Chapter 534: Test of Combat
On the first floor of the Hall of Trials, the watching monsters were still debating what Eternal could mean. Most participants had already finished and been spat out by the stele, with only Strawpin, Fiend Prince, and Starhair remaining. The presence of more monsters only intensified the debate.
“Look, they’re done with the second test!” someone cried out. Everyone turned to look at the stele—two names dominated the very top of the second column, both burning with golden letters. Both had achieved an Eternal classification, but one was clearly placed above the other. After all, the stele ranked all test participants, even if they had achieved the same overall classification.
The second name spelled Jack Rust. And the first, the one at the very top, was Brock!
Of course, this didn’t necessarily mean Brock’s willpower was sturdier than Jack’s. The trial had exploited Jack’s greatest mental scars—his family and son. Brock possessed fewer such weaknesses, so it was hard to tell who would prevail in a different kind of test, especially since Brock hadn’t been through as much suffering as his bro.
But those didn’t matter. Both had classified as Eternal talents in willpower—and, in this test, Brock had emerged superior, solidifying his place as a true and worthy bro.
Intense conversation erupted as soon as the monsters spotted the names. “I knew big bro could do it!” a monster cried out. “Who do you think is going to do better in the combat test? Jack or Brock?”
“It’s obvious, isn’t it? Brock only defeated us disciples, while Jack Monstrous, or Rust, or whatever he’s called, killed two middle Autarch Elders!”
“That doesn’t mean anything. Big bro Brock clearly wasn’t going all-out.”
“But neither was Jack!”