Chapter 5: The First Test, Part II

My eyes blinked awake— the unpleasant feeling of my body getting torn to pieces was gone, and an unfamiliar scenery filled my eyes.

A spacious circular space filled with four huge gates that are barred by metal bars. The ceiling was nothing but the reddish sky, but the place was high up, easily higher than the monument in the plaza— the place where I was earlier.

Cheers and shouts resounded around me, coming everywhere from above me, where countless people dressed in fancy clothes rose from their seats and shouted.

This scenery reminded me of a certain place in Orario.

The Colosseum, where Monsterphilia was held every year.

Here, I stood alongside others who seemed to be as confused as me. Some were looking left and right, some were muttering, and some were even trembling. They were in the same position as me, who didn't know what would happen— except for some who looked calm, dressed in gaudy clothes and had shiny weapons equipped. They looked like nobles to me.

The exam was starting. Sir Laeroth mentioned something about standing victorious without a weapon, so that meant that I had to fight. But who, and why? If only time would speed up…

"Silence."

A toneless voice spoke out of nowhere, and the once cheery and nervous surroundings fell into silence immediately. All spectators sat down, and everyone in the colosseum froze, looking at the one who spoke.

It was a voice that I could never forget.

My head slowly rose, and my eyes met the source of the voice.

Fancy dress filled with garments that shone brightly. A pastel-pink hair tied up on a ponytail that wore a golden crown. Azure blue eyes that gazed below at us. For a moment, my eyes met hers— those eyes filled with apathy.

Just like that time.

Just like before.

My body trembled uncontrollably, and my throat dried up, eyes glued to her while shaking. It was like a primal fear that awoke inside me.

The one who stood on the top was none other but her— Miss Komiya.

Her cheerful and maiden-like behavior that I just talked with earlier was gone, and the one that was in front of me was the same one that confronted and fought me in that forest: a cold, apathetic princess.

My body immediately tensed up, battle instincts kicked up to the max and was ready to fight. It seemed to remember that sensation when I was pierced countless times by her blades and died in mere seconds, without even putting up a fight against it.

"Welcome, foolish souls who dare to earn my favor to become a knight."

"Fight. That is your first task."

…Huh?

My body loosened up by her words, unable to comprehend what she just said.

"Prove yourselves worthy and fight. I don't need trash in my ranks. Cull the weak, and the ones that remain standing will advance. The generals and I shall oversee and judge your performance." She said, her voice unwavering.

Just after she spoke, eight figures appeared behind her.

A dwarfess, a human in full plate armor, a bearded man that wore a black robe, a woman in a black veil, an amazoness that wore skimpy clothing, a dwarf with a giant warhammer on his back, a woman elf that wielded a staff.

And in the middle of them all, was a tall male elf I was familiar with— Sir Laeroth.

They all exuded an aura that was overwhelming enough to make everyone in the vicinity except me tremble in fear.

They were the generals.

Sir Laeroth had mentioned them just earlier that they were watching over us in that plaza. Just by looking at them, I could feel that they are around level three or four just like me. But, why do some of them feel familiar to me, like I've seen them before? I'm pretty sure I've only met Sir Laeroth and no one else.

"Entertain me, this is an order." The princess said, and sat on the throne-like chair that appeared out of nowhere behind her,

"Begin."

Deafening roars and cheers from the audience drowned every sound in the Colosseum as Miss Komiya announced the start of the test.

The contestants and I only stood, confused about what to do. Who are we supposed to fight? No one knew. But—

"RAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" From the corner of my eye, a dwarf screamed from the top of his lungs,

and slammed his axe to the human next to him.

The human didn't manage to react and took the dwarf's axe full force— splitting his body in half, blood splattering everywhere. The ground cracked by the force of his attack, tumbling those who were near it.

And it acted as the trigger. With his actions, everyone followed suit— attacking each other on sight.

"Wha…"

I couldn't believe what was in front of my eyes. The stench of blood filled the entire arena, reaching my nose. The floors and walls were painted in red— as swords and spears dropped down each passing moment.

And it didn't stop. Every second, it only continued. The only noise that was present was the blood curdling screams of the hunters as they attacked one other mercilessly.

It was a battle royale. The last ones standing would win.

I was supposed to do this? To kill each other?

No way.

"YOU'RE MIIINE!" a frenzied scream came from my back, a sword thrust was coming my way, wielded by a boy that looked my age.

I dodged it, but his attacks were relentless. Rain of thrusts and slashes were falling down upon me, but his movements were amateurish— It was clear that he hadn't wielded a blade before. His movements were predictable and weird, it was as if the sword was wielding him instead.

"STOP DODGING!" He screamed.

But I never stopped. I kept hopping and rolling around to dodge his attacks. His movement reminded me of myself when I first became an adventurer, a complete beginner who just kept slashing and slashing without using a single technique, hoping for a miracle to land a hit on the enemy— which in his case, was me.

I could knock him out right now. My eyes could follow and read his movements easily like time was slowed down, and his body was full of openings. But something stood out from him, something that stopped me from doing so.

His eyes were on the verge of tears, almost like it was pleading— his body was trembling as he relentlessly slashed through the air.

He didn't want to do this, his own body said so.

Just like me, he's trapped here. Forced to fight and kill against his own will.

"Wait! I don't want to fight with you!" I said.

"SHUT UP AND DIEE!" He said, still continuing his unceasing attacks.

His movements were getting more and more desperate, using the weight of his own body to slash his blade. He couldn't control it well, often losing balance and tripping to the pool of blood.

To the ones watching, it may seem comical— a boy mindlessly slashing his own blade and tripping often while his opponent dodges it like nothing and just watched. But, my heart felt nothing but guilt for the boy that was in front of me. The boy who kept on standing over and over and attacked as if nothing happened.

What was pushing him this far? To survive? No, his actions didn't say so. His desperate and never-ending actions confirmed it, he was willing to do whatever it took to achieve his desires.

In front of this cruel test, someone like him would have given up and accepted their death, the same scene that happened upon the start of this test.

But, he didn't give up, and continued to fight even when he was forced into a scenario that was hard for him to do. He was pushing himself forward no matter what.

It wasn't only him, many around me were doing the same as him— attacking and fighting against their own will, even when they knew that they stood no chance against those who are experienced and had a will to kill to survive.

This boy was the same as the past me, forced into an unreasonable circumstance, but kept moving forward for the sake of our goals.

We were continuing our exchange, he swung his sword while I dodged. It had been going for who knows how long now. Time was uncountable amidst the bloodbath around me, and the only thing that mattered was for me to stall time by dodging nonstop, trying to keep his attention on me so that he too, passes this cruel trial.

And yet again, he tumbles on the bloodied floor, tripping on a fallen body. A man jumped from behind the boy and aimed his spear forward, right behind the boy in front of me, trying to take advantage of his mistake to slay him.

"Oh no you won't!" I dashed forward at lightning speed and grabbed the flying spear mid-air and redirected its path to the ground, all before anyone in the area even realized what happened.

The man who threw the spear had his eyes widened, surprised and unable to comprehend what just happened as he continued his descent to the ground from the air. But, his murderous gaze didn't seem to give up and switched his target from the boy to me.

So I took advantage of his fall and ran to his landing spot, and the moment he was in reach— I grabbed his armor and slammed him to the ground. The impact splattered all the blood on the floor and sent it flying everywhere. It shattered his metal armor and knocked him out in an instant. The armor still absorbed most of the shock, so he was undoubtedly alive, just unconscious.

"Are you oka- …!" I turned my head behind to where the boy was before, but,

In front of him was someone. A huge dwarf wielding an axe was standing before the fallen figure of the boy. The same dwarf that triggered the start of the fight around me.

"This is bad!" I said, and immediately dashed to where the dwarf and the boy was,

but it was too late.

The dwarf swung his axe in a powerful downward arc. The boy managed to react by blocking it with his sword, but it was for naught as the sheer power of the dwarf's axe tore through his blade and armor, piercing the boy and blasting him backward.

I caught his flying body with my arms, the force pushing me slightly backward. His limp body rested within my arms, and it showed me his condition.

The blow completely paralyzed him, but he was still conscious. His armor took most of the blow, but his stomach was cut open and hit his insides. A lot of blood poured from the inside every second.

He was in grave condition.

"Hey! Wake up! Can you hear me?!" I put his body on the ground and shook it, desperately trying to wake him up.

I didn't know what to do in this situation. I have no potions, nor do I know any healing magic to close his wound. The only thing I could do was to keep him from falling asleep.

His fate was obvious, but I desperately tried to deny it.

"…..brother?" he said, his voice shaking as his mouth tried to let out words.

"No! Don't speak! I'll save you!" I lied.

"….sorry. i couldn't become a knight."

"…!"

"…i wanted.. to get stronger…. for our family…"

"…please… tell mother… i'm sorry…"

"…i….was a burden…till the end…"

His body fell limp, and his consciousness drifted off somewhere far away.

"…."

I fell into silence, my body fell weak.

He was a stranger, yet I couldn't stop myself from feeling an empty despair in my heart.

I couldn't plead, nor shout, nor cry in this situation.

No one would come for him. No one would help this boy.

Miss Komiya, Sir Laeroth, The Generals, The Contestants, The Audience, no one paid attention to us, and they would continue to do so.

To them, he was nothing.

Just another one fallen amongst the hundreds in the sea of blood.

….

…..

"I'm sorry."

My foot stepped forward. I ran, blood splashing from the floor as I continued running.

But, I didn't care.

All the distractions around me disappeared, and my body was only filled with nothing but a single purpose.

To fight.

I charged forward with a scream, towards the grinning dwarf with an axe in hand.

He slammed down his axe as I arrived in front of him, but I dodged it with ease.

His movements were slow, extremely slow. All he had was strength and a good weapon, nothing else. His speed and power were enough to terrorize the regular contestants, but not me.

I was his worst possible opponent.

My foot hopped forward at tremendous speed, towards the dwarf who still hasn't recovered from his attack.

In a mere instant, I was in front of him. All the energy poured into my fists— going into a clear shot on the dwarf's face.

"UWAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!"

My fists collided with the dwarf's face with an impact that reverberated the air around us, not even giving him a slight moment to react.

It wasn't enough. Not even my level four strength was enough to knock him out, as expected of a dwarf's physique.

But, I expected it.

"FIREBOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOLLLLLLLT!"

Point-blank range.

A bolt of fire exploded from my fist that was still buried right in the dwarf's face.

The explosion blasted him backward as he fell down to the ground, completely knocked out.

Refrain from using your magic in the exam. I remember Sir Laeroth telling me this.

But, I couldn't care less now. I had to do everything to win and fight against this wretched 'test'.

Cheers erupted from the audience as I knocked out the terrorizing dwarf in a single blow. Gazes from every direction were going towards me, mixed with fear, interest, and malice.

Some contestants were looking at me, their weapons pointed right at me. They were united in a single banner— to take me down, the strongest.

But, that didn't change what I had to do.

Win.

Both my feet blasted forward towards the nearest enemies in front of me.


Komiya and The Generals all watched in silence as they gazed downwards at the chaotic scene, their judging eyes looking at every moment happening in the Colosseum.

But, their gazes were fixated on a single boy.

Bell Cranel.

A human survivor from the Ruined village of Cuba.

He was just a regular country boy with nothing noteworthy, foolish enough to take the Knight Exams without knowing the risk and despair it entailed.

Or so they all thought at first, but his recent feat proved them wrong.

Knocking out a dwarf—known for their incredible strength—in a single blow, and causing an explosion with his punch without using any mana. He also showed incredible speed, one that was on par or even better than the Generals, without using enchantments. It completely baffled them.

Questions arose from their mind. Was he another Blessed One? A new weapon from Kingdom?

Only Komiya and Laeroth knew the truth.

Laeroth sighed internally. Even with his instructions to not use his magic, he still went ahead and used it. Confusing everyone present who noticed his feat.

But, Komiya only smiled. It wasn't a smile of happiness, nor anger. But a mocking one, with a hint of sadism leaking in it.

"Foolish people." She muttered as she smiled,

The Generals knew it too. They knew what was going to happen next.

The test wasn't over yet.


Dodge, counter, and repeat.

Waves of attackers rushed towards me, their weapons slashing the empty air as I dodged non-stop.

I made use of my agility as I hopped around the area and struck at their blind spots before they even realized what happened. It was my hit-and-run fighting style that I often used in the Dungeon, except I had no weapons, only utilizing my bare fists.

To their eyes, my movements were untraceable. All they could see was a blur in the air before they inevitably slept and lied on the bloody floor.

My strikes missed their vital points on purpose so it only knocked them out. The goal here was to be one of the last ones standing, not to kill everyone else.

For a long time now, these actions were in a loop. My counterattacks culled their numbers one by one, and just a little more, only a few will remain.

"...!"

A sword slashed behind me at tremendous speed. I managed to dodge it in the nick of time, but the attacks didn't stop and continuously hacked and slash me.

The attacker was using techniques to corner and attack me, and his movements and attacks were extremely fast. A level four, just like me?

His relentless attacks continued as I hopped around, dodging his slashes. But, he suddenly stopped. And our eyes met— and I was able to make out his figure.

Clothes stained with red all over, not a single piece of armor protecting him and only wearing a single shiny ring on his right hand. His blade shone and reflected the sunlight even when it was covered with blood. The green eyes of his gazed down on me, filled with resentment.

"A peasant capable of dodging my attacks. Preposterous! I, the heir of the noble house Seria, shall take your head off!" He said, "Perikalýpto!"

His ring shone brightly before he rushed at me at a speed even faster than before and continued his relentless attacks.

All I could do was narrowly dodge every time he struck at me with the intention to kill. My eyes could still follow his movements, but I can't do anything about them.

I had no weapon, and with the countless weapons lying on the ground, not a single knife was to be seen— the only weapon I knew how to properly use. Against someone as proficient with the sword as him, I couldn't just pick up a weapon from the ground that I had no idea how to use and expect to fight evenly with him.

Worse, I didn't have a lot of hand-to-hand combat experience. I had always relied on my magic and knife to fight monsters. But, the problem was I had no weapon right now, and this guy wasn't giving me a single moment to make me cast my magic!

If I stretched my hand out right now, it would just be cut in an instant before I can even cast.

"Stop moving, you fucking peasant!" He screamed as his whole face dripped with sweat, and,

He slowed down!

Making use of that single moment, my left hand formed into a fist and headed straight into his open chest.

"ROOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAAAARRRRRR!"

Multiple deafening roars coming from every direction enveloped the Colosseum.

Startled by the noise, both of us pulled back and jumped backward, our heads looking around in a frenzy as we tried to find the source of the noise.

It wasn't just us, everyone in the Colosseum fell into silence and looked around as well.

The metal gates were slowly rising, and beyond it was—

Numerous gazes. An almost uncountable amount of eyes peered from beyond the gates.

This familiar gaze and sensation that I've felt thousands of times now, even way before I was transported to this continent.

The same feeling when I was transported and awoken into an unknown forest.

It can't be!

Monsters?!

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