The rest of the competitors didn't follow Atlan's strategy. They quickly climbed to the roofs of the buildings to get some height.
It didn't take them long after climbing to get their first flags placed at the chimneys and roofs.
Their speeds got visibly slower, with the flags on their belt weighing them down significantly.
They struggled with their jumps from building to building as they chased that bright red flag in the distance.
Some of them kept themselves on top of the buildings even with the equivalent of three hundred kilograms weighing them down. These Saviors were either at the 3rd stage or near the peak of the 2nd stage.
Most of the competitors, after getting two flags and having 200 kilos weigh them down, felt their speed slow down to the point where they couldn't bridge the gap between the buildings.
They were forced to jump down.
But this was still part of their strategy. They used the weight of the flags as an accelerator to speed them diagonally down the streets, giving them a boost in speed.
Soon enough, there were some already running towards Atlan's tail.
But, surprisingly, they couldn't catch up to Atlan, a newbie who was only at the first stage. They wanted to pass him by so they immediately used their LifeSkills.
Their entire bodies glowed in different colors.
One of the men raised his hand and thrust it forward shouting, "Wind-cutting Spear Thrust!"
His body surged forward, his hand spearing through the air and creating a frictionless running space for him. He was able to catch up just behind Atlan.
The rest of them used their LifeSkills to keep their momentum while carrying hundreds of kilograms worth of flags.
Atlan, at this point, already picked up his third flag and was on his way to pick up the fourth.
He had no trouble picking them up because everything was lined up for him nicely in the middle of the road.
Fourth flag picked up!
It was at this point that the Saviors behind Atlan were sweating and laboring hard with each stride. They pushed their bodies and powers to the limit.
Yet they couldn't surpass Atlan. He kept running at the top of the pack, picking up flags along the way.
Why isn't he slowing down? He's got five flags! That's five hundred kilograms!
Is he really at the first stage? No way, man!
I'm only at two flags and I can't even keep up. How's that possible? I'm near the peak of the 1st stage!
They couldn't believe that they were losing to a kid who was only at the beginning of the 1st stage Student Realm.
Even if he was a Porter, they should still have the advantage in strength. They should be able to keep up with him at the least!
Then, just as Atlan picked up his sixth flag, someone landed beside him from one of the buildings above.
"Wow! Six flags. That's impressive!" Wemby praised Atlan when he saw him leading the pack.
"With that much, you'll be able to secure third place easily! Good luck, man!" Wemby then used his B class Scout LifeSkill 'Rope Gain'.
A brown string made out of fiber and hemp shot out of his palms and tied itself to a lamppost in the distance. With one pull, Wemby was able to propel himself forward, taking the lead from Atlan.
But his reign wasn't long.
Another guy from the top of the buildings finally landed down. It was the oval-faced guy, whose natural speed coupled with gravity allowed him to surpass Atlan.
He then raised his arm as if he was wielding a shield. He activated his B class Infantryman LifeSkill called 'Shield Thrust'.
His stationary pose of holding a shield suddenly moved forward, as if he was gliding down the street. The only thing left behind was a blurry image of his pose.
Soon enough, he was able to overtake Wemby.
The two of them were head to head, bumping shoulders with each other in a bid to take the lead from one another.
The rest of the competitors knew this would happen. Those two were at the 3rd stage of the Student Realm; it was natural for either of them to be the winner.
Although Atlan was impressive, the difference between 1st stage and 3rd stage was far too large.
Atlan already had six flags under his belt. It was enough to get third place, a very admirable show of talent and prowess.
At least, that's what they thought.
He must be running out of steam by now…
But Atlan wasn't going down without a fight. He saw that both Wemby and the oval-faced guy had 8 flags each, and they were going to get more soon enough.
I want to win.
Atlan stopped jogging. He started to run with all his might. For the first time since he acquired his powers, Atlan let go of the beast hidden inside his body.
He pushed his leg muscles even harder, letting it burn and strain.
The rest of the competitors were stunned and awestruck when they saw Atlan accelerate at much higher speeds. He was leaving them all in the dust!
They all thought it was already impressive for Atlan to keep up with them. But they didn't think that he'd be able to speed up and try to outrace the two 3rd stage competitors.
Atlan didn't have to worry about getting flags, so he ran as fast as he could to catch up to the two leaders of the pack.
Meanwhile, the two at the top of the pack weren't paying attention to what was happening behind them. They thought they only had to worry about each other.
Wemby jostled the oval-faced guy, as they both went for their ninth flag.
Everything was normal until they suddenly felt a slight vibration from behind. They wanted to look back and see what was happening, but they couldn't take their eyes off the flag.
The two of them extended their hands to try and reach for the flag first.
Their hands pushed each other as they reached for the staff. Wemby was about to take the lead, but then he saw something incredulous.
He saw a third hand suddenly snatch the flag right under their noses!
Both of their jaws dropped as they suddenly saw Atlan run forward ahead of them with the flag in his hands!
They couldn't believe what they were seeing! They thought he would be exhausted and weighed down by now. But instead, Atlan sped up even more! That wasn't his fastest speed?!
Atlan quickly took another flag in the distance, making his total the same as them. They all held the same eight flags, with the same weights.
Wemby didn't want to do this, but he couldn't let a 1st stage novice beat someone like him at the 3rd stage. He had his pride to protect.
He activated his frog legs mutation, turning his thighs thicker but his foot thinner. On his next stride, he squatted down and gathered the power in his legs.
With one burst of motion, he soared through the air and landed just beside Atlan.
The oval-faced guy didn't want to be left behind either and also used his Minotaur mutation. His extremities, his arms and legs, turned larger and hairier like that of a horse's legs.
With four legs running in total, he sped up and ran beside Atlan.
The three front runners saw the final flag in the distance.
At this point, the two of them were gasping for air, their thighs burning and their strength on their last leg. They used all their energy just to keep up with Atlan.
Yet unbelievably, they saw Atlan gaining distance from them.
HE WAS STILL ACCELERATING!
Wemby and the oval-faced guy were helpless as they watched Atlan effortlessly speed past them and take the last flag for himself.
Atlan crossed the finish line.