SWNOVELXO Chapter 33: Chapter 33: Category Determination Exams at the Academy (10)
Chapter 33: Category Determination Exams at the Academy (10).
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"Hahaha! Cough... cough! Now... cough! Let's see who will win...!" Leon laughed while coughing up blood, as he spoke with great difficulty.
He felt his insides twisting through his hand.
A feeling he remembered clearly.
Every day when the smell of blood permeated his nose.
The feeling of flesh being cut by a blade, when his hand pierced the bodies of others.
His expression didn't even tremble.
He had been through worse before.
This amount, although incredibly painful, was bearable.
Leon already knew the difficulty of his situation.
His internal injuries had now worsened more than double!
He felt the pain burning inside him!
But he didn't even blink and resisted!
The desire to win burned in his mind.
He must win... no! He will win!
His eyes shone with madness as he resisted the feeling of pain and fainting.
"Kekeke... cough! I will win! Cough...! Haha... cough! shit..."
Logan laughed in turn, blood flowing from his mouth.
He felt dizzy, as if he would lose consciousness at any moment.
The first test was really boring, it wasn't interesting, but because of Leon, it was worth his time!
Talent? Huh?
Hahaha, my ass talent!
He didn't really care how others saw him, let alone meet their expectations.
Others were boring to him.
What did he care about others' expectations of him?
Jealousy and envy? Admiration and respect? Why should he care about others' feelings towards him?
Put your expectations on me or don't, your disappointment or whatever that thing is, just don't stand in my way.
Logan was, by nature, a person seeking excitement and fun in his life, but his peers were really boring.
Searching for honor, respect, and meeting expectations.
Not to mention their shallow mentality, they were obsessed with talent, as if they were trying to avoid something.
His eyes could only see them as ugly.
The adults and children he met were really uninteresting.
Talent or respect is all that matters to me!
The path built on others will naturally be destroyed by others.
When one chooses that, they will no longer have a say in the path afterward.
Just strive for your own path, then you will open your eyes to the vastness of the world.
He was a person who pursued his goals with interest, no matter how trivial and unimportant they were to others.
Who knew what life was like? He never thought he would see someone like Leon.
He saw how he acted as he pleased and didn't care about others.
He even heard his conversation with some student, not just him, but everyone heard it.
When the student asked him how he felt about the students' gloating and mockery towards him, his response was etched in the mind.
"Ah, those larvae? Let them laugh at their misery as they please, why should I care? The only weapon of the weak is words."
"To escape reality, a person will place their disappointment and hopes on someone, it's common, I wiped their faces in the dirt, so there is a sense of comfort because I have a punishment."
Leon laughed heartily, as he said his last words to the boy: "Thank you, I didn't even notice them at first, but now there are clowns I enjoy watching in my free time."
He didn't respect them even a little and treated them like air.
His words struck deep.
To escape reality, a person will place their disappointment and hopes on someone.
These words resonated in the heart.
At that time, Logan became curious about Leon.
He felt that they were similar!
Logan knew he was strong in his own right, but he knew even more that he couldn't compare to Leon.
Even so, he thought it was more fun.
And so, he followed him in the past two days to make Leon curious to know his intentions to approach him himself.
It was unrealistic to try to hide himself, so he made his presence clear so as not to offend him.
But no matter how much he followed, Leon was patient with him, and eventually, the day of the test came.
Was there regret for what he did? On the contrary, he felt happy!
Blood flowed heavily from his mouth, but he didn't hesitate.
He might not endure the pain as Leon did, but his mental capacity was impressive.
He must win, even if he dies, he must win!
He didn't doubt for a moment that Leon would reject his idea.
He felt the similarity between them!
Of course, it wasn't entirely certain that Leon would go along with him, but it didn't matter now!
The two stared at the ceiling as each gathered every last ounce of willpower within themselves!
What makes a person continue beyond their limits is the power of will!
This is madness!
Everyone watching the two felt fear creeping into their hearts!
These two were undoubtedly crazy!
Lilith Kronos, Princess Lucia, Edward Harvey, Shin Su, Mao Li Chiu, Lina Claudius, and even the young boy Yang Dogo.
All of them, without exception, felt fear and awe!
Did they have such courage and recklessness, to take a dangerous step in such a trivial test, just to overcome their opponent?
The only answer was a shake of the head.
Leon and Logan were truly crazy... but alongside the awe, there was a feeling of admiration.
They put everything on the line to win, forgetting all that troubles the mind just for the goal.
How difficult is it for one to do this?
Their admiration for their bravery was inevitable!
There were some foxes who wanted to get ahead of themselves, and secretly wanted to attack the two in their weakened state.
"Damn... I expected this a little... but it's disappointing... cough!"
"Whoever faints... cough! Even because of the enemies... will lose! Cough! Cough!"
The two spoke to each other while easily sensing the intentions of others, it was unfortunate, but no matter the circumstances, there was no turning back!
It had nothing to do with pride, but with their inherent nature.
30 minutes.
A voice resembling a puppet was heard, many eyes here glimmered coldly.
But that coldness did not match the madness and obsession in the eyes of Leon and Logan!
The overwhelming desire to win and crush the opponent!
That was what drove their remaining consciousness, which was on the brink of collapse.
They gathered the last ounce of will in their bodies and prepared to receive the enemies' attacks.
But no matter how long they waited, no one came.
They couldn't look down, but they certainly felt it.
There were shadows covering their peripheral vision.
"Student Leon Evenius, student Logan Hermes, as the princess, I cannot allow others to attack the injured students."
"Submit to the healing tradition."
Despite knowing the futility of her words, she could only express her concern.
Her voice was cold and her tone did not tolerate refusal.
Authority befitting the imperial family.
Add to that the cruel looks in the eyes of her aides, as they awaited orders.
"Hey... cough! Stay away... just, Princess... cough!"
"Cough! Cough! Even if I die here... I will win! Cough!"
"Are you really sure?"
Their response was silence.
They no longer had the ability to speak, they had already lost too much blood.
But they were confident that they would not die.
Because the academy would never allow that.
In the presence of entities like a kingdom princess and a young lady of a huge trading guild, two people died, not one, but two.
How serious was that? Not to mention everything, when the tiger falls, the fox rules the mountain.
Due to the internal problems occurring in this place, the Cairo Kingdom would use the matter as an excuse to blame the academy.
Naturally, Nanman would not stand on the sidelines and would try to intervene.
There is also a policy to protect students.
Logan was not a fool, so he knew the repercussions.
There is a difference between indifference and stupidity.
Leon knew deeper than this, so he was very sure.
Whether it was out of humanity or self-interest, it would not make sense to let the two die.
They didn't do this just out of pure competition.
Leon had his own precautions if he were severely injured for any reason.
Logan too, although he was not satisfied with that, he had his clan's support behind him.
And so, he had one or two ways to deal with severe injuries, although it was considered a bit of a loss, it wasn't as if he was stingy with his resources.
They had their own guarantees, not just the academy.
Now, the focus on the last seconds was important.
"Oh my God ~ how can the princess be so harsh? I don't think it's possible to dissuade them from their decision."
A sweet voice reached Leon's ears, upon hearing it, he knew there was no longer a need to care about others.
"The young lady of the Kronos trading guild... it's a pleasure to meet you."
The princess smiled warmly in response to Lilith's greeting.
"You are right, but if it becomes unmanageable, I will expel them immediately," Lucia said before falling silent.
Her words seemed harsh, but clearly, it stemmed from concern.
Lilith scoffed internally as she looked at Logan and Leon.
It was strange to see such a competition, where a battle for rank (C) was even more intense than a competition of those with overflowing talents.
According to their injuries, neither would reach a higher rank in the test, but neither Leon nor Logan seemed to care about that.
"Since we are almost considered business partners now, isn't helping my partner one of the ethics of business?" she chuckled a little as she thought.
She remembered the debate she had with Leon when they were setting and deleting their own terms.
The deal took 5 hours.
5 hours of details and conditions, until both grew tired of each other's faces.
Their mouths were dry and their heads spun after the deal.
But that didn't matter now, they had indeed become business partners.
Lilith's group and the princess surrounded Leon and Logan.
A dark and gloomy world.
A strange feeling of fogginess and nausea.
It could be felt, the body becoming colder.
The flowing blood began to decrease slowly.
Even thinking became a difficult effort.
They couldn't even form a thought correctly.
They were on the brink of disconnecting from the world.
Between consciousness and unconsciousness.
The only evidence that they had not been expelled yet was their bodies that had not turned black yet.
Who would have expected?
What has the simple test evolved into now?
No one did.
Lloyd, Firon, and Loki watched the battle between the two, feeling jealous, why didn't they think of it?
They wanted to do the same, but Loki prevented Lloyd and Firon from doing so.
Because they had to protect the two in case the hyenas swooped in to hunt the injured tiger.
Even if the princess or Lilith did not intervene, they would have protected them.
Now they didn't want to exit the test before knowing who would win.
This was the only reason they stayed until now!
Ten seconds.
The two began, as if there was an unspoken agreement between them, counting in their minds to keep themselves conscious.
It was painful even to form a single thought, but they continued to count.
Nine, eight.
Breathing was difficult, but they inhaled as deeply as they could.
As long as they remained here, the pressure on their spirits would increase, and the wound they inflicted on their bodies would intensify the pain.
Seven, six.
Everyone watched with eager eyes.
Some were inspired by the two and began to gather their remaining will to resist.
Five, four.
A few moments until the end.
Logan and Leon's eyes slowly rolled back.
Breathing slowed.
Even the heartbeat began to weaken.
Even so, they did not give up.
Their expressions did not change.
Was it due to indifference, or because they couldn't?
No one knew.
Princess Lucia tried to expel them before they died, but Lilith stopped her in her tracks!
It was only a few seconds, but it was enough to determine who would win and who would lose.
Three, two.
Logan felt his body becoming lighter.
It was a dreamlike feeling, unreal.
The wounds of the body, he no longer felt them now.
It was as if he entered the sea, a feeling of floating in space.
He could no longer see through the empty space except for the dark color and gloom.
Despite the instability of his mental state, he understood his situation immediately.
One second.
Despite his terrible condition, Leon gathered the last ounce of his being to muster the words in his mouth.
There was a black fog covering his field of vision.
The crowd was shouting something, but he couldn't care less.
He didn't even have the ability to hear well or speak.
Even so, he didn't care.
His endurance had ended, and his consciousness began to sink.
There was only a slight smile on his lips.
"This... is my victory."
The bodies of Logan and Leon disappeared — with Leon's last words, into a black fog.
Student Logan Hermes: 30 minutes and 9 seconds.
Student Leon Evenius: 30 minutes and 10 seconds.
The familiar mechanical voice, which announced the results of everyone who was expelled, was heard by everyone's ears.
Monsters... they are truly monsters.
Did they die? There were many concerns.
The princess looked with slight displeasure at Lilith, the latter responded with a face devoid of expression.
Lloyd, Firon, and Loki closed their eyes, as they sank into sleep.
There was no longer any reason to sit longer.
For them, the first test was over, and they could only feel that it was somewhat enjoyable.
Student Firon Dragona: 30 minutes and 12 seconds.
Student Lloyd Daniel: 30 minutes and 12 seconds.
Student Loki Romanov: 30 minutes and 13 seconds.
The group remained stiff as everyone stared at each other.
The impact of Logan and Leon's competition lingered.
The feeling of competition matured and burned in the eyes of many here.
The test lasted longer for some than they thought they would achieve.
And so, the first test among the three exams in this academy passed.
The expected results from the judging committee were not similar to what happened.
As for what was behind the scenes, of course, there were bets happening in secret.
Many who bet cried in regret and lost their money, many of them spat blood from anger!
Many students who thought they would stand out were eliminated early.
Many who were not expected broke their potentials.
Of course, they would be angry, as they lost a fortune!
The first test was catastrophic for some, and a blessing for others.
All because of two students who were on the brink of death.