The Martial Unity

Had Rui been there, he would have made deeper insights into the second round of the entrance exam. He would have immediately mentally plotted distribution graphs with classes of badge number, with a certain range, and the proportion of badges that fell within each of those classes, based on his observations, allowing him to figure out exactly how many applicants would need to be disqualified for the winners to win.

And he would have more or less correctly come to the conclusion that only twenty percent of the applicants could possibly pass the second round of the entrance exam. That was why the number 1500 was chosen when the average was 1026.

Max and Mana immediately had each other's back as the applicants around them increasingly began getting broiled in more intense conflict.

They were cognizant of the fact that their badge numbers were decisively below the required net number to pass the second round.

"What should we do?" Max asked urgently.

"We should target one applicant together," Mana responded.

Max nodded. "You're right! Big brother said that we should work together, just like we do in training!"

The two of them scoured their surroundings as they looked for a suitable target. They did not have any foolish thoughts of chivalry or honor, they knew that they were the underdogs and that were disadvantaged individually against pretty much all the applicants. Rui had drilled teamwork into their heads.

"There." Max pointed at a girl. "She looks about our age and although her badge number 538 isn't enough by itself, it's our best shot."

Mana followed his gaze, before nodding. "Good thinking."

The two of them watched their target, Crea.

She had been laying low as she herself had been looking for a target, yet suddenly she felt something approaching her. She turned, just barely in time to react to Max and Mana rushing towards her.

POW POW POW!

a quick flurry of jabs. Crea gritted her teeth as she just barely managed to

surrounded her as they began circling her, throwing attacks in her

managed to partially evade or block almost all of their attacks despite them leveraging their numeric advantage against her. They could even feel

POW!

launched a right kick to her thigh, retreating his leg that she almost managed to catch

THWACK

second kick landed on her shin, causing her

Crea turned and swung her leg towards Mana swiftly, yet Mana had seen

POW!

BAM!

THWACK!

the light of determination never once faded from her eyes. A faint memory resurfaced even as she withstood

getting hit?"

chaos, the sheer numbers, not to mention your disadvantages,

I just defend against

Rui replied, shaking his head. "At

what can I do?"

can do... is make it count." Rui

She tilted her head in

it count." Rui nodded. "Suppress your futile urge to evade or defend every attack, instead, take it and use the opportunity created by you not wasting your physical resources into futile defense and the opening created by an attack to launch a counterattack. If you're going to get hit, then make sure every strike they land on you is costly. That is the best way

as she understood what Rui was trying to convey. "I see. I just have to make it count. I feel like

POW!

trying to guard. Her arms lashed out toward his elbow and shoulder even as a painful impact assailed her right shoulder with pain. Yet she ignored it as she clasped him, before swiftly sweeping him off

BAM!