Chapter 308: Richard’s Choice

Karon had assumed he would become a target. He had even mentally prepared himself for it. The moment anyone charged at him, he had decided to throw Richard aside and truly tear into them. So, when the others all instead looked away, Karon was actually a little surprised.

He quickly understood why. Given their particular environment, Richard, while being a burden Karon carried along, also served as proof of his strength.

The man who had directly knocked Leon out of the test might not have recognized him or known his background, or perhaps he did know and simply didn’t care, yet the primary reason Leon had been chosen as a target was because Leon had reached the very end while relying solely on sheer willpower to hold on. His attacker had understood that all it would take would be one shove to push Leon out of the pool of competitors.

However, the man did not dare target Karon, because he did not believe the others would join with him to fight Karon. After all, there were five spots available, not just one. Whoever chose to move against Karon first would inevitably have to bear retaliation alone.

No one would naively believe that Karon would stubbornly cling to his burden if targeted and attacked. Any normal person would choose to throw their burdens aside and beat the person targeting them half to death first.

In a situation where everyone was competing against one another, no one would willingly choose to provoke the strongest person present. What seemed like the most rational choice on paper often failed completely on an instinctual level.

The man lay sprawled on the ground, seemingly gasping for breath.

Karon dragged Richard and continued onward, walking past the man. He did not move. The others also continued advancing, though they all subconsciously pulled a little farther away from one another. This had been the most obvious opportunity for cooperation, and with the opportunity lost, it was almost impossible for people to join forces against anyone.

Karon surpassed everyone and took the front position, continuing upward with steady steps. He lowered his head to look at Richard. Nearly eighty percent of his skin was already frozen over. At this point, he looked more like a lump of ice than a person. Even so, his consciousness remained intact, and he was still clenching his teeth and holding on. Honestly, having made it this far, even without climbing under his own strength, already spoke to a considerable degree of resilience.

This proved that Richard was actually very talented. It was just that his personality was far too casual and undisciplined, which caused him to waste some of his talent. That was also perfectly normal. His family background was what it was. He had been given an extremely high starting point, but had also been deprived of the toughness that came from clawing one’s way up from the bottom.

They continued up the mountain, and the extent that their souls froze reached new heights. At this moment, Richard’s consciousness finally showed signs of collapsing. This meant that if they continued farther, he might be forcibly expelled from the exam.

Karon simply stopped walking. He turned around to face downhill, and sat down.

Leaning against Karon’s arm, Richard let out weak, intermittent murmurs, “Ka... Karon... I really... really am... such... such... trash...”

“Mhmm. You are.”

“You’re helping... helping me this much... but I... I still can’t... make it up...”

“Alright, stop stating the obvious.”

“I feel... feel so miserable... being dragged... up here by you... it’s... humiliating...”

“You’re getting sentimental.”

“As friends... as brothers... I... don’t want... to be... dead weight...”

“Shut up and hold on for as long as you can.”

At that moment, the first person appeared below them. It was the Knight Regiment youth.

He stopped. He saw Karon sitting there, and Richard leaning against him. The young man was very clear on why Karon had stopped; His companion could no longer continue upward.

With Karon sitting there, the youth from the Knight Regiment no longer dared move forward.

According to the rules, securing a spot in the final five did not merely mean remaining within the top five while the test was occurring, but also that after one withdrew, no one overtook their position on the mountain.

This man had personally watched as Karon had forcibly dragged someone all the way to this point. He was obviously determined to ensure that his companion had a place in the final five. And with so few competitors remaining, the simplest way to ensure that desired outcome was simply to eliminate a few competitors right here.

The most awkward detail was that the higher one climbed, the narrower the path became. At their current location, it was practically impossible to safely get around Karon and continuing upward. Moreover, every movement consumed precious energy that was already in short supply. The youth had no desire to waste his energy moving to the side.

Seeing the man stop and not move any further, Karon smiled. He did not know if his face was still able to properly convey a smile any longer, so he raised his right arm and waved behind himself, signaling for the young man to continue.

The young man froze for a moment. He hesitated, because no one could guarantee that Karon would not suddenly launch a sneak attack.

After glancing behind himself, then back at Karon, and finally at the snowy mountain looming behind Karon, the young man ultimately chose to step forward.

When he reached Karon’s side, the young man stopped and said, “I... I’m... Bart... Bart Cosen... Third... Knight Regiment... reserve... Hawk Knight...”

He was deliberately introducing himself as an expression of his respect for Karon.

“Karon Silva, attached member of the Whip of Order’s Hunting Hounds, Nio’s squad.”

“This...” Bart was shocked, not at learning that Karon was merely an attached member of the Whip of Order. Bart’s own parents were high-ranking officers within the Knight Regiment, yet even he was only a reserve knight at the moment, which essentially made him an attached member as well, so his status was not much different from Karon’s. The more established the family, and the deeper their foundations, the more importance they placed on their children developing from the ground up. Only nouveau riche families obsessed over climbing as high as possible within the shortest amount of time.

What truly shocked Bart was that Karon was still able to speak fluently.

What did that signify? It meant that Karon still had a considerable portion of his strength left.

“Ka... ron... I want... to... invite you... for... drinks...”

“I don’t drink alcohol. Tea instead. Alcohol is bad for the body.”

“Al... alright... then... tea...”

Karon turned his head to look at Bart and said, “Go on. Speak less.”

“Th... thank you...” Bart continued climbing upward, each step a great struggle. He would keep walking until he truly could not continue any longer, until his consciousness completely scattered and he was automatically removed from the test and from the ritual array. Part of that was because of the rules of this exam, but another part was because he understood very clearly that, although he currently appeared to be in first place, he was not truly first, but second. He believed Karon would eventually continue climbing upward.

Not long after Bart passed, another figure appeared. It was the boy who played with stones. At this point, the condition of his soul gave him the appearance of being half ice and half stone, granting him the resemblance of a stone man. However, Karon understood that what covered this boy was not ordinary stone, but some sort of crystal that merely resembled stone. Moreover, this was a state that had seeped into his soul itself.

The boy stopped in place. Clearly, he was facing the same dilemma that Bart Bart had just faced. This boy knew that Bart had gone up ahead, but did not know if Bart had continued climbing up the mountain or if he had already been eliminated by Karon.

“I’m curious. Were you corrupted before?” Karon asked.

“Yes... yes... corrupted ”

“That couldn’t have been easy.”

This youth had indeed been corrupted before. He was a believer of Order, but at the same time, he could also be considered a demonkin. Moreover, his corruption had already seeped into his soul. He was similar to Dora and Dorin, though this man had endured even greater pain than the two girls. Even so, he had gritted his teeth and stepped onto the path of faith.

“Th... then... can... can I... go... up?” The youth asked Karon.

“Go on. It’s fine. I won’t ambush you.”

“Oh... al... right...” The youth took a step and continued upward. Step by step, when he reached Karon’s side, he said, “I... am called... Vin... Vintral... your... your soul... is very strong...”

The youth did not give his family name, which most likely indicated one thing: he did not have a family. This did not mean that he was an orphan, but more likely that even if he gave his surname, no one would recognize it, so he simply did not share it. This served as a reminder to Karon; He had grown accustomed to adding his fabricated surname whenever exchanging names with others, but in truth, there was no need. “I’m Karon.”

Vintral lifted a leg that was half ice and half stone, continuing upward.

After a while, the man who had pushed Leon out of the test appeared before Karon as well. He also stopped, but he did not ask to pass. Instead, he immediately adopted the same posture as Karon, turning around to face down the hill from a sitting position.

Before long, Ashley approached. She saw the man sitting there, as well as Karon and Richard sitting a small bit up the hill than the man. She stared at him intensely, then resumed walking upward.

When she reached the man’s side, he abruptly sprang up and pounced on her. Ashley had long since been prepared, and the two tangled together.

Because both people’s souls were already on the verge of exhaustion, no Arts accompanied their struggle, nor any dazzling streams of light. In short, there was nothing beautiful about the clash. It looked more like two dying wild dogs locked in a final desperate brawl.

Sitting above them, Karon calmly watched. The man had not asked to be allowed past like Bart and Vintral, because he automatically assumed that Karon was guarding the path. That was why the man had stopped below Karon; He wanted to guard his own position.

Clearly, the man’s soul was still a little stronger than Ashley’s, yet even that small bit offered a true advantage at this critical juncture. Ashley was pressed to the ground. Her soul was constantly dissipating, but she still did not give up. She looked to be making her final struggle, though her struggle was growing weaker and weaker.

Suddenly, a streak of red appeared within her soul. A completely scarlet bird flew out of Ashley’s body and crashed right into the man. His soul was instantly ignited. With an expression of pure disbelief, he vanished, eliminated from the exam.

Earlier, during the security inspection, an illusory turtle had manifested from one candidate, and his qualifications to participate in the exam had been revoked due to cheating. Ashley had something inside her as well, but because she belonged to that particular department, her relationship with demonic beasts was closer, and her methods of concealment were better. Just as had been stated prior to the exam, if something was found, it was considered cheating. If it was not, it was regarded as individual skill.

Ashley struggled up from the snow and looked at Karon. Because only a few parts of her face remained, Karon could only guess, but he guessed that she was smiling.

“This... is my... final... trump... card...”

Karon did not speak.

Ashley looked at the spot where the man had been sitting earlier, and then past Karon. In the end, she still decided to continue on, because in her view, staying put until she was pushed out of the test by Karon would leave her with a final height as that man who had attacked her, so it would be better to end things sooner.

However, only after she had walked past Karon with extreme difficulty and reached a position above him did she turn back in astonishment to look at Karon’s back again.

“You... you... like... me...?”

“Heh... heh... ha... cough...” Beside him, Richard, who had more air leaving him than entering, was so amused he broke out laughing. His laughter sounded like a decaying skeleton about to be annihilated.

“Don’t worry, and don’t imagine things. I don’t like you.”

“Wh... why...”

“You aren’t pretty enough.”

“I... hate... you...” After saying that, Ashley continued walking upward.

With this, three people had gone on. This meant, so long as Karon and Richard were included, the five slots were already decided. But the exam was not over, which meant that there were still people below making their way upward.

Finally, another figure appeared. She was lying flat on her back while using both hands and feet to row her body across the snow like a boat. It was the sleepy girl. Her body was basically already ice. At this height, she had also reached her limit.

She stopped and let out a sigh. She spread both hands at her sides. After a long while, she seemed to regather the tiniest bit of strength and began continuing upward.

Karon slowly stood. He could continue upward, but Richard could not. Therefore, if Karon wanted to ensure Richard’s slot, he had to become the gatekeeper.

The girl rowed herself over to Karon. She opened her eyes to look at him. “I... am awake...”

The moment she spoke, the ice on the girl’s body began to dissipate. Her soul actually recovered to the complete form it had possessed when she first appeared in the examination. She stood upright and raised a finger, pointing at Karon. “You’re stopping me?”

Karon stood in front of her, expressing his attitude through action. She might be the final competitor, but she was also the strongest and most mysterious one as well. Of course, it could not be ruled out that, like him, she had used some special means to avoid the true pressure of this test. For example, Karon’s reason was that he had experienced it before, while this girl had chosen to sleep. She had used sleepwalking to create another self that she had allowed to bear all the effort of traveling to this point from the foot of the mountain. Therefore, in essence, her method was similar to the madman who reminded Karon of the captain, the man who had been playing rock-paper-scissors with himself.

However, that madman had clearly lost control. He had long since disappeared from view, and had likely even fallen into an internal conflict with himself halfway up the mountain due to uneven work distribution.

“Ka... ron...” Richard’s faint voice spoke up again. “As long... as five... people... are ahead... of me... then I... don’t... count as... cheating...”

“Are you still obsessing over that now?”

“Being... pulled up... and seeing... this view... I’m... satisfied...” Richard closed his eyes, and his figure dissipated. He had chosen to voluntarily withdraw from the selection.

Perhaps if another selection method had been used, he might have stood beside Karon, facing some things with him and fighting together with him, or even offering Karon some help, even if only a little. If that had happened, Richard would have been much more at ease, but under the circumstances of the current selection, he had only ever served as Karon’s burden and had been dragged the entire way.

That felt a little too worthless.

Although as long as a person was able to pass the security inspection, any method used in the exam did not count as cheating, not even Karon’s method of forcibly dragging someone along. That was still a way to acquire a slot, but Richard felt guilty obtaining a slot in such a manner. During this exam, Richard had also been able to see the gap between himself and the truly outstanding people his age. Most importantly, he did not want Karon to fight this sleepy girl for his sake.

As soon as Richard vanished, Bishop Byrne’s voice rang out, “The selection is over.”

“Roar!” A low growl from the illusion beast Corvasini caused Karon to open his eyes.

At this moment, there were only two people still in the exam as it ended. Everyone else, including Bart and the others who had gone on ahead, had eventually failed to endure after climbing a little farther, and they had successively withdrawn from the selection. Each time someone had dropped out, a beam of light had descended and teleported them out of the examination grounds.

Karon looked at the sleepy girl, and she met his gaze. There seemed to be a trace of regret in her eyes, regret that she had never truly had a real clash with Karon.

Bishop Byrne was in the middle of announcing the rankings. First place was Bart, second was Vintral, third was Ashley, fourth was Karon, and fifth... Philomena.

These rankings were quite inaccurate, because two finalists had still been within the illusion when the exam had ended. Theoretically, they could have continued climbing upward. Yet Bishop Byrne only needed to select five finalists. The ranking of those individuals really did not mean much of anything.

“Karon, see you at the next selection.” Philomena smiled at Karon, then took out a pair of sunglasses from her pocket and put them on. She leaned forward again, as if she had already fallen back asleep. She then began leaving the area with slightly stumbling steps.

“Karon, let’s go back. Heh.” Richard walked over.

“Mhmm.” As they walked out, they saw Bart waiting for Karon.

“Hey, tea!” Bart approached and lightly punched Karon in the chest.

“Alright.”

“Um, I’d like to come too.” Vintral’s voice sounded. The stone-playing youth looked to be rather shy.

“Don’t leave me out. We’re going to the next round together after this.” Ashley also walked over.

There was a group of people waiting behind both Bart and Ashley. Seeing this, Bart said, “We won’t bring friends to that.”

Ashley nodded. “No objections from me.”

Everyone walked back to the teleportation array. With a flash of white light that enveloped them, they all returned to the basement level of the Church Affairs Building.

When they walked out, there were many friends and parents waiting outside to pick people up. Someone familiar was present: Memphis.

Seeing him, Richard immediately announced, “I’ll go with Mr. Memphis to report the results to the captain and the others. Karon, you all go enjoy your gathering.”

Richard remembered what Bart had said about how they would not bring friends with them, and while Richard knew that Karon would definitely take him along, he did not want that.

Karon had wanted to call Richard back. He would not neglect his cousin for the sake of some so-called new group of friends, but after seeing that Memphis was the one waiting, Karon said nothing.

Richard walked over to Memphis, who said, “The captain and the others already went back. They left me to wait for news from you.”

“Then let me tell you some good news. Karon was selected. Haha!”

Memphis nodded, not at all surprised by this result. After all, both he and his father had predicted that Richard would only enter the final five with pure luck. Of course, they did not know what had happened within the illusion. Not many did. In fact, the truth was only known to Bishop Byrne, who had presided over the illusion, and the few finalists.

Richard said, “I discovered that the gap between me and them is huge. Even though everyone’s around the same age. Sigh, I really wasted so much time in the past. My life has been too comfortable. I can’t keep going like this from now on.”

“Each selection and test is only a small segment of one’s experiences throughout life. They function merely to let you see the direction you need to move forward. Although you did not obtain a ranking, you have already gained something. That is worth being happy about.”

“Right. You’re right, Memphis. It must be hard on you. Someone as introverted as you is actually comforting me.” Richard spread open his arms and hugged Memphis. “Alright, but my dad probably won’t comfort me like this. I estimate that when I get home, my dad will beat me again. Sigh.”

“He won’t.”

“He definitely will.”

“A father can find a reason to beat his son at any time, but will not choose to do so when his son is feeling lost.”

“Sigh, you don’t understand; There’s something wrong with my dad’s head.”

“...”

“You’re not going to talk to Karon?”

“He isn’t lacking congratulations right now; You need company.”

“Right.” Richard nodded and placed an arm around Memphis’s shoulder. “Memphis, you’re really a good friend. Come on, no matter what, I’m treating you to pastries today!”

“You should go home first.”

“I’m not going home first. I’ve been bored to death recently and I need to relax properly.”

“I still have something to do. I can’t go today. It’s very important.”

“Really? Then that’s such a pity. I’ll go on my own first, then.”

“Al—”

“How about this? After you finish your business, just go to Maple Street. That whole street is full of pastry shops. Just pick whichever one pleases you and go in. When you’re done, just tell them my name. You can sign the bill for me to cover. They all call me Young Master. Heh.”

“Alright—”

“Oh, right, just remember this. On that street, I’m not known as ‘Richard.’ You know how it is; When playing around in that place, how could anyone use their real name? Using a real name is quite inconvenient.”

“Then what are you known by?”

“Young Master Eisen.”