One after another, youngsters continued to enter the portal to participate in the second trial. So far over a hundred stepped into the trial, and out of them, forty passed. The failed participants were teleported out.
Out of the forty passing youngsters, only five of them received any merit points in the form of beads. Kieron was awarded three beads while the other four had only one.
Almost a day has passed but no one was exhausted. The energy in the hall kept everyone fresh.
A few hours later, fatty Leonardo jumped into the portal. The others looked at the projection on the ceiling to observe his trial.
Much to their amazement, he passed the illusory world in a little over nine minutes. So far, it was a record!
It has to be remembered that the illusion was no different than reality with components of dream. One would forget everything else, including their trip to their core region, and lose themselves into the illusion...
The enticement the illusory world has to offer was far too difficult to resist. Naturally, to break out of just nine minutes was a shocking event. It proved just how powerful his Will was.
In the second part of the trial, Leonardo fared equally well. He has lived a great life - full of happiness and food - so there was truly nothing for him to be afraid of. When people outside saw his memories in fast forward movements, they gulped down. They realized this fatty truly ate too much... no wonder he was so fat.
When the test for him ended and he stepped out, eight beams shot out of the ceiling and bumped into his wrist, transforming into eight beads.
"Eight beads!"
People looked at him with red-eyes.
They wished they could thrash this fatty and steal the beads, but even though they wanted to, they didn’t dare. It wasn’t just due to the fear of punishment, but also due to the personal strength of fatty. His right mechanical arm and the gadgets he carried made them afraid.
Leonardo’s followers instantly started praising him.
"As expected of our boss!"
"He is not a psychic and yet he easily got eight beads!"
"If the boss has prepared in advance, even ten beads wouldn’t be difficult!"
Leonardo didn’t say anything to the praises. He took out a box of chips and start munching on them while his followers continued to suck up.
...
Ten or so people latter, Solomon Fuentes leaped into the trial portal. If people were stunned by Leonardo’s achievements, then they were dumbfounded by his achievements. He was rewarded ten beads!
Many of them felt their throats turning dry as they observed him. His right hand was fused with a sword and its sharp surface glinted brightly, like the sword of the death god.
"Damit! He is another monster!"
People broke out into discussions, filling the hall with voices.
Kieron gazed at Solomon and felt he has underestimated geniuses from other reputed organizations.
Suddenly, the hall was filled with pin-drop silence and everyone’s eyes moved to a corner of the hall. Alistair Eleanor rose to his feet, and without saying anything, he stepped into the portal of light. He was a Chosen and his every movement caught the attention of others.
His followers - lackeys, to be precise- expectantly looked at the projection on the ceiling. They were confident of his strength and they looked forward to his performance.
And he didn’t disappoint his status as a Chosen. He made a record by breaking out of the illusion in just five minutes!
"Amazing!"
"As expected of a Chosen!"
"The offsprings of aristocratic families are beyond our understanding!"
The gap between top geniuses and Chosen couldn’t have been any obvious as Alistair entered into the second test.
As his memories surfaced, he stood proudly in the white space without making any movement. Much less gritting his teeth or making a grunting sound, his expression was fully relaxed. He stood like a warlord as memories resurfaced.
People were startled as they saw certain scenes of training from the memories. His training was what could be best described as hellish.
"Chosen might be God-blessed but they don’t slack off!"
"Of course! The competition in aristocrat families is very tough... if you slack off, you might lose your title without even realizing it!"
Many female mutants beheld him with sparkling eyes. Almost every one of them has heard about him, and when they saw him in person, they felt their heart stir with excitement. He has become a hero with the ease with which he passed the second trial.
"He is fabulous!"
"Is he single?"
As many young beauties lost themselves in flights of fancy, Alistair appeared back in the hall. Multiple colors flashed above the ceiling which then converged into light beams and shot at him. Slowly, the crystalline thread around his wrist was filled with beads.
People nearby began counting and they sucked deeply in disbelief.
"20 beads!"
"What?!"
"So many!"
"No way!"
The youngsters in the hall were doubtful and they observed his wrist. Much to their shock, he indeed has twenty beads.
"Fuck! This is double of what Solomon gained!"
"No wonder the Chosen ones are called the best of best!"
Alistair ignored the shocked voices and words of flattery. He returned to his position and sat down in meditation.
"I’m bored!" Sophia jumped on the floor and stretched out her hands.
"All the best," Zed understood her intentions and he wished her well.
"Thanks!" Sophia said before rushing into the portal.
Her movements attracted almost every pair of eyes in the hall. No, she gained more attraction than even Alistair.
While the latter was a Chosen and from an aristocrat family, Sophia too belonged to an aristocrat family. Many of them knew the depth of her background and her true standing in the family.
She might not be a Chosen but her influence was no less than a Chosen!
That was just one of the reasons she attracted so many eyes. Another reason was her age. She was only eighteen - the youngest in the hall.
These two reasons were why females checked the projection screen. For males, it was another reason - her beauty.
She was the most stunning and breathtaking woman they had ever seen. She was a goddess!
...
People were only looking at her gorgeous face, and by the time they regained clarity, they were shocked.
She has passed the illusion world!
Not just passed, but also in a record time of 4 minutes and 50 seconds! It was a gap of 10 seconds with Alistair!
"You gotta be kidding!"
"How could she break out of illusion so quickly?!"
"And even surpass a Chosen!"
Zed smiled as he observed the scenes playing on the projection. She was young, bossy, and even a bit naive, but her determination and will were impressive.
Living a protected life doesn’t have to make one weak. Sophia was the best example of this.
"I have a feeling her mother deserves the credit for this!"
Zed mused with a thoughtful expression. He wasn’t a bit surprised at the ease with which she passed the second part - reliving the memories.
The trial only focused on difficult memories - events that could make a person feel pain, sadness or despair. Private moments were naturally of no importance.
Zed scratched the back of his head as he noticed one of the final memories playing in fast motion. It was of her attacking Kiba before the start of auction.
In the final memory, surrounded by an energy storm, she has punched Kiba but the latter stopped her fist with a finger.
While there was no sound, he could hear her voice as if he was living the moment. Words like shameless, scoundrel, villain and so ran through his mind.
~tap~
Sophia jumped out of the portal. Everyone was looking at her expectantly, wanting to know just how many beads she would get. Sophia, on the other hand, was thinking about her final memory.
"That shameless bastard is still unpunished!"
Sophia thought with a frown. Just then, multiple beams struck her wrist, and transformed into small beads.
"God!"
"Thirty beads!"
"Just ten seconds gap could make such a difference?!"
"She is the real monster here!"
Sophia didn’t check her beads as she walked back to her sitting slab. When people noticed her frown, they were dumbfounded.
Why is she frowning?! And she even looks unhappy!
God! Isn’t she satisfied with her performance!!
Truly, she couldn’t be judged with common sense!
"You were impressive!" Zed said in praise as she sat beside him.
"Thank you!" Sophia tucked a strand of hair behind her ear as she replied with a smile. Her actions were extremely cute and the smile divine.
Her every moment was checked by nearby youths. When they saw her frown disappearing and her lips turning into a smile because of Zed’s words, they internally cursed him. Their livers paled in envy and resentment.
Why is she smiling due to him?!
Not only her, but even the beauties around him are happy just by being in his presence!
Is there no concept of fairness and justice?!
"Stop being satisfied with the happiness of a woman!" Willard said with a mocking smile. "Or are you trying to flatter her so that she would share her rewards?!"
"That’s most likely!"
The geniuses nearby instantly nodded their heads and started adding oil to the fire by making more derogatory remarks.
"Haha, relying on a woman!"
"Aren’t you ashamed?!"
"Be a man and stop hiding behind a woman!"
"You are expecting too much from him," Kieron said, his voice cold. "He only participates when he has a chance of cheating!"
How could he forget Zed after having his rightful reward snatched?
In normal times, he wouldn’t pass such a comment, but he couldn’t hold himself back. Sophia’s words and the anger of the bridge trial made him lose control.
Jenina, Rita, Divya, and others snapped their teeth in anger. They opened their mouth to retort, but just then, Zed stopped them.
"Please don’t," Zed said with a polite smile. "Everyone has the right to freedom of opinion and expression. We shouldn’t curtail that."
Jenina was surprised but then she nodded.
"Indeed! He is kind and forgiving! That’s why he forgave me... and even defended Carmen and Launcelot!"
Jenina thought with awe at his character. Sophia was also thinking of defending him, but when she heard his words, she stopped.
She felt sometimes he was far too kind for his own good!
The nearby mutants, on the other hand, smirked. They took his words and lack of reply as a sign of weakness.
Just as they began making more remarks, he stepped his feet on the floor and rose. He took one step after another at a relaxed pace and arrived before the portal of light.
He stopped for a moment and looked at the space the portal was leading to.
"What type of illusion I would face?"
Zed wondered with a smile. Given Kiba’s dreams, he felt it would most likely involve women... a lot of women and cuckolds.
"Good luck!" Sophia’s voice entered his ears.
Zed nodded and jumped into the portal...
"He would be fine, right?" Jenina asked.
"He should be!" Sophia replied while lifting her towards the ceiling.
The projection of the trial space has begun, and in just a blink of eye, Zed was transferred into the illusory world.
Sophia’s eyebrows knitted as she eyed the setting of the illusory world. Verna and others were equally startled.
Zed was standing inside a large room.
Judging from the design, it appeared to be a room in a luxurious house.
This was not what startled Sophia and others.
The reason for their shock was a bed surrounded by a crystalline liquid screen. To be precise, they were stunned because of the person sleeping on the bed.
It was a young woman.
She was attractive, graceful, and elegant. Her eyes were shut tight and she was sleeping peacefully.
Surrounding the bed, there was medical equipment connected to the crystalline screen. Zed stood in front of the bed with a genetic glass container in his hand.
The container was sealed with magnetic lids radiating a warm glow.
Zed raised his hand and observed the container before locking his eyes on the woman.
"Felicity... I have brought the cure," Zed said with a smile. "Sadly, you are as real as this cure... So I have no choice but to leave."
The moment he said this, the illusory world started shaking and the container exploded into pieces. Cracks appeared on the room and stones began crashing down.
Outside, in the hall.
As everyone observed the scene playing on the projection, their bodies froze in utter shock.
"No way!" Willard’s eyes popped out in horror.
"It hasn’t even been ten seconds since he arrived in that illusory world!" A nearby genius thought with his mouth wide open.
No matter who it was, every single person in the hall was visibly astonished.
In the illusory world, Sophia has taken 4.5 minutes and Alistair just 5 minutes to break out. Those achievements were both absolutely shocking and hard to believe.
But now...
Zed didn’t even need ten seconds!!
"Impossible!"
Kieron muttered with his eyes blurry and ears ringing. His face appeared to be of someone who has been slapped tightly...