Chương 68: The Second Day of Tests – Part 1/2

While Harley's team finished the exercise with one of the best scores of the morning, on the other side of the arena Astrid was having a very different experience. Her team was made up mostly of orcs and one skinny human. From the very beginning, it was clear the group was strong but completely disorganized. When the enchanted dummies started rising from the ground in greater numbers, the team panicked. Two orcs tried to climb the tower at the same time, nearly dropping the flag.

Astrid, who had been quiet until then, let out a low growl and took charge. She never climbed the tower once. Instead, she stayed at the base the entire time, using her raw strength to smash any dummies that got too close to the flag. Every time one approached, Astrid grabbed it and hurled it away with a sharp, powerful throw. Her team managed to get the flag to the top, but it was almost entirely thanks to her strength. When the exercise ended, Master Vorga made a note on her parchment with a serious expression.

Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Astrid returned to the edge of the arena sweaty, wiping her forehead with her forearm. She didn't look proud or disappointed — just tired. On the opposite side, Rina was having a much more dynamic experience. Her team was more balanced, with a good mix of races.

Rina used her fire tails creatively: instead of attacking directly, she burned the ropes that some of the dummies were trying to use to scale the tower, creating a natural barrier of flames that slowed the enemies down. When it was her turn to climb, she ran up the wall of the tower using her tails as extra support, ascending with impressive speed. Her team finished the exercise with an above-average score. Rina returned wagging her tail with satisfaction, clearly pleased with her own performance.

The two morning exercises were coming to an end. The candidates began gathering again in the center of the courtyard, some speaking quietly about how they had done. The sun was already higher, and the heat was beginning to weigh down on the arena. Master Harlan and Master Vorga approached several groups to give quick feedback. Harlan stopped near Astrid and said: — You have strength. But strength without strategy is just destruction.

In the next exercise, try to think less about breaking things and more about protecting. Astrid simply nodded in silence. On the other side, Harley was still with her team, laughing at something Jax had said. Joker watched everything from afar, leaning against a stone pillar with that same lazy expression as always. The second day was still far from over. And what was coming in the afternoon promised to be much more complicated than the flag exercise. End of Part 1/2 (continues in Part 1/3)