Chaotic x Conclusion - A Nightmare Unfolds… Blood and Ice
Alex notices the remaining eight candidates discussing something quietly. Wasting no time, he casts his votes: for candidate No. 2 to be eliminated and for himself, No. 7, to become the leader. If possible, I don't want Emma eliminated and allowed to leave this world. I need her gone… permanently! Voting for a random examinee makes more sense, he thinks.
From time to time, Alex peers into the main room through the open door and narrow tunnel. The group is still huddled together, talking in low voices. Feeling isolated, Alex loudly complains, "How about you include me, your master, in your talk? This lying bitch will lead you all to your deaths, I can promise you that! If you talk with me, we might actually resolve this peacefully. I even found a way for more than one person to pass this exam! In fact, I can 100% assure you that more than one can pass. If everyone votes for the new leader to be eliminated as well, then no one will actually be eliminated, and everyone can move on! But this witch? She knew that and used it to strengthen her position, playing dictator. She wants to get rid of you first and only let her closest team members move on with her!"
Alex's lies are as blatant as ever. He knows full well that even if people aside from the leader receive zero votes, it would count as a tie, and someone would be randomly eliminated regardless.
"WHAT??" someone shouts, finally snapping.
"Is that true???" another asks.
These people aren't too bright… I guess there are hunters who only rely on physical ability, Alex thinks with a smug grin. His nonsense is finally starting to show results.
"YES, IT IS!" Alex shouts with mock sincerity. "Do you really think the examiners would eliminate 90% of us in this fourth exam? There's bound to be one or two exams left. It makes no sense to eliminate 90% of us now. Think about it! This exam is about seeing if we can put aside our differences, but this witch immediately turned it into a game of revenge, acting out her secret fantasies! You will all lose if you trust her. She's a snake…"
Alex glances at his left hand, still conjuring Mustrano's Malice Mauler lvl 3, and adds mentally, …No offense, Mustrano.
"None taken, hee hee. I like how thissss exxxaaam issss going… kill them all…!" Mustrano's sinister whisper fills Alex's mind, clearly thrilled with the chaos unfolding.
"He's right!" one of the examinees declares. A few of them, apparently believing Alex, turn away from Emma's group. Three candidates break away and huddle in a different corner, clearly puzzled and uncertain.
Alex continues his performance, trying to "reason" with the remaining candidates. If you can even call my crazy lies reasoning, he thinks. I guess desperate situations make even reasonable people believe pure nonsense. The rules are clear—there's no secret, no "smart" solution to this. This is a cruel, hard task where 90% of us are destined to fail. The only real secret is that force can be used inside the voting room, flipping this whole thing from a social challenge into brute survival. No wonder the walls are reinforced. Heh.
"OKAY. I TRUST YOU. LET ME INSIDE THE VOTING ROOM!" someone suddenly screams.
Alex looks up to see it's one of Emma's group members—not one of the three who had already distanced themselves.
"Okay, no problem! Hands up while you enter," Alex says, smiling.
As soon as the man steps inside, Alex immediately plunges his claw into the man's throat, nearly beheading him. The man's head dangles grotesquely from his body before he collapses to the floor.
You have dealt 60 x 3 = 180 damage to Examinee No. 710.
You have killed Examinee No. 710.
"Too bad. He had a hidden weapon and was trying to kill me. I see that woman is still using her tricks, sacrificing her pawns to take me out instead of doing it herself," Alex says, his tone cold and mocking. He's clearly intent on ending this exam here and now.
The remaining candidates, who had just witnessed the examinee's brutal death, tremble in fear. One of them exclaims, "Do you see his claw? That's not human! This guy is a monster! His claw is pure evil! The other guy was killed with one attack also—it tore open his arteries and poisoned him. We can't win!"
"I WANT OUT! I WANT OUT!" screams another candidate, one of the three who had left the group earlier and now stands apart, consumed by panic.
The voice of an examiner echoes through the speakers: "The door you entered from is open. You can leave at any time."
Without hesitation, the terrified candidate bolts out of the room, leaving Alex wondering how someone so weak-willed managed to make it this far.
Six enemies left, Alex thinks, and two of them are already doubting their shaky group. Not too bad. Emma herself is a weak fighter, and these others can only attack me AFTER they enter this room, since attacks in the large room are forbidden. This isn't actually a problem like I first thought—it's a huge advantage for me. The door is narrow, so they can only come at me one at a time. Heh.
Alex notices Emma walking over to the two candidates who had separated earlier. She whispers something to them, pulling them back into the group.
"10 minutes left to cast your vote!" a voice booms through the room.
Suddenly, Alex sees all the remaining candidates glance toward him and the voting room. In unison, they start sprinting toward the door.
Alex curses under his breath. Guess that's the only shot they've got. He quickly activates Sealion's Icewing Embrace lvl 3, not caring about revealing his abilities since his claw has already made it clear, that he is not a normal examinee and has access to Nen-like abilities. There's no doubt the examiners have taken notice.
Cold mist begins to fill the voting room as Alex conceals himself behind the wall, staying out of sight. The icy vapor swirls ominously, hinting at his presence.
The other candidates stop in their tracks, visibly unsettled by the sudden change in the room's atmosphere. "What the fuck is this?" one of them says, fear thick in their voice. "I just saw him encasing himself in ice! He's a monster! The room is freezing—it's magic!"
Alex's cold voice cuts through the mist: "I'll kill you all if you enter. How about you send her in first, if you're so eager to throw away your lives?"
Finally, someone snaps. A burly, older man with an evil grin, who hasn't uttered a single word until now, suddenly shouts like a berserker: "I'LL KILL YOU FREAKS BOTH! GUYS, BACK ME UP. SHOVE HER INSIDE AND USE HER AS A SHIELD! GET RID OF THE SNAKE AND THE MONSTER AT THE SAME TIME!"
"YES!" one examinee agrees.
"OKAY, LET'S DO IT!" another chimes in.
"NO! What are you doing? You only came this far because of me! STOP, PLEASE! I BEG YOU! THIS IS AGAINST THE RULES! YOU CAN'T USE FORCE TO SHOVE ME, STOP! HELP I GIVE UP STOPPPP!" Emma pleads, her voice trembling with shock and desperation.
Alex silently agrees with her, but it's clear no one is going to stop them. He watches as the last five examinees grab Emma, hold her up in front of them, and then hurl her toward him as they charge into the small room.
No time to hold back. I'll use frost spells so they think this conjuration ability gives me elemental magic, Alex quickly strategizes.
Emma is thrown at Alex, while the others spread out to surround him, trying to attack from all sides.
Without hesitation, Alex drives his claw straight into Emma's throat. A sickening cackle echoes through the room as Mustrano's Malice Mauler lvl 3 pierces her flesh.
"HEEEEEE HEEEEEE HEEEEEEEEE HEEEEEEE DIE! YOU WILL ALL DIE!!!!!!" Alex claw bellows.
As the claw drives into her throat, an icy aura bursts into her body. A vile, gurgling sound escapes Emma's mangled throat before she collapses like a puppet with its strings cut. The deranged laughter from Alex's claw continues, its chilling voice filling the room:
"HEEE HEEE HEEE BLOOD! MORE BLOOD! THISSSS FROZZZEN POWER COURSSSING THROUGH ME— I LIKE IT! MORE! I NEED MORE!"
The remaining candidates freeze in horror, unable to act. Their plan to use Emma as a shield backfires as the crazed, frost-empowered Mustrano's voice echoes, shocking them to their core.
You have dealt 68 x 3 = 204 damage to Emma Kramer.
You have dealt 14 damage to Emma Kramer.
You have killed Emma Kramer.
You receive [Bloody Chest].
You receive [Bloody Chest].
Alex immediately casts an AoE version of Blizzard, targeting three enemies who had spread out but remained within range.
Nimbus Cloak effect activates - Increasing Evasion by 5%, and Movement speed by 40%
You have dealt 35 damage to Examinee No. 476.
You have slowed Examinee No. 476.
You have dealt 31 damage to Examinee No. 365.
You have slowed Examinee No. 365.
You have dealt 34 damage to Examinee No. 299.
You have slowed Examinee No. 299.
He then turns his attention to the burly man who had taken charge earlier. Alex readies a mighty "Blizzard Sword" and swings it toward him. The man raises a thick metal stick, his weapon of choice, to block.
Nimbus Cloak effect activates - Increasing Evasion by 5%, and Movement speed by 40%
The blade cuts cleanly through the stick, slicing it in half, and continues through to land on the man's chest.
You have dealt 54 + 61 = 115 damage to Examinee No. 13.
You have dealt 15 damage to Examinee No. 13.
To Alex's shock, the man is still alive. Without hesitation, Alex drives Toxic Breakthrough lvl 3 into him.
You have dealt 54 damage to Examinee No. 13.
You have caused a bleeding to Examinee No. 13.
You have poisoned Examinee No. 13.
You have killed Examinee No. 13.
Not stopping for a second, Alex charges at the three slowed examinees, who are visibly shaking from the cold and sheer panic. He strikes relentlessly with his [Sword of Pluto], alternating between slashes and stabbing attacks with his claw.
You have killed Examinee No. 476.
You have killed Examinee No. 365.
You have killed Examinee No. 299.
"HEEE HEEE HEEE. ALREADY OVER? I WANT MORE!" Mustrano's voice bellows, echoing through the now blood-drenched and frost-covered room.
The tiny voting room is a hellish sight, with blood pooling on the ground and freezing into beautiful crimson crystals in places. The walls glisten with frost, framing the grotesque scene of carnage and chaos—a nightmare painted with blood and ice.
Finally, Alex deactivates Sealion's Icewing Embrace and surveys the room. Six bodies lie lifeless on the ground—no one else remains alive.
His eyes fall on the loot he's acquired: two [Bloody Chests] from Emma. It confirms what he suspected, Emma had stolen the [Bloody Chest] from the player who had died during the journey through the Sinerva Forest.
Looks like Bloody Chests always drop from other players, Alex realizes. That means a player like me, holding nine of them, would drop ten chests if I were killed! That could make me a massive target. Good thing I figured that out now… He counts his spoils. And now I have 11 chests total.
Leaving the small voting room, Alex steps into the now completely empty common area. The silence is deafening.
Alex sighs. He doesn't regret his decision, but a faint shadow of remorse lingers in his mind. I made the choice to survive. I can't afford to hesitate. Anyone, Player or NPC, if they stand in my way, I'll get rid of them.
Suddenly, a voice echoes through the room: "Examinee No. 777… that was a curious decision you made. We saw everything through the cameras. Now, you may leave the building. It looks like this task is over for you as well. Oh, and cancel that freaky claw on your left hand immediately, or I might have to take action myself."
Alex's expression twists in shock. FUCK… BUSHIDORA!
It looks like they aren't going to accept my crazy antics after all… shit! Alex thinks… slightly panicking.
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