Chapter 2: Clash of Dreams — The Chip Contest Begins
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A cold wind swept across the arena as six hundred contestants prepared for the first test of the Hero Exam — the Chip Contest.
Sohan took a deep breath and felt his hands tense around the hilt of his katana. Around him stood friends, strangers, heroes, and future rivals — every face painted with determination or fear.
> "This is it," Sohan thought, eyes narrowing.
"Our first real trial."
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⚡ The Rules of Battle ⚡
A booming voice echoed across the arena:
"Remember the rules, contestants!"
"Each of you bears a chip attached to your body. Protect yours — steal others' to advance! Last hundred standing move to the next round. Begin… NOW!"
With that, the arena exploded into chaos.
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🔥 First Sparks Fly 🔥
A blue-haired boy with glowing fists rushed past Sohan like a comet.
"Looks like someone's eager," Sohan muttered, jumping aside as twin beams of light shot past him.
"That's Arsen," Rakib appeared at his side, grinning wildly.
"Rank B hero hopeful — super-speed, super-strength."
> "That guy?" Sohan raised an eyebrow.
"Fast and flashy," Rakib chuckled,
"but let's see if he lasts."
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Suddenly a roar broke their brief exchange.
A towering girl with orange hair — "Kara the Thunder Lion," Sohan recalled — had cornered two contestants.
With each strike of her fists, sparks of orange electricity cracked the air.
And above her, someone else watched like a hawk — "Jin the Sniper," perched on a high beam, his eye trained and ready.
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🕸️ Illusions and Light 🕸️
"Don't look up!" came a whisper in Sohan's ear.
He spun to see Tisha, her hands glowing faint blue.
"This is my world," she said, and the arena around them shimmered into an illusion of a misty forest.
"No one can see us here."
Sohan nodded in relief as a stranger passed blindly by — a huge brute with chains wrapped around his fists.
"That's Brock," Tisha whispered.
"C-rank hero hopeful. Dangerous up close."
> "And outside?" Sohan asked.
"Rakib and Sharif are covering us," she replied.
"And Isha and Lamia are handling healing and defense."
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⚡ A Rush of Thunder ⚡
Suddenly, Tisha's illusion broke as a bright green light flashed overhead.
Rakib soared by, hands glowing fiercely as he fired laser after laser into the crowd.
"Rakib's gone wild again," Sohan thought — and sure enough, Rakib lost control for a moment as a stray beam sizzled past Sohan's face.
> "Hey! Watch it!" Sohan yelled.
"Sorry!" Rakib's voice echoed back sheepishly.
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A shadowy figure appeared before Sohan — "Don't let your guard down," a masked boy spoke.
He lunged forward with a curved blade.
Sohan barely raised his katana in time, the sound of steel clashing with steel ringing across the arena.
> "Fast," Sohan thought, feeling a surge of adrenaline.
He pushed back and spun his katana, channeling a burst of wind to knock the boy back.
"Who are you?" Sohan asked.
"Ray," the boy replied coolly, eyes sharp as ice.
"And I plan to pass this exam."
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🔥 Heated Alliances 🔥
Nearby, Sharif was holding off two muscular contestants at once.
"Come at me!" Sharif bellowed, fists raised like boulders.
Each punch sent shockwaves across the arena floor.
And Lamia — hair twisting into iron-sharp spears — covered their blind spots.
"Anyone who gets too close, I'll make sure they regret it," she grinned, slicing a chip clean off one attacker's chest.
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💧 Healing Light 💧
Isha knelt briefly by Rakib as a shallow cut appeared on his arm.
Her hands glowed gold.
"This won't slow you down," she assured him softly as his wound closed.
Rakib flashed a thumbs up.
"You're amazing, Isha."
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🕶️ A Mysterious Newcomer 🕶️
And then, from nowhere — Nose appeared at Sohan's back.
"Looks like you needed backup," Nose teased with a grin.
He was fast as the wind itself, and every movement left afterimages.
"Stick together," he urged.
"There's a lot more competition than we thought."
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💥 An Explosion of Power 💥
Suddenly, an explosion rocked the far end of the arena.
A huge boy with fists like hammers — "Titan," an A-rank hopeful — laughed as he smashed his way through a group.
Beside him, a graceful girl spun a spear that glowed with blue light — "Skye," a water-user whose every move created graceful arcs of water that blasted chips from chests.
And another boy, covered in dark green scales — "Vex," a monstrous C-rank who growled like a beast — leapt from contestant to contestant, tearing chips away with ease.
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Sohan watched this chaos unfold — this was the real test.
And he wasn't going to back down.
> "They're strong," Sohan thought, a determined smile playing on his lips.
"But so are we."
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⚜️ Teamwork and Trust ⚜️
The next few minutes were a blur of motion.
Sohan fought side by side with Rakib, Tisha's illusions creating perfect distractions as Sharif crushed their foes.
Isha kept everyone healed, Lamia guarded their flanks, and Nose scouted the best paths through the chaos.
And slowly, one by one, chips fell.
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⚡ A Whisper from the Shadows ⚡
As Sohan paused to catch his breath, he felt it again — that strange, inexplicable gaze.
He turned quickly, eyes locking with a hooded figure in the crowd.
That face…
He didn't recognize it.
But something about it tugged at him, deep and raw.
> "Who was that?" Sohan thought, unsettled.
And then the hooded figure disappeared into the crowd — like a ghost.
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🔥 The Battle Continues 🔥
More contestants rushed toward Sohan and his friends.
More chips shattered, more friendships and rivalries began.
And as the light faded across the arena, Sohan felt his heart racing — not just from the fight, but from the sense that something far bigger was about to happen.
> "This is just the beginning," Sohan thought, gripping his katana.
"And I'm going to fight with everything I have."
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