Universal Power System

Chapter 310 What It Takes

As Mako stood in the weapons hall, his senses tingled with the realization that something was amiss. The abrupt appearance of system notifications only confirmed his suspicion.

Before he could even fully process his predicament, a commanding voice cut through the silence of the room. "Ah, we have another one," called out Magnus, the teacher of the special power weapons class.

"Sir Magnus...?" Mako asked, his voice steady despite being uncertain as to why he had been suppressed even when he hadn't even joined up for the class yet. He met the teacher's gaze, steeling himself for whatever was to come.

Magnus strode forward, his imposing figure casting a shadow over Mako. "It seems that destiny has willed for us to cross paths again," he remarked as he remembered Mako from the morning's class.

"Sir? Why am I suppressed?" Mako respectfully asked Magnus but still had uncertainty within his heart.

A faint smirk played at the corner of his lips as Mako asked him the obvious question. "Tell me, do you wish to join this class with me as your teacher or do you wish to walk away?"

Mako was a bit caught back by the sudden ultimatum that his teacher had just presented him with.

"I'm not sure I understand sir," Mako said to try and ease down the situation and to get a better understanding of what Magnus was planning.

"It's quite a simple question... Do you wish to take this class or do you wish to walk away forever?" Magnus said.

"Forever?" Mako questioned.

"Why, yes..." Magnus replied while maintaining the smirk on his face. "If you choose to walk away now, you will never be able to come back here again. I will never teach you."

Now Mako completely understood both consequences of his teacher's ultimatum.

If he were to say "yes" and proceed further, he had no idea what would happen next but knowing the impression that he had made during the morning class, Mako was certain that he wouldn't just get accepted without some type of test to trail which was why he was suppressed in the first place.

However, if he was to say "no" then he would have turned down a one-of-a-kind opportunity where he would never be able to return back and ask for a second chance to train with Magnus and could potentially lose out on something great.

The dilemma Mako was facing was because he had hoped to first visit both classes, the special power weapon class as well as the mana training class before he made his decision.

He had no idea how time-consuming either course would be and which one would be more beneficial for him. Magnus was basically forcing him to gamble on whether or not he believed that the power weapons class would give him the same value as the mana training class.

"I'm waiting..." Magnus said to urge Mako to make a decision on who was still split on which choice he should go for.

'If I say "yes", I might miss out on the mana training class which is exclusive to the special class so it is bound to give me value, but it is quite slow to learn and master. I am also weak with weapons and if I have to become stronger, I also need to master weapons too...' Mako argued with himself in his thoughts as he contemplated on which option to choose.

Magnus' glaring stares only added to the intensity of the situation and the pressure of making a decision.

"Well...?" Magnus asked again, growing more impatient with every passing second.

It was truly a quite difficult decision to make as this would decide how fast Mako could begin progressing and how far he could go within his first year in the military school. Knowing that Magnus wouldn't listen to reason from impatient gestures and glares he had been shooting at Mako even though it had only been a minute, Mako finally came to a decision.

"Fine... I wish to remain and join the special power weapons class," Mako stated his decision with confidence.

He had made his decision. Even though it would have been beneficial for him to start mana training as early as possible because of how long it took before seeing any results, Mako argued that he could still learn it once he was promoted back to the special class and to do that he had to become stronger first.

Now he just had to make sure to pass whatever benchmark test Magnus had planned for him so that he could officially sign up for the class.

A big smile appeared on Magnus' face after hearing Mako's decision as if he was a bit relieved. Shortly after, several pedestals began floating over toward Mako from behind Magnus.

Each pedestal had a different type of weapon on display and Mako could tell by just looking at them that they were strong power weapons, not the weak ones that they had used during the morning class when they battled the horde of robots.

With a flourish, Magnus gestured towards a display of weapons lining the walls of the hall. "Choose your weapon, Mako. Show me what you're made of," he declared, his voice echoing with authority.

Mako had a feeling that the test would be some kind of duel that would measure his skill and power, but he expected to fight some robot again just like in the morning not the teacher.

The battle between Magnus and the kid was still fresh in Mako's mind as he knew that his teacher was miles above him in terms of strength and power and that he stood no chance against him.

However, he also didn't have a choice as Magnus' next words sealed the deal completely.

"For me to accept you as my student, you have to manage to land a single strike on me before you collapse. If you are not able to do that, then don't ever show your face here again; you won't not worthy of my time. So pick your weapon wisely..."

Mako gulped down as he realized what was at stake. His eyes narrowed as he surveyed the array of weapons before him.

'Calm down... being nervous at a time like this won't do me any good. This is the decision that I have made and now I have to own up to it. Whether I succeed or fail is now entirely in my hands.' Mako said to himself with a growing sense of determination.

Despite his suppressed state, a flicker of determination ignited within him. He may have been stripped of his abilities but he refused to be rendered powerless.

Stepping forward, Mako reached out and grasped a sleek, obsidian sword from its resting place. The weight of the weapon felt familiar in his grip as it was almost the same size as his stone sword.

While he was browsing through the different weapons, he was actually using Analyze on all of them to check out their stats and whether they possessed passive skills.

A power weapon could have either an active or a passive skill.

An active skill required input from the user which was by the user channeling a small amount of mana into the weapon to trigger the skill; however, since Mako was suppressed, he couldn't access mana at all and in turn, he couldn't activate active skills.

A Passive skill on the other hand didn't require any kind of input from the user and was activated if the conditions were met, making it quite useful for Mako given his current situation.

There were a few weapons with good stats and a passive skill, but Mako had no idea how to wield some of them as he hadn't even heard their names. In the end, he decided to go with the obsidian sword even though it wasn't the strongest weapon available but it had a very unique passive skill and was one that he was the most comfortable with.

[Analyze]

[High Tier Black Magma Blade]

[A sleek and menacing sword forged from the darkest metals found deep within the earth's core, infused with the essence of several fire crystals.]

[Strength +25]

[Agility +8]

[Attack: 85]

[Fire Affinity: The Black Magma Blade was crafted by the combinations of several different fire crystals, it has gone under a unique mutation where the blade now possesses a strong affinity for the fire ability, amplifying the user's fire ability and allowing them to channel and manipulate fire with greater precision and control]

[Passive Skill: Molten Resurgence]

[Molten Resurgence: As the Black Magma Blade cleaves through the air, it absorbs the energy of the swing into itself with each unsuccessful attack, it stores more power granting the user a small burst in agility and strength for the cost of the blades' condition. Each time the sword stores powers, magma cracks begin to appear on the sword presenting the stored power but also weakening itself. If the sword is weakened too much, it may shatter releasing all the stored energy inside at once in a violent explosion.]

With a swift movement, Magnus drew his own weapon, a simple long sword that was also High Tier but had no passive or active skill.

"Very well," Magnus murmured, a hint of approval gleaming in his eyes. "Let us see if you got what it takes!"