The Ascension : A New Beginning (Solo Leveling x Tower of God) [ON A HIATUS]

Chapter 28 : Defeat?

When the new test administrator informed the regulars that they wouldn't necessarily be competing against each other for the test, most of them were ecstatic. It effectively meant they won't have to worry about other teams being an obstacle for them. In fact, since the administrator even suggested that they can work with each other, they were sure that no one would be taking a risk by starting unnecessary fights.

Yet what they were witnessing right now was the exact opposite.

Two regulars, one of them quite well-known for his strength, had gotten into a fight against each other - A fight of such intensity that others began to doubt if they were really regulars like them to begin with. Their immediate response when the fight broke out was simple - Run. Getting caught in the crossfire and dying a pointless death was not something any of them wished for.

But it was only after they had gained some distance that they discovered the biggest issue in this scenario - To reach the gate that led them to the inner part of the labyrinth, they had to find a way to get past them both. This effectively gave them two options.

One, to wait for the fight to end. But this option was dependent on the unknown variable that is how long the fight would last. If it was short, it was favourable for them. Otherwise, they would end up wasting a lot of time, which was risky considering they had no knowledge on what awaited them in the inner labyrinth.

Two, try their luck by going to another sector. The only issue with this option was that it would take them a lot of time to cover the distance. And if the fight ended faster than they thought, they might end up regretting their decision.

And while the regulars were contemplating what to do next, the fierce fighting in the background continued on with neither of the combatants knowing or caring about what was going through their minds.

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Both Jinwoo and Ryong landed some distance away from each other, signs of fatigue clearly visible on both of them. Jinwoo's breaths had become heavier, his clothes were visibly torn in several locations, bruises and burns visible on his skin and a small chunk of his mask was broken off revealing his left eye. Ryong on the other hand seemed to be in a slightly better condition. His breaths, although not as heavy as Jinwoo, still indicated that he wasn't used to fighting on such even terms. The black robes he wore were torn in some locations with his blood soaking the fabric wherever he was cut. Cracks were visible on his mask and the lower part of it was broken off, revealing his mouth.

'I really need to drink a healing potion...' Jinwoo started formulating a strategy. 'But now that he has already seen me drink it once, this guy isn't providing me any kind of opening.'

'Wait, what's there to think about? If he won't give me a chance...' Taking a deep breath, he raced head on towards his opponent.

'I'll just have to make one myself.'

But when he got within a certain range of Ryong, Jinwoo quickly changed directions to circle around him, seemingly about to launch an attack at him from behind. Anticipating it, Ryong swung his sword aiming for Jinwoo's neck.

[Skill Activated : Blink]

Ryong widened his eyes as Jinwoo suddenly appeared in front of him, thrusting his dagger towards his chest. But quickly regaining his composure, he leapt backwards to get out of range.

'He took the bait.' Jinwoo inwardly smiled, as he pointed his left palm towards his opponent, charging a tiny blue shinsu sphere in his palm for a few seconds before firing it.

[Skill Activated : Blue Drop]

[Active Skill : Blue Drop

Level : 4