While all the participants were giving it their all to reach the finish line, Kyle found himself strolling through a long and narrow tunnel. He had no clue where it would lead, but he kept going, hoping to find the end.
Little did he know, George was silently standing behind him, making some hand gestures in the air. The old man glanced at Kyle and let out a sigh. If he had the chance, he would have stopped the kid from getting the skill. But now that the kid had already absorbed it, there was nothing he could do.
After quickly finishing the gestures, George crushed some mana stones, increasing the mana density in the air.
Unaware of the Vice Principal's presence, Kyle suddenly felt a familiar suction force pulling him from behind. He wanted to turn around and see what was happening, but his vision turned dark.
"Huh?!"
Once he regained his sight, Kyle found himself surrounded by the familiar sight of tall green trees. A puzzled expression appeared on his face because he was standing on the dungeon road.
"Why am I here....?"
However, before he could ponder it further, he started throwing up again.
Suddenly, a participant running toward the finishing portal ran past Kyle. It was Alec, who had taken the lead after leaving Carcel, Mia, and Lara behind. Alec looked back, completely baffled.
'I don't remember anyone overtaking me!'
Countless questions raced through his mind. How did this person suddenly appear here? No, how on earth did he manage to pass by without alerting the bear!?
'Did he cheat?'
Not only Alec but Kyle himself was left dumbfounded as he witnessed a participant swiftly running past him.
He turned around to catch a glimpse of where Alec was heading, and his shock intensified. The dungeon's finishing portal was just a few meters away!
Kyle couldn't believe his eyes as he pinched himself in disbelief.
"Am I dreaming?"
As he tried to process the surreal scene unfolding before him, another participant swiftly ran past him. Carcel, who had been following behind Alec, also turned his head back and glanced at Kyle.
'I don't remember seeing him.'
He narrowed his eyes in contemplation but didn't stop running.
Just a few seconds later, Mia and Lara both showed up and quickly passed by Kyle's side, their faces displaying the same surprised look as Alec and Carcel.
Kyle looked at the participants running toward the finishing portal and snapped out of his shock. Even though he wanted to rest because he felt nauseous after throwing up, he still started running toward the portal with all his might.
He looked at the portal with a burning gaze.
"I can do it!"
But he was running so slowly that soon a few more participants ran past him, leaving him behind.
After two minutes, Kyle was still running when he heard the ground rumble. He turned his head back to see the reason.
"Shit!"
He cursed loudly, seeing thousands of participants approaching him from behind. This time, he didn't hold back and started running with everything he had. He knew that if he didn't reach the portal, he would definitely be crushed under the feet of those thousands of participants!
The first person to enter the finishing portal was Alec, followed by Carcel, Mia, and then Lara. Afterward, some more participants entered the portal.
Even though Kyle was running for his life, he barely managed to secure the 36th place in the first round.
As Kyle entered the finishing portal, he felt the familiar suction force, transporting him back to the place where he had entered the dungeon.
After the first 1000 participants appeared, the rest were sent directly outside the arena stage. The crowd erupted in cheers for the top performers, thrilled to witness the young talents.
Vice Principal George reappeared, floating in front of the 1000 participants. Using his spiritual sense, he checked everyone's flag and nodded in approval.
"First, let me congratulate everyone who made it through the first round."
As he spoke, his sharp gaze fell on a pale-looking participant, who seemed like he was hanging by a thread.
'I sent you near the finishing portal, and yet you didn't secure 1st place. How disappointing.'
Kyle, who was barely holding himself back from throwing up again, felt a chill run down his spine. His danger-sensing abilities were top-notch, and it seemed like someone dangerous had their eyes on him. He looked around, trying to identify the person targeting him, but couldn't find anyone. Frustrated, he gave up.
On the other hand, George mentioned that the winning participants had 60 minutes to rest before the second round began. Then he left.
The participants who didn't come alone went to their friends and family members. Kyle, with a pale face, also went into the crowd and quickly found his second brother.
Neon greeted him with a big smile.
"Hahaha, Kyle! You did amazing! I saw you at the start, wandering through the forest, but then you vanished. How did you suddenly end up at the finishing portal?"
A faint smile appeared on Kyle's face as he saw Neon's happy expression. He felt proud and began boasting to his heart's content.
"Do you think I entered the forest without a plan? I already knew that competitions like these have hidden paths to victory."
Of course, his brother had no idea what had truly happened inside the dungeon, and he would take that secret to his grave!
Neon offered him some food, but he declined. He had a bad experience in the first round because of the sudden teleportation. If they were going to use teleportation again in the second round, he thought it would be better for him to go on an empty stomach.
Sixty minutes flew by, and all the participants who made it through the first round gathered on top of the arena stage.
George stood up and started floating in front of them, ready to explain the rules of the second round.
"Alright, let me break down the second round for you. It's quite simple as well."
But as soon as the participants heard the word 'simple', they knew it was anything but simple.
"You all just need to stand still and meditate while under some pressure. It doesn't matter if you choose to utilize a skill. After 3 hours, those who are still standing will move on to the next round."
George waved his hand, and a large hourglass appeared in the air.
The moment the hourglass appeared, a heavy weight descended on the participants' shoulders. Some couldn't handle it and fell immediately. Nearly twenty participants were disqualified right from the start.
Alec, who stood in the middle of the stage, sucked in a deep breath. He closed his eyes and began meditating, unfazed by the pressure. Carcel, Lara, and Mia also appeared composed. However, some participants were already struggling to stay on their feet.
With the intense atmosphere on the arena stage, the crowd started placing bets on who would be the next to fall. However, amidst all of this, a certain someone wasn't feeling any pressure at all!
Kyle looked around and saw others who were already sweating buckets of water.
'Is it just me, or is the pressure almost non-existent?'
He glanced at a participant falling in front of him before mumbling under his breath.
"I never knew I was this talented..."
As time passed, the pressure on the participants increased, but Kyle felt like everyone was overacting. When the pressure is only equal to a few glasses of water, why are they falling?
He looked toward George, only to find the Vice Principal staring daggers at him. But when Kyle's eyes met with the Vice Principal, the Vice Principal turned to look at another participant.
"Huh? Did I get it wrong?"
Kyle exclaimed with a confused expression, but in reality, his brain was working like crazy. He had a doubt when in the first round he suddenly appeared in front of the finishing portal. And right now, breezing through the second round proved his suspicions.
It seemed the Vice Principal was helping him. But the question was, why? Was it because of the skill he obtained? Even though Kyle had an idea of what was going on, he pretended he knew nothing. If the Vice Principal wanted the skill core back from him, then it was impossible because he had already absorbed it.
Kyle used his brain for a while but then stopped thinking about all this. He would rather not think about complicated things. And it was better to stay away from someone powerful like the Vice Principal.
Just like that, two hours passed, and almost half of the participants were already disqualified. Right now, even Alec was sweating, but he stood straight with his eyes closed.
Carcel and Lara were also having some difficulty, while Mia used one of her skills to relieve some pressure for a while.
On the other hand, Kyle looked tired and bored. He was not sweating like others, but his legs were numb because it was his first time standing for so long.
'Ugh, I am tired, just how much time is left?'
He started stretching his hands and legs as if he had just taken a nap, making nearly half of the participants who saw him to cough up blood. All of them were struggling to even stand up properly, and here he was stretching his body while yawning!
Even the crowd noticed Kyle because, unlike others, he was passing the test like a breeze. Kyle's brother, Neon, also looked at him with a dead serious expression.
'I knew it, Kyle had potential!'
George, who was still floating in the air, looked at Kyle and frowned.
'You rascal! If not for you learning the Ice Dragon's skill, I would have already disqualified the likes of you!'
He was the one putting pressure on the students, making sure to minimize it for Kyle. But seeing Kyle's attitude now, he felt the urge to increase the pressure, though he reconsidered due to the kid's fragile physique.
When George glanced at the other participants, guilt washed over him as he realized he was essentially aiding Kyle in cheating.
'Let's calm down, I'm doing this for the Principal's sake. Yes, I'm doing it for the Principal.'
He reassured himself internally again and again to alleviate his guilt.
Finally, as the last hour of the competition came to an end, the pressure on the participants dissipated, signaling the conclusion of the second round. Many participants collapsed, gasping for breath, with sweat drenching their clothes. Even Alec, Carcel, and Lara sat down on the stage to regain their composure.
Among the hundreds of participants, two remained standing. The first was Mia, who had used a spell to alleviate the pressure at times. And of course, the other was Kyle, but when he saw that everyone could barely stand, he also feigned exhaustion and sat down.
George looked at the victorious participants with satisfaction before his voice echoed through the air.
"Congratulations to the 401 participants who passed the second round with their 'efforts'."
He emphasized the word 'effort' while giving Kyle a quick look.
The crowd erupted into thunderous applause, congratulating the participants. George joined in with a smile before announcing the details of the final round.
"Since it's already late, the third and final round will take place tomorrow morning. All participants should rest for the day."
The victorious participants left the arena with pride, receiving congratulations from their relatives and friends. However, those who didn't make it to the next round left the arena with dejected expressions.
Neon left the crowd and hurriedly made his way to Kyle. He embraced him tightly, exclaiming with a proud smile.
"Kyle, you were absolutely amazing out there! I knew you could do it!"
Kyle grinned and hugged him back. He felt a sense of joy in making his brother proud, even though he had cheated. Nonetheless, no one would ever find out about it.
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