[Real World, Site 13]
'Chen Kong is actually a seeded contestant? Won't he get ganged up on from the start?'
'3460 people, an average of 15 people fighting for 1 tear! These rules are too cruel!'
'The coordinates are also publicly displayed in real-time! Chen Kong is going to be constantly hunted!'
'I knew it! Chen Kong's assessments are never easy!'
'Don't be a jinx! Maybe Chen Kong can fight back and win!'
From the perspective of a God-like view, the dimensional audience instantly saw the predicament Chen Kong was currently facing.
Actually, if the Star Tear wasn't constantly broadcasting its real-time coordinates, Chen Kong could easily survive until the end by relying on the existence-masking effect of the 'Mark of Nullity.'
But with 'real-time coordinates' now a factor, carrying the Star Tear was undoubtedly a burden.
Especially in an assessment as 'perilous' as this one.
[Luminous Grass Sea, Chen Kong's Location]
In the soft, warm afternoon, a gentle breeze rustled through the fragments of glowing grass.
On the grassland, Chen Kong looked down at the mini-map on his wristband, a few beads of sweat forming on his forehead.
The shared coordinates on the wristband showed that one-third of the Star Tear holders had stopped moving.
The remaining two-thirds were advancing rapidly.
They were clearly under threat from other contestants nearby.
A similar situation was also happening to Chen Kong.
Although only three minutes had passed since the assessment began, Chen Kong could already feel at least three waves of Star Energy rapidly approaching him.
The nearest one was already within five hundred meters of him.
Just a few more steps, and he might be able to see the person.
That is, assuming the opponent wasn't hiding.
And this was only the situation he could perceive; there would be even more people he couldn't sense, hiding and ambushing him.
"No, I can't keep carrying this hot potato."
After a quick judgment, Chen Kong gritted his teeth, suddenly stopped, fiercely pulled the Star Tear off his wrist, and tossed it into the glowing grass beside him.
The blue crystal landed on the blades of grass with a faint clink, instantly blending into the surrounding starlight, completely undetectable unless one looked closely.
Having done all this, he immediately mobilized the Star Energy of the 'Mark of Nullity.'
A pale silver energy enveloped his entire body, and Chen Kong's presence completely vanished on the grass.
He then decisively left the area and hid nearby.
Chen Kong didn't have to wait long before three contestants appeared at the spot where he had just discarded the Star Tear.
However, none of them actively stepped forward to claim the Star Tear lying in the grass, and the scene fell into an eerie silence.
A moment later, one contestant broke the quiet.
"Let's team up. Let's find a way to eliminate the others first."
Facing this proposition, the other two contestants only considered it briefly before making their decision.
"Agreed."
"Three hundred Star Tears. If we eliminate enough people, we can all pass the assessment in the end."
After weighing the pros and cons, the three strangers immediately formed an alliance.
Their conversation was entirely overheard by Chen Kong nearby.
It was fortunate he had reacted quickly; otherwise, he might be surrounded and attacked by these three now.
Though these three were only Grade Two Star Users, if he were entangled by them, the other surrounding contestants would surely rush over quickly to see if they could pick up the scraps.
I must quickly find Vivian and Liu Ma...
Thinking this, Chen Kong quietly retreated and headed towards the Star Tear coordinates of Liu Ma and the others, following his wristband.
As one of the 'weaklings' in this 'assessment,' Chen Kong believed that only by 'sticking together' could he smoothly pass the examination.
Once isolated, he couldn't necessarily protect the 'Star Tear' alone.
And Chen Kong was not the only one who chose to temporarily abandon the Star Tear and wait for an opportunity.
The anime's camera briefly switched to the live broadcast screen outside the central Kirin Tower.
On the screen, across the boundless grassland, similar scenarios to Chen Kong's were playing out everywhere.
A middle-aged man in martial arts attire stuffed his Star Tear into a tree hollow, then used Star Energy to cover his tracks.
A mechanized Star User put the crystal into a miniature spatial device and threw it in the opposite direction to divert his pursuers.
It was clear that these were all individuals who lacked confidence in protecting the Star Tear.
Discarding the Star Tear early to avoid becoming a living target was their best 'choice.'
And this was the helplessness of being the 'weak.'
But while some abandoned them, others chose to guard them.
[30 Minutes After the Qualification Round Began, Eastern Luminous Prairie, Fluorescent Forest]
Clink!
The leaves of the fluorescent trees shimmered with a pale green glow, falling onto Tendo's black trench coat.
He leaned lazily against a tree trunk, casually fiddling with a Star Tear between his fingers, looking unhurried.
The blue crystal refracted fragmented light under the sun, looking exquisitely beautiful.
The Star Tear, which everyone else was desperately fighting for, was held in his hand like an ordinary toy, treated with utter indifference.
The camera panned, revealing a piece of ground that looked like it had been hit by missiles, riddled with craters, entering the dimensional audience's view.
Scattered within these craters were three discarded contestant wristbands.
The bodies of the wristbands had been shattered, the screens stained with some mud and grime, silently telling everyone that their owners had been eliminated by Tendo.
After playing with the Star Tear in his hand for a while, Tendo turned to look at the location of the three discarded wristbands, shaking his head and saying, "Truly impatient. They dared to act rashly without even figuring out the situation of their enemy."
As Tendo's words fell.
The anime's screen briefly switched.
In the scene, Tendo, faced with three sudden contestants, nonchalantly walked towards the tree.
And it was unclear what Tendo did, but as soon as the three contestants approached a certain distance from him.
An invisible, immense force pressed down on them, instantly slamming them into the mud.
Simultaneously, the soft prairie ground couldn't bear the exaggerated gravity, and circular craters appeared on the spot.
One move, or rather, without Tendo even raising a hand.
The three contestants, who mistakenly thought they had cornered their prey, paid the price for their arrogance.
And looking at Tendo, who had resolved the three contestants without drawing blood on the screen.
The dimensional audience, familiar with Tendo's abilities, vaguely guessed the reason.
'It must be a vector control force field, right?'
'Not only that, if it was just a vector force field, why are there spaces between the craters? Shouldn't it be centered around Tendo?'
'It must be related to the 'Vector Lock' from Tendo's second perfect awakening, but the specifics will have to wait for the production team to reveal them.'
As the dimensional audience speculated.
The method Tendo used to deal with the three contestants was precisely the special effect derived from the second awakening of Vector Control: 'Vector Lock.'
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