Let Me See My Limits! / Kouenji: I'll Make You a Promise.

510

Chapter 510 Let me see my limits!

Just as the first-year students were taking their meditation exam, the Second Year students' [road relay race] was also entering a crucial moment. Miyabi Nagumo's group had already assigned each runner to a runner, and he was staring intently at the intersection, waiting for the next person to pass the baton.

When the rules were announced, the importance of the [road relay race] immediately overshadowed that of the other events.

Because other exams have deductions, you can get a high score as long as you don't lose points. But in a relay race, the ranking is based solely on the time taken. The less time the group takes to finish the exam, the higher their score will be.

Moreover, the school arranged for students from different classes to form groups for this purpose. During the road relay race, the distance for each leg was determined by the students themselves. Those with stronger stamina could take on a longer distance, while those with weaker stamina could take on a shorter distance.

It's naturally a great joy when everyone works together with one mind and one heart, but if the group's atmosphere falls apart, a completely different situation will arise in this project.

After all, if someone dislikes the [person in charge] and deliberately wastes time in their assigned section, it will have a huge impact on the group's score.

This is also the key to their mutual attacks.

The blond man's expression turned somewhat unpleasant as he watched the students from other groups leave.

Miyabi Nagumo has good athletic ability, so in order to ensure that his group achieves better results, he allocated himself a distance of 3.6 kilometers, which is the longest distance allocated to him in the group.

"Why aren't they here yet?!"

Standing still, Miyabi Nagumo saw the members of the two groups competing against him run past, and inevitably, he began to panic.

Nagumo assigned himself to the third-to-last position because the people ahead of him weren't far away, and most of the members in this group were Class 2-A, none of whom had particularly poor athletic ability, so it was unlikely that he would be so slow, which was completely different from training.

"Damn it, is something wrong?"

As the members of the last group in the same round of the competition ran past her, Miyabi Nagumo's expression became increasingly ferocious.

Meanwhile, out of his sight, the boy in his group whom Hashiba Hikaru had successfully recruited was walking slowly—yes, he was deliberately slowing down to buy time.

When the distances were being assigned, this Second Year boy was given a three-kilometer distance by Miyabi Nagumo because of his good performance in training. This distance was enough for him to perform well.

The boy walking slowly down the road thought of Kanzaki Ryuji who had approached him that day; he had actually been considering siding with Hashiba Hikaru for a long time.

The reason is simple: the other party represents the true future of the school.

As an Akito, after understanding Hashiba Hikaru's methods and the supporters behind her, he switched sides almost without much hesitation. Since it was all about interests anyway, why not choose someone more stable?

"Let me see just how far you can go."

After walking two kilometers at a slow pace, the boy began to speed up.

"They're here!"

When Miyabi Nagumo saw the student from the previous leg rushing over, covered in sweat, her face turned ashen.

He knew there was no turning back from this exam, but he was determined to find out exactly what had happened!

After the first-grade students completed the Written Exam, the next activity was the road relay race.

The boy knew very well that this test was the most crucial point to score. Apart from guarding against other people's sabotage, his goal was to get first place overall in the boys' group.

Both Horikita Manabu and Kiriyama Ikuto's respective groups will give their all in this exam, so he must achieve even more outstanding results.

One of Hashiba Hikaru's life principles is that those who have earned trust must live up to that trust.

After arriving at the exam location, the students gathered together and followed the teacher's instructions for this round of exams. Several cars were parked on the road outside, and to save time, these cars would transport the group members to the handover point.

The teacher was then announcing the final rules.

The first rule is that each student must run at least 1.2 kilometers. Similarly, the interval between baton passing positions must also be at least 1.2 kilometers, which can be doubled, but the minimum is 1.2 kilometers.

The second rule states that if someone is unable to participate in the run due to an accident or fails to complete the distance, they are considered to have voluntarily forfeited their exam eligibility.

After hearing these arrangements, Hashiba Hikaru simply smiled. This time, he placed himself in the last leg of the race, covering a distance of six kilometers. He assigned several people with weaker athletic abilities to run 1.2 kilometers, while he took on the most important sprint task.

"Classmate Hashiba, are you really okay?"

Kanzaki Ryuji stood beside the boy to make a final check, since the distance the boy was responsible for was five times 1.2 kilometers, which was definitely not short.

"It's okay, I just want to see where my limits are."

Hashiba Hikaru smiled slightly. This exam had no direct opponents; it was a pure team battle, and he was eager to see the results of his training.

"Is that so? Then let's look forward to Classmate Hashiba breaking the record."

"That's what I think too."

The confident young man got into the car, but as soon as he did, he caught a glimpse of someone unexpected. This person had an extremely exaggerated physique, long golden hair hanging down his back, and looked incredibly confident.

"Hashiba Boy, it's you?"

Upon seeing Hashiba Hikaru, Koenji's expression showed a hint of surprise. "Are you the last runner?"

"Yes."

"Then we can have a real showdown! I didn't get a chance to compete against you at the last Sports Festival, so how about we have a match this time?"

Koenji cheerfully issued his challenge.

"But my distance is six kilometers, is yours too?"

Hashiba Hikaru smiled and glanced at him. The young man felt that this arrogant chaebol heir was very secretive.

He might be a suitable pawn, but how to communicate with him remains to be seen.

"Six kilometers?"

Koenji's expression changed slightly. He stared at Hashiba Hikaru's profile, a more unrestrained smile curling at the corner of his mouth. "The distance I'm in charge of is 3.6 kilometers. If you run fast enough, maybe we really will have a chance to compete."

"Is that so? If it's alright, I'll have a match with Koenji."

Hashiba Hikaru didn't care.

"Let's go then!"

The blond, muscular man burst into laughter; he was now quite pleased with himself for being placed last.

Because Hashiba Hikaru the only person he took a liking to in his first year, even though he didn't participate much in the last Sports Festival, Koenji had been observing her all along.

He was incredibly excited to witness the opponent's true strength.

511

Chapter 511 Koenji: I will give you a promise.

After completing the preparations for the [Road Relay Race], Hashiba Hikaru got off at his designated spot, since Koenji's distance was shorter, so the other person would have to ride a little further.

"I'll be waiting for you there, Hashiba Boy."

The blond man smiled and waved at him before disappearing at the end of the road.

"Heh, what an impressive fellow."

Hashiba Hikaru simply shook his head. He glanced around at the surroundings. This time, the competition wasn't being held on a synthetic track, but rather on a man-made mountain path.

Mountain roads and running tracks are naturally quite different. Although they have been artificially created, there are still some differences, such as the unevenness of the road and the various gravel or logs along the roadside.

That's why the school schedules physical education classes almost every day, so students can familiarize themselves with the roads and get some exercise.

"Now let's wait here for the previous runner to arrive."

Because this group has fifteen people, to reach the last leg, they need to complete the relay of the previous fourteen people. Hashiba Hikaru is responsible for six kilometers of the route by herself, which means that the distances for the others are very small, making it easier to control.

"However, the Second Year exams that ended this morning must have been quite interesting,"

The boy stroked his chin, his tone slightly mocking, "I really want to see Nagumo's expression back then."

After finishing her self-talk, Hashiba Hikaru quietly stood by the roadside, waiting for the person handing over the baton.

When deciding on the order of baton passing, there was some discussion. In order to minimize the risk to the "traitor," Hashiba Hikaru was assigned the shortest running distance of 1.2 kilometers, while the penultimate baton was handed over to Kanzaki Ryuji, which would minimize the risk.

After a while, accompanied by heavy breathing, Kanzaki's running figure appeared in Hashiba Hikaru's sight.

"Quick! Classmate Hashiba! Come quick!"

"Clear!"

Upon seeing the other person's face clearly, Hashiba Hikaru's expression changed. He quickly stepped forward and immediately took the baton from Kanzaki Ryuji.

"Please leave it to me with confidence!"

The boy smiled slightly, and after receiving the baton, he turned around without hesitation, ready to sprint.

"Go for it, Classmate Hashiba!"

"Um."

Adjust your breathing, check the System Panel, and activate your skills!

[Activate Potential Burst (Mastery)?]

[Startup successful.]

[Stamina 7→ 10!]

After activating [Potential Burst (Mastery)], Hashiba Hikaru instantly felt a booming sound in his mind, and countless tiny lines began to converge before his eyes.

"I'm going!"

The boy took a deep breath, his figure seemingly riding a whirlwind, and sped off towards the mountain road ahead. He was like a flash of lightning, disappearing from Kanzaki Ryuji's sight in an instant.

"This..."

Seeing the speed at which the opponent moved, Kanzaki Ryuji, who was already very athletic, was horrified. He already knew that Hashiba Hikaru's abilities were terrifying, but seeing this scene in person still far exceeded his understanding.

"Is this even human?"

On the other side, Hashiba Hikaru, who was running wildly on the mountain road, felt as if he had received an unprecedented attribute boost. The [Potential Burst] he had experienced before was far from achieving this effect. After his stamina increased to 7 points, he now had a full 10 points of stamina.

The effects of maxed-out attribute values gave the boy a revolutionary feeling. Even though he was running on the ground, Hashiba Hikaru felt no sense of reality at all, as if he were flying on the road, which was simply too exaggerated.

The sound of the wind in his ears no longer affected his feelings; as he watched the scenery receding into the distance, a more satisfied smile appeared on his face.

"This feeling..."

After feeling the power contained within his body, Hashiba Hikaru truly experienced just how terrifying the explosive power of the ultimate human attributes could be. Despite the distance of six kilometers, he didn't feel any long experience; it was like a roller coaster speeding by.

After running the first section of the race, at the end of the road, Hashiba Hikaru saw the muscular blond man, but unfortunately, he wasn't holding the baton.

What happened?

Hashiba Hikaru slowed down and spoke.

"It's a bit of a pity. It seems that the members of our group haven't arrived as I hoped."

Koenji's expression wasn't good at this moment. He was originally carrying the last leg of the 3.6-kilometer race, and if he had given it his all, he could have achieved a better result. Unfortunately, his teammates didn't meet his goal.

Do you want me to wait for you?

Hashiba Hikaru, then suddenly said.

"Do you really think you can definitely get first place?"

Koenji smiled, his eyes somewhat profound. "If you wait for me, you might not get a satisfactory result."

"Yes, but since Koenji wants to compete with me, such opportunities are rare."

Hashiba Hikaru smiled slightly. He had a clear sense of time; after everyone in the group had completed the handover, he felt there was still considerable leeway.

"Looks like Hashiba Boy is a crazy person too. I like your personality!"

When Koenji Rokusuke realized that Hashiba Hikaru wasn't just talking, but was genuinely going to stop and wait for him, this crazy and bold decision made him very happy.

"Is that so?"

The boy's tone was indifferent.

"If I lose, I will make you a promise,"

Koenji suddenly stared intently at Hashiba Hikaru's face. "I swear on my surname, whatever your request, our Koenji Conglomerate will definitely help you fulfill it."

"Really?"

"A man's promise is heavier than Mount Tai, Hashiba Boy. Since you're willing to wait here, I've decided to keep this promise."

"Good."

Hashiba Hikaru thought about it and felt that this was not a bad thing. If he could really get the Koenji Conglomerate to owe him a favor, there would always be a chance to use it.