Chapter 109- Protagonist Things (Part 3)

Chapter 109: Chapter 109- Protagonist Things (Part 3)

Chapter 109- Protagonist Things (Part 3)

The entire place fell into deep silence, as if someone had cast a spell on every single individual there. Their eyes were wide with shock as they stared at Erez as if he were some sort of alien. It didn’t register in their heads what he said until a few seconds later.

"What?"

"We need... to take others’ badges?"

"How? Are we supposed to fight?"

"I don’t know..."

"This is so confusing. Why is this the first test?"

The reactions varied between shock and borderline dismissal. They thought Erez was joking, as this was simply a ridiculous first test. They’d just made it there, and now they were going to fight each other for badges? That didn’t sound very intuitive.

However, Rize and Venera had a better idea. They instantly knew that this was serious, and it was indeed the very first test.

"What a mess they’re about to create," Venera said. "They really want candidates to beat each other up and desperately collect badges."

"It is probably a drastic measure to cut down the number of students so much. 100 million is ridiculous, even by the academy’s standards. So, they might as well filter every weakling immediately. Those who don’t have the minimum level of fighting shouldn’t be allowed to take the rest of the test."

Those who don’t have battle-oriented talents have a different process of signing up for the academy and a completely different path. They aren’t counted amongst the people who joined the academy for battle-focused training and other sciences.

"Please, calm down. I shall explain further, as I could see that many of you are confused." Erez’s voice cut through the murmurs and whispers.

"You are not allowed to use any weapons or gifts. Anyone who gets caught using either is going to be eliminated. You are also not allowed to beat someone after you take their badge. The goal of this test isn’t to turn you all against each other, but rather a test of your power and your abilities to handle situations with immense stress."

"..."

"Each one of you will have to collect as many badges as possible, but if you lose your own badge, you’re automatically eliminated no matter the number of badges you collected. In three hours time, the test will be over, and the number of people who are left will continue to the next parts of the test." Erez said in a calm tone as he traced the entire crowd with his eyes. "You are allowed to use anything within those rules. Oh, and one more thing..."

"Huh?"

"What?"

Erez closed his eyes for a second as, suddenly, the entire place was submerged in immense pressure that almost pushed everyone to the ground. They all felt as if their bodies were not theirs anymore as the sheer amount of aura exuded by the man took over the entire place.

"Killing someone, under any circumstances, is strictly prohibited. Anyone who commits such a heinous act will be dealt with appropriately." Erez said as he gave them all a cold look. It was a single glance, and yet the sheer fear they felt was deep. The man wasn’t joking, and he could do anything he wanted to do.

"What a terrifying man..." Rize muttered as he watched the scene with a curious look. "I guess even if they want chaos to ensue, they want it to be organized chaos."

"It’s expected. They can’t afford to let candidates kill one another in this fashion. While casualties are common in these tests, they would rather it happen due to accidents rather than deliberate tests."

"Keeping the reputation intact." Rize smiled. "Well, I guess we have to get ready for what’s about to happen."

"Before we begin the test. I would like to introduce you to the new devices that we handed you yesterday. The watch on your wrist is your trusted companion. It will monitor your body, your vitals, and give you a proper, in-depth analysis of your current condition. It will also give you other necessary information, like your current points collected, your rank, and all the announcements and rules of every test. It shall activate at any moment now."

As he finished that sentence, the watches started lighting up on their own, one by one.

"Woah..."

"Look at this."

"It says it’s loading."

Rize and Venera noticed theirs lit up too as they looked down.

[Adjusting settings for the user.]

[Loading.]

[19%]

[29%]

[65%]

[100%]

[Full interface unlocked.]

Suddenly, a holographic image appeared before Rize’s eyes, floating in the air. The interface had a holographic image of a 3D body spinning slowly. The body was colored green, and next to it were several vital signs and their current measurements. Everything looked in perfect condition.

"This is amazing..." Rize muttered in awe. "They definitely took this from the system itself. They look similar."

"It will be quite useful to know what could be wrong with the body at any given moment," Venera replied. "But I never expected it to be this detailed, and it seems to even update every second."

The rest of the crowd experienced similar situations.

"Woah, is that my body? It looks so featureless..."

"Why did they make me look fat?!"

"Because you are, dumbass."

"Ehh, I actually have the flu? I wasn’t awa- *Sneeze*!"

As Erez let the people discover their new powers, he looked all around him, and then his eyes went to the windows from which the rich, powerful individuals watched the event. His eyes traced several faces before he exhaled.

"You will have time to discover what your watches are capable of doing later. Now." He said coldly as he snapped his fingers, taking everyone’s attention again. It almost felt hypnotic how easily he garnered the looks of that many people.

"With everyone aware of what will happen, you have exactly 5 minutes to get ready," Erez said as he looked up. A large screen had appeared on the wall of the dome, and on it, a timer with 5 minutes started ticking down.

"I wish you all luck, and may I see you on the other side." He said before he disappeared like a ghost.

As the timer ticked down, people found themselves completely lost. They didn’t know what to do as they looked at each other.

"We’re just... supposed to fight?" One person said.

"Seems so..."

"This is so weird."

"How are we supposed to even keep our badges safe?"

The reactions were underwhelming, purely because nobody knew how to start a fight. Nobody hated the other or held a grudge to punch them or try to take their badge out of nowhere. Or that was at least the notion for a while as the time ticked down toward the start of the test.

"Hm, I guess it’s time for us to go down, no?" Rize asked as he stood up and stretched his limbs. "This might be more fun than I expected."

"Wait, Rize," Venera said. "Let’s not go down yet."

"Why?"

"Just... wait. I want to see how things will transpire." Venera said with a sharp look on her face. "I think something interesting is bound to happen. This entire test isn’t just about who is stronger. It’s about who knows where to find the perfect opportunity and takes it."