Kallen had originally thought he would become a target.
He had already prepared himself. If anyone around him charged at him, he would put Richard down and really tear into them!
So when the others turned their gazes away, Kallen felt a little surprised.
But he soon understood. Richard, this "burden," had instead become a symbol of his strength in this particular environment.
The man who had knocked Leon straight out of the test might not have recognized Leon or known his identity, or perhaps he knew but did not care. But his primary reason for choosing Leon as his target was that Leon had already been hanging on by a thread at that final stage. He knew that a single push would eliminate Leon from the competition.
Yet he did not dare attack Kallen, because he did not think the others around him would join forces with him against Kallen. There were five places available in the end, not one, and whoever decided to act would inevitably face Kallen's retaliation.
Nobody would naively believe that Kallen would foolishly keep holding on to his dead weight under those circumstances. Any normal person would throw aside the burden and beat the bastard coming after them to death!
When everyone was competing against one another, nobody would choose to attack the strongest person. The rationally optimal solution often did not hold up emotionally.
The man lay prone on the ground, seemingly catching his breath.
Kallen dragged Richard onward, stepping past the man. The man did not move.
The others were advancing too, but they all instinctively put some distance between themselves.
This had been their best opportunity to cooperate. With that opportunity gone, joining forces against anyone again would be almost impossible.
Kallen overtook everyone, moving into the lead, then continued steadily