The assessment was meticulously divided into four stages, and the first stage was a test of raw physical strength, which was already complete.
The students were now about to embark on the second, far more demanding stage.
During the first stage, the students were simply asked to hit a metallic punching bag and achieve a hit point of above thirty.
Now, for the second stage of the assessment, the students were required to make it to the other side of the massive earth wall Maze , and they were to do so within a strict time limit of forty-eight hours.
Also , they were instructed to emerge from the challenge with a total of five golden coins, meaning they were expected to acquire four additional coins from other participants.
And, just as the rule explicitly stated, they were free to use force to obtain these coins, but under no circumstances were they allowed to kill.
There were essentially two primary ways the students could approach this perilous situation.
One option was to team up, forming alliances and hunting others in groups.
By leveraging their combined numbers and strengths, it would be relatively easy for them to overpower their opponents and collect the required number of coins.
Depending on the size and synergy of their team, they could systematically hunt down the necessary number of students, why not more?
It wasn't against the rules right? So they could even have more golden coins than it was normally required.
The other option was that, the students could go on their own, like a lone wolf on a hunt ... that was , if they were confident enough in their individual strength to take anyone down.
However, this path, while potentially rewarding, was inherently a much greater risk, as they would be vulnerable to attacks from multiple groups.
Meaning if they were not strong enough, going out alone would be the most stupid thing to do.
The bald man had given them the rules for this second stage, the do and don't , his part was done for the moment, all was now left to the students.
With That , the bald-headed man and his men were now gone, the second stage had officially begun, transforming the vast hall into a volatile arena.
A thousand and a half students, once united by a common goal, were now pitted against each other, forced to fight amongst themselves to seize the precious coins.
Although the bald-headed man and his men had departed, a strange silence hung in the air; no one had yet to make a single move.
Every single student was looking at each other, silently evaluating them from head to toe, sizing up their potential opponents, wondering if they could truly take on the person that stood in front of them or if they should avoid a confrontation.
Fai too, was acutely wary of the volatile situation. Right now, he could feel it: in the eyes of all the people around him, he was an easy target, largely due to the fact that he was still perceived as a normal human.
In their minds, it was going to be incredibly easy to overpower him and snatch his valuable golden coin.
That was when he could feel someone grab onto him.
Immediately, all the hairs on Fai's body stood straight up, a primal instinct kicking in as he was ready to unleash an attack.
That was, until he looked and could clearly see that it was Johnson.
Johnson could be seen standing protectively in front of Fai, his stance broad and defiant, as he too had noticed the predatory looks from the other students, their eyes glinting with hostile intent.
"I think it's best we stick together for this one," Johnson said, his voice low and serious, his eyes still scanning their surroundings.
And, from the corner of his eyes, he saw it: someone had suddenly sprinted towards Fai, moving with astonishing speed, faster than the normal human eye could possibly follow.
Luckily, Johnson was a mutant himself, possessing enhanced reflexes.
Immediately, he pulled Fai forcefully out of the way, narrowly avoiding the charging opponent, and sent his foot forward, aiming for a swift, powerful kick.
The kick was incredibly strong and lightning-fast.
The person, seeing the blur of Johnson's foot coming towards their stomach area, couldn't do anything to stop it, neither could they do anything to change their trajectory; the sheer momentum of their own speed was now being devastatingly used against them.
The foot made perfect contact with the person's stomach, and the victim instantly felt their insides twist in an excruciatingly and uncomfortable manner.
They could feel it, a sickening sensation, as if their intestines wanted to burst out of their body.
All the air in their lungs escaped through their mouth in a painful gasp, and a stream of saliva followed.
With Johnson's feet striking perfectly, the person was sent flying backward with tremendous force, violently pushing other students out of the way, creating a chaotic path in their way .
"Give me your hand!" Johnson screamed, his voice urgent, his eyes fixed on Fai.
And Fai, witnessing the raw power and decisiveness Johnson had just displayed, decided to trust him, and Instinctively gave him his hand.
Once he did, Fai could feel a strange, exhilarating sensation coursing through his entire body.
It was a bizarre, almost nauseating feeling he had never experienced before, a disorienting rush.
The hairs on his body were standing up straight, and he felt like he wanted to throw up, his stomach churning.
"Brace yourself!" Johnson shouted, his voice full of warning, and just like that, in a blink of an eye, Johnson and Fai were nowhere to be seen.
They had completely disappeared from their spot.
"Where did they go?" one of the bewildered students asked, their voice echoing in the sudden silence, utterly confused by the impossible
act.
"I can't believe it; they were right here, and then, just like that, they were gone!"
another student exclaimed, still staring at the empty space where the two had stood moments before.
While the remaining students were arguing amongst themselves, their voices rising in confusion and frustration, they suddenly heard someone shouting from afar.
Standing right in front of the six colossal routes, two young teenagers could be seen.
One had dark, curly hair and a deep purple face, his mouth full, as he was clearly on the verge of throwing up from the sudden disorientation.
While the other one had…
"So long, suckers!" Johnson exclaimed, his voice ringing with triumph, as he defiantly gave them his middle finger.
And just like before, he had disappeared once more, dragging a disoriented Fai with him, deeper into the maze of earth walls.
"Damn it! He took him away so he could finish him by himself and have the golden coin!"
one of the students complained bitterly, hitting their hands on the ground out of pure frustration, their chance at an easy coin gone.
And now what will happen to Fai??