Chapter 61: The Tryouts (4)

Back at the Association stadium, the first round had already begun.

The battlefield had become a mess.

Floating platforms drifted through the enormous chamber.

Reinforced chunks of stone and metal hung in midair, separated by gaps that could easily swallow an unsuspecting Awakened.

Some contestants immediately understood the nature of the battlefield.

Others didn’t.

The weaker Awakened quickly formed groups.

Five here.

Eight there.

Sometimes even more.

It didn’t take long for them to reach the same conclusion.

Numbers.

If they couldn’t beat the stronger contestants individually, they could overwhelm them together.

Unfortunately for them...

That idea only worked when the difference in power wasn’t too large.

A group of E-Ranks charged a lone C-Rank.

The C-Rank sighed.

Three seconds later, the E-Ranks were unconscious.

Another group tried to surround a D-Rank.

They were sent flying before they even managed to land a proper attack.

The spectators in the observation room watched with varying expressions.

Neville, however, looked thoroughly entertained.

He sat comfortably in his chair, one leg crossed over the other.

"Ah."

His eyes moved toward one particular section of the battlefield.

"There he is."

Levi stepped closer.

"Elio?"

Neville smiled.

The silver-haired young man was sitting peacefully in a corner of the battlefield.

He already had his five badges.

He wasn’t fighting.

He wasn’t hiding.

He simply didn’t seem interested.

Nobody was approaching him either.

A few contestants had glanced in his direction.

Then immediately looked elsewhere.

Neville chuckled.

"He’s certainly making things easy for himself."

Levi’s eyes remained on Elio.

"Or everyone else is making things easy for him."

"Fair point."

Neville leaned forward.

"Reaching B-Rank at nineteen..."

He shook his head.

"That’s quite the accomplishment."

Then he looked toward Levi.

"What do you think, Rookie?"

Levi slowly turned his head.

The nickname earned a faintly annoyed look.

"You really intend to keep calling me that?"

"Absolutely."

Neville grinned.

Levi sighed.

Then looked back toward the battlefield.

"He’s going to receive invitations from nearly every major guild after this."

"Think so?"

"I’d be surprised if he didn’t. He’s the Youngest Person to reach B-Rank in the entire world, just right behind Rex."

Levi’s expression became slightly more serious.

"And considering Rex, who reached the same Rank at the same age, eventually became a Nation level Asset and the Strongest Awakened on Earth..."

"Someone like him..."

"Elio, isn’t someone the Association can ignore."

Choi stood nearby, silently watching the battlefield.

He adjusted his glasses.

"Especially considering how recently he awakened."

Neville smiled.

"Exactly."

His gaze shifted.

"That’s why these tryouts are interesting."

Choi followed his gaze.

"There are quite a few unusual candidates."

"More than usual."

A calm voice came from beside Choi.

Dark purple hair, dark cyan eyes, and a confident expression that only added to her generous looks.

Luna stood there with her arms folded.

The S-Rank Guildmaster of the Gatewalkers watched the battlefield with composed cyan eyes.

"There are several talented young Awakeneds this year."

She paused.

Then smiled faintly.

"But I don’t think that changes the result."

Choi glanced at her.

"You sound confident."

"I am."

Luna’s eyes settled on a blonde figure moving through the battlefield.

"My sister will place first."

Neville raised an eyebrow.

"You’ve already decided that?"

"I know what she’s capable of."

Luna smiled.

"She won’t disappoint me."

As if responding to her words, Sonne raised one hand.

Ice erupted across a floating platform.

Several opponents were forced backward at once.

Luna’s smile widened.

Elsewhere, Eden stood in the middle of another floating platform.

A D-Rank Awakened swung at him.

Eden ducked.

The fist passed over his head.

He grabbed the man’s wrist, twisted, and used the momentum to throw him across the platform.

The man crashed into another several other contestants.

All of them went down.

Eden looked at the badges scattered nearby.

He picked one up.

Then another.

"Three."

He glanced toward the two unconscious men.

"Four."

Another contestant charged him from behind.

Eden didn’t even turn.

He stepped aside.

The attacker stumbled past.

Eden caught the back of his shirt and threw him into a nearby wall.

"Five."

He clipped the fifth badge onto his clothes.

That was enough.

He had officially passed.

And he hadn’t used a single skill.

Eden looked down at the five yellow badges.

He should have been satisfied.

Instead, he felt bored.

"That’s it?"

He glanced around.

The battlefield was enormous.

Hundreds of Awakened were fighting.

Some were screaming.

Some were running.

Others were desperately trying to collect badges from stronger opponents without getting themselves beaten unconscious.

Eden rolled his shoulders.

’I came all this way for this?’

His gaze wandered briefly, before it was stopped by a faint sound of thunder.

Eden’s head snapped toward the sound.

A bright flash of lightning illuminated the battlefield.

Another.

Then another.

Eden’s eyes narrowed.

"Well..."

He started walking.

The further he went, the more unconscious bodies he found.

One.

Five.

Ten.

Twenty.

By the time he reached the floating platform at the center of the disturbance, there were enough unconscious Awakened piled together to form a small hill.

And sitting comfortably on top of it was a man.

Loose clothes.

Relaxed posture.

Average build.

Long cyan hair tied into a messy bun.

Bright cyan eyes hidden behind shaded glasses.

A pleased smile rested on his face.

Lightning crawled lazily between his fingers.

Eden stopped.

His eyes moved toward the man’s shoulder.

’Badges?’

A ridiculous number of them.

’Looks like he’s got at least Thirty-five.’

Eden smiled.

’What a show off.’

’But then again, showing off was always in his nature.’

He knew this man.

Eden remembered him from his first life.

’Alexis.’

The Lightning Prodigy.

A man who would eventually rise far beyond C-Rank.

A future S-Rank.

A future monster.

And, eventually, a man the world would call "The Lightning Lord."

Eden jumped onto the floating platform.

Alexis didn’t acknowledge him at first.

Eden casually counted the badges again.

"Thirty-eight badges total."

Alexis finally tilted his head.

"Hm?"

Eden looked up at him.

"That’s pretty impressive."

Alexis pushed his shades slightly higher.

"You’re counting my badges?"

"Hard not to."

Eden looked at the unconscious bodies beneath him.

"You’ve made a pretty obvious advertisement for yourself."

Alexis’s eyes moved over Eden.

Then his smile changed.

He noticed the badges Eden had collected.

’Five.’

’He’s got enough to pass already.’

Alexis slowly stood.

Lightning traveled up his arms.

"So..."

He stretched his shoulders.

"You’re not here because you need badges."

Eden’s smile widened.

"Nope."

Alexis stepped down from the hill.

The unconscious contestants beneath him groaned faintly.

"Neither am I."

He looked around.

The battlefield was still roaring with activity.

The timer continued ticking.

They had plenty of time left.

Five badges were enough to pass.

For most people, that was the goal.

But neither of them had come here simply to pass.

Alexis took another step.

Lightning flickered around his body.

"Five badges..."

He glanced at Eden.

"That’s enough for a license."

His grin grew.

"But for people like us?"

He shrugged.

"What’s the point in stopping there?"

Eden chuckled.

"Now you’re getting it."

Alexis tilted his head.

His eyes narrowed behind his shades.

"You’re the same as me, aren’t you?"

Eden stared at him for a moment.

Then his grin widened.

"A damn greedy bastard."

For a second, neither moved.

Then lightning exploded from Alexis’s body.

And Eden’s smile became even wider.