Two days went by in a flash, and Reith stood at the Orphanage's entrance, there were two bags by his side. He started to pace around.
Being late could cost them their participation.
"Is he back yet?" A nurse spoke from behind him, and Reith shook his head.
He had gone through the trouble of registering the champion for the competition yesterday, since he refused to make an appearance.
What kind of training could he be doing?
A slight sound caught their attention, and right before them, Paul made his way forward, and he looked every bit normal only that his clothes—what was left of them, looked devastating.
Before he could speak, Reith took the initiative. "The bath is hot, your clothes are on the bed. Go in and be out in the next fifteen minutes."
Paul coughed, and he ran inside immediately.
In ten minutes, he was ready.
"I am sorry for the delay." He bowed in respect, but Reith had already moved away.
Despite the awkwardness, Paul was glad. With the two bags, it seemed like Reith expected him to win.
When was the last time he had someone believe in him?
In that little thought, an electric jolt came over him, causing him to wince in pain.
"Yes, I deserve that." He chuckled, his God believed in him, if not, the war would never be entrusted in his hands.
He arrived at Reith's side, and gave him a small nudge. "Thanks."
Reith nodded. "I hope we arrive there on time, we might have a bit of trouble."
Just as he finished speaking, a group of people pushed past them, heading forward, and as they raised their head, a large crowd came into appearance.
"It's not every day you see something like this." Paul chuckled, finding his footing.
"Yeah, the competition has to be something big."
Behind the school was a medium-sized arena and Paul wondered why he never came across it during his long walk.
There were seats available for the audience, and kiosks were placed around.
It looked more like an entertainment center than for something as serious as a selection exams.
"It really looks cool." Paul's eyes sparkled. He had never seen anything like this.
His years before his coma was mostly spent with Vivienne and in the orphanage he lived back in Yevendra.
It was obvious that this city was more developed than Yevendra. On the walls surrounding the massive field were various screens. Through those screens, he could see the massive crowd within the field.
"We have to get you in. Please put this on. Due to my luck, or by some divine arrangement, you are the first competitor. I picked your number in the ballot system during registration." Reith confessed, squeezing his way through the crowd, while his other hand held Paul.
Paul frowned, this felt more like a sabotage than an arrangement.
"Welcome everyone, citizens of Angevin, to the annual competition of the ASCENSION PEAK Academy.
Today we release the chance for five less-privileged teenagers to get into this prestigious college and I am sure you all are excited as I am." The announcer spoke into the microphone, riling up the thirsty crowds.
Paul sighed, "I'm less-privilege now." He gave a small smile to Reith.
"You should be lesser. Not even a citizen, remember?" Reith answered with a raised brow, as they made their way to the front of the seat, keeping their eyes on the arena.
The place was rather spacious, and from Paul's point of view, he saw a group of teenagers sitting on a long bench, from the tags on their neck, they were the fellow contestants.
That was quite a number of people, and they wanted to pick five. These guys looked strong but he could beat them. He had grown stronger in these past few days, especially with his increase in levels.
[Host Level: Level 5 Natural.]
[Divine Aura: 0]
[Strength: 10]
[Agility: 10]
[Speed: 10]
[Defense: 5]
[Intellect: 5]
At his command, the translucent screen appeared, displaying his level. The last two days made his body ache with tear-jerking pain but it was worth it.
"I think it's time for you to go." Reith said by his side causing him to pull back to reality.
Paul nodded, and at time, the announcer spoke up.
"From the look of things, our number one contestant hasn't shown up yet, so we might proceed to the next round, and by default, he has been—"
Suddenly, someone jumped into the arena, startling the announcer, and the crowd focused their attention on the young-looking teenager.
"I'm here." Paul waved to the announcer. It was time to test out the effects of those challenges he had been working on.
He exhaled, cooling down the fire in his nerves. This was not the time to be unnecessarily excited.
"Oh, it seems we have our first competitor here, and let us introduce the contestant, number 2," The announcer chuckled. He couldn't deny that he was also excited by the whole scenario.
Today marks the day when we determine the ones who deserves the academy's generosity.
The contestants would be judged based on their strength, wisdom, and strategy, and the winners would be given their admissions immediately."
The announcer said, pointing to the high seats above the audience. Paul followed the direction of the finger, but these esteemed judges were sitting behind a dark glass, preventing him from seeing them.
"The match begins."
The uproar of the crowd rose to the air and the second contestant walked to the middle of the arena.
He had a big, burly build with broad shoulders. On his hand was a great sword, and he dragged it along with him.
Paul frowned. "That must be quite heavy," he said to himself, taking slow steps forward. He didn't catch the name of his opponent, but it didn't matter.
"I don't know you from around here" The big guy squinted his eyes, taking a good look at Paul.
Paul shrugged, "Just moved in. I'm not that important." He muttered, walking forward, his eyes glancing at the heavy weapon.
Apart from losing the competition, that sword could make him motionless for one week with just one hit. Why would such a guy carry what looked like twice his weight?
The big guy lunged forward, dragging the sword on the floor and ignoring the display of sparks behind.
"Was this kid seriously fighting without a weapon?"
"He thinks we are joking here."
"Plain suicidal scum."
The crowd was intensely focused on the match but from their words, they had already decided the winner of the match.
As soon as he was within his opponent's range, the burly guy swung, fast and brutal. The air rippled as the sword moved through it, targeting his victim's head.
Paul jumped back at the last minute, the sword barely missing his nose.
The audience held their breath, maybe this new guy had some tricks under his sleeves.
The burly guy smiled, "You are a joke without a sword. Do you think Ascension peak is for losers like you? I'd do my best to teach a good lesson about serious preparation."
Paul was about to say something when he felt a warm dribble.
A thin red line fell from his nose, and blood dripped slowly. His expression didn't change as he wiped the blood with the back of his hand.
That sword… he wasn't hit but the mere power affected his body.
"The name's Leon. Remember it." Leon moved again but he was shaken. That attack would have decided the match if this strange person hadn't move.
Not only was the stranger not effected but he was now running closer.
His victim was merely inches before him and there was no way motion could be quickly terminated, this was his chance. "You are asking to be killed." With a loud grunt, Leon swung his hip, his sword following the aligned trajectory.
Adrenaline surged in Paul's body, and his foot slid, dodging the sword by mere inches. The force of the swing increased the flow of the nosebleed but he had to seize this chance.
Paul's mind went to two days back when he had started his training. He had been taken by the system to a strange room and in that room, time moved slowly.
It wasn't a surprise to him. At his peak, he was able to move multiple times faster than the average human so 24 hours had become quite a long time for him then.
That room did its wonder and as he moved past those hits, he could feel it. His agility increased and his strength…
His opponent was now wide open.
Crack.
His fist connected with Leon's gut, creating a sinking depth in this boy's stomach, saliva flying from his mouth.
The sword dropped to the floor with a clang.
There was no time for a second thought, and the other punch came like the sound of thunder, and it caught Leon under the chin, lifting him into the air as his head snapped back.
The boy flew across the arena, crashing his body against the heavy metal fences. The dust cleared, revealing an unmoving body.
After a few seconds of shocked silence, the crowds erupted with a wild cheer.
The announcer jumped to the middle of the arena, his voice loud emitting his shock,
"With a single hit, the winner was decided. Put your hands up for Paul Veritas!"