It was the hottest day in August, and seventeen-year-old Cynthia, Mitchell, and others participated in the organization's selection process. The assessment took place in the jungle, and Cynthia dashed toward her destination like a cat.The assessment was relatively straightforward; the first ten participants to reach the destination would proceed to the second round. Cynthia did not know where the other participants had gone; she only knew she had to give it her all. Along the way, there were organization members trying to block her.Bang! A gunshot rang out, and a blank round narrowly missed Cynthia. She did not have any weapons; they were not allowed. She had to rely on her agility to evade the dangers. Hidden in the trees, observers watched the scene. One of them raised an eyebrow and commented to the person next to them, "This girl is quite impressive; she managed to dodge that."The man beside him, his face covered in camouflage paint, concealing his true identity, was
Cynthia had never realized just how tough a person could be. Now, she knew. Every time she clashed with Matthew, it felt like her blows landed on an impossibly solid iron rod while he remained unaffected, causing her intense pain.Bang! Another hit sent Cynthia stumbling back several steps. Despite the pain coursing through her body, she pressed forward, clutching a handful of mud and sand she had quickly scooped up from the ground. Just as they were about to collide again, Cynthia feigned an attacking motion, swiftly throwing the muddy mixture at him and darted to the side.It was a deceptive move, and Matthew noticed it. He turned, allowing the mud to hit him on the back of his head, and reached out to intercept Cynthia, who was attempting to escape.Cynthia struck out at him without hesitation, taking advantage of the brief opening. Matthew, maintaining his composure, intercepted her strikes. In just a matter of seconds, they had exchanged several blows.Bang!With a decisi
After leaving the jungle, Matthew saw Cynthia sitting on the ground, furrowing as she rubbed her arms and shoulders. It was evident that Matthew had used his full strength during their encounter.Upon his arrival, Cynthia glanced at him but quickly averted her gaze. However, she made a silent decision: someday, she would defeat this man!"Does it hurt?" Matthew tossed a water bottle to her.Cynthia caught it and murmured in agreement. Matthew opened his own water bottle, and he said as casually as he could, "Cherish the comfort you have today because there will be even more painful challenges awaiting you."Cynthia pondered why she had thought he was expressing concern just now."Captain, she's just a young girl. Don't scare her away," one of the team members spoke up."Exactly!""She's the first to finish.""We should handle girls with care."The team members chimed in one after another.Matthew cast a nonchalant glance over them and asked, "Are you sure you want me to handl
Matthew's expression remained unchanged as he spoke in his deep, clear voice, "Would you like to help her with the rest of the training as well?"The others were frightened.No need for that! And so, Matthew led Cynthia away.Cynthia had not anticipated having to compensate him for anything. She was ready to take off the coat and transfer the money for the watch as they walked. However, just as she moved her hand, Matthew quietly uttered, "You have something on your pants."That one sentence froze Cynthia's hand in place. She could not help but recall her awkward behavior earlier when he tossed the coat over her head.Twenty minutes later, they arrived at the organization's convenience store. After leaving Cynthia there, Matthew instructed her to wait. Before departing, he exchanged a few words with the store owner.Unfamiliar with the area, Cynthia stayed put. Following Matthew's instructions, the store owner provided her with sanitary supplies and directed her to the restroom
Accepting the watch did not violate any of the organization's rules, so Matthew took it. After putting the watch back on his wrist, he gave her a meaningful glance and said, "In return for this watch, I'll have someone look out for you during training.""That's not what I meant," Cynthia quickly explained. She was simply offering compensation and thanks. She did not understand why he brought up this idea of looking out for her.Matthew glanced at her but remained silent. Seeing him this way, Cynthia felt compelled to clarify her intentions. At that time, her innocence led her to misunderstand what Matthew said. She had no idea that his 'looking out for her' meant intense, almost brutal training, the kind that would yield harsh results."Are you even listening?" Cynthia asked again after getting no response from him. She was becoming anxious."I heard you. You can rest assured about the 'looking out for you' part. I won't be in charge of training you guys after this. I don't control
"That's the same place, dealing with the same matter, so it counts as one," Matthew explained.Cynthia was curious. "So, you fell for me during the training?""No.""Then when did you?" Matthew urged her to think harder about it.Cynthia sighed, realizing that if it were something she could easily recall, she would not have been guessing all this time.Putting the pieces together, Isaiah softly asked, "Did you appear in front of her with camouflage paint before formally training them?"Cynthia answered confidently, "No." She could guarantee that because she had wanted to ask his name when they met the first time, with the intention of challenging him when she felt ready. However, she did not see him again until the second assessment, as if he had vanished into thin air."The third time didn't involve camouflage paint. It was about disguises." Matthew offered a hint when he noticed her lack of recollectionIsaiah and Cynthia were confused.Disguises? Cynthia tried to re
[Gaby: I think we all met him on that day.][Cynthia: No, it was during the first assessment. The one who chatted and laughed with David was also him.]Everyone in the group was taken aback, and even Mitchell was surprised.[Alex: If we're talking about the most memorable moment, it has to be the second assessment.][Linus: Yeah, I agree. David's second assessment was something else. He told us it was an urgent mission, and we needed to be ready, but it was another test.]Reading this, Cynthia recalled the second assessment. They were in the wilderness for training when David received a message about a nearby hostage situation, and they were needed for a rescue mission.David's expression had been extremely serious then. He was only leading a team of two, and the rookies volunteered to join him. Initially, David had rejected their request, stating they were just newcomers with only a month of training, and it would be a suicide mission for them.However, they insisted on going.
However, according to David and the descriptions given by the team, this person was supposed to be the 'abducted hostage'. He approached Cynthia and asked a similar question to the previous interrogator, "When did you realize it?"Cynthia noticed the demeanor and actions of the man questioning her. In a matter of moments, she deduced that this 'hostage' was far from ordinary."When he offered me a chance," Cynthia replied.The man asked several more questions, to which Cynthia provided detailed answers. Finally, he said, "You passed the second assessment."It was only then that Cynthia realized the main objective of this operation was not to rescue a hostage or maintain her composure but to detect that it was an assessment. The one who discovered it would pass.With this revelation, Cynthia paused, recalling Matthew's previous clue was 'disguise'.She mentally compared the features, appearance, and height of the supposed 'hostage' with Matthew's, and none of them matched. Their