The second challenge Alan had to tackle was for him to defeat as many NPCs as possible before he eventually ran out of HP. The key to achieve this was of course to kill them fast before more were spawned.

In situations like this, agility played a much more critical role. Fortunately, it was indeed an attribute Alan excelled in.

Combined with his swordsmanship, all the NPC that charged at him in droves were killed swiftly. One by one, their bodies fell to the ground like dominoes.

5 level 1 were finished off in one minute. The fate of 5 more level 2 occurred next. And then 5 level 3, before eventually 5 level 4 NPCs.

As the 20th NPC was slain under his blade, Alan's breath started to become rough. Noticing a break in his rhythm, another NPC closed the gap and went for his neck with renewed vigor in their expression.

Unfortunately, their attempt was in vain as Alan managed to parry the deadly strike away at the last second.

The hundreds of players who had gathered around the arena gave loud applause and waves of cheers. They were all awed and blinded by the performance Alan had displayed earlier that they didn't notice a small cut on his shoulder.

"Alan!! Alan!!" Players chanted in unison with a gleam in their eyes. Most were rookies, and they were excited to see that one of them was capable of accomplishing higher than most veterans.

After parrying the strike that almost ended his run, Alan quickly stabilized himself. But, unfortunately, Alan was trapped in the middle of four NPCs. Each with 100 HP and an average of D Attributes.

Seeing his state, they didn't give Alan any leeway to escape and attacked him from four sides with synergy. Alan gave his all and stood his ground against these four NPCs, but more blood was drawn from him.

[Stab: received 18 damage]

[Slash: received 16 damage]

All types of equipment were banned in this contest, leaving contestants to depend only on their own capabilities. Fortunately, Alan has been keeping the only skill he can use for this one-time situation.

[Dash]

[Movement speed increased by 30% for 30 seconds]

Alan had positioned himself well so that when he activated the skill, he didn't waste any seconds.

With his enhanced perception and movement speed, Alan weaved past the attacks the four NPCs threw and successfully hit the opponent's critical area, dealing the maximum damage to one of his foes.

[Stabs: lethal attack inflicted 48 damage]

With one of the NPCs out of the picture, Alan swiftly shot forth and pushed his advantage. The skill's effect might only have lasted thirty seconds, but that amount of time was all he needed to land multiple hits and kill all four NPCs.

The spectators watched as Alan blurred amidst the four NPCs, and when his figure was once again seen, the arena was devoid of anything but him. Loud gasps and murmurs broke out among the crowds.

But then, moments after the arena was empty, the figure of the first level 6 NPC formed in front of the gasping Alan. Despite his exhaustion, he was forced to be embroiled in another one on one fight.

Alan managed to defeat the level 6 NPC when the inevitable arrived and his dwindling health validated it.

50..

32..

15..

Knowing that his journey would end at this point, a glint of determination flashed in his eyes as Alan growled. "If I'm going down, at least one of you will go down with me!"

He tightened the grip on the hilt and leaped onto an NPC with a guttural roar, letting go of all inhibitions for one final strike.

[Stabbing: Lethal Attack. Inflicts 42 damage… Target died]

[Your health points reached zero]

[Test ended]

In the end, Alan managed to defeat 27 NPCs and received a total of 880 points.

With his limited attributes, that was as far as he could get; it was a number comparable to a level Veteran. It was undoubtedly an incredible accomplishment for a newbie player like him who didn't have the stats a Veteran has.

Moments later, Alan walked out of the arena with another cheer from the crowds. The crowd parted with him in the middle as he casually headed toward another arena that was not less crowded than his.

There, he saw multiple NPCs being knocked down by a man wielding a metal polearm. One of them was even sent flying out of bounds.

Watching the NPC's air time, the audience's cheers were replaced by loud, shocked gasps. They then went silent the next moment, only to be broken by a man equipped and dressed better than the players surrounding him.

"What a strength! He can push those level 6 NPCs with such ease!!" commented the Veteran, staring at the man in the ring with a strange mix of excitement and dread.

The one who made even Veterans dread the thought of fighting against was none other than Nims. The brown skin Monk persisted in putting on a valiant show; and as a result, he managed to beat one of the level 7 NPC before he finally ran out of Health Points.

[Nims Temzen: 940 points]

Alan could see how Nims was trying hard to calm down and control the madness and bloodlust in his eyes as he walked out of the arena.

"Don't worry, Nims. There are plenty more fights soon enough," said Alan, patting the burly monk's shoulder.

Both of them exited the crowds without much effort as the crowd of people were swiftly enthralled in the following player's performance. Together, the two headed toward a giant screen displaying the leaderboard so far.

[Melee Combat Test]

[Rank 1 - Cachello Trejo]

[Rank 6 - Nims Temzen]

[Rank 9 - Alan D Angello]

[Range Weapon Test]

[Rank 1 - Cachello Trejo]

[Rank 7 - Alan D Angello]

[Rank 8 - Merle Rooker]

The first place was both taken by the famous Black Sand mercenary leader, while all the other top 20 were known veteran players. Hence being in the top 10 was such an achievement, especially as rookie players.

Alan knew there were some names that belong to the list but were not yet included in the rank, either they haven't done their test, or they were not interested to join the test. There were also US military players who didn't join the test.

While he was looking at the list, suddenly a new name came out in the Range weapon test.

[Rank 9 - Jane]

"Jane!?" blurted out Alan with a raised brow.

"Someone you know, Alan?" Nims nonchalantly asked. He long got used to Alan knowing random people.

"No.. on the contrary, I never heard the name before."

It was pretty unusual to find a one-word name player within the game, which made him realize he had never heard such a name before. At least not in his previous life.

This was also mean, the girl was a rookie like him and Nims.

Knowing the female just finished her test, Alan curiously glanced at the shooting ground outside and found the said female player. She has an athletic figure, wore dark glasses, and a black scarf that covers her mouth and neck.

An unrestrained smile couldn't help but creep on Alan's face. The thought that his intervention had some crucial factor in saving talented players by chance brought unforeseen comfort to his heart.

"Nims let's go get our reward!"