The day passed peacefully, the last four candidates were stressed out because of Thyrus's words. The fact that this test was the hardest out of them all made them feel tense.
Yet, with all of that in mind, each one of them was still eager to be one of the two who passed the test. They reached that point with pure tenacity and sheer will so they didn't want to cower away just because of some words. They were way above that level of uncertainty.
The next day, the four came to the same coliseum as yesterday. There was no one there so they had to sit down and wait for Thyrus or anyone else.
As they sat there silently, the black-haired girl who was chosen as the first stood up and looked at the others.
"I have a suggestion for you guys."
The others looked at her silently waiting for her to continue.
"Ehem, why don't we cooperate in the last test and help each other?" She felt awkward because of their silence but she still said what she wanted to say.
For a few moments, no one spoke a word until the frivolous couldn't bear it anymore and spoke with an arrogant tone.
"Why would I work with some piece of trash? You're gonna be in my way." He said with utmost arrogance and a cocky smile on his face.
His words took Acht by surprise and made him laugh out loud. He wasn't expecting to hear such third-rate movie villain lines here out of all places.
"Why the fuck did you laugh?!" The blonde guy was pissed because of Acht as he spoke to him with a threatening tone.
"Relax, idiot. No one is laughing at you. I just remembered a stupid joke." He answered while shaking his hand casually.
"You!" He was about to stand up and walk towards him but Acht was already expecting that.
He used his gift secretly and made the blonde guy stumble and fall on his face.
"Ugh!" The young man groaned in pain as he held his nose with his teeth gritted.
Acht started laughing calmly again as he looked at the blonde guy groaning in pain while blood kept trickling down his nose endlessly.
"I'm sorry I don't have a handkerchief." He said in mockery.
"You piece of shit!"
"That's enough, you two. Didn't you hear what Mr. Thyrus said. We can't fight or we will be eliminated." The black-haired girl said with some worry in her voice.
Acht knew that and wasn't intending to fight the blonde guy. He was just bored and wanted to pass his time doing something.
As they sat there with a tense atmosphere, Thyrus finally appeared in front of them. He was late by one hour as usual and his clothes were borderline pajamas made for sleeping. His puffy eyes also made him look as if he just woken up from bed.
"Umm….Good morning…" He said as he sipped a cup of coffee. He somehow came to the third test with a cup of hot coffee in his hand.
'He's way too irresponsible.' The others thought as they shook their heads silently.
"Now for the third and final test….It will be a puzzle-solving game…." He acted as if he didn't see anything and continued his explanation.
"Puzzle game?"
"Yeah, puzzle game…Just like….umm…the ones you played as a kid….But, there is an added factor…."
He then pointed at them with his index finger and continued.
"Each one of you will have 5 minutes…You will have to solve the puzzle under my soul pressure while also keeping in mind the time limit…Using your gift is prohibited..using soul force is prohibited….umm…that's it."
One single word appeared in everyone's mind: outrageous. That was basically akin to a bad joke. Forget about the fact that they have to bear the soul pressure of the strongest hunter alive, they also had to solve a puzzle in 5 minutes while bearing that. It was near impossible if not actually impossible.
But, they weren't the only four left because of luck. None of them spoke about it and kept a fairly calm demeanor.
Thyrus nodded secretly in approval of their reaction and continued speaking a few moments after,
"Get down here and sit side by side while keeping a 10-meter gap between you."
The four did what they were told and now they were sitting in front of Thyrus who was still sipping his coffee.
Then, while he was drinking, he made a gesture with his hand, and instantly, five 1000-piece puzzles appeared in front of them.
'He really has no mercy in this test. I'm not even 100% confident in doing it.' Acht thought as a small smile crept to his face that no one could see. He was skeptical about the test at first but now that he saw it with his own eyes, it seemed like a good challenge for him.
"Just so you could have an idea about the test before we start….I'm going to use my pressure on you….so…umm….you get the gist of it."
Then, without any hesitation, an incredibly strong aura started seeping out Thyrus slowly. The four people instantly felt the clear drop in temperature and the suffocating feeling that they had felt before albeit more intense.
The pressure kept on increasing gradually and frowns of pain started appearing on most of them. The blonde guy was having the hardest time along with the black-haired girl beside him.
They could barely breathe air and even that act took a lot of effort for them to do. It was pure hell for them.
As for Acht and Tania, they were the least affected by the pressure, they were having some hard times but they were able to stay generally calm and collected. But, that won't necessarily be the case after a few minutes of that pressure.
'What a monster? It's as if I'm being held down under the paws of a massive predator.' Acht thought as a droplet of sweat trickled down his face.
Then, a few seconds later, the pressure disappeared and the candidates were able to let out a breath of relief they were holding in their lungs.
The blonde guy and the black-haired girl had to rest their bodies on their hands so as to not fall unconscious. They suffered all of that just because of a few seconds of pressure. They were in deep trouble.
Thyrus feigned ignorance of their poor state and spoke calmly.
"You could take some time to prepare yourself and then we could start."
They all nodded their heads but they were troubled about what to do.
'I can probably bear this pressure for 3 minutes maximum. That means I have to complete the puzzle in 3 minutes.' Acht pondered over his plan as he examined the puzzle thoroughly. He was solving the puzzle with his brain before they started so that he could cut the time needed by two minutes at the very least.
The puzzle was fairly simple and easy to solve but with all the other factors added, it becomes harder than a 1 million-piece puzzle.
As for Tania, she just sat in her place casually and waited for the test to start. No one could read what was on her mind as she kept a blank face all the time. The only thing noticeable about her is that she didn't keep a 10-meter gap between her and Acht since she kept getting closer to him, closing the distance by 1 millimeter at a time.
A few minutes later, they all were ready and Thyrus nodded his head in understanding.
"Then…Begin." He announced casually.
The intense pressure came back and they all felt as if their limbs were frozen in their places. But, with sheer will, they were able to move their hands and start solving the puzzle.
Their speed varied but the quickest was Acht and then Tania, followed by the other two.
Acht's mind was working harder than usual as he tried to keep his calm while also solving the puzzle. He kept putting pieces after pieces and evading any mistakes that will make him lose time.
With each piece he put in its appropriate place, he felt his body get slower and slower.
"1 minute passed." Thyrus said while watching them at work.
When he announced the time, Acht had already completed ? of the puzzle. If he keeps going at that speed then he will be able to complete the puzzle in the fourth minute.
'This won't do…I need to be faster.' He thought while sweat kept trickling down his face. It was a fight with time that challenged Acht's composure and self-control. And he was losing it at the moment.
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