Becoming The Strongest Using My Would-You-Rather System!-Chapter 26 - Sirens?!

As they stepped through the metal doors, a large hangar opened up in front of them.

Rows of weapon racks lined the walls, each filled with blades, armor, and various other military equipment.

Towards the back of the hangar sat a large reinforced testing area, surrounded by large metal railings with several training dummies in its center.

A tall man in a dark military uniform stood near one of the worktables, inspecting a shining blade up close.

Hearing Theo and Iris enter, he slowly lowered the blade and turned to look at them.

"So the spear was for this one?" he asked, his voice hoarse.

Iris nodded once, continuing further into the room.

The man’s eyes briefly scanned Theo from head to toe before he gave a short nod.

"Good," he said. "I’ll grab the spear now."

Theo felt his heartbeat quicken slightly as he walked further into the workshop.

The man went to a nearby table and grabbed a long object wrapped in dark cloth.

Without saying another word, he turned around and placed it in Theo’s hands.

For a moment, Theo simply stared at it.

’So this is it,’ he thought, slowly pulling the cloth away.

As the cloth fell to the ground, the spear made its full appearance, leaving Theo momentarily stunned.

Its shaft was forged from a combination of silver and deep blue metal, the two colors running seamlessly along the weapon.

A long central blade extended from the top of the shaft, with two shorter one-edged blades extending slightly below it on both sides like small fangs.

"Wow," Theo muttered, gripping it tightly. "This feels... amazing."

"It better," the tall man said, snapping him out of his thoughts. "The thing cost a fortune."

Then he gestured to the testing area.

"Go on," he said. "Let’s see what it can do."

Theo didn’t need to be told that twice.

He followed the tall man and Iris somewhat absentmindedly as he kept moving the spear around him.

’It’s heavy,’ he thought. ’But it feels... smooth?’

Just holding the weapon gave him a strange sensation, almost as if it was too easy to pour his mana into it.

"Hey," the man’s hoarse voice called out, waving a hand in front of his face.

Theo snapped back to reality. "Sorry," he said, scratching the back of his head.

"It’s fine."

The man raised his arm and pointed at the dummies in the reinforced circle.

"Just pour some mana into it and hit the targets."

Theo nodded once, his eyes drawn to the dummies in front of him.

He clenched the spear with both hands, planted his feet firmly on the ground, and raised the tip towards the dummy.

’Let’s see what this thing can really do,’ he thought, letting out a deep breath.

Closing his eyes for a moment, he felt the mana shoot through his body, reaching his arms within a second.

The spear immediately reacted as the stream of mana rushed into it.

Thin arcs of yellow lightning began crawling along the deep blue sections of the shaft, crackling softly as they gathered towards the spearhead.

Theo’s eyebrows rose slightly. ’That’s fast.’

As more mana gathered at the spearhead, thin arcs of lightning began bouncing between all three blades.

In an instant, Theo tightened his grip and thrust the spear forward with all his might.

CRACK

The spearhead slammed into the metal target, lightning exploding everywhere as the central blade disintegrated a hole straight through the dummy.

Theo didn’t stop there.

He quickly pulled the spear back and swung it toward it in a horizontal arc.

This time, the lightning didn’t explode outward.

Instead, the spearhead sliced cleanly through the dummy, cutting it in half.

The upper half of the dummy slid off the cut, crashing onto the floor with a loud clang.

’Amazing,’ Theo thought, letting out a deep breath as he stopped supplying the spear with mana.

He glanced at the spear, watching the yellow lightning slowly dissipate from the spearhead.

’Not only can I channel the mana into it easily, almost no mana is lost while doing so.’

Behind him, the tall military man and Iris both stood still with wide eyes.

For a moment, neither of them said anything.

The tall man slowly turned his head toward the destroyed dummy, then toward the other half lying on the ground.

"...Well," he muttered. "Looks like the weapon works."

He walked forward a few steps and crouched beside the dummy, tapping the melted hole in the metal with his knuckle.

"That was amazing," Iris said, a soft smile on her face.

Theo shifted the spear slightly in his grip, still looking at the weapon.

"I didn’t expect it to work this well," he said.

The tall man slowly stood up, staring at Theo with much interest.

"The spear suits you well," he said. "It was forged with stormsteel and Blue Mana Ore, making it perfect for strong lightning affinities."

Theo nodded slowly, making sure to remember the metals by heart.

"Now if you don’t mind," the tall man said, locking eyes with Theo, "I’d like to continue with my work."

Iris nodded once, her expression neutral.

"Thanks again for finishing it so quickly," she said.

The tall man gave a short grunt before turning back toward his worktable, already picking up another blade.

With that, Iris turned around and walked towards the large metal doors leading to the outside, with Theo following closely behind.

A moment later, the two of them stepped outside.

Theo threw the spear on his shoulder, grinning from ear to ear as he kept glancing at it.

"Seems like you really like it," Iris said, smiling faintly.

"How could I not be?" Theo said, turning to look at her. "I’ve never been able to afford something like this before."

Iris let out a soft chuckle, shaking her head lightly as they walked across the yard.

"I’m glad you like it," she said.

They walked across the open yard of the military camp, making their way toward the jeep parked a short distance away.

After a moment, Iris glanced at him again, a faint red tinge on her cheeks.

"Theo," she said softly. "Do you want to get some dinner with me?"

Theo raised an eyebrow, caught off guard.

"What?"

Iris quickly looked away, her face flushing red with embarrassment.

"I haven’t eaten anything yet," she said quietly.

Theo stared at her for a moment longer, his mind churning.

’Is she serious?’ he thought. ’Isn’t she practically asking me to go out on a date with her?’

Then he let out a small chuckle.

"Alright."

Iris’s eyes lit up immediately.

They had barely taken a few more steps when—

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

A deafening siren echoed through the sky.