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The first day of the Extreme Challenger didn't have many people.

More people came out of curiosity, wanting to see what it was all about, just to join in the fun.

Because of the substantial prize money and the prize of overseas travel, even those who aren't interested in video games came to see what it was all about.

Taiga Oono was just one inconspicuous person among them.

In each directly managed authorized store, there are now more than a hundred game consoles set up, enough for challengers to come and try their luck.

Since registration is free, even those who don't play games will still choose to register and receive a number tag. When their number is called, players can start their challenge.

For this challenge, all the game consoles have been specially modified, with built-in timing programs to facilitate uniform statistics by store staff when closing at night.

Early in the morning, over a hundred game consoles were already occupied.

Some challengers are just passersby, and each person only gets one chance to clear the game, with a set time limit.

For games like Metroid, which require a long time to clear, a limit of three hours is set.

For games like Mario and Contra, a limit of one hour is set for clearing. Finally, Tetris doesn't have a specific time limit; as long as the game ends, it counts as completing the challenge.

"Hello, sir, please stamp your seal here."

Taiga Oono arrived at the registration desk, where a store clerk was explaining the basic rules of game registration and the specific content of the challenge games to everyone.

In Japan, the legal effect of a seal is sometimes higher than that of a signature. Just stamping the seal represents one's agreement to the agreement.

The agreement contains some restrictions to prevent multiple challenges and prohibit the use of methods other than the rules.

One by one, the registered players stamped their seals and received a number tag, waiting for their turn.

Taiga Oono didn't rush to register; after all, there's half a month for the challenge, so he can wait and see for now.

The spacious hall now seems a bit noisy, but fortunately, there are specially hired security guards to maintain order, and there haven't been any serious incidents.

And those challengers who are already sitting in front of the game consoles are concentrating intently on the screens.

These players seem a bit cautious; each time they clear a game, they wipe away sweat and let out a sigh of relief.

Taiga Oono also watched the challengers' processes attentively.

After all, these players will be his competitors for the prizes. It's better to see their general abilities first.

It's just slightly regrettable that the rankings cannot be updated in real-time now. The rankings for today can only be seen tomorrow.

But Taiga Oono didn't come back empty-handed.

Among the many challengers, ninety percent of them are actually just trying their luck.

Some of them haven't even played games before, and when they first started, they seemed a bit awkward, and soon the game would end.

Games like Contra, Super Mario, and Metroid end as soon as the player runs out of lives, and there's no chance for multiple respawns during a challenge.

So at the beginning, these challengers generally couldn't hold on for more than ten minutes and were not even considered competitors.

This slightly boosted Taiga Oono's confidence, feeling that he at least has some skill among these people and is not a total newbie.

But among these people, there are also some quite capable ones.

They can generally finish the challenge before running out of lives or reaching the time limit.

But none of them can surpass him. He did a test yesterday; at his limit, he can complete Super Mario in close to twelve minutes.

Contra can be completed in twenty-seven minutes, and Metroid can be completed within two hours.

But these people almost always finish just before the time limit, at their limit.

Most people can't even hold on until level twelve in Tetris, but Taiga Oono can hold on until level fourteen.

This clearly distinguishes him from the rest.

Around noon, in this store, confirming that there are hardly any competitors comparable to him, he immediately ran to the next store to check the situation.

Today is mainly reconnaissance. Since he has already decided to win the prize, he must study carefully.

He believes that he is more prepared than anyone else and should at least be able to get first place in one of the games.

He is most confident in Mario and Tetris, but there are still some threats from the other two games, as he saw a few challengers with times close to his own.

He stayed in this store until around four in the afternoon.

Similar to the previous store, most people here are just trying their luck, and there are hardly any who can clear the game normally, let alone speedrun.

His confidence has also greatly increased, and he stayed in the next store until around eight or nine in the evening before returning home with a hungry stomach.

"Yukie, why are you back so late today?"

Because Taiga Oono hadn't come back all day, his mother was a bit worried, until Taiga Oono came back, she finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"I went to the game store."

"And stayed there all day? Did you buy anything?"

"No... I'm starving. Mom, is there anything to eat?"

"Yes, yes, dinner is still warm." Taiga Oono's mother said with some concern.

Taiga Oono immediately ran to the kitchen, not even bothering to take the food out of the kitchen, and started eating hungrily.

"Mom, can you prepare a bento for me tomorrow?"

"Of course, but are you going out again tomorrow? What exactly are you planning to do?"

Taiga Oono thought for a moment, then said earnestly, "Mom, would you believe me if I said I might have found my future direction, and maybe I can have my own business?"

Taiga Oono's mother widened her eyes, and after waiting for a few seconds, her eyes filled with tears.

"Mom... why are you crying?" Taiga Oono immediately stopped eating, feeling a bit flustered.