Chapter 71: The Riki Affinity Test Part Two

Arthur focused on something distant, searching through the memories of his previous life. He tried to bring forward something he hadn’t thought about in years.

At first, nothing happened.

His Riki didn’t seem to react.

Arthur tried again.

He focused harder.

Now there was a small reaction... Recalling a small memory fragment from back on Earth... His sister had mentioned wanting to get a cat.

But still, the memory was fuzzy.

Not this one.

He shifted his focus to the next test.

Next came the attempt to understand something he previously couldn’t.

Arthur thought about a difficult concept from his previous life, something he had struggled to understand despite spending considerable time studying it.

He concentrated.

His Riki moved slightly.

For a moment, he thought he had found something.

But the response was weak.

It wasn’t enough to make any meaningful difference.

...Not this one either.

Arthur shifted his focus again.

Then came the second-to-last test.

He tried to consciously control a part of his body that he normally had no reason to control manually.

He focused on the muscles.

The nerves.

The tiny movements that normally happened without conscious thought.

His Riki responded.

But only slightly.

Arthur frowned.

...Not this either.

Only one test left.

Heightening his senses.

Arthur took another slow breath and focused inward.

Making Riki flow throughout his entire body.

His Riki suddenly reacted.

Arthur’s eyes opened.

The world around him seemed to sharpen.

The faint hum of the training hall’s machinery became clearer.

He could hear the sound of the footsteps of the cadets passing by outside the training hall.

He could even distinguish the different sounds of Veyron’s mechanical limbs as the instructor shifted his weight.

Arthur’s eyes widened.

He hadn’t consciously increased his hearing before.

Yet the moment he focused his Riki in that direction, it responded almost immediately.

Arthur tried again.

His vision sharpened.

Details that had previously blended into the background became noticeably clearer.

He could perceive tiny movements of dust particles in the air from across the training hall that he hadn’t noticed before.

A smile slowly formed on Arthur’s face.

...So this is it.

Arthur finally understood.

Out of all four applications, this was the one his Riki seemed to respond to most naturally.

His strongest affinity was sensory enhancement.

Arthur’s smile widened slightly.

...I found it.

Arthur smiled.

"Sir, I’m done."

Rexi’s eyes immediately snapped open.

"The hell? Again?"

Veyron glanced toward Rexi.

"You aren’t supposed to get distracted, cadet. Focus."

Rexi reluctantly closed his eyes again.

Veyron turned his attention back to Arthur with an amused expression.

"Well done, Arthur. So, what sort of Riki are you most dominant in?"

Arthur thought for a moment before answering.

"Sensory."

Veyron nodded slowly.

"Hmm... not bad."

He placed a hand under his chin.

"I was hoping it would be Will, but still, Sensory is my most dominant Riki type as well."

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"All the more reason for me to properly nurture you."

Arthur nodded.

Veyron glanced toward Rexi and Alexis.

"Now, the rest of you need to figure out your own affinities. It’s a fairly simple test. You should all be done around the same..."

"I’m done."

A firm voice suddenly interrupted him.

Rexi, Arthur, and Veyron all turned toward the source of the voice.

Alexis slowly opened his eyes.

He was still sitting cross-legged on the floor, but his expression was noticeably different from before. There was a faint strain across his face, and his breathing was slightly heavier than it had been moments ago.

Veyron stared at him for a few seconds.

"...You’re done?"

Alexis nodded awkwardly.

"Yes, sir."

Rexi looked between Alexis and Arthur.

"The hell? How is everyone finishing so quickly?"

Veyron ignored him and walked toward Alexis.

"How are you certain?"

Alexis hesitated.

He rubbed the back of his neck, looking slightly embarrassed.

"Well..."

He glanced down at his chest.

"I tried the last method you told us about."

Veyron’s artificial eyes narrowed with interest.

"Manual control?"

Alexis nodded.

"I focused on my body and tried to control something I normally can’t consciously control."

He paused.

"At first, nothing happened. Then I tried focusing on my heartbeat."

Arthur’s eyebrows lifted slightly.

Alexis continued, his voice becoming quieter.

"I could feel it beating. I focused on it and tried to make it slow down."

Veyron’s expression slowly became impressed.

"And?"

Alexis swallowed.

"It worked."

Rexi’s mouth fell open.

"You actually controlled your heartbeat?!"

Alexis nodded.

"Only for a moment."

He placed a hand against his chest.

"I could speed it up, slow it down, and even stop it for a brief moment before starting it again."

Rexi stared at him.

"...You stopped your own heart?!"

Alexis quickly shook his head.

"Not completely! Only for a moment."

"That’s still insane!"

Veyron raised a hand, silencing Rexi.

His attention remained fixed on Alexis.

"And you’re certain it was your Riki responding?"

Alexis nodded.

"Yes, sir."

He took a slow breath.

"I could feel the energy moving whenever I gave the command. It was almost like my body was responding directly to what I wanted it to do."

Veyron stared at him for another moment before a slow smile appeared on his face.

"Will Riki."

Alexis nodded.

"I think so."

Veyron’s smile widened.

"No."

He stepped closer.

"You don’t think so."

Alexis blinked.

Veyron placed a hand against his shoulder.

"You know."

Alexis hesitated before nodding.

"Yes, sir."

Veyron gave him an approving look.

"Good."

He removed his hand and folded his arms.

"That’s a very clear indication of Will Riki."

Alexis’s shoulders relaxed slightly.

"Although..."

Veyron looked at him carefully.

"You said it was exhausting."

Alexis nodded.

"Very."

He rubbed his forehead.

"I’m honestly feeling pretty exhausted right now."

His voice was slightly strained as he continued.

"I could maintain control for a few seconds, but after that, it started getting harder to concentrate. It felt like my head was being squeezed."

Veyron nodded thoughtfully.

"That’s normal. You forced your mind to maintain direct control over a process your body normally handles automatically."

Alexis looked relieved.

"So I didn’t do something wrong?"

"No."

Veyron shook his head.

"If anything, you did exactly what you were supposed to do."

He glanced at Arthur.

"Your Riki responded naturally when you tried to enhance your senses."

Then he looked back at Alexis.

"Yours responded when you imposed your will directly onto your body."

Alexis nodded slowly.

Veyron smiled.

"Will Riki."

Rexi crossed his arms.

"So Arthur gets Sensory, Alexis gets Will..."

He looked down at himself.

"And I’m still sitting here trying to figure out what the hell mine is."

Arthur glanced at him.

"Maybe you’re just bad at this."

Rexi’s head snapped toward him.

"Excuse me?"

Arthur smiled innocently.

"I didn’t say anything."

"You literally just did!"

Alexis couldn’t help but chuckle despite his exhaustion.

Veyron shook his head, though there was a faint smile on his face.

"Enough. Both of you."

He looked toward Rexi.

"Focus."

Rexi sighed and closed his eyes again.

"Yes, sir."

Veyron then turned back toward Alexis.

"You’ve done enough for now. Don’t try to force yourself any further."

Alexis nodded.

"Understood."

He leaned back slightly, taking another slow breath as he tried to recover.

Veyron looked between the three cadets.

"Interesting..."

His artificial eyes moved from Arthur to Alexis.

"Sensory and Will."

A faint smile appeared on his face.

"Two different affinities, both showing themselves almost immediately."

Arthur glanced at Alexis.

Alexis met his gaze.

For a brief moment, neither said anything.

Then Alexis gave him an awkward smile.

"I guess we both got lucky."

Arthur smiled back.

"Looks like it."

Rexi opened one eye.

"Can you two stop being naturally talented for five minutes?"

Arthur and Alexis looked at him.

Rexi immediately closed his eye again.

"...I’ll figure mine out any moment now."

Arthur chuckled.

Veyron laughed quietly.

"Good. That’s the attitude."

He turned back toward the remaining cadet.

"Now, Rexi. Let’s see what you’re capable of."

Rexi sighed deeply.

"Here we go..."