--- [Alex’s perspective]
About half of us have had their turn, and so far, Shin is on top.
The damage he suffered for it wasn’t insignificant, but it has at least secured him a spot in the top eight.
“Isabella Gladius, you’re next.” – Leanne
Like always, she seems very nervous.
Lett taps her on the shoulder, and gives her some encouraging words.
“Don’t worry about it, you’ll be fine! Just do your best!” – Lett
“Oh… Okay…” – Isabella
As she gets in position, she notices everyone staring at her, and gets embarrassed.
Well, she notices everyone except for one unexpected pair of eyes…
Leanne’s…
Why is Leanne giving her such a weird look?
Did something happen between them?
For a moment, Isabella just stands there, not doing anything…
Be it out of embarrassment, nervousness, or something else, she takes her time.
Just as Leanne is about to tell her she to get a move on, she enters her stance.
With the scabbard still on, she confidently swings her sword.
“6510.” – Roxy
Hey, that’s not bad!
There are already three people with a lower score than her.
Just one more and she’ll pass!
Roxy delivers the blow, and it knocks her down on the ground.
She gets back up and seems to be mostly fine.
It looked like it hurt quite a bit, but there was no real damage done.
“Well done!” – Alex
“Thanks…” – Isabella
Leanne spins the wheel…
“And the next one up is Isaac Lux!” – Leanne
With a confident stride, he makes his way to the spot all the previous contestants were at.
For a moment, it looks like he’s considering something, but then shakes his head and rejects the idea.
He clenches his fist, and gets ready to throw a punch.
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It looks like just a regular old punch, no specialty involved.
Maybe the thing he was considering using his specialty…?
He launches his attack, and it’s clearly powerful.
“8851.” – Roxy
I might be imagining things, but to me, his punch seemed very calculated.
He knew roughly how strong the attacks that came before him were, so he made sure it was stronger than the four weakest, but he didn’t give it his all to minimize the damage he’ll take from Roxy.
That’s exactly how this game is supposed to be played.
Roxy hits him, and it puts him on his knees.
He’s probably in a lot of pain, but he took it really well.
While he walks back to the crowd, Leanne spins the wheel.
“Lett Lepus, you’re up.” – Leanne
“Good luck!” – Alex
“Don’t worry, I got this!” – Lett
That’s the spirit!
It might be by a tight margin, but she can make it!
Unlike everyone else here that used a physical attack, she doesn’t punch.
Instead, she spins around and unleashes a powerful kick.
Before finishing her motion, she teleports all around, building up momentum…
Finally, she comes to a complete stop and whips her leg through the air.
Now, for the moment of truth…
How much?
“5195.” – Roxy
Okay!
Not bad!
That’s enough to put her above three other contestants; she’s not out yet.
She makes her way back to us, and the look on her face tells me she’s not satisfied with her results…
“I…” – Lett
The dissatisfaction quickly turns to disappointment in herself…
“Hey, don’t worry about it! You’re not out yet, Lett!” – Alex
“No, but my chances aren’t great…” – Lett
“Oh, cheer up! You’ll make it. Who knows, maybe Alex trips and falls flat on his face when he tries to punch!” – Shin
“You know what? I could see that happening.” – Lett
While we were talking, Leanne had already spun the wheel.
Just as I was about to respond, she calls out the next person…
“Alexander Minima…” – Leanne
“Oh, guess it’s my turn now.” – Alex
“Try not to trip.” – Shin
“Yeah, yeah…” – Alex
How much power should I put into my attack?
I know I’m stronger than most of the people here…
There are also some people with pretty low scores; I don’t think I’ll have much issue getting a higher score than four other people.
I suppose reducing the amount of damage I’ll take as much as possible should be my priority.
Going into round three with a healthy body might be the difference between winning and losing.
With the plan set, it’s time to show them what I got!
Without much of a stance, I throw a basic straight.
My score probably won’t be that high, but it should be enough to get me into the top eight.
“What the hell…” – Roxy
“Huh?” – Alex
“Uhm… That was a 38944…” – Roxy
“What?!” – Alex
How?
I could maybe believe it if I tried my best, but…
I was holding back so much…
“You know you’re not really supposed to use charged attacks, right? You have to be able to take your hit too.” – Roxy
“That wasn’t…” – Alex
Roxy worriedly looks over at Leanne; she doesn’t say a word, but her smirk says it all.
It’s like Leanne knew this was going to happen; that my score would be this high.
“Are you sure you want me to hit you with that much force? You can drop out of the exam, and I won’t do it…” – Roxy
“Are you sure the number is accurate?” – Alex
“Yeah…” – Roxy
If that’s really true, then taking the hit shouldn’t be a problem…
I knew I was strong, I was even confident enough in it that I thought I could make the top eight while holding back, but this…?
Although it has been a while since me and Shin were equal in strength, I didn’t think the gap had grown this large…
…
Well, it is what it is.
If the numbers are right, then there’s no denying it.
My perception of myself was way off, and that’s not good.
I can’t let that happen again…!
What if it was the other way around?
What if I thought I was stronger than an enemy, only for it to turn out they’re powerful enough to take me out in one hit?
That could be disastrous…
But there’s no point in dwelling on it any further.
At least I’m aware of it now.
I’ll try my best to be objective from now on.
“Go ahead. Hit me.” – Alex
“If you say so…” – Roxy
She hits me with the exact same force I just dished out.
As I originally planned, it didn’t cause any damage.
Besides some stinging sensation, I’m as good as new.
I make my way back to my friends, but all I’m met with is silence…
They clearly didn’t expect me to be that strong either…