Sheru roared lightly, and the symbol on its forehead shone with golden brilliance. The Black Sword-like pattern suddenly turned golden, and a golden mist surrounded Sheru as he released his presence. The swords over which the mist went started shaking.
A buzzing sound was created, similar to when Yashika's Silver Rapier tried to move swords. Sheru stopped after two seconds and took two jumps to reach his master. Rishi smiled and called it back. He looked at the crowd cheering for him before moving back; he was sure his score would be.
His score moved fast and soon reached 200 before quickly increasing. The commentator said, "What a brilliant performance! Rishab's score has already bypassed the 200-point mark; he is the fifth person to do it today. Will he be able to bypass the scores of Vansh and Yashika to claim the first spot in this round?"
In between the astounding gazes of everyone, Rishi sat quietly in the seat, closing his eyes as if nothing was happening to him. It was not that he was showing off like other participants thought; he was exhausted. He needed some rest to recover his mental energy; He felt uncomfortable without much of it.
The score kept increasing, making the whole arena silent.
230
250.
267..
300...
"Rishab's score has already surpassed the 300-point mark; with it, he became the third participant today to do it. He is very close now; will he beat Vansh's score?" said the commentator; the crowd cheered. The three teachers jumped in joy, and Prof. Roy looked at the screen. "I always knew he would make me proud," he said with moist eyes, pretending to wipe his nonexistent tears.
"Only proud or rich too?" mocked Prof. Anya.
Prof. Roy didn't dare make contact with her eyes; he said, "You don't understand me; I have overcome worldly desires like that ages ago."
'That's why you are chasing after Trisha like a dog. When will you know about this bitch's real face?' She retorted in her head, grinning at the woman looking at Rishi with her emerald eyes. 'Bad for you; my student is way smarter than Roy; he will not fall for your trap.'
The green-haired woman turned, and her eyes met Anya's as if asking her why she was looking at her like that. Prof. Anya moved her head and started looking at the screen, not explaining. She was already not on good terms with Trisha; she might not have even come on this trip if not for Rishi. She didn't try to fight with Trisha purposely, but that doesn't mean she will act friendly with her.
Trisha frowned before looking at the screen again. She was not surprised by Anya's behavior. It was not the first time; she was always jealous of her looks and popularity. "It's not my fault you locked yourself in your smelly laboratory. How will others like you if you do that?"
The number on the screen below Rishab's name kept increasing.
310
318.
328..
330...
The crowd cheered and praised Rishi's performance by clapping, but when they saw his score still increasing, most of them became silent; they looked at the screen with their fingers crossed.
"Finally, Rishab's score has surpassed Vansh's. He is now in second place. Will he be able to bypass Yashika's score too and get the first place?" said the commentator.
Everyone was looking at the score, which showed no signs of stopping. There was silence in the arena; everyone focused on the number on the screen.
345, The heartbeat of many people started rising.
346. The suspense was killing them. The supporters of Yashika were sweating.
The number stopped increasing for a second, making many people sigh in relief and calm their hearts, just as they were sure it was over.
The number increased again.
Many stood up from their seats, unable to believe it; others looked at the screen anxiously.
348. It finally happened. Some people cheered loudly and clapped for Rishab, while others sat in their seats with disappointed looks, but they overcame it soon and clapped for Rishab.
"Woh," "he had done it; Rishab had surpassed Yashika's score and claimed the first spot in this round. I knew it; from the first time I saw him, I knew this guy was not ordinary." Said the commentator.
While this happened, some people were happy, while others were sad. Many were sweating, looking at the score. "How can it happen? Why was there no mention of this guy? I bet on Yashika, and I lost big." He was not alone; many had bet on Yashika.
"Shit, who is this guy?"
A yellow-haired boy could be seen gritting his teeth and asking, "Why am I not cheered like him? I wasted so much money buying this sword beast that the seller claimed I would easily win. I will not forgive him. How dare he trick me?"
A curious expression appeared on Yshika's ice-cold face before disappearing: Who is this boy? He must have some background. Epic-grade beasts don't grow in trees. I knew from the moment he could shield himself from my killing intent that he was not expected to, but now I am curious about his identity.
The number on the screen kept increasing until it stopped at 353, an impressive score. The competition continued before everyone was tested, and only ten people were disqualified. They could not even move ten swords at all, which was the minimum requirement.
"After such a good presentation of one's affinity with swords, the second round will be for measuring if you are qualified to enter round three," said the commentator. Many Beast Tamers in the Swordsman class worked with other workers and quickly cleared the battle arena.
"Every participant must enter the battle arena and attack the measurement device there. I will advise everyone not to save anything and try their best; you will only get three chances." He added that he was looking at the participants. A big machine was brought out to the Batte Arena and set there. Four robotic legs moved and drilled holes to create a stronghold so it wouldn't move from the attack's impact.
A dummy was attached to it. This was a higher-level dummy that was stronger while also having regenerating properties. It was tough to find, but no one was surprised that the government held this competition.
"Only the top 50 will be allowed to move on to round 3. Others will be eliminated. All the beasts, everyone."