NOVEL NEXT Chapter 63: Hill
Backpacks hit the dirt. Dozens of students scattered in all directions, some sprinting downhill, others diving into bushes like frightened squirrels.
The instructors roared.
"GET BACK HERE, YOU COWARDS!"
"YOU DROP THAT BAG, YOU FAIL!"
"THE BULLETS ARE RUBBER, NOT CURSED! KEEP MOVING!"
In the midst of chaos, only six first years stood their ground.
Ji Chen's wind mana flared as he conjured gusts to deflect the incoming shots. His figure blurred as he dashed uphill like a leaf dancing on a storm. To him who was from the Ji Clan, this sort of training was nothing.
Jennifer Aquafrost's expression was calm and cold. She summoned icy barriers that bloomed like lotus petals around her which intercepted the rubber bullets with effortless grace.
Zhao Rui roared like a beast, his fire mana erupting to create waves of heat distortion. The air around him shimmered violently, causing the bullets to veer just enough to graze instead of strike.
Fatty screamed.
"WHY IS THIS HAPPENING TO ME?!" he wailed as he threw himself behind a conveniently placed rock and hugged his backpack like it might shield him from fate. "DON'T KILL ME, I'M TOO HANDSOME TO DIE!"
To his credit, he didn't run. And he didn't drop the bag. Technically still a pass.
The mysterious girl moved like a shadow, gliding just behind Damien Bloodbane. Her form was compact, her steps light. She made no dramatic displays of magic, but each time a bullet came close, her body shifted with surgical grace to avoid it.
She followed Damien as though she belonged in his wake.
And Super Soldier Damien Bloodbane was actually the best performer of the training program at that moment.
He weaved left, then right. He dropped into a roll and sprang back up. He vaulted off a boulder, dodged midair, and kept sprinting without breaking stride.
His backpack, which was twice as heavy as the others due to Professor Kong Hu's "special adjustment", looked like a prop.
He didn't even need to use mana.
Not one rubber bullet touched him.
On the ridge, one of the third-year shooters blinked in disbelief.
"Who the hell is that guy?"
"I shot at him twice! But he dodged like he knew where I was aiming!"
"Did he just jump over a bullet?!"
"Shoot them properly!" Professor Wu roared at the second and third years. "If even a single one of them managed to escape unharmed, all of you will run fifty kilometers with backpacks filled with wet sand!"
"Yes sir!" Came the enthusiastic roars of the second and third years.
Instantly, the shooting intensified and bullets rained down on the screaming year ones like rain in a thunderstorm.
From below, Professor Kong Hu grinned like a proud executioner.
"Oh yeah," he muttered, hands behind his back. "Now it's getting good."
"Only six left unharmed. Top of the rock pile. All of you, focus fire!" Roared the class leader of the third years.
At his command, every single one of the six hundred second year and third year students started to shoot at the six of them, causing many of the other first years to cry in relief and happiness.
Zhao Rui was the first to get hit.
A rubber bullet slammed into his thigh with a sharp thud, and his whole leg buckled mid-stride.
"ARGH, you sons of—!" he cursed, clutching the burning spot. But he didn't fall. Gritting his teeth, flames flaring slightly at his boots, he charged forward even harder, using the pain like fuel.
Next was Fatty.
A bullet hit him right on the backside.
"AAAAAAGHHH! MY ASS! THEY SHOT MY ASS!" he screamed, flailing dramatically as he dove behind a nearby boulder. "BOSS! I'VE BEEN ASSASSINATED!"
But after thirty seconds of pitiful whimpering, he peeked around the rock, realized the hailstorm of rubber had moved on, and scrambled back into the trail, wheezing like a broken kettle but still moving.
Jennifer Aquafrost didn't scream. She didn't flinch. When a bullet caught her in the ribs, she simply paused, just once, and narrowed her eyes.
The frost around her shimmered, thickened, and coated her uniform in a sheen of magical ice.
Then she resumed her march, snowflakes swirling in her wake.
Ji Chen was next. A shot grazed his shoulder, tearing through fabric with a harsh snap.
He stopped, turned briefly to glance toward the shooter's perch with a look that promised future retribution, then vanished in a gust of wind, reappearing farther up the hill like nothing had happened.
That left only two targets.
Damien Bloodbane. The girl.
"ONLY TWO LEFT! DON'T LET THEM REACH THE TOP!"
"CONCENTRATE FIRE!"
Every barrel turned toward them.
A full six hundred second and third years unleashed hellfire. The sky above Damien Bloodbane darkened with rubber bullets, a roaring, chaotic storm of pain and fury.
And yet, not a single one hit.
Damien Bloodbane darted left, veered right, then rolled low across the incline like a leaf caught in a perfect wind. His backpack which was loaded with rocks seemed to weigh nothing at all. He moved like a dancer, a predator, a shadow stitched to the earth. Every movement was precise. Every burst of speed carried him from tree to boulder, from ridge to hollow, using the terrain like it had been built for him.
"God damn it! Is he a damn monkey on steroids or what?"
"That little shit is using the terrain against us! Aim your spells carefully!"
"That son of a bitch is outplaying us!" someone cried, voice caught between awe and disbelief.
"Fuck he's good. He's damn good!"
From below, Professor Wu's jaw slowly dropped. "He's not even using mana." he muttered.
Professor Bai Lian's gaze sharpened like a drawn blade. "No aura. No visible technique. Just instinct and movement. That… Is he beyond "Exceptional" grade?"
Even Professor Kong Hu was blinking in disbelief.
The bullets couldn't touch him.
He was weaving through them, slipping between shots like he could see the future.
Beside him, the mysterious girl followed closely, her movement just as fluid, though with none of the drama. She didn't dodge as much as she flowed—her figure flickering, fading, reappearing.
Her expression was perfectly neutral, but her eyes flicked toward Damien Bloodbane occasionally, like she was comparing notes in real time.
The storm raged on.
The shooters screamed and reloaded.
But Damien Bloodbane never slowed.
He was going to reach the top without a single mark on him. And everyone, every single person on that hill, finally knew it.