The Ascension Age

Well, that's what Due thought at first. After all, Aire was doing quite well while his Stellar Energy was still being absorbed by the Pinpoint Furnace. However, he noticed something peculiar as he looked at the other few candidates who were also going through the tests. 'This boy... is not sweating at all...'

For Stellar Risers, the temperature of the room they were in wasn't enough to make them sweat. What caused that was the constant use and control of their Stellar Energy, as well as their high concentration at controlling the equipment. When putting all of that together, they would naturally sweat buckets, let alone someone who had never tried it before.

Due then looked at Cala for a moment before asking her quietly, "Are you sure you configured the Pinpoint Furnace to his level?"

Cala, who was also impressed, nodded as she replied, "Of course! You know me, I wouldn't make such a rookie mistake. Besides, the only level worse than his is the Stellar Blood Stage. That should still be enough to give him some difficulty, but he isn't feeling any."

Due had to admit that Cala was right.

Time passed, and soon, the one minute Cala mentioned before was over. The Pinpoint Furnace then stopped as the controls turned off. The Stellar Fire inside the Furnace had also disappeared, leaving only brown liquid lying there.

"Could it be that I succeeded?" Aire asked, surprised at how easy he found melting Suruca Ore was. He then turned around to look at Cala, only to then notice Due there. "Oh, supervisor Due. Did I do it right?"

Due couldn't help but laugh out loud as he said, "Hahaha! Right? It's perfect! Your objective was to simply melt down the ore. I didn't expect that you would do it without even breaking a sweat. I have to say, your Stellar Energy Aptitude is terrifying." Due wasn't trying to make Aire feel better. He truly thought that way. After all, he knew just how hard it was.

Cala also nodded as her eyes glistened. "Truly, a real gem. You're just perfect for the Stellar Smith occupation."

She then looked at Due before asking, "Supervisor Due, how about we admit him into the Stellar Smith Faction straight away? With such high control and aptitude, he's bound to do great in the occupation."

Aire was taken aback by those words, prompting him to ask, "Bu-but...what about the other tests? How can my team receive the points for the Team Score if I don't try the other equipment?"

Due immediately understood what Cala wanted as he replied, "Oh! Don't worry. We will test you right away. It's just that we know that you can be a Stellar Smith, so we'll admit you in before we continue."

While saying that, he thought in his head, 'Are you kidding me? If you suddenly decide to go out and try other occupations, you'll definitely be accepted. Our Branch is already lacking in members. There is no way in hell will I let you go that easily.' Of course, Due didn't say that out loud, afraid of making Aire give up on the occupation.

Aire didn't see anything strange about it since Altina and the others told him that they needed it. Since they wanted to make him a member straight away, then that was for the best. Besides, Stella was bothering him nonstop to do so. "Aire~! You need to become a Stellar Smith. Because of how bad this universe's equipment is, it turns out that this job will be perfect for you to get a better grasp over your Stellar Energy Control. It's perfect!"

Aire's mouth twitched after hearing that. Stella completely ridiculed their equipment and made it look like it was a good thing. "Alright, alright. I understand. They already invited me in, didn't they? So, shut up, will you?"

Though, it was then that Aire remembered something else. "Oh, one more thing. That Energy Flow Blood Assistance was pretty good. I could feel it during this job."

Stella was happy to hear that as she replied, "Right? Right?! I'm amazing! Don't worry. You'll gain access to even better skills in the future!"

Aire and Stella's conversation only lasted a few seconds through their mental connection. Aire then paid attention to Due and Cala again as he smiled, saying, "Alright then, I'll accept your offer. What should I do next?"

Due immediately put on his communicator after hearing that, responding, "It's very simple. I just need your student ID. After that, I can access the system and include you in our Branch."

Aire immediately gave him that, saying, "That's handy. My Student ID is 706QTO28B100."

Due nodded and checked Aire's iD. However, he was taken aback as soon as he looked at it, muttering, "What?! That makes no sense!"

Cala and Aire became curious as they simultaneously asked, "What's wrong?"

Due took a deep look at Aire and eventually asked, "The report says that you only have 125 points for Stellar Energy Aptitude. How's that possible?" Sure enough, that result went against what Aire showed just now.

Aire scratched the back of his head as he got closer to Due before whispering in his ears, "Supervisor Due, that's a personal issue, so would you mind ignoring it? Unfortunately, I can't tell you about it right now."

If it was any other faction supervisor, they would definitely try to get to the bottom of this issue. However, we were talking about the Stellar Smith occupation. They already lacked so much in talents. How could Due let Aire go just because he wanted to know his secret? Whatever it was, it most likely wasn't as important as having Aire joining their Stellar Smith Faction. That being said, Due whispered back at Aire, "Oh, I see. Don't worry, young man. I won't let your secret go out. No one cares about the Stellar Smith results, so I doubt anyone would notice any difference."

Aire couldn't help but have a better impression of the supervisor. The phrase 'no one cares' couldn't sound more divine in Aire's ears. "Thank you, Senior Due."

"Hahaha!" Due laughed in response as he said, "It's fine, it's fine! Come, let's start the next tests. By the way, I already added you to our 17th Stellar Smith Faction Branch. Welcome aboard."