Alex notices Emma walking over to the two candidates who had separated earlier. She whispers something to them, pulling them back into the group.
“10 minutes left to cast your vote!” a voice booms through the room.
Suddenly, Alex sees all the remaining candidates glance toward him and the voting room. In unison, they start sprinting toward the door.
Alex curses under his breath. Guess that’s the only shot they’ve got. He quickly activates Sealion’s Icewing Embrace lvl 3, not caring about revealing his abilities since his claw has already made it clear, that he is not a normal examinee and has access to Nen-like abilities. There’s no doubt the examiners have taken notice.
Cold mist begins to fill the voting room as Alex conceals himself behind the wall, staying out of sight. The icy vapor swirls ominously, hinting at his presence.
The other candidates stop in their tracks, visibly unsettled by the sudden change in the room’s atmosphere. “What the fuck is this?” one of them says, fear thick in their voice. “I just saw him encasing himself in ice! He’s a monster! The room is freezing—it’s magic!”
Alex’s cold voice cuts through the mist: “I’ll kill you all if you enter. How about you send her in first, if you’re so eager to throw away your lives?”
Finally, someone snaps. A burly, older man with an evil grin, who hasn’t uttered a single word until now, suddenly shouts like a berserker: “I’LL KILL YOU FREAKS BOTH! GUYS, BACK ME UP. SHOVE HER INSIDE AND USE HER AS A SHIELD! GET RID OF THE SNAKE AND THE MONSTER AT THE SAME TIME!”
“YES!” one examinee agrees.
“OKAY, LET’S DO IT!” another chimes in.
“NO! What are you doing? You only came this far because of me! STOP, PLEASE! I BEG YOU! THIS IS AGAINST THE RULES! YOU CAN’T USE FORCE TO SHOVE ME, STOP! HELP I GIVE UP STOPPPP!” Emma pleads, her voice trembling with shock and desperation.
Alex silently agrees with her, but it’s clear no one is going to stop them. He watches as the last five examinees grab Emma, hold her up in front of them, and then hurl her toward him as they charge into the small room.
No time to hold back. I’ll use frost spells so they think this conjuration ability gives me elemental magic, Alex quickly strategizes.
Emma is thrown at Alex, while the others spread out to surround him, trying to attack from all sides.
Without hesitation, Alex drives his claw straight into Emma’s throat. A sickening cackle echoes through the room as Mustrano’s Malice Mauler lvl 3 pierces her flesh.
“HEEEEEE HEEEEEE HEEEEEEEEE HEEEEEEE DIE! YOU WILL ALL DIE!!!!!!” Alex claw bellows.
As the claw drives into her throat, an icy aura bursts into her body. A vile, gurgling sound escapes Emma’s mangled throat before she collapses like a puppet with its strings cut. The deranged laughter from Alex’s claw continues, its chilling voice filling the room:
“HEEE HEEE HEEE BLOOD! MORE BLOOD! THISSSS FROZZZEN POWER COURSSSING THROUGH ME— I LIKE IT! MORE! I NEED MORE!”
The remaining candidates freeze in horror, unable to act. Their plan to use Emma as a shield backfires as the crazed, frost-empowered Mustrano’s voice echoes, shocking them to their core.
You have dealt 68 x 3 = 204 damage to Emma Kramer.
You have dealt 14 damage to Emma Kramer.
You have killed Emma Kramer.
You receive [Bloody Chest].
You receive [Bloody Chest].
Alex immediately casts an AoE version of Blizzard, targeting three enemies who had spread out but remained within range.
Nimbus Cloak effect activates - Increasing Evasion by 5%, and Movement speed by 40%
You have dealt 35 damage to Examinee No. 476.
You have slowed Examinee No. 476.
You have dealt 31 damage to Examinee No. 365.
You have slowed Examinee No. 365.
You have dealt 34 damage to Examinee No. 299.
You have slowed Examinee No. 299.
He then turns his attention to the burly man who had taken charge earlier. Alex readies a mighty “Blizzard Sword” and swings it toward him. The man raises a thick metal stick, his weapon of choice, to block.
Nimbus Cloak effect activates - Increasing Evasion by 5%, and Movement speed by 40%
The blade cuts cleanly through the stick, slicing it in half, and continues through to land on the man’s chest.
You have dealt 54 + 61 = 115 damage to Examinee No. 13.
You have dealt 15 damage to Examinee No. 13.
To Alex’s shock, the man is still alive. Without hesitation, Alex drives Toxic Breakthrough lvl 3 into him.
You have dealt 54 damage to Examinee No. 13.
You have caused a bleeding to Examinee No. 13.
You have poisoned Examinee No. 13.
You have killed Examinee No. 13.
Not stopping for a second, Alex charges at the three slowed examinees, who are visibly shaking from the cold and sheer panic. He strikes relentlessly with his [Sword of Pluto], alternating between slashes and stabbing attacks with his claw.
You have killed Examinee No. 476.
You have killed Examinee No. 365.
You have killed Examinee No. 299.
“HEEE HEEE HEEE. ALREADY OVER? I WANT MORE!” Mustrano’s voice bellows, echoing through the now blood-drenched and frost-covered room.
The tiny voting room is a hellish sight, with blood pooling on the ground and freezing into beautiful crimson crystals in places. The walls glisten with frost, framing the grotesque scene of carnage and chaos—a nightmare painted with blood and ice.
Finally, Alex deactivates Sealion’s Icewing Embrace and surveys the room. Six bodies lie lifeless on the ground—no one else remains alive.
His eyes fall on the loot he’s acquired: two [Bloody Chests] from Emma. It confirms what he suspected, Emma had stolen the [Bloody Chest] from the player who had died during the journey through the Sinerva Forest.
Looks like Bloody Chests always drop from other players, Alex realizes. That means a player like me, holding nine of them, would drop ten chests if I were killed! That could make me a massive target. Good thing I figured that out now… He counts his spoils. And now I have 11 chests total.
Leaving the small voting room, Alex steps into the now completely empty common area. The silence is deafening.
Alex sighs. He doesn’t regret his decision, but a faint shadow of remorse lingers in his mind. I made the choice to survive. I can’t afford to hesitate. Anyone, Player or NPC, if they stand in my way, I’ll get rid of them.
Suddenly, a voice echoes through the room: “Examinee No. 777… that was a curious decision you made. We saw everything through the cameras. Now, you may leave the building. It looks like this task is over for you as well. Oh, and cancel that freaky claw on your left hand immediately, or I might have to take action myself.”
Alex’s expression twists in shock. FUCK… BUSHIDORA!
It looks like they aren’t going to accept my crazy antics after all… shit! Alex thinks… slightly panicking.