MIDNIGHT PRINCE: Empire of Sin

A few moments ago, when Adam entered the center, he was once again surprised by the architecture of this place.

In front of him, there was something akin to a white void with more than a hundred doors of different colors floating in the air, giving a magical vibe which he had never expected to find in this place.

Cecilia whistled slightly at the scene, "They upgraded the security from what I remember."

This was a magical wonder that was accomplished using extremely complex runes weaved together to form an intricate formation that held this place. She didn't know who made this, but that person was no joke. He was quite accomplished in his craft to bring forth such a phenomenon.

One of the doors opened and two men in suits walked out of it.

The man in the front had a cold expression donning his face while the one behind seemed to be more of the easygoing type with his relaxed shoulders and loose facial expression.

Adam lightly read their information with his powers but did not take them much to heart.

Even without using the Eyes of Truth, he could already feel it.

He was stronger than both of them.

"Good morning. I am Mark Smith. I will be in charge of your test."

Even though Mark was extremely dissatisfied with the situation at hand he acted professionally without making his sentiment too obvious to the newcomers.

His eyes landed on the two,

'This hair color and that face. Is she perhaps related to the Director?'

He began to understand a little about how the young man in front of him managed to obtain this opportunity.

Personal information about hunters of any rank was considered confidential information.

This was a necessary measure to avoid easy retaliation by supernatural creatures.

"Are you the chaperone, Madame?"

"Indeed. I am the mother."

"Very well. Tests are normally forbidden to the public but since we are in a rather unorthodox situation, you were allowed to observe it from another room. My colleague will bring you there."

Miguel approached and gave a slight bow to Cecilia and spoke in a friendly and professional tone.

"Please, follow me, ma'am."

She nodded and patted Adam on the back. It was a sign of encouragement for him before she entered one of the other doors.

Leaving Adam alone with Mark.

"Hunters need to possess both might and brawn. The normal tests should have had a written portion that would account for actually 60% of your final note. Followed by a psychological test that counts for 10% and finally the practical test that is only 30%. Could you tell me why in your opinion?"

Mark indicated for Adam to follow him but on the walk toward the test site, he began asking him a question in a rather nonchalant tone.

'Did the test already begin?'

He mused about the question slightly, analyzing it in his mind. At first glance, it might be confusing why the actual practical test had a weight so small, but remembering his discussion with Cecilia in the past, he understood the reason pretty fast.

"Because hunters aren't required to be particularly powerful when it comes down to it."

"Anything else?"

"I suppose hunters are generally moved in teams. Individual power in this case is much less important than actual knowledge and strategy."

Mark's stiff expression loosened slightly at the answer but he made sure to not show that to the newcomer, "Indeed. We are hunters. Not brawlers. For the vast majority of hunters, becoming equal to supernatural creatures is impossible. In fact, at the same rank, a hunter is always weaker than a supernatural creature. That is common knowledge."

He looked up, "They are faster, stronger, have more Prana, and have better senses than us from birth. So what we need is knowledge and a game plan to go against their kind and triumph."

There was nothing dishonorable about ganging up against one supernatural creature alone.

Before becoming s hunter, one needed to have a deep understanding of the weakness and strengths of their target.

They would study the place and take the time necessary to form a foolproof strategy to approach the supernatural being.

Some hunts in the past would be prepared months in advance in order to deliver a final blow in the swiftest way possible and of course with the least sacrifice achievable.

"So, what kind of weapon do you use?"

"I don't have a weapon yet."

"Hmm?"

Weapons were no different than a hunter's lifeline. One needed to have a basic mastery of as many weapons as possible and it was more or less mandatory for a hunter to achieve mastery over one close-range and one long-range weapon at the minimum.

'Is he really a novice?'

He gritted his teeth slightly but shook his head to gather his bearings. He had been present and had witnessed the majesty of the Director one week ago.

He might not know much about her, but he refused to believe that such a woman would allow someone to gain a title they were in reality not ready for.

"Okay, very well. The writing exam will be canceled. The psychological test will happen after the practical exam."

They finally reached a door and when they went through it, Adam looked around in awe as they entered a stadium that seemed as big as the one used for your average Superbowl.

"The first part of this exam will be a basic physical test. Obviously, the use of Prana is forbidden. Take this."

Adam received two bracelets and observed them with keen interest.

"Put those around your arms. It will disturb the flow of Prana and make it sluggish. This is the best way to avoid cheating."

Mark knew that some children of high-ranked families received training to be able to use Prana even when those bracelets were on.

But the level of skills necessary for this was so high that Mark didn't mind it at all. If Adam managed to cheat with those things on him… there would be no doubt left about his skills…

'Genesis. Can this thing stop me?'

[They are unable to affect most of your capabilities.]

'Hmm… Good enough.'

Adam didn't wish to seal his powers and let himself become completely defenseless because of a test.

When he put on the bracelets, he did feel his control diminish greatly. But it only felt like he went back to the earlier days when he acquired The World.

"Very well, go change yourself in that corner and we will start."

Adam smiled slightly as he went into the changing room and came out wearing the tracksuit he was given.

This was going to be fun.

———

For the next few two hours, Mark went from nonchalant and recalcitrant at the thought of making Adam pass the test, to being surprised, and then utterly astonished.

In the end, he could only curse under his breath when Adam finished this portion of the exams.

Holding the results in his trembling hand, he looked at the young man in front of him as if he was looking at a rare specimen.

『 Name: Adam Gospel.

Age: 21

Gender: Male

Results [1]

———

Speed: 62 Km/h (38 Mph) [2]

Lifting Strength: 900 kg (1984 Lbs)

High jump: 5 meters ( 16 feet)

Horizontal jump: 12 meters (40 feet)

.

.

. 』

The list went on but all the results were absolute world record crushers even in the history of this exam. He runs for one hour with no obvious sign of fatigue, he destroyed the punching man, and his reflex was outstanding.

He couldn't understand the numbers that were shown in front of him.

Hunters were naturally stronger than normal humans.

But it was mainly thanks to the use of Prana.

Without the use of Prana, most hunters were basically at the level of top athletes in some domain or even inferior.

This was even more so nowadays as humans gave up on the physical aspects of training more and more past a certain point. Considering it useless humans would never match the supernatural in that department and focus only on the usage of Prana.

"So, how did I do?"

The gaze Mark gave to Adam became suddenly much warmer.

He didn't know if Adam was powerful enough to be a hunter.

But those physical stats alone showed the amount of effort the young man put into his training.

Surely, those were the results of years upon years of hard work and harsh physical conditioning.

Such a diligent young man was worthy of respect.

"You did great. Do you want to take a pause? We can do the rest of the test after you rest a little."

Adam noticed the subtle change in the way the man addressed him.

"I am good. Let's continue."

'How admirable. How courageous! Such a marvelous young man.'

Adam nearly fell over when he received a notification from Genesis at the same moment.

[+ 5 Karma]

[+ 10 karma]

[+ 3 Karma]

Unknowingly, he had obtained his first fan.

[1]: So for Adam's stats. As a reference, Usain Bolt's top speed was 28 mph.

For lifting overhead, the current world record is Zydrunas Savickas with a lift of 212.5kgs.

High jump world record: 2.45 m (8 ft 1⁄4 in) set in 1993 by Javier Sotomayor.

Horizontal jump world record is held by Arne Tvervaag, who jumped 3.71 meters (12' 2.1") in Noresund on 11 November 1968.

[2]: About the metrics. I am not American so I am used to meters rather than miles etc. But this story is set in America. So what I will do now is… If I use a metric, I will also add the conversion directly to make it easier for everyone.

(AN: Didn't want to waste time with the physical test. Imagine Saitama's test haha. https://youtu.be/Xb6sWEEBGS0)