SS Awakening: My Monster Merging System!

Chapter 159: End of the First Stage

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

A large section of the muddy water erupted outward, like a tsunami, burning several candidates into simulated fragments. They didn’t even know how they died!

Iron stood firmly in front of Zich like a black mountain, shielding and absorbing the shockwaves.

The chaos quickly expanded. The air was filled with the sound of clashing and explosions.

Further away, instead of being frightened by the mighty explosion, some candidates, such as Braka, charged forward with a very wide grin.

He was like a beast wrapped in human skin, shoving aside any candidate in his path, his laughter even louder than the explosions, which was very shocking in itself.

"Haha! Now it’s getting lively!"

He punched one candidate away, then turned his head and spotted Iron. That huge, shiny metal figure seemed to ignite a fire in him. Braka’s eyes lit up instantly.

"It’s you!"

Zich saw him staring at Iron and immediately knew what this guy wanted.

On the other side, Alden appeared at the edge of the battlefield.

He didn’t charge into the heart of the chaos and only watched with a neutral expression.

Lucien appeared as well. His golden white flames lit up the mist, purifying several simulated monsters, and nearby candidates instinctively avoided his area.

Further away from where Lucien stood were the Nullborns. They stood at the edge of the battlefield, silent as if they didn’t exist.

Even in the height of the chaos, the other candidates instinctively avoided that area, as if it had never been a place they could step into.

Zich noticed them, but he had no time to investigate because Braka had already barreled past two candidates and landed right next to the supply crate.

He looked at Iron and grinned widely.

"I heard you’ve got a big summon."

Zich looked at him.

"What do you want?"

"One punch."

"It doesn’t offer sparring sessions."

"Then I’ll do it for free."

The mud beneath Braka’s feet exploded, and his whole body shot toward Iron like a cannonball.

Boom!

Iron raised its black greatsword.

The Soul Bomb in Zich’s hand slowly rose as well.

For a moment, the audience in the observation hall fell silent.

Everyone could see that if that collision actually landed, it would be spectacular.

But just as Braka’s fist was about to smash into Iron’s face, and Iron’s sword was about to descend...

...the entire simulated battlefield suddenly froze.

[Time Limit Reached]

[Thinning Stage Complete]

[Surviving Candidates: 20]

[Judge Evaluation Candidates: 12 Selected]

[Advancing Candidates: 32]

All movement stopped as if someone had pressed pause on the simulation.

Braka’s fist hung in midair.

Iron’s greatsword paused mid swing.

The Soul Bomb in Zich’s hand was frozen above his palm.

The next instant, the simulation began to dissolve.

The Blackwater Swamp, the mist, the supply crate, and the candidates’ figures all gradually turned into motes of light.

In the observation hall, many representatives wore looks of regret because they never got to see the clash between two of the most promising candidates in this tournament.

On the human platform, Arthur let out a quiet breath.

All four representatives from the First Shelter were still on the advancement list, which mattered more than any spectacular display.

...

When the white light faded and Zich opened his eyes, the first thing he felt wasn’t relief. It was a deep, lingering heaviness and soreness buried in his body.

It was as if the mud of the Blackwater Swamp, the tearing bites of the Swamp Tyrant, the recoil from the Soul Bombs exploding, and the pressure of that chaotic siege at the end hadn’t completely disappeared with the simulation’s end but had instead settled into his muscles and nerves in a more insidious way.

The silver patterns inside the connection pod were slowly dimming, and the restraints around his wrists and ankles came loose one by one. The pod lid opened from above, and the cold light of the white metal hall fell back onto his face, giving him the strange sensation of having been forcibly dragged back from another world.

He didn’t get up immediately. Instead, he lay still for a few seconds, letting his breathing slowly steady itself.

His clothes in reality were dry. His body hadn’t actually been injured. But the pain feedback and fatigue feedback had been made so real that his shoulders, arms, sides, and ankles all still seemed to remember the feeling of struggling through the Blackwater Swamp.

Zich slowly sat up, bracing his hands on the edge of the connection pod, and muttered under his breath, "This simulation is annoyingly well made."

But precisely because it was annoying, it proved its usefulness.

If it were just fake pain and fake fear, it wouldn’t test the candidates’ true responses. But a simulation this close to real combat was enough to make the timid lose control, make those with poor judgment make mistakes, and expose those who could only show off in safe environments.

Around him, the connection pods opened one by one.

Some candidates woke in silence, simply sitting in their pods with their eyes closed, regulating their breathing. But many were in much worse shape. Some started cursing the moment they opened their eyes. Some slammed the edge of their pods in frustration. Others sat there pale faced, seemingly still recovering from the sensation of being torn apart by simulated monsters.

"Damn map! I landed right next to a monster nest the moment I dropped in. How is that fair?"

"I didn’t even get to fight a real opponent. Three guys ambushed me, and I was out. How is that a competition?"

"That swamp zone was completely rigged! My racial advantage was ruined by that human summoner contaminating the area!"

Zich heard the last comment and slowly turned his head toward the source.

It was a Keth candidate.

The candidate’s face was marked with obvious anger, his moist skin still showing the pallor left by the simulation feedback, and he was being led away by event assistants. Clearly, he was deeply unsatisfied with his elimination in the Blackwater Swamp.

Zich didn’t say anything.

He was too tired to mock anyone right now.

And there was no profit in mocking him anyway.

For now, there was just one thing he needed: a good rest before the next and final stage of this tournament began.