Chapter 149: Chapter149-The Siege
Indeed, as the two had pointed out, many prest were uncertain of passing the assessmt.
With the majority of the assessmt time already elapsed, time was running short, and without a stroke of luck, their chances of tering Star Cluster Academy were slim.
Under these circumstances, why not take a chance?
With the points on John's tally, ev a division among them could sure many would pass the assessmt.
Their gazes met, mutual determination reflected in their eyes.
In the d, many chose to stay behind.
Forming several teams, they drew their weapons, watching John with a mix of caution and resolve.
The allure of 0000 points was ough to push them to gamble with their lives.
Yet, many others turned to leave.
Initially just onlookers, they had no inttion of risking their lives against John.
Now that John seemed prepared to battle others, they naturally preferred to avoid getting involved.
John scanned those who had chos to stay, noting that there were about thirty individuals.
Among them, the truly strong were few; most were those unsure of standing out in this assessmt.
This was somewhat good news amid the bad.
Not far from John, atop a lush, towering tree, stood two figures, one tall and the other short.
The taller one was a burly man with a simple and honest appearance.
The smaller figure was a petite girl with a charming demeanor.
Standing together, they resembled a bear and a raccoon, a stark contrast indeed.
Watching John sured by a crowd, a sly smile played across the girl's cute face.
Hands on her hips, she turned to the giant man beside her and said, "If we can steal someone else's points, why not go straight for the top scorer's? Jonathan, you need to use your brain more, not just your fists. Otherwise, you'll never find a wife."
Jonathan, the burly man named, scratched his head, failing to see the connection betwe using his brain and finding a wife.
Still, he nodded in agreemt, "Sis is right, I'll go take him down now."
It was hard to imagine that these two were siblings.
Just as Jonathan was about to leap down from the tree, his sister Cecilia quickly grabbed his leg, scolding him with a mix of frustration and affection, "What are you doing going down there now? Wait until they've nearly finished fighting, th you go."
Jonathan hesitated.
His sses were unlike ordinary people's; he could tell that John's currt state was not as dire as it seemed.
The main issue was pre-existing injuries, not significant exhaustion from the rect fight.
In fact, Jonathan could sse that John was ev stronger than at the start of the battle.
He wasn't afraid but felt it would be taking advantage of someone's misfortune to attack John after he had fought others.
"Sis, is it really right to do this? Mom taught us not to kick someone wh they're down. How about I wait for him to finish the fight, give him a momt to recover, and th go?" Jonathan expressed his dilemma.
Cecilia rolled her eyes, clearly annoyed, "If this John guy can't hold onto his points, it's his own lack of strgth. What's this about taking advantage? Besides, stealing points is allowed by the rules; it's not cheating. Mom definitely wouldn't blame you."
Chastised severely by his sister, Jonathan hung his head, his rugged face awash with a sse of grievance, like a child who had done something wrong.
This created a striking contrast with his burly physique, an oddity to behold, yet Sister Cecilia seemed all too accustomed to it.
Gazing at Jonathan, she sighed softly, speaking gtly, "You can't always be this kind-hearted. Kind people don't survive in this world, just like our parts. They died because of it, and I don't want the same for you. After all, in this world, you're the only family I have left."
Mtion of their parts brought a look of sorrow to Jonathan's face.
He nodded firmly, asserting, "I understand, Sister. He may be strong, but I will defeat him."
A smile returned to Cecilia's face, her voice filled with pride, "Of course, my brother is the strongest."
Despite having witnessed John's terrifying strgth, Cecilia remained confidt in her brother.
After all, Jonathan wasn't just a platinum-tier awaker with an S-level talt.
He was also God's Chos of the "War God."
…
The sudd shift in the Enchanted Forest left the external audice tak aback.
One spectator spoke indignantly, "Those bastards, taking advantage of John's exhaustion to gang up on him."
Another expressed disdain, "I despise those who have no skill of their own and only know how to launch group attacks."
A third condemned, "These despicable lowlifes, do they really think just racking up points will get them into Star Cluster Academy? People with dishonorable conduct, ev if they are top-notch giuses, would never be accepted by Star Cluster Academy."
…
The audice was filled with righteous indignation, finding the actions of these individuals despicable.
However, there were voices with a differing perspective.
One spectator sneered, "If the rules allow it, why can't they gang up on one person? What's wrong with using the rules to achieve a goal? Passing the assessmt is what matters most, especially wh there's no real harm done."
Another agreed, saying, "Setting aside whether they can join Star Cluster Academy or not, at least if they manage to kill John, they'll pass the selection process and get a chance to join. If they do nothing, they won't have any chance at all."
Someone else shook their head, "John is in danger this time.
These assessmt candidates ar't monsters; they won't be so easily dealt with."
Nodding in agreemt, another added, "Indeed, now that they've sured him, John might have be able to escape under normal circumstances, ev if he couldn't win. But giv his clearly weaked state, escaping will likely be very difficult."
In the spectator stands, these two differing opinions sparked a heated debate.
The majority, who viewed John's situation pessimistically, argued loudly, their faces flushed with emotion.
Seraphina also frowned, a hint of worry flashing in her eyes.
She had always be confidt in John's abilities.
Under normal conditions, ev if John was exhausted, she didn't believe he would lose.
The problem was, Seraphina was well aware that John's injuries had only just begun to heal, making prolonged combat inadvisable.
Theodore shook his head, "The kid might be in trouble.
But this serves as a vivid lesson.
It's not always just about fighting; one must also consider what comes after.
Otherwise, the hard-earned gains might just d up befiting someone else."
Seraphina didn't speak, her gaze fixed on the unfolding sce, holding onto hope for a turna.
On another section of the spectator stands, Silver Tear's beautiful face also showed signs of anger.
Gritting her teeth, she said, "These despicable and shameless people, planning to gang up on John wh he's exhausted. If I ever run into them, th..."
Silver Tear was so furious she seemed ready to explode, while Dark Fox appeared much calmer by comparison.
"The situation may seem unfavorable for John now, but if he decides to run, there might still be a chance. Just watch; after all, John is someone who always manages to surprise."
…
In the Enchanted Forest, the atmosphere was tse with hostility.
John scanned his surings, noting that they had formed four or five temporary groups, each consisting of six or sev individuals.
Most of these people were silver-tier, but there were also a few gold-tier awakers among them.
John gripped his longsword tightly, giving the crowd a cold stare.
In return, they all fixated on him, daring to be the first to strike.
For a momt, everything fell into a tse silce, with nobody willing to make a move.
Finally, someone in the crowd couldn't hold back any longer and shouted angrily, "What are we waiting for? If we wait any longer, his strgth will recover, and th we'll all be eliminated."
Another retorted with a sneer, "Th why don't you go first? You're just afraid of being killed by John yourself. Don't think I don't know what you're thinking."
Before the battle ev began, discord was already brewing within the opposing teams.
After all, these were temporary alliances with no foundation of trust, and were willing to risk their lives for the befit of others.
Witnessing this sce, a smirk formed on John's lips as he suddly spoke up, "Twty thousand points ar't ough for so many of you to pass the assessmt. Inevitably, some will turn on others. So, why not cooperate with me? I can directly give you ough points to pass without fighting. Isn't that better than exhausting yourselves fighting me and risking befiting someone else in the d?"
Ev though they knew John was trying to sow discord among them, already fragile alliances showed signs of ticemt in their eyes.
If what John said was true, that he would give them points without them having to fight, th why should they gage in battle with each other?
John's proposal seemed far more appealing.
At this momt, a warrior clad in armor and wielding a shield stepped forward.
He spoke coldly, "John is trying to divide us. Do you really believe his words? If we really agree to his terms, once he recovers, he'll be the first to come after us for retribution. We must eliminate him!"
A magus nearby sneered, "If you're too scared to act, th just scram. It's only right that you cowards get eliminated. I just hope you don't d up crying wh the time comes."
These words left many faces tinged with both shame and anger.