Chapter 22 Solutions and Phase 2

Well, we will need our contribution points for this."

Tumunomi Escaver had plans for the ones he had so he immediately declined. "No."

Jacob stared at the boy like he was looking at alien. "How could you decline without hearing the possibility?"

"He's already given us a summary."

John fixed him a cold stare but he did not seem to notice. "All of mine went into my treatment and what I owe I signed a deal for. All of Ivan's us not enough. So, we need to contribute to move forward." He stared at Tumunomi Escaver so hard that the boy was almost impressed.

"I can give you all I have but the next ones you win, 50% will be allocated to me." He looked at them, one by one. "All of you have to win."

"You are a bastard Tumunomi Escaver.

If John had always been like this, maybe they could have been close friends by now. Not as close as Derek, but still, the confidence in his voice and his eyes. His detached and cold eyes.

"Deal or no?"

"You might be bastard, but I agree." Jake out an arm on his shoulder as if trying to make what John said sound more acceptable.

"Yeah, bastard Escaver."

Jacob laughed as he only had 1000 left.

Andrew had a full 3600, just like Jake because they had guilt tripped Jacob into taking care of all their expenses.

So, with John's 3000, they could move on with the plan. John quickly ran to Finim Barboach and asked the older man if contribution points could be transferred. He agreed because they were in the same batch and seeing as Jake followed John he shouldn't have been lying.

"Try and make it in time for the next phase."

John jogged to the door in 3 steps. And Tumunomi Escaver knew that this room had an AreaModifier, so the distance the boy crossed was not as simple as it appeared to be.

Maybe John could make him serious in this tournament also.

Mrs. Rose Marilyn's clapped once and everyone somehow knew it was time for quiet. Almost as if her single applause had manifested intention behind the very action.

"The next phase begins and it will take place in a different Terrain, so to speak." She opened her hand that pointed to the airspace before them. "In school you have already been taught 5hat Potent Artefacts are tools and appliances that have been made to interact with the universe for anything ranging from mundane tasks to complicated ones and even ones that involve Ko-jin."

Before you is an AreaModifier that will be activated. Actually, we have several ones that have been placed in a special formation.

"Rule 1 – Once the bell rings, it will be time to rush in."

"Rule 2 – Team leaders will be given

Crests that will be worth 0.5 while team members will have ones for 0.25 but the end goal for every batch will be 188 points. Each crest will be genetically encoded to the respective person. No personal crests shall be hidden and after piercing the thumb under a crest to tell that it has been snatched by a different person, it can then be stowed away. After 3 days all contestants will be shifted to the next area but if the points you carry are not enough then the person will be disqualified. Your options at that point will be to become one of the staff for us here. Which is not so bad a life.

"Rule 3 – At the end of the first Modified Area will be another. This second modified area will have receptor nodes. And these receptor nodes will be activated when crests are placed into them. The idea of the game at this point will be like capture the flag. So the more receptor bodes made, the better. For the remaining secrets in that area, you will have to leave to find out."

The batches lines up and gained a crest. They looked like stone, had a graven image of the owner on their faces with a bit of profile written on it.

After each batch had collected their crests, everyone stopped at the space where they had Finim Barboach instructed and waited

The alarm blared and everyone rushed to their immediate front. The space there ripples like water as it seemed to be a disturbed pond. To their eyes, the other batches had disappeared but to the batches, they were somewhere else entirely.

Between Andrew and Jake who were seized at the neck, and Jacob who stared open eyed at Tumunomi Escaver it couldn't be told who was more surprised.

"We need as much manpower as we can get."

Jacob looked at him strangely. "My, look who's changed."

"Shut up."

John came back an hour later and when Andrew and Jale wanted to ask him what had happened with Ivan, Tumunomi Escaver tossed them forward before jumping too. Jacob laughed and joined them after pointing 5o the table for John to get his crest. He met them soon after.

One second, they were in the room. And the next, therewas green everywhere. Different shades of green on different types of stalk. Dense foliage and leaves were only dwarfed by trees that seemed to pierce into the sky. One of the bushes actually completely hid all 6 of them. And many of twm shot 8nto the sky as if they were deliberately trying to block out the light. Vines stretched from tree to tree as did moss abd algae, the damp air was thick like a blanket on the lungs.

Andrew stood up and patted himself but Jake had bounced to his feet and glared at Tumunomi Escaver who just stepped in. Jacob followed soon and by the time every one had donned their crests on their necks, they raised their wrists to show all of them hand bands. These hand bands looked like lines of strip that followed the shape of their wrists.

"So, accounting, what do we have?"

Jacobe eyed Tumunomi Escaver and the leader crest that hung on his chest.

Andrew misinterpreted Jacob's amazement in how Tumunomi Escaver had taken his role as leader with the fact 5hat he had footed the bill. Mostly because of he and Jake's complaint but also because he felt guilt for what had happened to Ivan. Jacob, like Tumunomi Escaver and Derek, had saved up his points. But he had joined them the year Derek had been taken. Thus, he only had 4 years of contribution points. Which was 14,400. Each wrist band they wore was 2,000 each and they had told him 5o not forget Ivan. So, excluding 7,000 contribution points gone, there were these supplies that were just mentioned.

Also all the training material like books or dummies or dumbbells and the like that were in the room.

So, Andrew's laugh was understandable.

Now, the reason why the wrist bands were so expensive – if you took into factor that a year's worth of contribution points were 3600 and the AreaExpanders that Tumunomi Escaver had used were just 1500 even though they were the lowest grade – was because they were not just normal wristbands but CavityBracelets.

They were the lowest type of storage items, Storage Potent Artefacs that had independent spaces. During their training they had come upon he information about them as things that were gotten by people who sold portions of heir Soul Spaces. They all understood that soul spaces were things gotten later after cultivation reached a certain level. But basically, the CavityBracelets could keep things in a separate space for the wielder and had dimensions of 5 square meters.

So, each of them had stacked necessities in each of theirs.

Clothes to food to survival equipment.

"So, we will set out in this direction. Unlike the other groups we cannot split off because of our numbers." Tumunimi looked each of them in the eyes before continuing. "Jacob on my 5, John on my 7, Jake on my 4 and Andrew on my 8. "Stay close and stay sharp . Now move out."

He moved forward like he knew where he was going and Andrew followed suite. Jake sent a look at Jacob who shrugged as they trailed behind him.

All of a sudden, they heard a sharp scream.

Thus, even before the announcer spoke, they could tell some had been kicked out.

"Roland Jankins has been eliminated."

I light connected the sky to the ground from afar, and Andrew correctly guessed that light shone atop this Ronald Jankins but 5hat moment of distraction would have landed and arrow in his arm if Tumunomi Escave4 had not swept both off his feet of the green ground.

THWACK! THWACK! THWACK!

John had thrown his body on the grown to evade his while Jacob had pulled Jake to the side, although the boy caught the arrow mid-way, anyway.

"John, scout!" Tumunimi Escaver was strangely excited and John spared him a glance before 4acing up a tree like he were running on the ground, albeit on his fours and with his finger puncturing stem like it were cardboard.

"Group of 30, my 12 o'clock!" His group leader was impressed with his speed but he had already started running in that direction before he shouted another command.

"With me!"