The Upcoming Test

Randall was starting to regret running his mouth.

Aequus's fists hit incredibly hard, and Randall grimaced as he blocked them.

It really hurt!

"Wait!"

Randall suddenly roared.

Aequus's flurry of punches paused for an instant, then kept swinging toward Randall.

An ordinary person might not even have noticed that instant.

But for Randall, it was enough.

Taking advantage of that instinctive hesitation, he quickly used Shave to put some distance between them, then furiously rubbed his arms.

"Hiss..."

Looking at his bruised arms, Randall's mouth twitched.

Meanwhile, Aequus stopped attacking too.

After venting for a while, most of his anger had subsided.

But when he looked at Randall in the distance, who was virtually unhurt apart from the bruises on his arms, his newly settled emotions erupted into turmoil again.

He hadn't used any special techniques in that barrage, but he hadn't held back on a single punch.

Every one had been thrown at full strength!

Yet Randall had taken them all and was completely fine!

Just that morning, Aequus had still been confident he could crush him!

What was with this guy?

Coach! Someone's cheating!

Ban his account already!

Then, a second later, Aequus saw something that shattered his composure even further.

Randall clenched both fists, and the bruises on his arms rapidly faded before his eyes until they vanished completely!

Aequus stared blankly for a full three seconds before saying hoarsely:

"Th-this is..."

Already forgetting the pain now that his injuries had healed, Randall swung his perfectly healthy arms around and showed off.

"Life Return! Piece of cake!"

With his suspicions confirmed, Aequus utterly lost it.

Damn it, he'd only recently mastered Life Return himself!

This was going too far!

Instead of getting banned, this guy had gotten an even bigger cheat!

Was there no justice?!

Was there no law?!

Randall keenly noticed that something was off with Aequus's mood again and hurried to smooth things over.

"Come on, it took me over an hour to master it. It's not like I learned it instantly!"

Aequus's expression completely crumbled.

"An hour? Is that supposed to be a long time? Huh?"

Randall laughed sheepishly, then turned serious.

"Not the face!"

Both were bursting with energy, and the fight lasted all the way until dinner, ending with both still wanting more.

Randall grimaced as he rubbed his dully aching chest and said:

"Still lost! But damn, that felt good!"

Yes, Randall's progress had shocked Aequus beyond belief.

His talent had also made Aequus question everything.

But Randall had still lost.

After all, Aequus ranked second in the Elite Camp.

Randall could sense that Aequus had even reached the threshold of Armament Haki.

That was also why he had ultimately lost.

Landing his techniques on Aequus felt like striking hardened steel.

Even his most powerful move, Iron Fist: Impact Steel, only inflicted minor injuries when Aequus actively defended himself, nowhere near enough to hamper his movements.

Meanwhile, when Aequus's fists struck Randall, he needed a good while to recover.

Aequus's finishing move, in particular, had made him cough up blood.

Randall couldn't help feeling that he still had a long way to go!

But Aequus didn't see it that way.

He looked at the reflective Randall with a complicated expression and said quietly:

"In another month, I might not be a match for you.

You're seriously a monster!"

It was his first time meeting someone so absurd. Perhaps Randall would become another figure like those three monstrous Vice Admirals.

Randall chuckled and ended the conversation.

"Come on! Let's get some food!"

In the days that followed, Randall went to the Training Ground every morning to keep refining his techniques.

For now, those techniques were enough. He didn't need to create any more.

Quality over quantity, as they said.

The afternoons were reserved for clashes between tough guys.

At first, Aequus was quite happy.

He had been hoping for a suitable opponent for a long time.

But before long, things became rather unpleasant for him.

Randall was improving too quickly.

Not in raw strength, but in how he used his techniques.

Moreover, after their repeated battles, Aequus felt as though Randall had completely figured out his attack patterns.

That made their fights incredibly frustrating.

He could barely land a hit and spent the whole fight getting beaten up!

Of course, he didn't lose in the end!

He just didn't win!

Still, that kind of combat experience was invaluable to him too.

It was equal parts pain and pleasure.

So he even started heading to the Training Ground on his own to wait for Randall.

During that time, Pietro, unwilling to give up, challenged Randall once more.

This time, however, his defeat was even more crushing and decisive than before.

After that, he never came back.

The days passed like that, and before long, a month had gone by.

Port Square, seven o'clock sharp in the morning.

Everyone, including Randall, Milers, and the others, stood neatly in formation.

An officer approached from the distance, sporting a dark purple mohawk, a drooping mustache, and a Justice Cape.

Randall's eyes flashed. Seeing that distinctive hairstyle and the sword hanging at his waist, he immediately recognized the newcomer.

Vice Admiral Momonga!

A powerful swordsman!

He walked up to them, his sharp gaze sweeping across every face.

It lingered briefly on Randall and Milers.

One had been personally brought in by Instructor Zephyr, while the other was a promising swordsman.

"Let me introduce myself. I'm Vice Admiral Momonga, and I'll be the examiner for this test.

The test will take place on a small island under Navy control.

Your task is to survive on that island for seventy-two hours!"

At that, Momonga smiled, revealing gleaming white teeth.

Everyone felt a chill.

Momonga continued:

"Of course, survival is only the most basic requirement.

The island is home to all kinds of powerful animals. Every one of them has been modified, giving them extraordinary strength.

Your task is to hunt as many of these modified animals as possible while staying alive.

These animals wear iron rings of different colors, corresponding to different levels of strength and different point values.

Simply put, after seventy-two hours, anyone who makes it back to me will hand over those iron rings so their scores can be calculated.

Is that clear?!"

Everyone had their own thoughts, but at Momonga's final shout, they all answered in the affirmative.

Randall silently pondered.

These modified animals you're talking about... are they normal?

Wait, were they modified by Vegapunk?

Half machine, half animal?

Hearing their responses, Momonga nodded and said:

"Then get aboard!"