Qualified, Joining CP9

In the jungle.

Jabra leaped between the treetops, glancing behind him from time to time.

"I hope those two can hold him off a little longer..."

Still, Jabra did not expect them to last very long.

He knew exactly what a Doriki Value of 850 meant.

Even against Lucci, who had 800 Doriki, Jabra could not last more than ten exchanges if Lucci got serious.

Not to mention Beiyuan Heng, who was even stronger than Lucci.

Jabra would already be satisfied if those two could make Beiyuan Heng use three moves.

"Looks like those two aren't too bad..."

Seeing that Beiyuan Heng had not caught up after so long, Jabra's tense heart relaxed slightly.

If Beiyuan Heng still did not catch up after a while, then first place in this group would be as good as his.

While Jabra was secretly delighted, Beiyuan Heng was speeding above the dense forest.

His speed was so fast that even Laskey, a veteran CP9 agent, was astonished.

However, such a superb technique did not come without a cost.

Geppo: Air Step: Soru was essentially a combined application of Geppo, Paper Arts, and Soru.

Using even one of the Six Powers consumed a great deal of stamina, much less three at once.

Even Beiyuan Heng could not use it for long periods.

Fortunately, he had the [Swift (White)] trait.

Swift (White): Your speed is faster, and your stamina decreases slightly while moving.

With this trait, he could use this skill more freely without having to conserve stamina.

Estimating Jabra's speed, Beiyuan Heng stopped to rest twice at appropriate intervals.

Just as Beiyuan Heng had expected, during his third rest, shortly before reaching the finish line, he finally saw Jabra.

Beiyuan Heng was now only a few hundred meters from the finish line.

"I've finally been waiting for you..."

The low voice rang beside Jabra's ear, startling him despite his constant vigilance.

"Who?!"

He suddenly leaped backward and finally saw Beiyuan Heng not far from the finish line.

Beiyuan Heng stood atop a massive boulder, arms crossed as he looked down at Jabra.

"You... How did you get here? I never saw you on the way!"

Jabra stared at Beiyuan Heng in shock, his eyes nearly popping out.

"Flying is faster than running. That's common sense."

Beiyuan Heng smiled. The next moment, he vanished from where he stood.

"Rankyaku!"

A crescent-shaped slash descended from the sky. The blue cutting wave compressed even the air, and the immense pressure made Jabra's body tremble.

"Damn it! I won't lose!"

Knowing he could not evade this strike, Jabra forcibly drove his body, pouring every last bit of stamina into each strand of muscle.

"Iron Body!"

The blue cutting wave crashed heavily against Jabra's Iron Body, and cracks spread beneath his feet.

"Aahhh!"

Jabra roared. His suit was torn apart by his bulging muscles as he finally withstood the Rankyaku.

"Haha, it's nothing special..."

Ignoring the enormous wound running from his shoulder blade to his waist, Jabra raised his head and grinned at Beiyuan Heng.

"Not bad. To take one of my Rankyaku, you've trained your Iron Body well."

Beiyuan Heng raised his brows.

"So what will you do next?"

Beiyuan Heng stepped into the air and moved at high speed, sending dozens of cutting waves at Jabra.

Faced with the dense barrage of slashes, a thread of despair rose in Jabra's heart.

"I surrender! I surrender!"

He shouted at Beiyuan Heng, releasing his Iron Body defense and running in the direction opposite the finish line before the Rankyaku could strike him.

"You win, first place is yours! I don't want to get hurt badly enough to spend an entire year in bed!"

Seeing Jabra surrender, Beiyuan Heng did not make things difficult for him. He shook his head and lowered his arms.

"Shigan: Air Bullet."

Invisible Air Bullets shot from Beiyuan Heng's fingertips and collided with the Rankyaku.

Though the Air Bullets were far less powerful than the Rankyaku, they slowed the cutting waves.

A few seconds later, the Rankyaku failed to hit its target and naturally dissipated into the air.

"Ah, thank you so much!"

Seeing that he had been saved, Jabra ran toward Beiyuan Heng in tears. "I'll definitely thank you properly!"

Seeing those exaggerated tears, Beiyuan Heng looked disgusted.

Just as he was about to tell the other man to stay farther away, a sense of danger suddenly crept into his heart.

"Shigan: Wolf Fang Fist!"

A fist as hard as steel slammed into Beiyuan Heng like a cannonball, making him take a step back.

"Haha, the ultimate sneak attack succeeded!"

Looking at Jabra again, the exaggerated tears were gone, replaced by a broad grin that revealed his delight at the successful ambush.

"So, how was my move..."

Before Jabra could brag for more than a few seconds, he realized something was wrong with the feeling of striking Beiyuan Heng's body.

"Iron Body: Utsugi."

The Shigan that had struck Beiyuan Heng solidly was instantly bounced back as if repelled by something, returning the entire blow to its sender.

His prized "Shigan: Wolf Fang Fist" ultimately landed on his own fist.

The powerful recoil was more than his already battered body could endure. Jabra's eyes rolled back, and he collapsed unconscious to the ground.

"Ugh." Beiyuan Heng looked at the fallen Jabra, speechless.

If he was going to surrender, then surrender. Why fake it?

"You're not very honest. I'll beat you up again later."

Shaking his head, he ignored Jabra lying there like a dead dog and walked straight toward the tall tower at the center of the island.

The finish line was only a few hundred meters from where they had fought. The four people who had completed the test, along with the examiner waiting at the finish line, were all dumbfounded.

They had already been shocked when they first saw Beiyuan Heng's seemingly flying ability.

When Jabra arrived, they had expected at least an exciting battle.

Instead, it had been a complete one-sided crushing.

Beiyuan Heng had severely injured Jabra with a single Rankyaku.

After that, he had displayed formidable defensive power as well.

He was simply a monster without any weaknesses!

Of course, that was how the trainees saw it.

In the eyes of the CP9 examiner, Beiyuan Heng was indeed exceptionally strong for his age.

Even judging by overall strength, he could barely reach the threshold of a rear admiral.

"Congratulations, Beiyuan Heng. You've successfully become a member of CP9."

As Beiyuan Heng approached the finish line, the examiner smiled and spoke to him.

Beiyuan Heng raised his brows. "Isn't this only the second test?"

He had not even fought Rob Lucci yet. How could it be over already?!

Was the plan going to fall through?

"Yes, but as long as you pass the second test, you are considered to have joined CP9."

As he explained, the examiner handed Beiyuan Heng a huge full-head mask.

"This is a mask used to conceal your identity during missions, and it is also a symbol of CP9."

"You call this a mask?"

Beiyuan Heng looked at the absurdly exaggerated giant headpiece and accepted it with a disgusted expression.

He had only seen this kind of full-head mask during cosplay.

"This thing... Do I have to wear it?"

Seeing Beiyuan Heng's disgusted expression, the examiner felt a little embarrassed as well.

He had protested this thing to his superiors before. It was huge and heavy; wear it for too long, and one might develop cervical spondylosis.

Unfortunately, his superiors had refused, saying it was a CP9 tradition, so he had no choice but to let it go.

"Well, if you don't want to wear it, it doesn't really matter..."

The examiner said.

The mask was more symbolic than anything else, a tradition from long ago.

Thinking about it carefully, even someone as senior as Mr. Laskey had not worn a mask in a long time.

"That's good..."

Beiyuan Heng breathed a sigh of relief.

If he wore a mask, his cheat that could turn other people's perceptions of him into traits would not work.

He had specifically tested that.

He looked at the panel in his mind.

[You have obtained a new profession: World Government CP9 Agent]

[You have gained a new opportunity to draw a trait.]