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nThe teenage girl had already let go of the student she had used as a meat shield. He was only waking up now, still dazed and confused about what had happened to him in his final moments. It took him a few moments to understand what had happened, and he was currently staring at the one responsible for his elimination.

n“Diego Nascimento, you have been eliminated. Please leave the room together with Rick Toenail!” The mechanical voice sounded as a door opened up. “The rest of you, please be patient for a moment, as we still need to discuss amongst each other about the results.”

n“Haha, are you worried that they’re not going to let you pass?” The spiky blonde haired kid from before asked, looking at Xin. Although the professors had yet to enter the room again, the reason for their discussion was clear to the teenagers.

n“Why should I? As I said, I never broke any of their rules, after all. Besides, if they really don’t let me pass…” Xin stopped there. She had just been about to say that she would tell the three who her brother was, but when entering the academy, she had done so under a fake name. It wouldn’t exactly look good if she were to reveal herself, only to make use of Jayden’s name.

n“… I’ll just have to argue my own case.” She eventually finished.

n——

nIndeed, the three professors were currently discussing whether to let Xin pass or not. Technically speaking, she had adhered to the rules, yet the entire purpose of this trial had been to weed out those that wouldn’t be worth their time, and from what they had seen so far she would have certainly failed.

n“Why are we still discussing this? It should be clear that if she were to take this trial again, or do so on her own, there is no way she would pass!” Professor Hai, who was the man with the large belly and muscular arms, was the most vocal about not letting the teenage girl proceed any further.

n“I suppose we could make her retake the test.” His colleague, Professor Wood, suggested. ”However, the element of surprise would be gone, so it wouldn’t be exactly fair to the others that have taken the trial. Coming up with a new one just for her alone seems too troublesome, though.”

nGiving out a big huff, Professor Humfree who wore glasses, let out a sigh. “I agree, the trouble does not seem worth it. Perhaps we should adjust the rules in the future if we wish to prevent such a scenario. Either way, this was only a trial to see if they are worthy to get into the next room.

n“Let’s just allow her to move onto the assessment stage. It will become obvious enough, if she’s someone worth our time or not.”

n“Are you sure?” Hai questioned with a worried look on his face. “Those inside are able to stay for as long as they wish. They only leave when they have to leave, which also means, if we put someone weak like her there… there’s a good chance she won’t come out alive.”

n“A risk that I’m sure she will become aware of quite quickly.” Mr Humfree replied, and with that he pressed a button.

n“Congratulations, all three of you have passed this trial.” The mechanical voice resounded, once more. “However, as you might imagine, this was merely a pre-assessment to see if you have earned the right to stay with us a while longer. I look forward to hopefully greeting you at the academy itself.”

n“For now, please head through the door. My colleague, Professor Hai will lead you to the next trial stage and explain the details.”

n“Next trial stage?” The Panda boy’s voice was energetic, yet his face displayed the same type of energy as it had the entire time. However, he was the first one to head through the door that had newly opened up, the man with the large belly already waiting for them.

n“Follow me.” The professor stated as soon as they all were before him.

n‘I did it, Jayden! I passed the first hurdle. It wasn’t exactly the way I planned, but I still did it.’ Xin thought, as she followed the other two. While walking, though, the adult would turn around from time to time, yet she was the only one who was being stared at, making her feel as if she had done something wrong.

n‘He doesn’t seem happy that I passed… It doesn’t matter, I will show everyone that this is the place that I was meant to be at, and that no one has the right to argue that.’ Xin solemnly swore to do everything by the book at the next trial stage.

nEventually, the three of them had entered another large building. It was separate from the one they had come from, and from the outside it looked like a stadium. It was certainly large enough to be classified as one, albeit the indoor type.

nThrough the doors, the students now entered a gigantic room that had several floors, different areas, libraries and more.

n“As you might have already guessed, this isn’t the main academy. There are no teachers here, nor are there any lessons.” Professor Hai started to explain while walking around. Immediately, the students inside the place turned to look at those who had entered. Some just smirked before going back to what they had been doing, others didn’t seem interested to even look up, while the rest stared long and hard at the newcomers.

n“In fact, this is just a large trial stage set up for all the candidates who have shown promise.” The man continued. “Nevertheless, you’ll be provided with everything you would need to train yourself. No matter your number, you’ll have access to the most basic training rooms, weight lifting equipment, cardio, a gym, library and more.

n“Each one of you will have a personal room assigned to them. How long you stay here is up to you. You are free to leave at any time, though be aware that if you choose to do so, you won’t get a second chance to join the AFA again.

n“You may be wondering, ‘how do I join the real academy’? Well here.” Professor Hai then handed out badges that he instructed them to be placed on the corner of each of their white shirts. The students noticed that all of those in the room had those numbered badges on their shirts as well.

nThe spiky blonde haired boy had been handed 112, the panda boy 113 and finally Xin had been given a 114.

n“Those numbers indicate what room you sleep in. You will quickly notice that there are some differences in your rooms, and the same will be true for your provided meals. If you don’t like it, then I suggest you do your best to try to get a higher number as soon as possible.

n“Only the students numbered 1 to 10 are eligible to join the AFA. To do that, you have to keep your badge for a week. After a week has passed, you’re permitted and out of here. Do take note that the higher your number is when you leave, the more benefits you will enjoy at the academy, so you might think twice about leaving as number 10.”

nListening in, the students understood that this was an environment created to force them to improve. They wished to see how much they wanted to become better and stronger. Without the teachers to guide them, they were the ones that needed to motivate themselves.

nAt the same time, the ones higher up would be treated better.

n“How do we go about getting a higher numbered badge?” Xin asked, getting straight to the point.

n“There are two ways.” The adult answered. “One of them is through assessments. Every week, there will be assessments and trials like the ones that you had gone through just a few moments ago. The better your result, the higher you place.

n“The second option is through a match. People are able to challenge anyone they wish once a day. If that person has already been challenged, you are unable to challenge them again.”

nHe continued to explain a few more things to the group, and showed them around more areas. Finally, he had taken them to their rooms, and just as he stated, the rooms were horrible. They were cold, and Xin’s didn’t even have a bed. It was just that, a small room.

nOn the other hand, opposite hers on the second floor, she could see room number 1. It was designed like that of a palace. They couldn’t see the inside, but if the extravagant door and pillars were anything to judge by, it might look like the inside of a palace.

n“Alright, with that you should be aware of everything. Good luck, and remember what I said.” Professor Hai looked towards Xin. “You can leave whenever you wish. No one is forcing you to stay here.”

nAs he left, the three of them were looking towards each other, unsure what to do. They weren’t friends, they were practically strangers who had only just met, but it was usual for them to feel the need to stick together, due to them being the new strangers at this place.

nHowever, one of them chose to move, heading for the first floor.

n“What is she doing?” The spiky blonde haired boy asked the panda boy.

nHeading down, Xin walked over to a group of boys that were talking away, chatting and sitting on a large circle marbled area next to a few plants. No one seemed to dare to come too close to them.

n“Hey, you, number 1!” Xin called out. “Fight me!”

n******

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