Chapter 16: You Think You're the Only One Who Can Shoot?

Sheng Huaian’s long arrow grazed past Tanaka Mari and Wang Laicai.

Tanaka Mari’s expression turned icy. She stood up from the chariot forged of flames, the halo of light behind her head growing increasingly dazzling. She held a circular bronze mirror covered by a black cloth, her fingers gripping one corner of the fabric.

Wang Laicai hurriedly intervened, "Sister, sister, please stay calm! The score is what matters!"

Wang Laicai had teamed up with Tanaka Mari, coasting comfortably all the way to the final circle, and she had no desire to end up without even a passing grade. Seeing Jiang Tang’s boat sunk by Sheng Huaian, she couldn't help but sigh, "Sheng Huaian is being way too ruthless, isn't he? He isn't giving his own fiancée any face at all?"

The sheer power of that arrow—even just grazing past them—had felt like being plunged into a raging inferno, as if they could be roasted into charcoal at any moment. Fortunately, that arrow hadn't been aimed at them.

While Wang Laicai breathed a sigh of relief, the thought "Just as expected" crossed her mind. She felt that Jiang Tang’s ability to reach the top five proved her strength was formidable, but the gap in power was clear; it was only natural for her journey to end here. Still, she couldn't fathom how Jiang Tang had managed to offend Sheng Huaian.

"Sigh, if only she had agreed to team up with us, she might have been able to secure third or even second place!"

Wang Laicai tapped her smart device to check the rankings and scores. Jiang Tang was still in first place with 68 points. Sheng Huaian was second with 59.5. Tanaka Mari was third with 57 points. Chen Xu and Wang Laicai were fourth and fifth, both at 53.

Wang Laicai glanced back at Chen Xu and muttered, "That guy’s presence is truly invisible. If only I could make a fortune in silence like that..."

Tanaka Mari, her features delicate and calm, lowered her eyes to observe the exotic beasts covering the surface of the sea. Although killing these creatures could earn points, all of them were here for the 1,000-point boss; they had no interest in these trivial scraps.

The creatures floated on the sea, surrounding the five pillars of water, all staring fixedly at the center of the pillars where the boss was currently regenerating its strength. The fish-headed, human-bodied monster had just poked its upper torso out of the whirlpool, gripping the seawater as if it were solid ground, clumsily hauling itself up. Its speed was slow, yet Tanaka Mari felt an inexplicable sense of unease.

The five towering water spouts blocked the four of them. The violent power of the pillars was something no one dared to cross lightly.

Chen Xu, wearing black-rimmed glasses and possessing a lean, slightly gloomy demeanor, pushed up his spectacles. "This is the boss's invincibility mechanism at its birth; it’s not a major issue. As long as we can make the boss bleed, the battle will inevitably begin. I happen to have a guaranteed-hit weapon; the sooner we get in, the better our chances."

So, the only thing to resolve was the current wall of water spouts.

Wang Laicai stepped forward voluntarily. "I can pause time for 0.1 seconds. How about we use that gap to slip through?" 0.1 seconds sounded short—and in reality, it was indeed fleeting—only enough for one person to pass through.

There were four people present. Even excluding the less combat-oriented Wang Laicai, there were three top-five contenders. Who would claim the "first blood" became a new problem. In the evaluation of an MVP, the weight of the first blood was significant.

Wang Laicai naturally hoped Tanaka Mari would take the opportunity, but she looked at the other two. Chen Xu had contributed the guaranteed-hit weapon, and as for Sheng Huaian...

Sheng Huaian stood before the three of them with a calm expression, but everyone knew he would not yield the first blood. Tanaka Mari stroked the cloth-covered mirror, and Chen Xu’s hands hung naturally at his sides, though a cold glint flickered intermittently at his cuffs.

Wang Laicai’s face turned bitter. Sheng Huaian had low betting odds, and she didn't want him to take first place—she wouldn't make any money. But since everyone was currently on the verge of failing, they needed to secure their points first rather than breaking into a fight at the slightest disagreement. It was the little people like her who would suffer!

Forced into a corner, Wang Laicai had to play the peacemaker. "Everyone, listen to me. This is just a preliminary exam; it’s not worth ruining our classmate friendship over a single MVP, right? After this, there’s the midterm, the final, and even the official Inter-School League isn't far off. Let’s just treat this exam as a warm-up to get to know each other."

With that, she tugged on her best friend’s sleeve, signaling her to stand down. Tanaka Mari’s fingers left the black cloth, though they remained within reach to be whipped away at a moment’s notice. This was barely a signal of reconciliation.

Sheng Huaian also took a step back. "I’ll take this MVP, but I can split one-third of the credits with you."

"Two-thirds. There are two groups of us," Chen Xu countered, feeling the offer was too low.

Tanaka Mari nodded; since she had Wang Laicai on her side, she needed a larger share.

Sheng Huaian sneered. Were they trying to fleece him? "Impossible."

Seeing that a fight was brewing again, Wang Laicai had to step in once more. Ultimately, after much haggling, Sheng Huaian managed to trade half of the credits earned from this exam for the opportunity to land the first blood.

Chen Xu handed Sheng Huaian a bronze card: "Attach this to your arrow."

Sheng Huaian checked the card’s attributes.

[Eye of Horus (Replica): Guaranteed-hit buff, applicable to A-rank and below. One-time use card, must be redrawn after use.]

Wang Laicai also brought out her trump card, a silver-grade item: [Tool: Withered Branch of the World Tree]. If it had been a fresh branch, it would have been a gold-grade card.

Upon using the card, time and space stagnated for an instant. The pause was so rapid that an ordinary person could not have captured it, but Sheng Huaian had already vanished from his spot.

"His speed... he’s almost touching the threshold of S-rank, isn't he?" Wang Laicai whispered in awe.

Tanaka Mari pursed her lips slightly and gave a soft "Mm."

On the other side, Sheng Huaian was nearly torn apart by the water spouts. His speed was already incredibly fast to others, but only he knew how precarious it had been to cross. Fortunately, he succeeded.

By now, two-thirds of the boss’s body had crawled out of the whirlpool. A golden bow suddenly appeared in his hands. Sheng Huaian nocked an arrow, drew the bow, and activated the Eye of Horus simultaneously, aiming the sharp tip at the boss’s skull. He harbored another thought: to kill it in one strike, monopolize the victory, and end the instance.

Golden sunlight condensed at the arrow's tip, forming a point of pure, scorching heat.

Sheng Huaian released the string.

A streak of golden light flashed past his eyes, piercing straight through the boss’s entire skull.

It wasn't his arrow.

Mechanically, he turned his eyes to look at the figure standing in the air in the distance.

[Congratulations to Student Jiang Tang for successfully killing the boss!]

[Congratulations to Student Jiang Tang for becoming the MVP of this exam!]

[Congratulations to Student Jiang Tang for earning 1,000 points!]

Following the three "congratulations," there was absolute silence inside and outside the exam.

Outside the arena, Lia cheered, waving her hands in excitement, "Yay!"

Old Sun in the teaching office also let out a breath of relief. That was close—he had almost jumped off the rooftop. With trembling hands, he lit a cigarette.

[First place in this exam: Jiang Tang]

[The instance has ended prematurely. Candidates, please prepare for extraction!]

[Kills made during the collection period are invalid!]

[Please note: The passing rate for this exam is low. Remaining students, please prepare for the make-up exam!]

Wails of despair filled the area outside the exam hall.

Inside the arena, Jiang Tang slowly lowered her bow and arrow, arrogantly holding up her middle finger toward Sheng Huaian. "Do you really think you're the only one who knows how to shoot?"