Love?

As Crudele prepared for the test, the stakes felt higher than ever. This wasn't just a test of physical prowess but also a significant challenge of strategy and teamwork.

Crudele's mind raced with possibilities. What if the test was designed to mislead them? The school was known for its trickery and unconventional methods. He couldn't shake the feeling that there might be more to this test than met the eye.

"What if they're hiding something? Or altering the rules in some way?" Crudele thought to himself. "I can't jump to conclusions just yet. I'll need to gather more information and keep my guard up."

He decided to stay vigilant and observe the situation closely. There might be clues hidden in the details or in the behavior of the instructors and other students. For now, he would proceed with caution and be ready for any unexpected twists the test might throw his way.

"Alright, students, let's head to the site where this test will be held," the announcer said with a confident grin. As he spoke, some teachers wheeled in a circular frame similar to the one Crudele had seen at the stadium, though this one was slightly smaller and had a multitude of wires connected to it.

"Bzzzz..."

The teleporter began to glow, a blue spiral forming within the frame. The sight was both mesmerizing and slightly unnerving.

"You may already know what this is, but if not, let me enlighten you. This is a teleporter machine, and it will take us directly to our destination," the announcer explained, stepping through the frame. "Now, let's form a line and follow me one by one."

Crudele joined the line with the other students, feeling a mix of anticipation and anxiety. This was it—the moment they had been preparing for. He glanced around at the other students, wondering who his partner would be and what challenges they would face together. With a deep breath, he stepped forward, ready to face whatever lay ahead.

After passing through the blue spiral, Crudele found himself under a clear blue sky, surrounded by numerous towering, ten-story abandoned buildings. It was a surreal and eerie landscape, the silence only broken by the occasional breeze.

The announcer began calling out names one by one. Crudele waited patiently, his mind racing with strategies and plans for the test. As each name was called, students stepped forward to receive badges marked with their building number and team designation. The pairs then split off from the main group, heading toward their assigned buildings.

"Crudele Valerius and Bella Montgomery."

As Crudele's name was called, he stepped out from the group and walked toward the announcer. From the other side, a girl with lime green hair, highlighted with yellow stripes at the ends, approached. Her stunning beauty drew envious glances from some of the other guys, but it was her H cup melons that caused Crudele's eyes to widen. He quickly refocused his attention on the mission, determined not to be distracted.

The announcer handed them both badges with the number 70 engraved on them, indicating their designated building. With a nod, Crudele and Bella left the rest of the group, heading toward building 70 together.

"Ooo, you're the one who ranked 12th, right?" Bella broke the silence first.

"Yeah," Crudele replied, "and what rank did you get, Bella?"

"You can call me Bell if you want. I placed 124th on the leaderboard. I know that rank is way lower than yours, but most of the students scored in my range, so I consider it average," she said with a shrug.

"You and the other top 15 are just built different, and that's why I felt relieved when I heard your name as my knight in shining armor," Bell said.

"And that's where you lost, Bell," Crudele replied.

She looked a bit confused. "What do you mean?"

"Never consider yourself inferior to those who just scored higher than you this one time. Everyone is strong in some category. Rather than feeling inferior, think of it as they just worked harder than you this time, but you'll work even harder next time you get a chance to prove yourself."

He continued, "Everyone has strong and weak points. The test might have been your weak point and their strong point, which is why you scored lower. But there's no point in thinking you can't get as strong as others. In the end, hard work beats talent."

Hearing Crudele's words, Bell's eyes widened as if she were seeing a bright light in her previously hopeless journey. Tears started to fall from her eyes as she got emotional, and she quickly hugged him. Her chest pressed against his, causing Crudele's face to turn bright red.

"B-B-Bell, y-your t-that is t-touching me," he stuttered, his face redder than a tomato.

"Let me stay in this warm, bright light a little longer," Bell said, her voice trembling with emotion. "After seeing the ranks of my peers who scored higher, I was scared I might lose my lifelong dream of joining my father and mother in the NSHO."

She continued, her voice breaking, "Throughout my life, I've lived with my grandmother and only saw my parents during their three-month vacations. I thought I could be with them forever if I made it into the NSHO somehow."

Crudele's expression turned serious upon hearing her words, and he hugged her tightly. "Hey, don't cry. Everything will be alright. You'll definitely meet your parents, but to do that, we need to work hard together in this test. So, wipe your tears."

Bell nodded, her tears slowly drying as she took comfort in Crudele's words. "Yeah, okay."

Crudele momentarily forgot his earlier concerns, but as the situation settled, he became acutely aware of the two large melons pressing against his chest.

"Aww, look at him," a group of two girls remarked as they headed to their designated building. "Not just a top-tier student, but also a top-tier playboy."

Hearing their comments, Crudele and Bell quickly separated from each other.

"I think we should get going," Bell said, a hint of embarrassment in her voice.

"Yeah," Crudele agreed, nodding.

The building they were assigned to was just eight buildings away. As they walked, Crudele maintained a serious expression the entire time, but his mind was racing.

Aaaaaaaaa, what the heck did she just say? "I felt relieved when I heard your name as my knight with shining armor"—bullshit! There's no way a girl I just met would say that, and that hug... Aaaaaaaaaa! I'm losing my mind. She's definitely hitting on me, otherwise, this makes no sense. But what should I do? I don't hate the idea of having a girlfriend with huge melons and a cute face, but what if that was her genuine reaction? I don't want to be the guy who takes advantage of an emotionally vulnerable girl. I definitely don't want to come off as that kind of jerk.

Crudele's thoughts spun in confusion as he tried to make sense of the situation.

"But…" he glanced sideways at Bell and saw a faint blush on her face.

*I defi-fucking-nitely have a chance,* he thought, suddenly calming down as he noticed her blush.

"Aaa, where are you going? We're already here," Bell said, watching Crudele walk past their designated building.

"Sorry, I just got a little distracted," Crudele replied, shaking off his thoughts.

"Ah, no, it's my fault for making things weird," Bell said, looking away.

"You're just overthinking. Let's enter the building," he said, stepping closer to her.

"If I remember correctly, the announcer said the timer starts when we step into the building," she noted.

"Yeah, you're right. But we wouldn't know the time inside the building. That could be a big problem," Crudele acknowledged, glancing at the entrance.

"Yeah, Crudele, what type of ability do you have? Of course, only if you're comfortable sharing," Bell asked, genuinely curious.

"Hmm, I can power up my attributes up to 10 times, but every power-up costs 1 RBC energy every 10 seconds," Crudele explained.

"Ooh, that's impressive. I can transform anything into a solid form, but the drawback is I can only create things up to 10 kgs," Bell shared.

"Now that's a useful ability in the supportive field. Why did you choose to be a combatant if you have such a good affinity for support?" Crudele inquired.

"Because both of my parents are combatants, so I didn't have much of a choice," Bell admitted, a hint of resignation in her voice.

"Bell, what did you choose in the option section?" Crudele asked, curious about her loadout.

"Oh, I have a plain tunic, an ability enhancer, a gauntlet with fire affinity, a necklace of chaos, and two rings of strength," Bell replied, listing her items.

"Hmmm, your kit seems focused on strength," Crudele observed.

"Yeah, I'm a bit weak physically, so those items help me a lot, especially in the first test. The ability enhancer is a lifesaver—it makes the items I create permanent, which I couldn't do before," Bell explained, a hint of pride in her voice as she talked about her strategic choices.

"Speaking of ability enhancers, I didn't even activate mine during the first test," Crudele admitted with a nonchalant shrug.

Bell looked at him, a bit stunned. "Huh, really? You didn't use it at all?"

"Yeah, I kind of forgot about it until you just reminded me," Crudele replied, scratching the back of his head.

Bell couldn't help but think about how talented Crudele must be to have performed so well without even utilizing such a crucial item. She watched as he pulled out the ability enhancer from his pocket.

"Let me use it right away," he said, casually breaking the item within his palm.

Ding!

[Congratulations]

Prime Surge Enhanced:

Every RBC energy will now activate the ability for 15 seconds.

10<15 seconds.