As soon as Amori said two words, another scream echoed in his ears, making him shudder involuntarily.
Ronnel also heard the commotion and looked around, only to see Hisoka holding a poker in one hand, standing over a pool of blood with a sickly smile on his face.
He didn't bother to restrain himself and, under the terrified gaze of his teammate, raised his hand again.
The teammate of the man who had fallen in the blood pool stood frozen, his pupils dilated. Blood oozed from his neck as his body collapsed.
"Go, take their number plates."
Hisoka, still facing away from his teammate, gave the order, causing the latter to tremble.
".…Yes."
Trembling, he stepped forward, collected the two bloodstained number plates, and handed them back to Hisoka.
No one dared to approach them. The crowd parted, keeping their distance from Hisoka in fear, creating a large empty space around him.
"These newcomers aren't easy~"
The yellow-haired examiner puffed on a cigarette, observing Ronnel and Hisoka with a yawn.
Their actions silenced the wine cellar momentarily, but soon, even fiercer fights erupted.
The sounds of fighting and screaming filled the air.
After securing his promotion and releasing some of his killing intent, Hisoka seemed to calm down. He led his trembling teammate aside to wait.
As for Ronnel, he dragged Amori, who had tried to help his brother, off to the sidelines like a chick.
Having seen Ronnel's strength, Amori didn't dare resist and obediently stayed put.
Time passed, and as more people began passing the test, many stood outside the field, licking their wounds.
Two hours later, the noise of the battlefield gradually subsided, and eventually, silence fell.
The yellow-haired examiner lit his final cigarette.
"176 people. A bit more than I expected."
He took out his phone and made a call.
Not long after, men in black suits entered the wine cellar from the safety exit, collecting the number plates of the eliminated candidates and escorting them out.
"Pokkle, Geretta, and the other two Amori brothers… Have they all passed the exam?"
Ronnel glanced at Amori, who had returned to his brothers, but didn't dwell on him, briefly scanning the crowd before looking away.
Several familiar faces had passed, while some veterans had been eliminated.
Tonpa and Sommy, who Ronnel had beaten twice, along with the martial artist Bodoro, were all eliminated in the first half of the test.
"Now that everyone has passed the first half, the second half of the test will begin immediately."
As the men in black cleared out the wine cellar, the yellow-haired examiner spoke up.
"The rules for the second half are simple~"
Seeing the eyes on him, he smiled, revealing yellowed teeth.
"You must defeat the teammate you just teamed up with to pass."
Many expressions changed as soon as the words left his mouth.
But the examiner paid no attention to the reactions, continuing,
"It doesn't matter if you kill or incapacitate them. As long as your opponent loses the ability to fight or admits defeat, you pass the first round."
"Only by defeating your opponent can you climb the ladder. Outside, the examiners for the second round will be waiting."
The yellow-haired examiner clapped his hands, the sound echoing through the empty wine cellar.
"The two-hour countdown starts now. If there's no winner by the end, both of you will be eliminated. The second half of the test begins!"
...
Friends just moments ago, now enemies—no one would feel good in this situation.
The yellow-haired examiner's question was truly wicked.
But Ronnel couldn't care less.
He glanced at Amori, who was trembling, and shook his head.
"Don't worry. I'll be gentle. You won't feel a thing~"
Before Amori could even process the words, Ronnel struck him on the back of the head, knocking him out cold.
The Amori brothers, along with Tonpa and Sommy, were always in over their heads.
While some might find value in their corpses, Ronnel didn't.
After knocking Amori unconscious, instead of climbing the stairs, Ronnel walked over to a candidate who had been killed for their number plate.
It would be a waste to leave so many corpses lying around~
Hisoka glanced at Ronnel with a smile, killed his trembling teammate without a second thought, and ascended the stairs first.
The sounds of fighting resumed in the wine cellar.
"Well, you should go ahead. I'll wait for next time."
Pokkle forced a smile as he looked at Ponzu, who hesitated to speak.
The two had met in this test.
"…Okay."
Ponzu opened her mouth, unsure what to say. After a brief pause, she nodded and ascended the stairs.
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