Chapter 35: Battle for the City (Part II)

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【Kill a common monster to earn 1 point】
【Kill an elite monster to earn 3 points】
【Points can be used to purchase items in the point shop within the safe zone】
【Monsters will spawn continuously until the monster leader is defeated】
【After the city defense battle ends, the holder of the most points will win the "Guardian's Blessing"】
【Magicians above the Fluorescent Rank are not eligible to participate in this defense battle and cannot earn points】

A linear screen manifested in the high sky, announcing the rules to the candidates through text and sound.
Then, the text was modified line by line, transforming into a list of names.
Following each name was the number "0," representing the points held by each individual.

"I see. So it's just a competition of monster-slaying efficiency? A bit boring, honestly."
Zhou Ke read the instructions above, roughly grasping the rules of the "Gate of Bi Yue Wu" and the magician examination.

"Candidates, prepare for battle! Proctors, stay sharp and keep a close eye on the candidates' safety at all times!"
The moment the rules were completed, Wu Bai’s booming voice echoed throughout the arena.
The fact that he was in charge of opening the "Gate of Bi Yue Wu" was enough to show that he was the commander-in-chief of the proctor team and possessed the greatest combat power.

There was no time to think; screams erupted one after another from outside the open plaza.
The candidates saw from afar a panicked crowd fleeing. They were old and young, men and women, all dressed in casual daily attire, vastly different from the battle-ready candidates.

"Proctor, who are those people?" Tang Hongning asked, puzzled.
"They aren't real people; they are scenarios set by the 'Gate.' It resets every time a clearance is achieved. You can treat them as NPCs in a game," Wu Bai explained clearly.

The candidates didn't pay much heed, their attention entirely captured by the "monsters" chasing the crowd.
Those monsters were also humanoid, devoid of clothing, their bodies covered in animal scales or fur. Their heads were those of bears, snakes, dogs, and so on.
The imagery wasn't truly realistic, so it didn't look terrifying; rather, it felt like something that had wandered off the set of a Kamen Rider show.
Seeing that the monsters—or rather, the "monster-men"—didn't look ferocious or horrific, the candidates felt their anxious hearts settle, and they charged into the battlefield, shouting and yelling.

The first to strike was a figure familiar to Zhou Ke.
Liu Xing gripped an ancient-style longsword in his right hand and held a mineral water bottle in his left.
Looking closely, he had several more plastic bottles of the same brand tucked into his belt.

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"Children without umbrellas must run hard!"
He shouted with a grunt, pouring the opened water bottle over his head.
The cool water splashed down, soaking Liu Xing’s hair, then seeping into his clothes, shoes, and socks.
Yet, his speed did not decrease—it increased!
This was his Truth Ability: while soaked, his running speed would be significantly boosted!

Ether surged through his legs, and Liu Xing’s form instantly transformed into a blur that surpassed human sprinting records.
A duck-headed monster didn't even have time to react before a cold, flashing blade pierced its body.
It couldn't even manage a whimper; the instantly slain duck-headed monster turned black and quickly melted into the air.

The numbers on the screen changed at the same moment.
Liu Xing: 1 point
At the very top, the most prominent line now displayed Liu Xing’s name.
Having snatched the first point, Liu Xing first glanced up at the screen, then quickly located Zhou Ke, giving a satisfied thumbs-down gesture.
However, as the rest of the candidates entered the fray, his ranking was quickly pushed down, and the gaze he directed toward Zhou Ke was blocked by the incoming crowd.
It felt good, but not entirely.

On the other side, Zhou Ke ignored the provocation entirely. He felt nothing for matters that didn't affect his personal interests, no matter how many times they occurred.
After all, Mr. Zhou had been born without a sense of shame.
If someone’s face was thicker than a city wall, there was at least a possibility of breaching it.
But when someone simply didn't care about their face at all, there was truly nothing you could do.

"Interesting." Zhou Ke was in no rush to act, watching with open eyes as the monsters were slain one by one, their numbers dwindling.
"The name of his Truth, 'Children without umbrellas must run hard,' isn't great, but the ability is quite fun."
With just a few breaths of observation, he had deduced the specific effect of Liu Xing’s Truth from his series of actions.

He then shifted his gaze to where Antonini was located. The latter was facing a bull-headed monster, opening his pale palms.
Snow-white, fluffy cotton popped out from his palms. The bull-headed monster rammed into it, only to be bounced back, while Antonini barely took a step back.
Taking advantage of the monster's moment of breath, Antonini urgently locked its throat with his arm, choking it to death and successfully claiming 1 point.

There were many others who stood out; many candidates shone brightly at this moment. Icicles, vines, and fireballs crisscrossed the intersection of the plaza and the highway, and those with surges of strength even split a car in half with a single axe blow!

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For a while, Zhou Ke was amazed, unsure of which side to watch first.
Wu Bai finally couldn't hold back anymore: "Do you think you're the chief examiner? Get out there and kill monsters to earn points!"
"No rush, no rush. Let me think for a moment." Zhou Ke rubbed his chin, still showing no signs of nervousness.
However, this time it wasn't just a dismissive remark.
After scanning the surroundings, Zhou Ke pressed one hand to his shoulder and twisted his neck to warm up.
Then, he stepped his right foot back half a step and leaned his upper body forward.

*Swish!*
Right under Wu Bai’s nose, Zhou Ke’s figure blurred and vanished.
"Impossible! That's an afterimage caused by visual retention!"
Wu Bai’s pupils contracted sharply. He turned his head to look in the other direction, where Zhou Ke’s back was already moving dozens of meters away.
"This kid is even faster than the first candidate to score. Could his Truth ability also be speed enhancement?"

Zhou Ke, of course, had no idea what Wu Bai was marveling at. He sprinted, fully enjoying the thrill of the strong wind blowing against him.
"This feeling is amazing!" He felt as if he were high, completely ignoring the monsters he could kill with a flick of his hand or foot along the way.
He finally slowed down and stopped in front of an elderly woman who had fallen. Turning his back to her, he delivered a line that didn't belong to him:
"Grandma, run quickly. I will protect you."

This display of righteous spirit moved those around him, but the monster didn't care. With the head of a crab, it raised its scissor-like pincers and slashed horizontally.
A cold gleam flashed; the blades were menacing.
This crab-headed monster was clearly a cut above the rest; an average candidate would likely have been cut in two by its blade.
But in Zhou Ke’s eyes, this attack was nothing but slow motion.

He lifted his knee and dropped his elbow, firmly pinning the monster’s pincers between his bones.
With a slight exertion of force, the blades shattered like glass with a crackle, each fragment reflecting the monster's miserable demise.