The five trainees sprinted with all their might, each step fueled by the literal fire under their feet. Finally reaching the lake, they threw themselves into the water, extinguishing the flames that had started to creep up their pant legs and boots.
"Excellent!" Willy exclaimed as they emerged from the water, catching their breath. "Now, what was your previous best time for the hundred meters?"
"Reporting, sir," the first trainee responded. "My previous time was 11.7 seconds."
"And just now, you ran it in 10.8. The others, too, shaved nearly a second off their records," Willy noted, reading the times aloud.
Hearing Willy's new timing, Naomi couldn't hide her surprise. She’d just bested her personal record by a full second. The experience was intense, but the result was incredible.
After Willy read out everyone's times, the trainees realized the truth: only when forced to their absolute limits could they achieve their true potential. Wil
“Seriously?! You’re here to steal my techniques again?” Willy scowled in mock outrage.“Don’t be so stingy! Willy, where did you even get these training props?” Rose asked, her curiosity piqued.“Not telling! I’ll let you all stay in the dark until you crack from frustration!” Willy teased.“Damn, you’re so petty!” Rose retorted, rolling her eyes.“So, what’s your approach this time, Willy? Are you training them for combat?” Black Wolf asked, glancing at the computer screen where he could see real-time data and rankings.“Nope, this round is different. I plan to cut down the numbers significantly. If they’re unlucky, about half could be eliminated.”“Eliminate? What’s your plan for that?” Rose questioned, intrigued.“I have three rounds in mind for elimination. By the end of them, only two participants wi
Within just two minutes from the start, Willy saw participants quickly succeeding; some emerged victorious within seconds, carrying their subdued opponents out of the room. Shortly after, loud sounds of intense fighting echoed from inside the dorm, and another group exited a minute later, bringing out restrained competitors.Willy gave a slight nod of approval. "Well done. Subduing an opponent without injuring them requires true strength."Hearing Willy's praise, the four soldiers outside exchanged nods; receiving acknowledgment from the feared 'Demon King' was a significant badge of honor. It looked like their friends might owe them a meal—such was the spirit of elimination rounds. Soon, Josiah, Naomi, and others brought their opponents out just within the final seconds.When Rose saw that Naomi had defeated a male soldier, she was stunned."Excellent work, Number Eight!" Willy complimented."Thank you, sir!" Naomi replied, excited.I
“Something’s not right. I’m positive I heard movement in this room; I can’t be mistaken!”“I heard it too—someone’s munching on something. Keep looking!”The two continued searching the room, while Josiah, knowing that if he fought head-on he could take down at most one of them, would still be eliminated by the other. He didn’t want to get eliminated, so he forced himself to calm down. The situation called for clear thinking.Quietly, Josiah reached into his bag, pulled out a water bottle, and threw it toward the far end of the factory roof. This was his chance—the only chance he’d get to catch both of them with their backs turned.He recalled watching Willy demonstrate his gun technique, the rapid shot technique where Willy showed them how to control their fingers and wrists for quick, efficient eliminations. This was the time to put it into action.The water bottle land
No. 35 quietly crept up the stairs, flashlight in his left hand and gun raised in his right. This was his chance. Facing off against No. 15, he was confident he could survive—after all, No. 15 had just been shot!No. 15 was convinced he had the upper hand, keeping a close watch on the stairs. The moment his opponent showed himself, he’d fire first and secure a guaranteed win!Ready, No. 35 suddenly sprinted up the stairs. In less than a second, he reached the second floor, flashing his light at the shadow while dropping to the ground. As soon as No. 15 saw him, he pulled the trigger. Just then, blinded by the light, he was hit multiple times!“Big Bang! Impressive!”“You’ve got some quick hands too!” No. 35, nicknamed Big Bang, noted the 70% health displayed on his body.“Ha! If I were any faster, you’d be out of the game!”Big Bang patted No. 15 on the shoulder, grabbed his gun and water, and turned to leave. But just as he reac
A group of people arrived at the fighting arena, with No. 15 and No. 35 dressed and ready, standing in the center.“Liang! You know I'm getting older, and this is my last chance! So I won't hold back!”“BigBang, you know my biggest dream is that spot! I’ve made it through all these matches, and I won't stop here!”“Alright! Let the match begin!” Willy announced.BigBang instantly launched an attack aimed at Liang's lower body, but Liang dodged and struck BigBang on the collarbone with a knife-hand strike!BigBang absorbed the blow and wrapped his arms around Liang, trying to bring him down. Liang engaged his core strength, lowering his center of gravity while driving his head into BigBang’s nose. BigBang anticipated Liang’s move, evaded, and then used his entire body to throw Liang backward!Liang, using the momentum from BigBang’s throw, braced himself with his ha
As the other teams gradually completed their tasks, only Naomi and Liang remained. Among the Black Wolf team, a male member finished quickly, but his partner lagged behind. Meanwhile, the sniper from Rose's team executed a perfect shot to eliminate the target!Ten participants stood before the Black Wolf team, who scanned the group’s condition, still impressed by Willy’s trainees. Naomi and Liang exuded a kind of aura—not fierce or domineering, but an enigmatic presence that radiated danger."This round will eliminate two of you. Please take a moment to rest while I discuss with my colleagues," Black Wolf announced.The words sent a wave of tension through the group. However, Naomi and Liang remained notably calm, having completed their tasks with superior speed and quality compared to the others.Black Wolf turned to confer with Dove, Rose, and Giant. After some deliberation, they decided to eliminate one member from Giant’s team
Naomi and Liang have failed! They were up against the strongest member of the entire NVMD elite mercenary group! The two felt helpless, but they were also curious if others had completed their assessments.Black Wolf patted their shoulders, "You two have been trained well by Willy; you're both strong fighters! It’s impressive for a girl to be so tough. Sure, you’re a bit behind Rose, but you’re younger and have plenty of room to improve!"Naomi thought about Black Wolf's words, wondering how Rose would react to this compliment and what kind of competition they would have."You’re quite the schemer, haha! Our team needs all kinds of mercenaries for different missions, which is why Willy speaks so highly of you two! Even though you didn’t complete the final assessment, you faced me, and I’m satisfied with your performance!" Black Wolf said, hands behind his back.When they returned to the assembly point, everyone else had
"Willy, are you alright?" Black Wolf's voice came from behind Willy."I'm fine. The two people being captured this time, it's because the trouble I caused by capturing the four members of the Toxic Frog Squad, right?""Don't overthink it.""So, what's your plan?""I’ve already had Liang and the others pack up, then we’ll head back to our operations headquarters to discuss things. The training is over now, and you’ve really worked hard this month!""I’ll go with you. This was my fault, so I’ll handle it personally.""Willy, you... what are you planning?""Nothing in particular. Let’s go. First, let’s check the situation at your headquarters. You tell me more about this Toxic Frog Squad.""The Toxic Frog Squad is the name that seven of J Country’s top mercenaries gave themselves. Each person has a code name based on a type of frog. J Country is quite unique in that when a team membe