Theodor leapt after him, both descending steadily from the building. As they fell, Theodor charged his spear with energy and attacked, thrusting at him relentlessly while they plummeted toward the ground.
Haruo weaved around each thrust, the spear's edge skimming so close it nearly sliced his skin. Although he managed to dodge every attack, the ground was approaching fast. If they both reached it at the same time, Haruo knew his chances of escaping would vanish.
So just before hitting the ground, he shifted his weight and landed smoothly, freezing the surface beneath him in an instant. With fluid precision, he pushed off and skated over the ice, speeding away from Theodor.
'I have no interest in fighting you, MVP. I'd rather avoid drawing too much attention from the big leagues while still making it to the top 10,' Haruo thought.
***
Earlier, when Haruo had been observing the mohawk guy fighting monsters, he positioned himself on the rooftop of a three-story building, eyes fixed intently on the battle below. He hoped to gather some useful information about him.
Haruo glanced at the mohawk guy, who was leaning against a broken air conditioning unit with a defiant look. Moments later, Theodor approached, meeting the mohawk guy face-to-face.
The mohawk guy smirked and launched himself forward, attempting an attack, but Theodor swiftly countered, knocking him unconscious.
'Damn it, these NPCs really don't know their place, do they? You shouldn't charge at people without understanding their abilities. Though, I can see where he's coming from—he's really short,' Haruo thought, doing his best to remain hidden, blending into the shadows as much as possible.
'There goes my plan to follow him to his base and steal his points. It's better if I just leave now; I can't risk fighting someone like him,' Haruo thought, muttering to himself before casting one last glance at the scene and slipping away into the shadows.
A gasp escaped Haruo's lips as he felt the weight of Theodor's gaze on him, the calm yet intimidating eyes locking onto his position.
His heart skipped a beat, and he gritted his teeth, preparing to leap away. But before he could move, Theodor was already behind him, his presence closing in with unnerving speed.
"Red," a faint whisper escaped Theodor's lips, his eyes still locked on Haruo.
Haruo sprinted away, leaping to the next building with swift urgency, but Theodor was right behind him, closing the gap. A relentless chase ensued as Theodor jumped after him, narrowing the distance before swinging his spear with precision, striking just within reach.
Haruo noticed Theodor's strike and quickly drew his blade from his mana storage, deflecting the spear with a swift motion.
Theodor's expression shifted to one of surprise as their eyes met for a brief moment, the recoil from their blades creating a fleeting pause. Without hesitation, Haruo took a sharp turn to the left, breaking their locked gaze and continuing the chase.
'Red? What does red mean?' Haruo thought, his mind racing as they continued their pursuit. Then he finally realized, a moment from earlier before the start of the test.
'We're highlighted!? Out of all teams!?' Haruo thought, his eyes widening in surprise as he recalled that each team had a target, and it seemed they were the ones singled out.
'Shit, I need to—' Haruo thought, glancing back, only to find Theodor gone. However, the delayed sound of water splashing confirmed he was still there, following closely through the rain.
'Where'd he go!?' Haruo thought, quickly glancing behind him, before his eyes shot upward. Theodor's shadow loomed over him, stretching across the ground as he closed in.
A kick from Theodor came at Haruo, but he reacted just in time. Using the rainwater, he dropped to the floor and slid backward, narrowly avoiding the strike. His body glided smoothly over the slick ground, slipping just out of reach. With a quick push, he regained his momentum, rising back to his feet and continuing his escape.
Theodor quickly regained his momentum, pressing on with his relentless assault. Haruo, anticipating the next move, darted to the side of the building, using the wall to propel himself forward. He then leaped up, scaling the structure with swift determination before landing on the rooftop, continuing his escape.
Of course, escaping him wouldn't be that easy. Theodor was relentless, and within moments, he was right behind Haruo, leaping up to the rooftop with the same agility. The chase was far from over, and Haruo knew every second counted.
A static echo buzzed in Haruo's ear, the sound piercing through the earbud as it crackled with distortion. It was a brief interruption, but enough to snap his focus for a split second.
"Hey Haru, we found an enemy checkpoint. Isaac is on his way to steal their points. Any updates on your side?" Ena said calling him on an unexpected moment.
He didn't respond immediately and just paused for a moment.
"Hello?" Ena said trying to reach him.
"Now is not the time!" Haruo replied
"What why?"
"A wild Russian is currently chasing me down!" Haruo exclaimed.
"I can't talk right now! Ill call you both later!" He added before disconnecting to the line.
***
Currently, Haruo skated away, the sound of his movements blending with the rain. Theodor was nowhere in sight, and for a brief moment, it seemed like he was in the clear. But Haruo knew better than to let his guard down too soon.
'This sucks! I had to reveal my ability to him.' He sighed stopping to skate.
'It's okay, it was for a good cause. Since he's gone, I can probably call them now.'
Haruo slid into an alleyway, quickly ducking behind a dumpster to hide from sight. He pressed his earbud in, glancing cautiously out from the shadows to see if Theodor was still on his trail.
"Hello, can you guys hear me?" Haruo said.
"Yeah, I'm currently placing traps," Ena said.
"I-I can't talk right now, I'm in a enemy base," Isaac whispered.
Haruo stopped peering out and finally took a deep breath, letting the tension ease for a moment. But he kept his guard up, knowing better than to relax fully in a situation like this.
"This is important so I need you both to listen, I found the team that has us targeted." Haruo said.
"What!? who!" Ena exclaimed.
Isaac remained silent, aware of the danger of being in an enemy base. Though he didn't speak, it was clear he was listening intently.
"It's the MVP of the first half, Theodor Andreev," Haruo said, his voice low.
"I just escaped him, barely. I probably know who his teammate is as well and what they look like, so listen closely, you two."
Haruo explained their details, peeking outside the alley from time to time as he spoke. He described Theodor's imposing presence, his precise fighting style, and mentioned that he suspected his teammate was his sister, based on the clues he'd picked up. Every so often he looked at the end of the alleyway, ensuring that actually lost him.
"Listen, the two of you, If you ever see these people, don't interact with them. This logic doesn't just apply to them—try to avoid fighting as much as possible, especially near the checkpoint."
"Our goal is to get points and steal them, not fight for them. And do not reveal your abilities unless it's absolutely necessary. Okay, I'm going to find some checkpoints and try to steal as much points as I can. Remember what I said." He finally took his finger off his ear.
He peeked out of the alleyway turning his head from left to right before making his way to another building. He took out his monarch-13 and used it to scan for footprints or any type of human disruption to the ruined city trying to find some people.
He kept venturing until he found an entrance to the subway. He readied both of his weapons, his eyes turning icy blue as he stepped into the darkness of the abandoned subway.
'The subway... this is a place where newbies would probably go. Going here is practically a deathtrap, filled with other teams trying to camp for other participants,' Haruo thought, moving as quietly as possible to avoid making any noise.
'Luckily, my eyes can see through the darkness a bit, so I don't need light. And if someone tries to attack, I'll use the skill,' Haruo thought, staying alert as he moved deeper into the subway.
***
Earlier, Ena, Haruo, and Isaac had been sitting in the glass dome, talking.
"Alright, Ena, you'll be in charge of keeping the checkpoint guarded," Haruo suggested.
"What!? Why me I wanna get some points for the team!" Ena exclaimed.
"Ena, as much as I'd love to make you attack other people's checkpoints, I still can't. Your ability is perfect for guarding. You can make traps with it, use your blood for communication and vibrations, and you can heal. So it's better if you become the guardian," Haruo said insistingly.
"I agree w-with Haruo here, your ability i-is perfect for guarding," Isaac said.
"And for you, Isaac, based on what you told us about your ability, you're perfect for scavenging and killing monsters, so I'll leave that task to you," Haruo said, while Ena pouted, her arms crossed, clearly annoyed as she looked at him.
"K-kay!" Isaac said.
"I'm going to steal some points and locate other people's checkpoints. I'll also try to see if there are people near our checkpoint and tell you guys if I have the time," Haruo said.
"So with that out of the way we can start with splitting the scrolls," Haruo added.
"Scrolls? W-which one? Skill or m-magic?" Isaac questioned.
"Skill. I have three blessed scrolls right now, but they're all E-rank, so it might not help much, but it'll still be of some use." Haruo replied.
Haruo then took out three scrolls from his mana storage and took the one he had already scanned.
"I'll take Quick Escape since I'll be stealing from people," Haruo said.
He then looked over the other two scrolls, assessing them carefully as he considered their potential uses.
[Skill scroll analysis]
Name: Momentary precision {blessed}
Skill description: Can enhance precision to 1.2x temporarily in 7 seconds. Can only be used every 2 minutes
Skill rank: E / Poor
[Skill attributes and enchants]
Attribute: Swift motion {blessed}
Attribute Description: In addition to enhancing precision, there is a 12.5% chance to automatically dodge an attack. This can also be performed with other things than attacks.
Blessing Description:
Precision enhance has been increased from 1.2x to 1.5x.
The duration has been extended from 7 seconds to 11 seconds.
The chance of evade has been increased from 12.5% to 15%.
Enchants: Better cooking.
"That's really useful. I'm surprised this is E-rank. But I don't really get what better cooking is for," Ena said, nodding in approval as she looked at the screen.
"Okay, Isaac, this is for you since you're going to scavenge," Haruo said, dragging the scroll toward him.
"T-thank you very much!" Isaac said, bowing and smiling while rubbing the back of his head.
'It's just E-rank, why is he so happy about it?' Ena thought, looking at Isaac in disbelief.
"Alright, last one," Haruo said before scanning the final skill scroll.
[Skill scroll analysis]
Name: Dead silent {blessed}
Skill description: When activated, all noise the user makes is reduced by 40%, lasting for 40 seconds with a cooldown of 3 and a half minutes.
Skill rank: E / Poor
[Skill attributes and enchants]
Attribute: Prior senses {blessed}
Attribute Description: Within a 40-meter radius, any noise or presence from people or objects is amplified by 1.5x, only the user can hear or sense it.
Blessing Description:
The chance of noise being reduced is increased from 40% to 46% when the skill is used.
The radius has been extended from 40-meters to 43-meters
Amplification has been increased from 1.5x to 1.7x.
Enchants: Slight night vision.
"Wait hold on I feel like this also good on Isaac," Haruo said.
Ena grabbed the scroll eagerly, clutching it tightly in her palm as she looked at Haruo with a spark of greed in her eyes.
"Fine, you can have it. It's good for you, especially if you're setting traps or guarding the checkpoint," Haruo said, shrugging.
"Alright, everyone, sign the scrolls given to you and get ready. The test is about to begin," Haruo said before signing his scroll. Ena followed suit, then Isaac.
***
Currently, Haruo remained on high alert as he ventured through the dark subway. His breathing steady, unaware of the dark figure lurking behind him. Suddenly, he turned around, his eyes widening in shock.
Thud