A familiar euphoric sensation overcame Vale as his eyes turned crimson. With great difficulty, he raised his head and stared at the tenebrous stallion.
Time seemed to come to a halt as the two pairs of crimson orbs stared into each other.
Vale could feel his energy draining as he bore the entire weight of the beast's aura.
But there was a smile plastered on his face. The feeling of euphoria had filled his mind and it was the only thing keeping him upright.
The feeling, however, wouldn't last forever. After what felt like an eternity—although an observer would argue it happened in ten short seconds—he could feel the feeling fading as the red in his eyes dulled.
Then, the beast abruptly turned its head to the side, leaving Vale soaking wet with his own sweat.
With the same emotionless bearing it arrived with, it walked away, with no haste.
With the pressure no longer focused on him, Vale could finally relax. The red in his eyes faded and an acute pain overcame him from every part of his body. He didn't know when, but he could feel his body falling backwards, and no matter how much he tried, he couldn't stop his descent.
No, I can't afford to fail in the first round. I can't.
If that damned stallion hadn't focused its aura on me for some reason, I wouldn't be so fucked up right now.
But the beast had been very intent on making him fail.
And right now, he could do nothing but hate the beast soul.
His luck, however, hadn't run out: just as his body and hope plummeted, a hand reached out from behind and stabilised him.
Regaining his footing, Vale looked back and saw Jack flashing him a small polite smile. He, too, was covered in sweat, but he wasn't nearly as affected as he was. This made Vale sure that for some reason, the beast had singled him out in a crowd full of people. But he couldn't figure out why.
They stared at each other for a moment before Vale said, "Thank you."
"It's no problem," Jack replied, waving him off.
They didn't exchange any further words, and the voice continued to resound, signifying the elimination of numerous participants.
After a while, the beast soul finished its parade and dissolved into thin air.
After that, the first round was declared over. Only then could Vale let go and fall to the ground. His breath was ragged and his body was hurting.
He was so spent that he didn't notice when numerous personnel came in and started ushering the people who had been eliminated out. A few had tried to stir up a commotion, shouting and resisting.
But they were immediately put to sleep by the personnel. The others didn't cause a fuss after seeing this and with downcast expressions, left the arena.
Everyone was spent, sitting or lying on the floor.
With the sole exception of Aster Evangion, who was standing in the middle of the arena with his arms folded.
The bored look on his face was even visible, and although no one expected him to be eliminated, the way he had shrugged the aura off amazed them.
After everyone who had been eliminated left, the voice came once again, announcing a twenty-minute break before the next round.
Vale, along with everyone else, got up and headed to their respective resting areas through the tunnels.
There were several gates leading to different tunnels, and Jack's resting area wasn't in the same tunnel as Vale's, so he didn't get a chance to properly thank him.
Still, that wasn't his main priority now. It would be best if he fully focused on recovery before the second round.
He had no idea what the second round would entail, as the specifics of the exam changed every year. Last year's exam was definitely going to be different from this year's, so one couldn't use that to judge.
Just as Vale fell onto the bed in his resting area, a knock came on his door.
He let out a frustrated groan, but still got up to check who was disturbing him.
It was a neatly dressed waiter whom he guessed to be about twenty years old. She had her hair in a ponytail and a worn-out smile on her face.
But what really mattered wasn't the waiter; it was what she held in her hands.
She carted a food tray with a plate of steaming hot chicken soup. Also lying atop the tray was a bottle of glistening green liquid and a tag that had the number twenty-seven drawn across its surface.
He took the tray from her, and just as she was about to leave, asked, "What's this?" Pointing at the bottle of green liquid.
"That's the newly invented anti-fatigue serum."
"Ohh," Vale exclaimed with a look of realisation.
The lady turned and was about to leave when her steps halted.
"If I were you I wouldn't take it all at once." She then continued moving away.
Vale kept her advice in mind as he went back into the room. He didn't spend much time in the resting area when the voice came. "Rest period is over, all participants are to head to the arena through the tunnels."
With a reluctant groan, he stood up and headed out. Before he left, he pinned the number tag onto his chest.
When he arrived at the arena, he was surprised: it had undergone a renovation and was now unrecognisable.
There were ten fighting rings in the centre of the massive arena, and each was an elevated square platform with a transparent barrier.
The participants soon filled the arena, standing around the rings.
Vale looked around curiously, but didn't find Jack; he also didn't find Aster, who should have been easy to spot.
And before he could think any further, the voice came, explaining the rules of this round.
The rules were simple: Each person was to fight against a random opponent. The winner would advance to the next stage. This process would be repeated until only 25 people remained.
"You are not permitted to cause severe harm to your opponent, and if you do so, you'll be disqualified. Now that everything has been said, let the second round begin."