In a flash, the mannequin lunged at Haruo, its movements sudden and jerky. He raised his blade to block the attack, the clash ringing in his ears and momentarily startling him. Shaking off the surprise, he readied himself for the next move.
'How do I defeat an enemy that grows exponentially each time I hit it? If this is just the first test, how hard will the second be?' Haruo thought, creating as much distance as possible to think.
The mannequin launched another attack at Haruo, its movements quick and erratic. He dodged with ease, lowering his upper body and feeling the rush of air as it flew past him. Haruo stayed focused, readying himself for the next move.
The mannequin shifted its body, expertly landing on the wall with its feet. In a calculated move, it absorbed the impact, sustaining damage while staying crouched. This position allowed it to launch another attack, increasing its strength and speed, making it an even more faster then before
Haruo easily dodged the mannequin's attack once more, but it quickly repeated the same move. As the mannequin continued to execute the same strike, Haruo found himself dodging again and again, each time making it harder for him to keep up with its relentless pace.
'His power is doubling each time I dodge. No matter what I do, I'll find myself in a worse position than before! I'm in zugzwang, I have no choice but to get hit.' Haruo thought, a wave of desperation washing over him as he felt himself slowly being overwhelmed.
Haruo decided to take the attack head-on. The mannequin shifted its body, crashing into him with tremendous force. In a calculated move, it absorbed the impact through its frame, using its own structure to dampen the blow. The shockwave radiated through Haruo, causing significant damage and momentarily stunning him as he staggered back.
Regaining its balance, the mannequin quickly launched itself forward, resuming its relentless barrage of attacks. Haruo, shaking off the disorientation, focused intently on the mannequin's movements, bracing himself to counter its aggressive onslaught.
'Shit, my whole body is trembling. Not only did I get hit, but it also got stronger from the impact,' Haruo thought. pressing his hand against his belly as he struggled to steady himself
Haruo seized the moment and launched his own attacks, forcing the mannequin to halt in its tracks. After a brief exchange, he quickly scanned the room, searching for any advantage before making his way toward the windows, his mind racing with possibilities.
The mannequin pursued him, launching another attack, but Haruo acted quickly. He grabbed the curtains, wrapping them around the mannequin with precision and tying them securely. The fabric ensnared its limbs, momentarily immobilizing it and giving Haruo a brief respite.
"'If the walls are indestructible, then shouldn't the curtains be as well?' That's what I thought when I first entered the room; just because you get progressively stronger doesn't mean you get smarter as well." Haruo said, breathing heavily, his ear bleeding and scratches marking his body.
Haruo inspected the mannequin's body, noting its movements were restricted by the curtains. After a thorough search, he paused, having finally found what he was looking for.
"No wonder I couldn't find your core, it was so small and had a protective barrier around it." Haruo said as he aligned his sword to the mannequin's stomach.
He plunged his sword straight into the mannequin's core, feeling it give way. The mannequin shuddered violently before disintegrating into a cloud of dust, swirling around the room and leaving nothing but remnants of the fierce battle behind.
Haruo then struck his head lightly with his wrist, closing his left eye in a desperate attempt to stop the shockwave from spreading throughout his body. He hoped the action would help him regain his focus and composure.
"My ears are still ringing, and almost half of my senses are disabled. Ugh, I can still feel the shockwave." Haruo sighed, stretching as he made his way to the door.
Haruo gently turned the knob, readying himself for the next test. Taking a deep breath, he pushed the door open and stepped into the unknown.
At the end of the door stood three people waiting in the room—two girls and one boy, not including Haruo. He analyzed the trio as they redirected their gazes toward him, their expressions a mix of curiosity and caution.
The room wasn't large, but it was spacious enough to accommodate the four of them comfortably. Four doors lined the walls, each likely leading to the areas the others had come from. Despite their injuries, the trio appeared to be recovering well, and the atmosphere remained tense until Haruo fully closed his door, sealing off the previous challenge behind him.
"Ahem, ahem... Hello again, participants. It looks like all of you have finally passed the first test: the mock fight test. Out of the 1,432 participants, 89 changed courses, and 346 didn't make it through." the council member said, their voice echoing in the room.
"In the second test, it will be a team test: a team versus team battle. Now, since there are 997 participants, one person will remain. That remaining individual will face off against a group of four." the council member explained.
"Now, the person who will be fighting alone will be the MVP of the first test, with a total score of 24,768: Theodor Andreev." the council member announced.
As they announced his name, Haruo noticed the girl against the right wall changing her expression. He watched her clench her fist tightly before looking back up, her focus shifting as she tuned in to the announcement.
"To make it more fair, we will allow him to use one artifact of his choosing; however, any S-rank or above is simply not allowed. One more thing before I sign off: you can check your score by tapping on the ring, which will create a hologram visible only to you. That is all." the council member said before signing off once again.
Haruo then tapped the ring lightly to view his score, and a blue box appeared in front of him, glowing softly. The box displayed his total score along with a breakdown of his performance in the first test.
'Aren't these the kinds of things that appear in webtoons?' Haruo thought with a shrug.
[Name: Haruo chiharu]
[Performance Evaluation]
Power: 2578
Strength: 2879
Speed: 5983
Endurance: 3467
Time finished: 7:23 Minutes. 2000
Overall Score: 21,469
ranking: 7th place
'I didn't expect I would score that high. Oh well.' Haruo thought before clicking the ring again closing his status window.
After looking at the status window, Haruo turned his gaze toward his teammates, studying their expressions and assessing their readiness for the upcoming challenge.
There were about two boys and two girls, including Haruo. They gathered together, each taking a moment to introduce themselves, their expressions marked by anxiety.
"I'm Juliette Dupont; I ranked 143rd on the rankings. I specialize in long-range combat." she introduced herself.
Juliette wore a sleeveless compression shirt with a hood and a stylish skirt, her right arm adorned with a sleek arm sleeve while the other remained bare. Knee pads completed her outfit, and she sported trendy ankle boots that provided both comfort and support for her agile movements. Her build was slim but well-trained, standing at around 162 to 164 cm tall. She had a wavy hair with a short ponytail and bangs.
"I'm liang Chen; I ranked 198th on the rankings. I specialize in close-range combat." He introduced himself.
Liang Chen wore a fitted long-sleeve athletic shirt made from breathable fabric, topped with a stylish white collared shirt for added flair. His good build complemented the outfit perfectly. He paired this with sleek track pants that allowed for easy movement, he had the same brand of shoes as Juliette. He has a buff build but not too buff he was about was 182 cm tall. his hair was short but styled properly
"слабаки (weaklings)." the girl from earlier said. Haruo completely understood her words but chose to ignore them, focusing instead on the task at hand.
Juliette and Liang Chen exchanged puzzled glances, tilting their heads to the side in unison as they looked at her, completely unsure of what she had just said.
"I'm Tatiana Andreev the MVP's sister; I ranked 26th on the rankings. I also specialize in close-range combat." she introduced herself with a confident attitude, her gaze unwavering as she sized up her teammates.
Tatiana had shoulder-length brown-blonde hair and striking blue eyes. A birthmark adorned her neck, while an emblem representing her family rested on her right chest. The emblem featured a crescent moon with a sword piercing through it in a gold outlining.
Her combat attire consisted of a fitted long-sleeve tunic made from durable fabric, subtly embroidered, paired with tailored trousers for easy movement in dark colors. She wore sturdy leather boots for swift mobility in close-range combat, complemented by a leather belt to hold her weapons and tools. She was roughly 169 cm
Juliette began jumping happily, thrilled to have a high-ranking teammate on their side. Meanwhile, Liang Chen nodded, attempting to maintain a cool demeanor while struggling to hide his smile.
"We have a high-ranking person on our team!!!" Juliette happily screamed.
"We're safe in your hands." Liang Chen said, his mouth twitching as he tried to hold back his smile.
'If they knew what she said, I wonder what they'd think? 'What a bitch,' probably,' Haruo thought to himself.
"I'm Haruo Chiharu; I'm ranked 7th in the rankings. I specialize in all ranges." Haruo said, causing a sudden silence to fall over the group.
Liang Chen and Juliette leaned in closer, their eyes sparkling with admiration and excitement as they took in Haruo's impressive ranking.
"Wow!! Not only do we have the MVP's sister, but also one of the top ten ranked fighters!!" Juliette shouted, her excitement evident.
"We are also in your care, Haruo." Liang Chen said, attempting to act cool once more, though his admiration was hard to hide.
Haruo then looked at Tatiana, only to be met with a fierce glare. Her expression was clearly one of irritation, making him momentarily unsure of how to proceed.
It's not that serious. Haruo thought, feeling clearly uneasy under her glare, which finally made her look away.
Suddenly, the room began to spin, shocking everyone. Haruo, however, remained unfazed; having experienced this earlier, he had grown accustomed to the disorienting sensation and steadied himself while his teammates struggled to maintain their balance.
'Compared to what happened earlier during the tomb, this was nothing.' Haruo thought with a blank face, while watching his teammates try to balance themselves.
Finally, the room came to a halt, and to their surprise, three doors vanished, leaving only one standing in front of them. The remaining door loomed ominously, its presence felt by all as they prepared for whatever awaited them beyond.
Haruo was the first to approach the door, slowly pushing it wide open. On the other side, four people were also opening their own door. His teammates quickly followed him into the room, and as soon as they all arrived, the door shut tightly behind them, sealing them inside.
Haruo then pulled his sword from his mana storage, ready for action. Juliette also drew her bow, preparing herself for whatever lay ahead. Liang Chen took a fighting stance, relying solely on his fists, while Tatiana unsheathed her sword with a determined expression.
The enemy mirrored their movements, preparing for battle with determined stances. Tension filled the air as both sides sized each other up, ready to unleash their skills in the impending fight.
Just as Tatiana lunged forward to attack, a buzzing sound echoed throughout the room, abruptly halting her movement.
"Everyone, please lower your weapons." The moment they heard the council member's voice resonating through the room, everyone froze, their attacks coming to an immediate halt.
"The announcement for the special event: Someone has found the Pent Stone and activated it." the council member said, a hint of urgency in their voice.
"Pent stone? what is that?" Juliette said, with a confused look.
"What could this mean for us?" Liang Chen asked seriously, his attempt to look cool faltering as concern crept into his expression.
"All rules have now been lifted."