Chapter 15: The First Time

Qian Ye didn't expect Mimi's perception to be so sharp. When he saw her suddenly killing, his thoughts stirred a bit, and the hand pressing against the shrubbery moved slightly, making a tiny sound. To his surprise, she noticed it.

"It's me, Qian Ye," Qian Ye stepped out from his hiding place.

Being able to reunite with Mimi soon after entering the battlefield, Qian Ye felt quite lucky. In a chaotic battleground where enemies were everywhere, having a trustworthy teammate was indeed very advantageous.

Mimi relaxed when she saw it was Qian Ye and said, "It's you! You scared me just now. So, shall we work together next?"

This was exactly what Qian Ye wanted, and he immediately nodded, "Alright!"

"Here, take this," Mimi tossed a whistle to Qian Ye.

Qian Ye caught the whistle and said, "Your luck is really good. Let's head back now!"

Mimi immediately shook her head, "No, we can't go back. With two of us now, we can hunt more points. We have a chance to compete for the top ten."

Qian Ye hesitated for a moment but finally agreed.

In fact, even if they teamed up, the risks were still present, and no less than going solo.

Other students might also team up, and the true dark race warriors were very powerful. They were not easily countered by these inexperienced teenagers. According to the instructors' descriptions before, Qian Ye and Mimi combined might not even be a match for a strong dark race warrior.

At this moment, Qian Ye's gaze swept over, and he suddenly noticed that Mimi had three more whistles hanging at her waist!

Apart from her own, she had already killed three people in such a short time since the battle began!

One of the whistles rolled with Mimi's movement, revealing the number on its back. Qian Ye's heart suddenly jolted as he felt like he had seen this number somewhere before.

While Qian Ye was thinking, Mimi gestured to him, indicating to explore forward to the side and let him lead.

Qian Ye crouched low and began to move slowly through the forest. Mimi, a few steps behind, kept looking back, seemingly focused on covering their rear.

After taking a few steps, a flash of lightning cut through the fog in Qian Ye's mind! He remembered where he had seen that number!

That whistle belonged to a rather strong classmate of theirs, whose rank was close to Qian Ye's.

This boy was also very close to Mimi, and it was rumored they had an intimate relationship. Initially, because of Mimi, he had been very hostile towards Qian Ye.

However, due to Song Zining's open support and Qian Ye's reputation for being ruthless, he dared not voice his anger. Qian Ye, on the other hand, didn't care what Mimi did outside his sight, as they weren't in a real relationship and he didn't intend to develop one.

But now, this boy's whistle was hanging at Mimi's waist!

In an instant, a vague thought flickered in Qian Ye's mind, followed by a strong palpitation!

Without hesitation, Qian Ye lunged forward with all his might!

Behind him, Mimi let out a surprised gasp, and a sharp gust of wind struck at his waist. Despite Qian Ye's quick movements, his waist felt a sudden chill, followed by a searing pain!

Qian Ye rolled several times, dodging behind a large tree, only then did he get the chance to stand. During the evasion, he narrowly avoided several of Mimi's attacks, but still received two new wounds.

Qian Ye glanced at his injuries and looked at Mimi, coldly asking, "Why?"

"For the exam, for the rewards."

Mimi casually brushed her disheveled hair and sneered, "If not to break your guard, why do you think I deliberately got close to you? Damn, I even had to sleep with those idiots! Luckily, you're not like a man, no demands on that front. But although you were much more cautious than I expected, you still got hurt. So, it's over for you!"

"I thought we could benefit more by cooperating," Qian Ye frowned.

Mimi sneered, "Benefits? Even if we split them, would it get me into the top ten? If you were Song Zining, maybe. But with you? What are you anyway? Without Song Zining, do you think you'd be safe here?"

Qian Ye weighed the dagger in his hand, his eyes gradually burning, "I see. If you want to kill me, come on!"

"No need to be polite!"

Mimi pounced like a she-panther, and in a blink, the two were locked in combat.

They had fought in combat class more than once, and Mimi believed she was very familiar with Qian Ye's style. But to her surprise, as soon as they engaged, Qian Ye's style drastically changed, becoming aggressive and powerful, each strike fierce!

Qian Ye paid no heed to defense, using a mutually destructive fighting style. Mimi slashed Qian Ye three times, but Qian Ye also landed two hits on her! Both suffered arm injuries.

When their blades clashed again, the ferocious original force collided, and the pain in her arm made Mimi's body tremble.

At that moment, Qian Ye let out a roar, his entire body surged with original force, and the dagger suddenly emitted an incomparable power!

Mimi's body shook, her grip loosened, and she was immediately vulnerable! Qian Ye's dagger flew past, instantly cutting a deep wound on her shoulder, exposing the white bone.

"You, you..." Mimi clutched her wound, both shocked and angry.

Qian Ye's arm was also injured, deeper than hers, yet his strikes and wrestling remained unaffected, as if the wound didn't exist. Mimi now wondered if Qian Ye had no sense of pain!

She didn't know that Qian Ye could feel pain, but he had endured near-limiting pain during his training, making this injury seem minor.

Mimi's injury affected her tendons, and she couldn't lift her left arm.

As Qian Ye approached, his once gentle face was now icy and calm. Mimi suddenly burst into tears, screaming, "No, don't kill me, I don't want to die! Spare me!"

She was in hysterics, running away with a wide-open back, clearly in a state of panic.

Qian Ye's fingers clenched and unclenched, then he gripped the dagger, summoned his original force, and threw it with all his might!

The dagger, glowing faintly red, whistled through the air like a meteor, embedding itself in Mimi's back!

Mimi abruptly stopped, turning in shock, still unable to believe Qian Ye would kill her.

Although she seemed panicked, she had been slowly gathering her original force, planning to escape. She was confident no one in the camp could catch her with her short-burst speed, but in the final moment, Qian Ye's dagger found its mark.

In the depths of Qian Ye's heart, a soft sigh echoed, then froze in the deepest corner. This was his first time truly killing someone.

Qian Ye gathered all the whistles and quickly disappeared into the woods. The rustling around him indicated others had heard the fight and were coming to scavenge.

The night was long, and Qian Ye encountered two powerful opponents in the dark forest. After a grueling battle, he managed to defeat them with mutual wounds. These opponents added nine more whistles to his collection, a testament to their strength.

After defeating Mimi and two other strong opponents, Qian Ye was severely injured and barely managed to hide in a secluded bush, waiting for the next opponent. His injuries were severe, and his original force was nearly depleted, but he quickly dismissed the idea of blowing the whistle and leaving.

Qian Ye's original force, hard-earned, was far more powerful than others', and he still had enough for one final blow, comparable to a Level 2 fighter. If found again, he could still put up a fight.

Since he had made it this far, Qian Ye decided to stay until the end. Not just for higher scores, but because future battles would be even more dangerous. If he couldn't endure this, he would die faster in the future. Qian Ye's heart calmed, and he remained motionless, conserving his last bit of strength.

Not long after, three sharp whistles sounded in the mountains, signaling the end of the exam.

Qian Ye was stunned; the exam ended in less than a night? It meant that within that time, a significant number of the students had perished.

Looking at the many whistles at his waist, Qian Ye felt numb. He casually blew one, and a trainer appeared. Following the trainer, Qian Ye slowly left the exam area.

He knew something was left behind in that battlefield. In this world, the things once thought to be constant always changed.

The next morning, the results were out. Qian Ye, surprisingly, ranked tenth among over a thousand participants!

Besides Song Zining, who ranked seventh, no one else from Qian Ye's class made the top ten. Tenth place also meant special rewards. Seeing his rank, even the usually calm Qian Ye felt eager for the prizes.

Song Zining appeared beside Qian Ye, patting his shoulder, "Good job! We should celebrate tonight. Care to join me?"

Qian Ye was confused, "How?"

"Of course, wine and women! And I'll introduce you to two annoying guys," Song Zining spoke with an air of an experienced veteran.

Qian Ye rolled his eyes. They entered the same year, though in different squads. At seven, Qian Ye was eight. Could he be that talented?

Sure enough, the night brought a rare break. Song Zining, Qian Ye, and two other top-ranked boys from other classes, along with some food and alcohol, set up a bonfire on a scenic hill.

The other two boys were equally formidable, and there were about seven or eight girls. The alcohol was surprisingly good, all aged and strong.

Qian Ye took a small sip, coughed, and his face turned red, feeling dizzy.

Seeing this, Song Zining and the boys laughed, egging him on to drink more, like teasing a drowning dog.

Each sip burned Qian Ye's insides, and his thoughts grew strange. He felt unusually bold, agreeing to outrageous things, like whoever got drunk first would wear a dress and dance.