In the next test...

— Form teams of ten people! Among the fifty competitors who took the previous test with you! — Aurion ordered.

— There are five of us, we need five more! — Thais said, looking at her friends.

— In that case, I can be on your team! — Raven said, approaching.

— Why? — Thais exclaimed, suspicious.

— I don't have a team and you need members! — Raven replied, crossing her arms.

— What are you planning? — Kratos asked, suspicious.

— Nothing, I just need a team! — Raven said, maintaining her composure.

— You're staring too much, idiot! — Mira glared.

— It's not that, I'm just thinking! — Kay said, distracted.

— And he didn't even react when he saw me in that outfit! — Mira thought, a little irritated.

— How long are you going to keep holding your nose? — Thais exclaimed impatiently.

— Since it won't come out, I need to get used to the smell. It won't take long! — Kay replied, resigned.

— We have six now. — Viviane said, doing the math.

— Take the rest that's left! — Raven suggested.

— It seems more practical! — Thais agreed.

— Hey, Mira, call that blonde girl to our team! — Kay said, pointing.

— Why? — Mira exclaimed, confused.

— She doesn't smell that much! — Kay replied, not caring.

— Is that all? — Mira asked, suspicious.

— Yes! — Kay confirmed.

— Okay... — Mira said, reluctantly.

— I can talk to you first! — Raven said, butting in.

— What? — Mira exclaimed, surprised.

They got together.

— Why did you leave him out? — Kratos asked, irritated.

— It's just a hypothesis, but I think the vice-captain also noticed. That smell he senses is the compatibility of the user with the suit. The stronger it is, the more compatible the person is! — Raven explained, with a serious look.

— Does that mean we would call someone who is not compatible? — Thais exclaimed, alarmed.

— If you don't believe me, just remember how he classified you! — Raven replied, crossing her arms.

— Wait, he said he smelled as bad as a vice-captain. Are you sure about that? — Viviane asked, worried.

— It must be because he's wearing the suit, but I don't think he made a mistake when classifying you! — Raven stated.

— In other words, if we call the people who smell the most, our team will be strong! — Thais said, excited.

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— Go for it! — Raven encouraged.

Mira approached Kay.

— Listen, Kay, of those who are without groups, which ones smell the most like ghouls? — asked Mira.

— The ones that smell the most? That guy in the corner has almost the same amount of scum as Kratos, that girl who seems lost in the middle, those two brothers over there! And that girl with pink hair! She has... — Kay started to list.

— That's enough! — Mira interrupted.

— The same amount as me? Slayer? He was trained by a skilled group of assassins! — Kratos thought, approaching.

— Do you need anything, Mr. Right? — Slayer asked sarcastically.

— I can feel it, we're not going to get along. But it seems like you're without a team. Do you want to join ours? — Kratos exclaimed, directly.

— Why are they going in the direction of the ones I mentioned? And they're coming back with them! Is Mira mad at me? — Kay thought, nervous.

— Full team! — Thais announced, smiling.

— Do you hate me by any chance? — Kay thought, discouraged.

— The girl you called was chosen by another group! — Mira said, with an apologetic look.

— You went straight to the ones I didn't want, but the group is yours, so it's okay. But I'm sad too, you know? — Kay thought, disappointed.

— Since we're a team, how about we introduce ourselves? I'll start: I'm Thais and I live here in the capital! — Thais said, excited.

— I'm Viviane, Thais' friend! — Viviane added, smiling.

— Kratos, I used to live in the army barracks. — Kratos said, seriously.

— Raven, I used to live near an army barracks. — Raven introduced herself, with a slight smile.

— My name is Slayer. — Slayer finished, with an indifferent expression.

— I'm Sarah, I live in the cathedral! — a new competitor introduced herself, with a smile.

— I'm San, I'm from outside the capital. Nice to meet you! — he said, waving.

— I'm his twin sister, my name is Dan! Nice to meet you! — exclaimed Dan, enthusiastically.

— I'm Mira, I came from the countryside! Nice to meet you! — Mira introduced herself, excited.

— I'm her friend and I came from the same place. My name is Kay, nice to meet you! — Kay finished, without much enthusiasm.

— No need to tell me why he's holding his nose, right? You saw that scene before! — commented Thais, with a giggle.

— The teams are formed. I'll explain how this test will work: in the middle of the forest, there's a flag. The team that gets it first and hands it over to me will be declared the winner. The weapons they can use are inside, so any type of weapon other than those is forbidden! — announced Aurion, firmly.

— That's why he told you to put them away first! — said Slayer, nodding.

— Killing is forbidden; attacks are only allowed with the weapons inside! The test only ends when you hand over the flag! — added Aurion, before opening the passage.

— I'll wait inside. When the light turns green, you can start! — Aurion entered.

“It looks more like a battle royale!” — Kratos said, observing the scene.

“One hundred and fifty people running after a little flag? Are you kidding me!” — Raven commented, rolling her eyes.

The light turned green.

“Not yet!” — Mira said, holding herself back.

“Why?” — Thais exclaimed, confused.

All the competitors got excited, running towards the test. Some were even trampled.

“I get it, but we’re going to run out of weapons like this!” — Thais said, worried.

— Just steal the weapons from the other competitors. The only rules are no killing and using weapons from inside! — Slayer explained, as if it were obvious.

— It seems like a lot of work! — Kay said, walking forward.

— Are you going now? — Mari asked, a little anxious.

— Let's check if they're still alive. We don't need to rush! — Kay replied, crouching down next to a fallen competitor.

— Impressive! After being stepped on, he only has a few wounds. These suits are really impressive! — Kay commented, amazed.

— They're clothes used to fight ghouls. If you get injured with a few steps, it would make the suit ineffective for combat! — Raven said, explaining.

— If they were miraculous, there would be no casualties in the army. If you depend too much on the suit, you'll end up dying! — Kay stated, seriously.

— It's not our mission to take care of the wounded; the orders are different! — Raven said, heading towards the test.

— She's right. Leave it to the soldiers; our mission is to recover the flag! — Kratos added, passing by.

— I said I have no interest in these tests. I'll stay here until help arrives! You can go! — Kay said, determined.

— Leave him alone, we're already behind! — Slayer passed by, without looking back.

— Let's recover the flag. Take care of the wounded! — Kratos said, already moving away.

— Okay, I'll help! — Thais said, determined.

— Kay? — Mari exclaimed, worried.

— Okay, it was enough time! — Kay assured, waving.

— Leave the wounded to the army. You can go to the test! — one of the soldiers said, interceding.

— Asphyxia, They protected their heads, so there's little damage, but it's better to check! — Mari informed, assessing the situation.

— I understand. Good job! — the soldier said, before moving away.

The rest of the team moved on to the test, while the soldiers stayed to help the wounded.