Sixty minutes flew by, and all the participants who made it through the first round gathered on top of the arena stage.
George stood up and started floating in front of them, ready to explain the rules of the second round.
"Alright, let me break down the second round for you. It's quite simple as well."
But as soon as the participants heard the word 'simple', they knew it was anything but simple.
"You all just need to stand still and meditate while under some pressure. It doesn't matter if you choose to utilize a skill. After 3 hours, those who are still standing will move on to the next round."
George waved his hand, and a large hourglass appeared in the air.
The moment the hourglass appeared, a heavy weight descended on the participants' shoulders. Some couldn't handle it and fell immediately. Nearly twenty participants were disqualified right from the start.
Alec, who stood in the middle of the stage, sucked in a deep breath. He closed his eyes and began meditating, unfazed by the pressure. Carcel, Lara, and Mia also appeared composed. However, some participants were already struggling to stay on their feet.
With the intense atmosphere on the arena stage, the crowd started placing bets on who would be the next to fall. However, amidst all of this, a certain someone wasn't feeling any pressure at all!
Kyle looked around and saw others who were already sweating buckets of water.
'Is it just me, or is the pressure almost non-existent?'
He glanced at a participant falling in front of him before mumbling under his breath.
"I never knew I was this talented..."
As time passed, the pressure on the participants increased, but Kyle felt like everyone was overacting. When the pressure is only equal to a few glasses of water, why are they falling?
He looked toward George, only to find the Vice Principal staring daggers at him. But when Kyle's eyes met with the Vice Principal, the Vice Principal turned to look at another participant.
"Huh? Did I get it wrong?"
Kyle exclaimed with a confused expression, but in reality, his brain was working like crazy. He had a doubt when in the first round he suddenly appeared in front of the finishing portal. And right now, breezing through the second round proved his suspicions.
It seemed the Vice Principal was helping him. But the question was, why? Was it because of the skill he obtained? Even though Kyle had an idea of what was going on, he pretended he knew nothing. If the Vice Principal wanted the skill core back from him, then it was impossible because he had already absorbed it.
Kyle used his brain for a while but then stopped thinking about all this. He would rather not think about complicated things. And it was better to stay away from someone powerful like the Vice Principal.
Just like that, two hours passed, and almost half of the participants were already disqualified. Right now, even Alec was sweating, but he stood straight with his eyes closed.
Carcel and Lara were also having some difficulty, while Mia used one of her skills to relieve some pressure for a while.
On the other hand, Kyle looked tired and bored. He was not sweating like others, but his legs were numb because it was his first time standing for so long.
'Ugh, I am tired, just how much time is left?'
He started stretching his hands and legs as if he had just taken a nap, making nearly half of the participants who saw him to cough up blood. All of them were struggling to even stand up properly, and here he was stretching his body while yawning!
Even the crowd noticed Kyle because, unlike others, he was passing the test like a breeze. Kyle's brother, Neon, also looked at him with a dead serious expression.
'I knew it, Kyle had potential!'
George, who was still floating in the air, looked at Kyle and frowned.
'You rascal! If not for you learning the Ice Dragon's skill, I would have already disqualified the likes of you!'
He was the one putting pressure on the students, making sure to minimize it for Kyle. But seeing Kyle's attitude now, he felt the urge to increase the pressure, though he reconsidered due to the kid's fragile physique.
When George glanced at the other participants, guilt washed over him as he realized he was essentially aiding Kyle in cheating.
'Let's calm down, I'm doing this for the Principal's sake. Yes, I'm doing it for the Principal.'
He reassured himself internally again and again to alleviate his guilt.
Finally, as the last hour of the competition came to an end, the pressure on the participants dissipated, signaling the conclusion of the second round. Many participants collapsed, gasping for breath, with sweat drenching their clothes. Even Alec, Carcel, and Lara sat down on the stage to regain their composure.
Among the hundreds of participants, two remained standing. The first was Mia, who had used a spell to alleviate the pressure at times. And of course, the other was Kyle, but when he saw that everyone could barely stand, he also feigned exhaustion and sat down.
George looked at the victorious participants with satisfaction before his voice echoed through the air.
"Congratulations to the 401 participants who passed the second round with their 'efforts'."
He emphasized the word 'effort' while giving Kyle a quick look.
The crowd erupted into thunderous applause, congratulating the participants. George joined in with a smile before announcing the details of the final round.
"Since it's already late, the third and final round will take place tomorrow morning. All participants should rest for the day."
The victorious participants left the arena with pride, receiving congratulations from their relatives and friends. However, those who didn't make it to the next round left the arena with dejected expressions.
Neon left the crowd and hurriedly made his way to Kyle. He embraced him tightly, exclaiming with a proud smile.
"Kyle, you were absolutely amazing out there! I knew you could do it!"
Kyle grinned and hugged him back. He felt a sense of joy in making his brother proud, even though he had cheated. Nonetheless, no one would ever find out about it.