Kieran glanced over at Axel, who had been steadily pushing himself in the front pack. He knew a little about Axel—most of the info coming from the principal. It would’ve been great if such a promising student had been discovered earlier.

Ninety points of Force—the gap is indeed a bit big.

After Cole’s dramatic stunt, the group had settled back into a more stable rhythm. The longer they ran, the more the gaps between the students became apparent.

The last ten were trailing with Force values around 93, while the next group—Ryder, Vale, and others—were somewhere in the middle. At the front, there were five people with a Force of over 98, plus Axel, who stood out like a sore thumb in that elite crowd.

Vale snorted, unimpressed. Even though she’d missed her chance to befriend Axel earlier, she had thought about it after the fact.

One more is too many, one less is fine. Axel were in an entirely different league from her.

The midday sun was unbearable, the heat almost felt like being baked alive.

Sweat soaked through their clothes, clinging to their skin, and Axel could feel a slight burn in his lungs. He wasn't sure where his Force level was now; he’d absorbed some raw stones and crystals the day before, so it had probably improved. But compared to the top two, Theo and Cassia, his own Force was still lacking.

He could easily got the Force-Recovery Pill—he had a secret weapon: his awakening skill, Recovery.

It would burn through a lot of Force, but it would bring him back to peak condition.

If Kieran did notice, it’d be a massive problem. Awakening a skill before breaking 100 Force? That would make headlines all over the country.

Axel couldn’t afford the kind of attention that would come with that.

"A little strange." Kieran murmured to himself, adjusting his position under the blazing sun. He glanced at his watch, and his expression shifted to something more serious.

The students were showing more drive than he’d expected. Axel, in particular, had been holding his own at the front for so long.

"Last half hour," Kieran muttered.

Theo and Cassia picked up the pace. The gap between them and the rest of the pack started to widen as they pushed ahead, pulling away from the others.

The students in the back echelon had long given up on winning first place. Some in the second echelon were struggling, gritting their teeth and pushing through the pain, but seeing Theo and his team picking up the pace, the others couldn’t help but feel a little defeated.

Vale and Ryder weren’t among them, though. They had their eyes locked on one of the stronger runners in the front group.

Knight. The guy had the highest Force value in their small circle—99.

When Knight closed the gap, Vale and Ryder exchanged a glance, their faces lighting up with relief.

They knew this whole thing was rigged. The reward was always going to go to Theo or Cassia. But they had found a loophole, a chance to grab a Force-Recovery Pill.

Knight was the key.

Theo and Cassia were a little surprised to see Knight closing in, but neither said a word. They were both over 100 in Force, and the gap between them was too small to make a real difference. One deep breath would probably be enough to sway things.

The gap between the top two and others, was getting wider as they surged ahead.

Behind them, Knight was in third, and Axel had managed to slip into fourth.

Axel stayed calm. If he couldn’t get the Force-Recovery Pill, he could at least snag a Force-Increasing Pill, which was still a good prize.

The third echelon was beginning to fall behind the top three, unable to keep up with their pace.

Kieran watched Knight, noticing the way the guy’s face was turning purple. He frowned.

Pushing past one’s limits was part of his strategy, but there had to be a limit to how much pressure they could take. Just as Kieran was about to consider intervening, something unexpected happened.

Knight pulled a red pill from his pocket while running, popped it in his mouth without hesitation, and swallowed it.

“What the fuck…” Kieran's eyes widened in shock. “Too fucking smart. I miscalculated!”

Knight had just taken a Force-Increasing Pill, a second-tier reward meant to boost his Force. It wasn’t as good as a Force-Recovery Pill, but still pricey—and a lot easier to get.

As soon as it kicked in, his face flushed back to normal, and the exhaustion seemed to melt away. He powered forward, sprinting with renewed energy.

“Hell yeah, that’s more like it!” Knight grinned, feeling the surge of energy. While picking up speed, he couldn’t help but think, Ryder and Vale, you guys are genius-level strategists.

Technically, Kieran hadn’t said anything about not using meds. Knight wasn’t about to win against Cassia and Theo in Force, but with half a pill, he could definitely close the gap enough to make a good run for the top.

“Fuck, Knight’s going crazy?”

“He just took meds!” As the race neared its end, some of the students who had just finished their class came out to watch, catching the last part of the action.

Theo and Cassia exchanged a quick look when they saw Knight speeding up behind them. They both kicked into high gear again, but after all the hours of running, they were reaching their limits.

Wait, what the hell? Did he just take a pill?

Axel, who was trailing about half a lap behind them, had noticed the move as well. As everyone’s focus shifted to the top three, Axel used the opportunity to catch his breath and push forward. With a subtle burst of energy, he started to close the distance.

Axel's vision blurred as his remaining Force was drained in an instant, and for a moment, it felt like he was going to collapse.

But even though his Force had been emptied out, he felt an unexpected surge of energy. The exhaustion faded, his legs felt lighter, and his body was reinvigorated.

Kieran checked his watch again, his brow furrowed. Five minutes left. He hadn't expected these students to be so damn strategic.

Ryder and Vale had already started to ease up on the pace. They weren’t going to crack the top five, but the plan was still on track.

Cassia and Theo, clenched their teeth, eyes narrowed. There was no way they were going to be beaten like this.

Suddenly, someone in the crowd shouted.

“Axel’s charging up!”

“Shit, must’ve used the raw stones. This is crazy!” Everyone leaned forward, shocked.

“Wait… still get some in the tank?” Kieran hadn’t been paying attention to Axel at first. But now? This was… unexpected. “Damn, get interesting.”

Two minutes later, Axel had blown past both Cassia and Theo, leaving them behind, their figures becoming smaller and smaller in the distance.

“What the hell?”

Before Knight had overtaken them, Theo and Cassia could understand Knight’s Force was practically on par with theirs. But Axel?

Vale and Ryder’s faces changed too. They were near their limits. Others weren’t even able to catch their breath anymore. Where the hell did Axel find the strength?

“Shit, that’s my guy!” Drayke yelled from the corridor, slapping his chest, his face was flushed with excitement.

Axel realized how powerful his awakening skill was. Even though he felt like he was nearing his limit, his body was still primed to go, thanks to his fitness and his awakening.

Knight was running at his own pace, taking it easy since he had a good lead on Cassia. But when he turned a corner, his eyes widened in shock. A figure was closing in on him with impressive speed.

“What hell?” Knight’s body tensed. Seeing someone approaching from behind made his nerves spike.