“What... was that?”One of the applicants could not help but ask, his voice filled with confusion. The others remained silent, still trying to process what Luke had just done and what it had even been for.They had seen him close his eyes for a few seconds, then casually pick up an apple and throw it toward a stall near the far end of the market. And now, he was walking in Vincent’s direction, smiling to himself as if he were quietly pleased.Only when Vincent announced that Luke had passed did it finally click in their minds. Luke had already eliminated the threat. And that realization only made things more confusing.‘He passed? He already took down the attacker? Was it the one he hit with the apple?’ they all wondered.Some of them were immediately stunned by the thought. That would mean the attacker had been positioned at a distance. None of them had expected that Luke’s scenario would involve a long-range threat.Still, many found it hard to believe. The idea itself sounded absur

“What?!”A wave of identical shock swept through the grand hall as nearly everyone reacted at once after watching the replay of Luke’s performance. Their voices echoed across the wide space, overlapping into a single burst of disbelief.They were so stunned it felt as if their eyes might fall out of their sockets.Did he really just do that? Stop the attacker’s plan by throwing an apple?And how did Luke even detect the attacker in the first place?None of them could believe what they had just witnessed. Earlier, some had already suspected that the attacker might be positioned at a distance, but no one had imagined it would be that far.Much like several members of the Alanis family, the majority of the applicants felt a chill run down their spines as they processed Luke’s almost unbelievable performance.His precision was insane!They could not help but glance toward where Luke was currently standing. They did not know whether to admire him or feel unsettled by what he was capable of

Everyone standing near them instinctively stepped back, wary of getting caught in the impending clash between Luke and Steven. Not a single person stepped forward to stop them.Even Joey, who was closest, made no move to intervene. Perhaps he wanted Luke to shut Steven up once and for all. Instead, he simply walked over and pulled Fiona away from the two.Before the tension could fully erupt, a figure quickly stepped in between them.It was Natalia.Steven halted almost immediately. Still, it did nothing to quell his urge to beat Luke.“Move aside,” he said coldly, his tone threatening. He did not care in the slightest that the person blocking him was a woman.“Have you not learned your lesson after accusing the Alanis family? And now you are here again, throwing another accusations at this man?” Natalia replied, her voice laced with mockery. “You are pathetic. Do you even realize that?”Her words only made Steven’s expression grow more aggressive.Luke, who had been slightly taken ab

On the stage, several members of the family had their attention fixed on Natalia and Luke. More precisely, their gazes lingered on Luke, whose charisma seemed to overflow in their eyes after witnessing his impressive performance.It wasn’t just admiration. It was expectation. They wanted to see more of what he could do, and naturally, they were already anticipating another outstanding performance from him in the second phase.But then, quite suddenly, their attention shifted.They saw Kina approach him and take her place at his side, standing there just like the others who were meant to act as clients for each assessee. The implication was immediate and clear. She would be Luke’s partner for the second phase.That alone was enough to surprise them.However, the one who looked the most shocked was none other than Dominica. Her mouth fell slightly open, but no words came out. Almost at the same time, she shot up from her seat, her eyes wide as she stared at Luke and Kina standing side b

“Are you ready?” Luke asked, briefly glancing back at Kina behind him.Kina, who had been quietly standing there for quite some time, simply nodded.Luke stared at her for a short moment. He still couldn’t read her thoughts just by looking at her expression. It puzzled him a little how she managed to hide what she was thinking so well, even though her face appeared perfectly natural and calm.He felt like he somehow understood what might be going through her mind at that moment, yet at the same time, he didn’t. The thought hovered there, vague and incomplete, refusing to fully take shape.Eventually, he let it go and instead offered his hand.Kina looked at it, hesitating slightly, as if unsure whether she should take it.Luke’s lips flattened faintly when he noticed. He quickly wiped his hand against his pants, assuming that maybe she didn’t want to hold it because it might be dirty. Well, that was just his guess. He didn’t exactly have a window into her thoughts.After that, he offe