Chapter 34: The Battle to Defend the City (Part One)

"Hey, wait a second! Weapons have to be returned; you aren't allowed to take them out of the examination hall!"

Seeing Zhou Ke heading off to pillage even more armaments, Wu Bai hurriedly pulled him back.

"Ah, alright then." With his get-rich-quick scheme thwarted, Zhou Ke regretfully unloaded a sword, two sabers, three axes, and several halberds from his person.

Wu Bai was left speechless. Was this guy here to take an exam, or to scavenge for scraps?

"In that case, I'll just take a few less."

"Can't you just take one?" Wu Bai couldn't help but retort.

"These are throwing knives. How could one possibly be enough?" Zhou Ke flicked a thin, willow-leaf blade to make his point.

"..." Wu Bai had nothing to say.

"I have two throwing knives. One is named 'Shoot,' and the other is named 'Ah,'" Zhou Ke joked to himself while strapping on a belt specifically designed for carrying them.

"Don't think I don't know whose lines you're stealing." Seeing Zhou Ke reach for a third knife, Wu Bai asked, "So, what’s your third blade called?"

Zhou Ke blinked, his tone suddenly becoming quite excited: "Are you sure you want me to recite the names of these blades one by one in public?" As he spoke, he went on to collect a fourth and fifth throwing knife.

"No, don't! Please, absolutely not!"

Wu Bai’s expression shifted violently. He finally realized that Zhou Ke had no bottom line. Even someone like him, who had never flinched in the face of a wyvern, took an involuntary step backward at that very moment. He prayed sincerely that he wouldn't be assigned to the same squad as Zhou Ke later.

Yes, to ensure the safety of the candidates, every twenty candidates were assigned one proctor. Proctors were forbidden from helping candidates in any way and could only intervene after a candidate voluntarily forfeited their eligibility. Yet, even with such a distant relationship, Wu Bai wanted no part of Zhou Ke. To put it mildly, chatting with Zhou Ke for a few minutes would ruin his sleep for days. To put it bluntly, he might suffer psychological trauma and see his inner peace shattered.

"Twenty minutes have passed. I trust our candidates have selected suitable weapons. We will now begin team assignments."

The virtual screen stopped displaying scenes from the testing grounds and began scrolling through lines of names and photos—both candidates and proctors. Zhou Ke and Wu Bai both looked up at the screen simultaneously, only to see their names and photos appear in the same column.

"Looks like we’re fated to be together, Proctor." Zhou Ke smiled brightly, his hand landing on Wu Bai’s shoulder as if he had planned it all along. Whether it was pretending to sell weapons as scrap or spouting bizarre nonsense, it was all to see the twisted expressions of others who found him unbearable yet had no choice but to accept it.

Yes, Mr. Zhou was truly that kind of despicable scumbag.

"Sigh, just call me Proctor Wu." Wu Bai sighed, resigning himself to his fate; he seemed to age several years in a matter of seconds.

"I’m Zhou Ke. Please treat me well."

"You should say 'please take care of me.'"

Amidst their conversation—one party delighted, the other miserable—a bubbly voice cut in.

"Oh? What a coincidence."

Tang Hongning, swinging her single ponytail, had found them. She nodded cheerfully at Zhou Ke before saying to Wu Bai: "Hello, Proctor Wu. I’m Tang Hongning, part of your squad."

"Mm, hello." Wu Bai responded with the weary air of an old man, then fell silent.

Seeing he couldn't get any more amusement out of the proctor, Zhou Ke went back to chatting with Li Hua, who had returned with a spear. It seemed their bond had been exhausted during the previous "Gate of the Ghost-Gold Sheep," as they weren't assigned to the same squad this time.

At first, upon learning they were in different squads, Li Hua had worn a mournful face. But then, seeing Su Wumi in his group, the guy’s expression instantly brightened. His ability to change faces was as fast as flipping a book.

Because this "Gate" was combat-oriented rather than intelligence-based, if it had been a puzzle-based gate, Li Hua would have cried and begged to be with "Ke-zai" without hesitation. If it had been a competitive gate between squads, he would have sworn to be on Ke-zai's team—not out of loyalty, nor because he thought being with Ke-zai guaranteed victory, but because he knew exactly how bottomless Ke-zai was. Going against him would be excruciatingly painful. If Ke-zai truly wanted to win, he would do anything from blocking the door to gang up on people before the match, to poisoning them or tripping them up. Winning dishonorably didn't matter; winning was everything. Perhaps someone would eventually surpass Ke-zai, but the price of victory would be far too high.

However, since this was a combat-oriented gate, Li Hua trusted Su Wumi, who was at the ninth level of the Power of Reason, more. He thought this, but he couldn't show it. He suppressed his inner ecstasy and struggled to put on a crying face, almost squeezing out a couple of tears.

"Ke-zai, we can’t be together. I clearly wanted to be on your team so badly, boo-hoo."

"Me too. Though not as disgustingly as you, I really wanted to be on the same team as my desk-mate. What a pity, such is fate."

Zhou Ke also wore a look of heartbreaking reluctance—well, it was quite convincing, convincing enough to be a little fake.

"If you aren't satisfied with the squad results, you can appeal for a change," Wu Bai, listening from the side, couldn't bear it and offered a kind reminder.

Whoosh!

The two, who had been clinging to each other, instantly separated, acting as strangers who had never embraced.

"Well, take care."

"Ah, you too."

They waved with their backs to each other, transitioning directly from life-and-death friends to total strangers.

Li Hua thought: *Are you kidding? With a powerhouse to rely on, why hang out with a slacker?*

Zhou Ke thought: *Are you kidding? If I can fly solo, why bring a slacker along?*

The superficial brotherly bond between the two left the surrounding onlookers sweating.

"Alright, since no one has any objections to the teams, let’s go in," Wu Bai said, pointing toward the bronze gate standing open in the void. Several other squads had already entered while they were talking. "Remember, once we are inside, regardless of what happens, wait for my command before acting." His expression was stern, leaving no room for defiance.

With various thoughts in mind, the twenty-one-member squad stepped into the portal. In a daze, that familiar, world-spinning vertigo washed over Zhou Ke’s brain once again. He had grown accustomed to it; when his feet hit solid ground, he only swayed slightly, unlike the other candidates who stumbled heavily.

A smile curled at the corners of Zhou Ke’s mouth, his mind racing. While the others were still disoriented, he had already begun scouting his surroundings.

"An open-air plaza this time? Are they going to make us decide the winner through square dancing?"

Unlike the situation at the "Gate of the Ghost-Gold Sheep," the place where Zhou Ke now stood was a spacious and bright plaza. Beneath his feet was a cobblestone path; looking up, he could see a clear blue sky, and nearby were landscape fountains and well-manicured flower beds. He couldn't imagine how a Magus exam was supposed to be conducted in a place like this.

Just then, a voice from the heavens echoed clearly in everyone’s ears:

"This was once a beautiful and peaceful world, until one day, mysterious monsters that attacked humanity and plunged the world into chaos suddenly appeared! They are currently invading this city, and your goal is to defend the city’s peace and tranquility. Raise your banners! Fight with all your might! Sing your songs of triumph! Guardians! I declare, the City Defense Battle—officially begins!"