'Match' ③

In the 'official' headquarters.

The 42 individuals who participated in the 'individual competition,' including Uraraka Shige, all showed a strong will to survive, and each of them stepped forward in an orderly manner to draw their own number.

After the last person selected drew their number, the guy who was assigned by the 'officials' to act more like a 'host' than a 'commentator' began giving further instructions.

"Very good! Now all participants have obtained their identities! Next, we will announce the rules for the 'Individual Competition'!"

"First of all! This match uses a 'three-round' format! That means the match format will change randomly every three matches!"

"Secondly! This match prohibits taking anyone's life! Prohibits causing permanent disability! Prohibits the excessive use of 'Quirk'!"

"And now! This is an 'individual competition'! Please strictly follow the order of your roles! Substitutes are prohibited! Group participation is prohibited! Cheating to win is prohibited! Violators will be disqualified and punished!"

Finally! I wish all the participants a pleasant competition and lots of fun!

The individual competition began with the 'host' rattling off a long string of words in a neurotic tone.

The first to start the competition were two guys whom Uraraka Shige had no recollection of, and after drawing lots, the competition they were to participate in was a game called 'River Wading'.

To put it simply, the game involves walking across a waterway with artificial rapids and waves that reaches knee to lower abdomen depth. You step on the underwater stone slabs to reach the other side, collect items, and then wade back to the Qidian to place the items in a specially reserved bowl.

The first to finish wins.

The difficulty of the game is obvious. The canal is two meters long and one meter wide. Both players can use their 'Quirk' and attack each other, but overuse of 'Quirk' and causing permanent disability to the other player are prohibited.

As for the rule specifically mentioned by the 'host' prohibiting the taking of another person's life, with the protection of 'official' personnel, it's likely that even if someone wanted to intentionally kill another person, they wouldn't be able to do so.

What's most outrageous is the prop they're trying to obtain. Most people present can recognize what this so-called prop is. Its white, round shape is clearly a bar of soap that has been split in two and just opened!

Soap, once it comes into contact with water, will slowly melt and become slippery.

Moreover, according to the rules of this game called "River Wading," it is undoubtedly permissible for both sides to interfere with each other or even fight directly in the water. So, it's fine when they go to get the props, but once they get the soap, they must protect their soap and not linger in the water for too long so that it melts.

Also note the winning conditions of this game: trek back from the other side and put the item back into the bowl at the Qidian point. The first side to complete this wins.

Firstly, the rules do not explicitly state whether you need to get out of the water and onto the shore before putting away your props, nor do they explicitly state whether you must put your props back in the bowl.

These two points alone are enough to make them worth considering and utilizing.

If we also consider the existence of 'Quirk', then it adds even more variables.

In fact, the competition was quite exciting. Although the two who started the competition seemed to be the first to start and the least familiar with the rules of the game, and had the least preparation time, their performance was only somewhat mediocre. At most, they tripped each other a few times in the water.

However, the two students in the second round and the two students in the third round performed exceptionally well, and their actions in order to win were quite unexpected.

First, one of the two students being disciplined in the second round has a 'Quirk' of 'Ripple', which, simply put, means that it causes ripples and Ripple to appear on anything it touches.

Originally, this guy was at a complete disadvantage after acquiring the item. However, when he went all out and used his 'Quirk' to create Ripple in the waves and rapids again, the result was somewhat unexpected, making the rapids and waves even faster and stronger!

He also successfully used the stronger currents and waves to make it difficult for his opponent, whose 'Quirk' seemed to have enhanced his body to some extent, to move.

Then, just as his opponent was about to reach the Qidian, he suddenly kicked him from behind, knocking him down into the water. As a result, his opponent's prop slipped out of his hand and fell into the water, disappearing without a trace.

Unfortunately, in the end, his opponent, relying on his superior strength, forcibly took the item from him and won.

The third round was even more exciting.

The brilliance of this story doesn't refer to the clash between the two men in their quest for victory, but rather to the wisdom displayed by one of them.

Because one of the two guys in the third round was a bit thinner, he was slightly at a disadvantage from the very beginning.

However, after obtaining the item, he did not forcefully cross the ditch with it. Instead, he threw it back onto the bank of the ditch at the Qidian point.

He then relentlessly pursued his opponent, managing to drag his opponent's prop into the water. Finally, while his opponent was groping for the prop in the water, he leisurely waded back to the Qidian, picked up the prop from the ground, and easily put it back into the bowl.

Of course, the actual situation was not as easy as it sounds, but without a doubt, this guy set a good example for the students who would participate in the competition after him, making them, including Uraraka Shige, understand that there are actually many "legal loopholes" that can be exploited in the "official" game rules.

As a result, several similar instances of exploiting loopholes in the game rules occurred in subsequent matches, leading to a variety of outcomes. Subsequently, the individual competition was more than halfway through and was nearing its end.

Uraraka Shige was one of the last few disciplined individuals to participate in the 'individual competition'.

The game he was going to play was a game called 'Pillar Pacing'.

Simply put, it's a game similar to the plum blossom stake game, where you race along iron posts with foam boards attached. The winning condition is the same as the original 'River Wading' game: the first side to complete the objective wins.