ANTECEDENT: CHAPTER 21

THE FOREST hunt ended quickly, with only six contenders able to continue to the second test. The four who were sent to the hospital for emergency treatment, was all Midnight's target. And the only reason the remaining five were not in the hospital right now was because Midnight was told by the invigilator to stop hunting after taking down four.

It was against the rules to stop a contender from hunting, but they made an exemption for Midnight. Or else there would be no second test happening.

There were only two options—disqualified Midnight for unintentionally sending almost half of the contenders to the hospital or stop him from hunting more. They choose the latter.

After the forest hunt concluded, Midnight was sitting at the back of a pickup truck while the other contenders were in another pickup. The five kept glancing at Midnight, who was by himself with his eyes closed while sitting crossed legged, back straight.

The five hunted and fought each other. They found it odd that it was only them present at the extraction point at the end, but they learned the truth once they arrived at the camp.

Four contenders would not be able to continue with the test anymore because they had been sent to the hospital. One had a severe concussion, two were excessively bleeding, while one had multiple broken bones. And all that was done by Midnight Velasquez, who was sitting calmly at the other pickup truck.

"Shouldn't they disqualify him?" One of the five, Joshua, asked in a low voice.

One contender, Lukas, sneered. He was the one who won against the four. "Why would they? It's not Midnight's fault that he's strong. And I heard those who were sent to the hospital did not last even five minutes with him."

Another contender, Drias, nodded. "And do you really think the Orgánosi would hinder such monster from entering the organization?"

"What if his actions towards those four people were calculated, and he might do something similar to one of us?" It was the very contender who'd demanded to know why Midnight wasn't disqualified that uttered this question; the accusation hung heavy in the air.

"If you're afraid, just back out." Lukas said to Joshua before jumping down from the pickup truck and walking towards the pickup where Midnight was.

Drias followed Lukas. Meanwhile, the remaining three just watched the two approached Midnight.

Strong people like Midnight tend to be arrogant and self-absorbed, so there were some hesitations in Lukas and Drias' mind as they approached. They were about to greet Midnight, but he surprised them by opening his eyes, turning to them, and speaking first.

"Done with the test?"

"Yeah." Seeing Midnight was amiable, Lukas got in the truck and sat across from him. "We were surprised that it was just the five of us at the extraction point."

Following Lukas, Drias climbed into the back of the pickup truck and sat down. "How long have you been waiting here?" He asked Midnight so familiarly that Midnight was slightly taken aback, but still answered.

"Four hours."

Lukas and Drias looked at Midnight with parted lips, stunned.

"Four hours?" Drias echoed. "That long? You finished the test that fast?"

Midnight nodded, looking humble. "They pulled me out for some reason. I thought I did something wrong. The reason was not a big deal, after all."

Lukas and Drias shared a look.

Sending four people in critical condition to the hospital was not a big deal? What was a big deal then?

The two then simultaneously looked at Midnight with the same thought running through their minds—Midnight Velasquez was out of touch with reality.

"What?" Midnight inquired when he saw how the two were looking at him.

"Nothing," Lukas took a dep breath. "The next test will be in the sea, right? Does any of you have any idea what kind of test it is?"

Drias nodded. "Fighting in the water, perhaps?"

Lukas frowned. "I can't picture it."

"Probably drowning each other." Midnight said it in a matter-of-factly tone that made Drias and Lukas stared at Midnight's nonchalant face.

Midnight pretended like he did not see how Lukas and Drias looked at him after that statement. He said those words not because he did not understand social cues, but because he was curious how these two contenders who approached him first would react.

Because of the life he had lived, he became wary of people approaching him. Call him jaded or whatever, but it had become a habit that had been engrained in his bone to check people and in their intentions.

Just by observing people's body language, the way they speak, the words they used, and the tone of their voices were enough to learn a lot about someone.

And it seems Midnight's guess was not far off. The next day, at twilight, everyone was taken to a yacht in the middle of nowhere. It's just the vast sea everywhere.

"For your next test, each one of you will be given a red emergency light before we throw you into the sea." The invigilator handed emergency lights to each contender. "That emergency light is your lifeline. Don't get it stolen. It doesn't matter to us whatever kind of method you used to steal the emergency lights from each other as long as the result is the same," The rules were laid out afterwards. "No weapon, as usual. The test will start at night. Have fun!"

As everyone gets ready to board their boat, the invigilator turned to Midnight. The chief invigilator is giving you a restriction. "You are not allowed to accidentally send someone to the hospital or accidentally kill them."

Midnight paused from walking go the edge of the yacht to turn back to the invigilator. He wanted to ask something—for clarification — but thought against it and just continued walking toward the edge of the top deck.

While Midnight was calmly observing the deep, blue sea, the other remaining contenders—except for Lukas and Drias — kept on glancing at Midnight, as if they will know the secret of how to take him down if they look harder.

Because to receive a restriction from the chief invigilator himself, that meant Midnight might really 'accidentally' kill one of them!

"Have fun." The invigilator suddenly said, as the last light in the sky disappeared on the horizon.

Midnight instantly dove to the ocean from the top deck and disappeared into the sea. Midnight instantly disappeared from everyone's sight.

"Invigilator!" Joshua, one contender, called out when he realized that Midnight just dove without the invigilator's go signal to start the test. "He's disqualified. He already dove."

The invigilator paused from checking his night vision binoculars and turned to the contender, Joshua, who called out to him. "I said the test will start at night." He pointed at the dark sky. "Isn't it night already? What are you still doing here?"

Everyone became silent and looked at the dark sea below them.

Where is Midnight? This was the question running through everyone's mind as they dive into the deep, cold ocean.

Everyone was warily looking around the surrounding sea while feeling the cold sea. They all knew they had to move fast, or else hypothermia will kill them.

The five contenders immediately scattered while securing their own red emergency light.

Lukas stopped swimming and just calmly float, waiting for his fate. He was not good at underwater fights. He didn't see the point in trying. So, when he suddenly felt a hand wrapping tightly wrapping around his neck from behind, his breathing stops but did not struggle.

He did not even hear a sound! It was as if the person behind him just popped out of nowhere.

Lukas had one guess who was behind him.

"Midnight?" He guessed.

"Hmm."

With that confirmation, Lukas slowly reached out to his zipped pocket, where he hid his emergency light. "I surrender." Then quickly added. "I'm not skilled at underwater combat." He took out his emergency light and offered it to Midnight, who was still behind him. "Spare me?"

Midnight accepted the emergency light and let go of Lukas' neck, while still ready for combat. "Go back."

Lukas did not hesitate and swam back to the yacht. It was dark, so the rest were unaware of Lukas' trip back to the yacht.

However, to Midnight, whose eyes had been trained to have scotopic vision, it may not be as clear as day, but he could clearly see where his opponents were.

With only half of his head showing, his eyes surveyed his surroundings before letting himself sink and swimming to his next target.

Back on the yacht, Lukas watched the fight in the sea from a binocular with night vision.

He felt a cold, tingling sensation in his spine as he watched as Midnight took down one contender after another. Midnight looked like he was in his element. Resurfacing and diving with ease. From what he could observe, Midnight had a special way of breathing while swimming covertly.

It was easy to tell how well-trained Midnight was in underwater combat. He was like a black marlin, piercing the water so imperceptibly, only a small ripple was visible.

One rescue team after another was deployed to recover the unconscious contenders Midnight had left to sink into the ocean.

Truly merciless.

"If you don't stop him, he might really kill Joshua." Lukas said to the invigilator beside him while watching the underwater fight between Midnight and Joshua, if it could even be called a fight.

It was more like a one side trampling, really.

Everyone who was recommended by the position was no weakling. Everyone had been trained to be ruthless in the field. They all had a kill or be killed mentality. But seeing the fight between Midnight and the other contenders, the invigilator watching felt like all the contenders were just pranking them at this point.

Initially, the candidates appeared strong, but their fights against Midnight left the invigilator questioning whether Midnight was exceptionally formidable, or the candidates were ultimately underwhelming and disappointing?

"I generously told him about his restriction," the invigilator said with nonchalant voice before sighing as if he was so done with everything. "I'm sure he'll remember."

The invigilator believed a sea battle would hinder Midnight's progress, adding a degree of difficulty. However, at that very moment, he felt as if he'd unleashed a killer whale into the ocean.

Lukas, on the other hand, let out a relieve breath. Just like what the invigilator said, Midnight remembered his restriction. Midnight was not as merciful as he was to him, but Lukas could tell Midnight held back so much as to not accidentally sent Joshua to the hospital.

Almost everyone was sent back unconscious to the Yacht, but nothing severe.

The last one to climb back into the yacht was Midnight, and he stayed at the swimming platform in the yacht's rear, just watching the starless sky and feeling the cold ocean breeze.

He was thinking about the selection test.

Could it have been that simple? Or was he simply more monstrous than the others? Did this result stem from the experiment? Did his training differ from everyone else's?

He had no answer to these questions because he hadn't met a worthy opponent in this selection.

Sighing to himself, he got up from the swimming platform and finally went up to his designated room on the yacht to rest.

Midnight closed the lights soon after he entered his room. He was more comfortable to move around in the dark.

His eyes easily adjusted to the darkness and the comfort it gives him made him sigh softly.

After washing, he changed clothes and laid on the bed.

Despite closing his eyes, his brain remained active. Unable to sleep, he got out of bed and left the room. He went back to the top deck, where he saw Lukas sitting on the long sofa.

"Oh, hey!" Lukas greeted Midnight.

Midnight nodded and sat on the chair near the railing, his back leaning against the cold, hard railing.

"I thought you'd be resting by now." Lukas opened the conversation. He was actually curious about this monstrous being in front of him. "Can I ask you something?"

Midnight gave Lukas a 'go ahead' look.

"May I ask who recommended you?" Lukas asked. Everyone knew they'd received an Arkhon's recommendation, but the specifics of who recommended whom remained unknown.

Midnight determined that it wouldn't be a big deal to tell the truth. "The second Arkhon."

Lukas' lips parted in shock. As far as he knew, the second Arkhon, a legendary figure in the Orgánosi, had recommended no one before. "No wonder. I was recommended by the seventh Arkhon."

Midnight nodded, and the topic ended. However, Lukas was still curious.

"Were you trained by the second Arkhon?"

Midnight shook his head. "No. The fourth Arkhon trained me."

Lukas' lips were now parted wide open. His expression was full of confusion. "How... what...?" The second and fourth Arkhon were both legendary figure and Midnight had connection to both?

Wait... wasn't the fourth Arkhon surname Velasquez? And wasn't there also a Velasquez continental boss of Asia, which was the fourth Arkhon's son?

Midnight nodded at Lukas. "It's complicated."

"Yeah..." Lukas was left speechless for a couple of minutes. His mind was trying to wrap up around the information he just received. And Midnight did not elaborate further and just left the conversation hanging after that.

Until the two parted ways on the top deck to rest, Lukas remained dazed. His mind had been a little blown.

The next morning, the third test began after breakfast. It was a battle of intellect through oral examination.

Each contender will face five invigilators who would also serve as their examiner. And each one would ask you a question and you only have three minutes to reply.

Midnight was the first one called.

He faced the five invigilators calmly, with no ripple in his expression. But out of these five invigilators, only one was asking Midnight question one after another.

The five questions turned into ten, and then fifteen, until it reached twenty. Half were situational questions and half were analytical questions.

Only then was Midnight sent out.

"We will send your result to the address you provided."

Midnight nodded and left the room.

"How was it?" Lukas and Drias asked Midnight at the same time.

"It was okay." Midnight said with a shrugged. "I think everyone will pass this test."

Everyone contenders who heard it took Midnight's words to heart. They thought it would be easy until they were hit by the first question.

The five could only curse Midnight in their hearts!

Once the third test concluded, all contenders were sent to the port.

Still preoccupied with the third test, the others were surprised when Midnight suddenly departed, running to a nearby helicopter.

"How was it, kid?" It was Dominick, who welcomed Midnight as Midnight opened the helicopter's door.

Midnight shrugged and joined Dominick inside. "Too easy."

Dominick clicked his tongue. "I told you; no contenders could defeat you. Monstrous people like you are already working in the Orgánosi, such as your big brother and other continental bosses. They are the ones you should be wary of. They are the people who are just like you."

Midnight nodded. "Hmm."

Seeing this not cute kid acting obediently, Dominick smiled and messed Midnight's hair. "Congratulations in advance, kid." There was no doubt in Dominick's voice. He was certain that Midnight would get the position.

And Dominick hit the nail on the head.

A letter from the Orgánosi arrived at the farm and it reads,'Congratulations. Please report to the Orgánosi's NEW YORK CITY base in three days' time for your inauguration."

Midnight stared at it for a long time before an imperceptive smile appeared on his lips.

Finally. He had become a little closer to his brother.

CECELIB | C.C.