It had to be said that Nevermore Academy truly cultivated the elite of the elite.
If ordinary people were subjected to Victor's "merciful" rain of javelins, they would have long been turned into pincushions, crying for their mothers as they quit the race.
But these contestants, though battered and covered in dust, clothes torn, sporting varying degrees of scratches and bruises, and moving with utter disarray, were still able to dodge and weave through the whistling wooden weapons, howling as they charged forward.
Werewolves used their agility to sense danger in advance and evade; Sirens relied on their flexibility to contort into incredible shapes.
Other descendants, like the Gorgons, had their own life-saving skills.
However, what surprised and even stunned Victor the most was Wednesday, who had quietly joined the fray at some point. Her physical constitution was no different from an ordinary human's.
She had no werewolf speed, no Siren flexibility, nor the special talents of other supernatural races.
All she relied on were exquisite combat skills, a mind calm to the extreme, and a seemingly innate anticipation of danger trajectories.
Her performance was art.
Amidst that hail of bullets—or rather, javelins—she didn't look like she was dodging for her life. It looked more like she was performing an elegant, deadly dark ballet.
Every sidestep, every spin, every perfectly timed duck or lean allowed the javelins capable of piercing tree trunks to pass by with mere millimeters to spare.
Blooming and folding like a flower of the night, her face showed no fear. Only an icy calm of total concentration, as if she weren't in danger, but enjoying an afternoon stroll in her own gloomy backyard.
"Whoa..." Victor's (Venom-possessed) giant white eyes lit up, filled with the excitement and appreciation of finding a new toy.
He got interested and decided to increase the difficulty for this elegant dancer.
The frequency of his throws increased abruptly, the angles becoming more tricky. He even started using prediction to block paths. Several javelins flew past practically scraping Wednesday's throat, waist, and ankles!
This thrilling scene made other contestants who caught a glimpse feel their hearts skip a beat, secretly glad the monster's main attention wasn't on them.
But Wednesday did not disappoint Victor.
Her movements remained fluid. In the increasingly dense attacks, she even displayed a forced, yet more extreme sense of rhythm.
Not only did she dodge perfectly, but in the gap between evasions, she smoothly pulled out a javelin deeply embedded in the ground. Without even looking, she backhanded it right back at Victor on top of the stone arch!
The javelin whistled through the air, aiming precisely at Victor's... er, probably his cheek?
Victor seemingly didn't expect this move and tilted his head instinctively.
The javelin flew past, scraping his viscous black "skin." Although it caused no damage, the obvious motion of "having his head knocked aside" carried an inexplicable comical quality.
Brief silence.
Victor slowly straightened his head. His giant white eyes blinked. Then, a low, pleasurable laugh, like countless grains of sand rubbing together, rolled from deep within his throat.
"Beautiful..." He licked his jagged teeth, his tone filled with undisguised admiration and... some deeper interest.
"God, she is truly charming, isn't she?" The question seemed directed at Venom, yet also like he was talking to himself.
Just then, Wednesday broke through the blockade of the "javelin rain" first and arrived in front of the black flag belonging to the Black Cat.
She didn't hesitate. She reached out, grabbed the flagpole, and yanked it out forcefully!
The flag unfurled in her hand in the wind, the hideous cat claw marks on it seeming to come alive.
However, as her other hand unconsciously braced against the ancient Crackstone stone arch due to the motion of pulling the flag—
An anomaly occurred!
The familiar, suffocating buzzing sensation seized her instantly!
The scene before her twisted and collapsed in a flash!
[Psychic Vision]
The blinding white light faded, and Wednesday found herself standing in a void of pure whiteness.
A figure stood quietly before her.
It was a girl, possessing features and a silhouette almost identical to hers, like a reflection in a mirror, yet starkly different.
The girl's hair was silver-white like moonlight. She wore an ancient-style, spotless white long dress, the hem like solidified clouds.
Most striking was the heavy book she held. The cover bore no text, yet it radiated an aura of antiquity.
The girl raised her eyes. Those eyes were dark like Wednesday's, but hollow, like a universe capable of swallowing all light.
She looked at Wednesday. Her lips didn't move, but a cool, ethereal voice, seemingly from the end of time, resounded directly deep in Wednesday's mind:
"You are... the Key."
[Vision Ends]
The massive influx of information caused Wednesday's vision to go black. All her strength was drained instantly. The flag slipped from her hand, and she slumped softly onto the grass nearby, losing consciousness.
"Hey!"
Victor stopped all movement almost the instant Wednesday fell.
His massive body leaped down from the top of the stone arch. The heavy landing made surprisingly little sound.
The black symbiotic matter receded rapidly like a tide, revealing Victor's human form.
He walked quickly to Wednesday's side, knelt on one knee, and carefully checked her condition, gently brushing away the black hair scattered across her forehead.
"Seems our Miss Detective dug up some... explosive clues again."
He looked up at the surrounding contestants who were frozen in place, bewildered by the sudden turn of events, and flashed his usual smiling expression.
"W-What's the situation?" A member of the Raven Squad stammered. "Did... did you accidentally kill her?"
"Shhh—" Victor put a finger to his lips, his smile unchanging, his tone relaxed. "Don't worry. Miss Wednesday just... fell asleep. Probably had a not-so-pleasant dream."
He stood up, looking around at the contestants who still dared not move, and offered a very kind reminder:
"A friendly tip to you all: before she wakes up... is your free time to escape."
He paused, adding a sentence with mischievous light flickering in his eyes: "Of course, it is also the only time you might have a tiny sliver of hope to win."
This sentence was like a royal decree!
The remaining contestants snapped out of it instantly. Not caring to ponder what exactly happened to Wednesday, they scrambled forward, frantically pulling out their team flags.
Then, at a hundred-meter sprint speed, they ran wildly back toward the return route without looking back!
They prayed sincerely in their hearts: Wednesday Addams had better have an incredibly long, sweet dream! That way, maybe... maybe we can snatch a shred of an advantage!
Victor watched their fleeing backs and chuckled low.
Then he looked down again at the unconscious Wednesday on the grass, his gaze becoming deep and complex.