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 crown 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 see something like this, as the 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 competition area were various screens, portraying everything that was going on within those walls.
"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 lesser privileged teenager to find their way 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, and kept their eyes on the arena.
The place was rather spacious, and from Paul's point of view, he saw a group of teenager 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.]
[All stats: 10.]
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. Any second later, and he would have been disqualified, and those doing those strenuous challenges would have gone to waste.
"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 deserve to get hold of the academy's generosity.
The contestants would be judged based on their strength, wisdom, and strategy, and the best according to the judges would be given a chance." The announcer said, pointing to the high seats above the audience.
Paul followed his direction, but these so-called judges were sitting behind a weird, dark glass that prevented him from seeing them.
Ignoring the intriguing looks of the crowd, the next contestant walked onto the stage, his eyes focused on Paul.
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 couldn't catch the name of his opponent, but that never mattered.
"I don't know you from around her." The big guy squinted his eyes, taking a good look at Paul.
Without an answer, Paul jogged forward. He had no weapons so he could only use some form of strategy to make his win.
The big guy lunged forward, holding the great sword above his head. As heavy as the sword, it didn't pose much a problem to him, and he swung, targeting Paul's ribs.
Paul frowned, missing the hit by a tiny breadth. If he had predicted that move on time, he would have been thrown towards the fence.
"I don't get a weapon?" He said, glancing at the announcer but he was left unreplied.
Well, he was meant to bring a sword or any usable weapon.
Soldiers wouldn't go to the war without weapons.
Paul sighed, he had rushed over and forgotten to get a sword. Tightening his fists, he rushed forward without an options.
With a little propulsion, he shot forward, evading the swings of his opponent.
For such a battle, strategy was needed not strength.
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 fastee 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…
Bam!
A 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 shocking 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!"