[Genius] (Continued)

"You said it wasn't a good idea to call future employees trash, didn't you?"

"But they really are trash."

The other person shrugged, speaking as though it were perfectly justified.

"Clean, decisive moves, casually taking other people's lives... Hmm... no hesitation about killing, regardless of gender or age. Isn't that pretty good? It just comes down to whoever is more skilled and survives in the end."

"Trained by the same instructor, huh? I'm afraid they won't be able to break each other's moves..."

"That's why I said we'd see who was more skilled~"

"But their methods and attitudes still aren't up to par. When they get back, feed them more drugs and put them through this a few more times."

Al shook his head in dissatisfaction when he noticed that some of the "consumables" had still been left alive.

"They're still too arrogant. They assumed that even if they fought each other to mutual ruin, they could deal with the remaining few... Even if those people had all mentally broken down and gone mad, they might still be able to kill them in return. They're underestimating everyone else too much... Ah, I've got a feeling this batch will produce another one who can only be used a few times before being thrown away. It's like their brains got caught in a door."

"Maybe, in their minds, the few people around them who had undergone the same training were the greatest threats. They wanted to seize the advantage at the start, wipe out the biggest threats in one go, then slowly clear out the other small fry."

"That's why I'm saying their brains got caught in a door. Even in a game, you clear the mobs before fighting the boss. If you screw it up, you'll be a laughingstock."

Clearly, Al was dissatisfied with this batch.

As time passed, the situation in the room became increasingly clear.

"...I think we'll have to make the room smaller in the future. There are still too many safe areas."

Glancing at the broken girl curled up in the corner and Xi Wang huddled against the wall, Al pursed his lips and made a suggestion.

"Yes, yes, you're right about everything. Go bring it up with the clients and see whether they're willing to get you another training ground."

"Forget it."

It wasn't easy to pry money out of those people's pockets. They were absurdly stingy... though they were quite generous when their own lives were at stake.

"...Tch, these people aren't just trash, they're idiots... They're really just desperately fighting each other. If we send people like this out to work, how are they supposed to complete the clients' missions?!"

Seeing that the broken girl in the corner and Xi Wang were still alive, Al clicked his tongue irritably. It was not that he had anything against the two kids. The main issue was that those pieces of trash had the wrong attitude—they could not kill their chosen targets in a single blow, yet once they got dragged into a melee, they still did not clear out the unstable factors around them. When they got surrounded during a mission later, they would not even know what had happened.

They were always trying to seize an advantage and finish everything in one wave. Well, look at them now. They had restrained each other, leaving themselves unable even to disengage and recover. All they could do was desperately fight here.

It would be hilarious if someone really did swoop in and steal the victory.

"Looks like this batch of trash is finished... Ah... They've gone from recyclable trash that could be reused to completely worthless waste."

"They can still be used a few more times. Don't be so pessimistic."

"But it isn't worth it... We spent time, money, and manpower training this trash, hoping they would become blades. And this is what we got?"

"Forget it, forget it. It's only one ruined batch, no big deal... Hm?"

Al raised an eyebrow when he noticed Xi Wang moving.

"...What's the kid doing? Dragging bodies? Is he planning to scavenge something from the corpses?"

The colleague beside him had clearly noticed Xi Wang's strange actions as well.

"Looks like he's collecting the bodies."

Xi Wang did not use the corpses for anything, nor did he show any intention of searching them. He merely dragged them away from the chaotic fighting and arranged the appearances of the dead.

"Pfft... This kid is pretty interesting."

The moment they reached that conclusion, the two of them almost laughed at the same time.

"Where did this pure-hearted little kid come from... Still thinking about collecting bodies at a time like this."

His colleague checked the list of consumables and discovered that Xi Wang had been traded over by that group.

"Heh... How interesting. If I remember correctly, all the people those guys sent over had Criminal Records—either killers or drug addicts. How did someone with such overflowing sympathy get mixed in? A kid like this doesn't look like someone who could kill."

"He was forced into it. You know how beastly those guys are. Maybe some unlucky bastard got killed by this kid... Hm? Oh? This is getting interesting..."

Al suddenly recalled a mission he had carried out before, as well as the deal those people had proposed. He seemed to have realized something.

"Ha~ Looks like they wanted us to deal with the aftermath for them. We really got played again... As expected, we can't outplay those foxes."

Having figured out the key to it, Al did not particularly care. As long as they had established contact, someone would eventually become their client.

As for this little kid who needed to be dealt with... he could struggle on his own~

He was just a consumable anyway...?

Just as Al was thinking that, he saw Xi Wang get stabbed once each by the girl and the nearly dead middle-aged man, one from the front and one from behind.

Al was not surprised. After all, those who came here were either Socially Disliked Individuals or people with Criminal Records. The former were people who posed a threat to ordinary people or had a negative impact on society, but were not taken very seriously. The latter could be summed up simply as criminals or fugitives. None of them were good people.

After all, they were consumables specifically used to test trainees. People no one else wanted were ideal for that purpose. They were threatening, but not too threatening to trainees. Others did not care about them, hardly anyone paid attention to them, and getting rid of them even counted as Eliminating Evils for the People. As consumables, they were exceptionally cost-effective.

So Al was not surprised that Xi Wang had been attacked. Everyone who came here was willing to pick up a weapon and hurt others. At most, there were differences in degree.

That was why Al found it funny that a kid like Xi Wang had been mixed in among the consumables—the fact that those people could force a kid overflowing with sympathy to kill even in such an extreme situation only showed how utterly twisted they were.

However, Al quickly changed his mind.

Through the observation window, he could see Xi Wang's expression. He could tell that Xi Wang's understanding and rationality had undergone a collapse before being rebuilt. That was only natural. In fact, it was remarkable that someone like him had lasted until now before breaking down. But to adjust his mindset and reorganize his understanding so quickly... all Al could do was marvel at how terrifying the kid's mental fortitude was.

And this kid... seemed to be quite talented.

After decisively dealing with the girl, Xi Wang caught his breath for a moment, then turned to observe the trainees' chaotic battle and began looking for chances to pick them off.

He did not rush in and fight them directly. Instead, he threw corpses to interfere with them. He hurled the girl's and the middle-aged man's bodies out one after another, timing them perfectly. He successfully disrupted the trainees who had been forced to the edge, allowing several unlucky people to be seized upon and killed in a single strike.

At that moment, Al really wanted to laugh—look, just as expected, after a prolonged melee, an "outsider" found an opening and turned the tables on them. Served them right!

What happened next made Al laugh out loud—while some of them were attacking the unlucky people obstructed by the corpses, they still tried to attack others at the same time, hoping to reduce several people at once... Put simply, they were greedy!

They had clearly noticed the anomaly that was Xi Wang. A variable had clearly appeared, yet they were still unwilling to deal with that variable first... Ah, though that made sense too. They could not cooperate with each other, after all. Every one of them was guarding against being ambushed by the others.

Besides, in their minds, how could some kid who had appeared out of nowhere possibly be harder to deal with than "companions" who had gone through the same training and were just as ruthless as themselves?

So they still underestimated him, placing Xi Wang's threat level at the very bottom.

Such arrogance was disgusting.

"Sometimes I wonder whether there's something wrong with our drugs, or whether we got the dosage wrong... Why are these people so stupid? Should we change the drug? Or develop a new one?"

Al rubbed his forehead in anguish.

"Do you hear yourself?"

The colleague at his side rolled his eyes.

"But their way of thinking isn't completely incomprehensible, is it? Who told them they couldn't cooperate?"

"After all, only one person can walk out of there alive~"

"What, you think that kid will survive?"

"It's possible. After all... geniuses can be very difficult to understand."

Al narrowed his eyes and watched Xi Wang's movements... He had noticed Xi Wang avoiding fatal attacks several times before, but had not cared then. Although Xi Wang could avoid the lethal areas, he still got injured. As long as his injuries accumulated, he would eventually die.

But now... Xi Wang was displaying a talent impressive even to him.

Xi Wang had now entered the stage of fighting the remaining trainees. Thanks to those idiots desperately fighting each other earlier, they had expended a great deal of stamina and suffered injuries, lowering their overall combat ability. That could not erase the gap between them and Xi Wang, but it did narrow it somewhat.

Most importantly... those people discovered that Xi Wang was secretly learning the "techniques" they used. Even the tiny movements that could interfere with an opponent were learned by Xi Wang and then used against them.

The gap between them in skill was closing at an incredibly fast rate.

If Xi Wang's physical abilities had not still differed from theirs, they would have felt as though they were fighting themselves, like looking into a mirror.

And just as they gradually adapted to this suddenly appearing opponent, Xi Wang abruptly accelerated his attacks, throwing them into disorder. He then seized the opportunity and dealt with them directly in a startling burst of power, trading injuries for lives.

Until the end, they could not understand where this kid Xi Wang had come from. Was he also a "trainee"? Just one who had been hiding in the shadows?

What the hell was that explosive power that could contend with them and had nearly overwhelmed them? Could a child possess such strength? Was he born with supernatural power?

And his evasion of fatal attacks was far too absurd. He should have been killed according to their calculations, yet he had forcibly dodged through that bizarre burst of power. What the hell was that?!

But their thoughts no longer mattered. They were already dead.

And now...

"Woohoo~ Looks like we got very lucky... No, we struck gold."

Al stood from his chair with obvious delight.

"We found an incredibly good prospect... No, he should be called a genius!"

"Do you know, my old friend? I have a feeling this child can become our finest blade."

"Yes, yes, Al, whatever you say. I don't have much of a say in this sort of thing anyway."

The colleague beside him seemed rather helpless and answered perfunctorily.

"But we have those people to thank for this too, right? Those beasts actually did one good thing for once."

"Mm... Yes, thanks to them."

Al narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.

"We should thank them properly..."

Al glanced into the room, apparently having come up with an excellent idea. The smile on his lips widened slightly.

At that moment, Xi Wang was the only one left in the room. He was using the last clean part of his clothes to wipe the blood from his face as he walked toward the still-locked door. The numerous injuries covering his body seemed not to exist to him.

"Knock, knock—"

Xi Wang reached the door and politely knocked twice, seemingly reminding the people outside that the condition for opening it had been met.

The door opened quickly. An ordinary-looking young man—so ordinary he could have blended into any crowd—stood outside with a group of "staff members." The young man wore a smile and seemed very pleased.

"I really didn't expect you to be the one who survived... It's a little surprising, but congratulations on passing the assessment and successfully joining us. From now on, you'll be one of my employees~"

"...I don't think I have the right to refuse, do I?"

Xi Wang looked at him and spoke in a calm tone.

"That's right."

"...Can I make conditions?"

"Of course. Privileges have always been reserved for outstanding people, not to mention geniuses. But..."

The young man spoke in a cheerful tone, then added a warning.