The blonde-haired boy walked toward the platform and turned around, facing Harden and Kyle.
"Who the heck are these rejects?" he said.
"I think they're participants, boss," the skinny boy replied.
Boss?Who the heck is this cocky jerk? Harden thought.
The blonde boy then registered his account under the name of King.
"Let me show you extras how it's done," the blonde-haired boy said. He stepped onto the platform and selected Level 5. Crouching slightly, he took a deep breath.
My skill is perfect for this, he thought, activating the assassin's skill: Reflexive Riposte.
The alarm buzzed, signaling the start of the game. A red light flashed, and a panel shot toward the boy's face. He simply tilted his head, dodging it with ease. The next panel came for his stomach, but he sidestepped it smoothly.
A green light flashed. The boy blocked the incoming panel by catching it in place—perfectly.
"Those things are moving at incredible speeds... how is he casually evading them? Heck, he even caught one," Kyle said in awe.
"He's good, I'll give him that," Harden responded. "But it's thanks to the skill he's using. I've read about it—really advanced. I'm a little surprised he can even use it. What's even more shocking is that he'd use such a high-level skill just to win a game. Not that I'm one to talk," Harden admitted inwardly, his eyes glowing yellow. It's easy to learn an advanced skill when an amateur uses it for an extended time.
The one-minute round ended. The boy had scored a perfect 100—and made it look easy.
"That's the might of the great Kanye!" the fat boy cheered.
So this guy's name is Kanye, huh? Harden thought.
"I'm not done yet," Kanye said, setting the game to Level 6.
"That's insane," Kyle said. "Considering how well he did on Level 5, I think he'll clear it—but not with a perfect score."
(Scores in this game are awarded based on how well a player evades, blocks, and hits the panels.)
The alarm buzzed again. The game began. This time, blue and red lights flashed simultaneously, and two panels shot out even faster than before. Kanye was surprised by the speed, but he managed to dodge the first and strike the second.
Then came a green and red flash—followed by blue and green. Kanye, who had been confident earlier, was clearly struggling now. Yet somehow, he wasn't eliminated.
"This guy's skills are something else," Kyle said. "I'm sure that's an advanced assassin skill."
Oh, so even Kyle figured it out, Harden thought.
Kanye continued dodging, blocking, and striking as quickly as he could. In the last ten seconds, three lights flashed at once. The panel speed became nearly impossible to track—yet Kanye hung in there.
Until the final second.
A panel slammed into his face with brutal force, launching him backward. He crashed into the wall, his nose seemingly broken from the impact.
"Tch... damn it," Kanye cursed, walking back to check his score.
The display read: 87.
"So much for a spectacle, O Great Kanye," Harden said, taunting him.
"You think you could survive a second in there?" Kanye snapped.
"No," Harden replied calmly. "Unlike you... I'll survive a minute," he added with a smile, stepping toward the platform.