HBWnovel Act 1: Blue Ocean Pavilion - Chapter 164: Finding A Safe Zone
Act 1: Blue Ocean Pavilion - Chapter 164: Finding A Safe Zone
Act 1: Blue Ocean Pavilion - Chapter 164: Finding A Safe Zone
After their reintroduction, Oscar and Mary charged at each other. Oscar left his deer anima behind to settle this himself. He saw that Mary's condition was terrible, and this would be her last stand.
He saw Mary pour out the last of her Ein into a 'Lightning Edge' around her spear and thrust it as fast as possible. However, the Prinstyct had read through her intent.
Oscar dodged and punched his buckler right onto Mary's stomach.
Mary's face was twisted in pain, and the remaining blood in her throat splurted out. But her brown eyes locked onto Oscar.
A kick flew toward Oscar, but he blocked it with an elbow.
"Sorry, but I'm ending this." Oscar tightened his fist and punched upward.
With the incoming uppercut, Mary sighed as her eyes lowered with a small smile. "It can't be helped."
Oscar's powerful fist banged against her chin, knocking her head backward, sending her eyes spinning around and numbing her brain.
"Good fight," Mary murmured as her vision finally blacked out, and her body fell to the rubble of stone tiles.
Oscar stared at Mary for a moment. She was as strong as Frederick, who went on a rampage of missions during his isolation and trained with Emily. It was the product of intense training beyond what one would normally do; it was a shame that she ran into him.
"Examinee #9 is the winner. You win 250 points from your opponent." The woman elder flickered her wrist, and Oscar's scroll shone with the changes. His score was now at 1600 points.Ne/w novel chapters are p/u/blished on ary's points were down to 450. It made her drop all the way to last place. This, coupled with the time needed to gain consciousness and heal, might have ruined her chances.
"With that, you shall be teleported back to where you were, so you can continue to follow clues. Mary Jones will be teleported elsewhere when she awakens."
That was the other negative of losing. The forceful relocation from their original positions also ruined the flow of the clues they were following. The losers had to make a fresh start in their new places.
If someone kept running into someone and constantly losing, they would never make it out of the labyrinth.
"May I take a short break to recover?" Oscar asked the woman elder. He felt he was only fifty percent ready.
The woman elder nodded, "You may."
Oscar sat down and closed his eyes in Ein meditation. 'Steel Drill' was a harsh spell that drained a lot from him like Mary's 'Thunderclad'. He used it sparingly against the wave trial for that reason.
.......
"He's just resting. Not a bad choice. He's gained quite an advantage at the start with his easy passing of the illusion and three waves." Elder Dustin stroked his beard. "He understands there is a whole week and a half to gather points. The other students seem too eager and could tire themselves out too much."
The other images showed the other students fighting in their respective trials. Some were progressing slowly with deliberation, while others went wild in a rush to finish.
"Most haven't even found safe zones yet; if they don't get the proper rest and food, their performance will surely drop." Ava Jones said while looking at Mary, kneeling on the floor, breathing heavily. But Mary was smiling while there was wreckage behind her.
'In that fight against number five(Oscar), you fought well, but you were not his match. Yet, why did you smile despite losing? I haven't seen you smile like that toward your parents or me in a while, so what happened?'
Ava Jones watched her niece with her brows scrunched up. She felt discouraged that her beloved niece was more accepting of a stranger rather than her own family.
'She refuses to talk to me and worries us constantly. What was the difference?'
In her eyes, Mary seemed more talkative and energetic when talking with Oscar. Ava Jones felt a tinge of jealousy as she frowned at Oscar, who was relaxing by the pond. Then she caught sight of something interesting.
Her lips curved up in a smile, and she thought this was perfect.
"Oh-ho, this will be interesting." Elder Dustin noticed the same thing as Ava Jones. "What were the rules for the safe zone?"
"It's a place with no trials and provides housing and food. It's a haven where people can rest." Ava Jones said with a hint of interest. "However, if the examinees come to the same safe zone, and certain conditions are met, the event will begin."
.......
Oscar was resting on the chair, flipping through a book. He couldn't let Celestina get ahead of him in the series while he was busy with the exams. The safe zone's light was getting dimmer, making it harder to read.
"Seems I have to call it here. And right at the climax as well, but I should get some sleep. I need to remove this inhibitor as well." Oscar was excited to go to sleep because he had been through grueling training with very little sleeping time.
Suddenly, one of the entrances to the safe zone opened, invoking Oscar's cautiousness. His eyes turned toward the entrance and narrowed when a slender figure came through.
She had wavy red hair, not as red as Isabella's, with a wing hairpin on the side. Her arms lifted high with fingers locked together as she stretched her back, showing her alluring figure. When she finished with a hum of relief, her green eyes widened in shock when she saw Oscar staring at her.
"You!" The girl was Serena Fulgir, who initially argued with Mary Jones. Her face flushed red, and she gazed at Oscar hatefully for staring unwarranted.
Oscar took out his buckler, which he placed at the side, and stood up. He said, "Want to fight?"