Escape

By this time, screams could be heard from all over the island. The candidates who were stupid enough to stand and fight had mostly been defeated by this point, so even the candidates with enough sense to run away were now being hunted down.

In a small clearing, two fighters wearing Hunter Academy uniforms were walking around among a pile of a dozen unconscious candidates, taking all of their watches and stowing them away.

Mindaugas said, "That makes 34 watches. More than I need, but I'll never say no to a little bonus! I could use some new equipment."

Iwaka replied, "It's a pity we have to restrain ourselves so much. These Mice are like wet cardboard! It feels like I'll kill them just by looking at them. I've been wanting an opportunity to try out my new Hunter martial arts technique."

But before Mindaugas could answer, an unnatural shrieking noise came from their pockets.

"An emergency alarm?" Iwaka asked, confused. He and his companion retrieved their digital tablets and stared at the message shown on the screen.

"Candidate 23,332 has defeated two Hunters and taken an aid terminal. An additional cash bonus of $10,000 and immediate test validation will be awarded to the student who captures this candidate's watch."

Mindaugas said in shock, "Do you think this could be the guy from last night? There's no way we have two different candidates who can beat up a student in this year's batch. Bro… you doing alright?"

Iwaka had turned with fury, veins pulsating on his temple and neck. He spat out between gritted teeth, "We don't have a second to lose. I'm going to find this asshole and strange him with my bare hands. If any other student gets in my way, they'll get the same treatment." 

Mindaugas put up his hands in protest. "Hold on, man! We don't exactly know for sure it's the same guy. If we chase this guy down and it's the wrong dude, we'll have lost half an hour on nothing when we could've been working for a bigger bonus. They say the best revenge is living well or whatever, so think of how good you can live with a fat bonus!"

Iwaka glared at him. "What the hell are you yapping about? Join me or stay behind, I don't care which. I'm going to redeem my honor for the humiliation I suffered yesterday." 

Mindaugas replied hesitantly, "Well, you know everyone else is going to be going after him, considering that fat bounty. It's a pretty small chance that we'll be the first ones there and that nobody else will come while we're fighting him."

"That's a chance I'm willing to take," Iwaka said grimly. He immediately turned and started running in the direction of the golden dot on the tablet. After a brief moment, Mindaugas followed. "You're lucky I'm such a good friend," he grumbled.

***

Meanwhile, a few kilometers away, Omega and General Pantherson were still at their table. By this time, they'd pulled up chairs and seemed to be having a relaxing time.

The general gave his companion a sincere grin. "Alright, Omega, I believe you. This young man defeated two Hunters—even if they were a couple of weak oafs on the verge of flunking, they were still Hunters. That's impressive. But I still don't understand why you've essentially sentenced this boy to death. You know that's the most likely outcome if you send so many eager enemies after him. Why are you trying to kill a candidate with such potential?"

Omega replied, "He keeps surprising me. I've seen a sort of escalation of this candidate's capabilities. First, he excelled in the basic candidacy tests, but he held back so as to appear as normal as possible… except when we came close to a fistfight. But don't worry about that. He then gave a wound to a fully capable Hunter, and now has won an encounter against two more students to such a degree that he coerced them into giving him a tablet."

Omega let out a sinister chuckle at the general's increasingly perplexed expression. "Hell," Omega finally said, "if we don't try to kill him, I don't think we stand any chance of seeing if this punk really has some fire in his belly."

"Fire in his belly!?" General Pantherson replied with astonishment, "My friend, you literally sent an army's worth of Hunters after him!" 

Omega gave one of his cold smiles. "A little extreme, do you think? Well then, let's make a bet, General. If this young man survives, you'll have to give me one of your sets of Rodeur-Pattern Zombie Bone armors." 

The general could barely believe what he was hearing. "Oh, nothing important, eh!? Just a Class 2 set of armor worth over $100,000! Why don't you ask for my house, while you're at it!?" 

Omega responded casually, "...And if I lose, I'll join your little Blood Rangers cadre for… let's say a minimum of two years. I think I'd lend a little bit of brutal effectiveness to that organization, don't you agree?" 

General Pantherson's bewilderment turned to amusement. He laughed and replied, "Deal! Don't think that I won't hold you to your word. You youngsters think you're smarter than everyone else, but remember one thing! Despite popular wisdom, you really can teach an old dog new tricks."

A gleam entered the general's eye as he took out his digital tablet and tapped on it for a few moments. Suddenly, a new message appeared: "Candidate 23,332's bounty bonus has been increased to $30,000." 

Omega glared at General Pantherson. 

The officer straightened his uniform's lapels and rose to pour himself another cup of coffee. "Well, you seemed so confident. What does a little more pocket change hurt?"