. After some basic training, you will get to travel to one of our established fortresses and take on a few beasts yourselves. Oh, do not worry, we are not throwing you into the meat grinder. Everything will be as safe as it possibly can be, circumstances considering, and those of you who do well will be able to earn yourselves some decent weapons and armour. For those of you have scored red or orange sashes, do not be disheartened. You will find your place among the group."
Lenny couldn't help but feel a little aggravated at the words spoken. Although there were only a few orange sashes dotted about across the room, he felt that they were being underestimated, as if they were useless.
"System, is there any way to increase my stats without beating enemies?"
"You could always do it the old-fashioned way?"
"How's that?"
"Train, train, train. It will not be as fast, but if you keep grinding, you can increase your stats eventually."
"So I should lift weights and go running?" Lenny asked.
"Although they would increase strength and stamina in specific ways, bear in mind that they would not necessarily be the muscles used in combat. Further, there is balance, muscle memory, coordination and technique that must be trained to become stronger. In short, specificity is key. If you want to become a stronger fighter, you muse fight stronger opponents, train in fight specific movements, strengthen your ability, enhance your body, and add techniques to your currently limited repertoire."
Lenny wasn't happy with the system's choice of words, but knew it was onto something.
With that, the old man raised his arms, and several portals opened. "Pick one," he said. "I do like to mix things up every now and then."
Suddenly, everyone bolted for the portals closest to them, or tried to join their friends. It was chaos. Nearly a hundred people heading in all different directions.
Lenny, Rose and Harry looked at one another. They all made for the same portal, Lenny choosing the one which the red sash girl had travelled through. However, at the last moment, the portal started to close and Harry feared he wouldn't make it. He found himself leaping through the air, diving through as the portal closed around him.
The old man smiled.