Currently, the audience didn't have any reaction except gulping down and looking at the situation nervously.
The trio suddenly turned wild. They are not fighting as they did for the past four days. In the past four days, even though they are on constant chase they still fought without too much trickery and they didn't fight dirty.
Now, they are just ravaging this One-star military unit with every possible trick. Some of their tricks can even be considered less honorable and dirty, but they didn't care anymore.
Men fight with and for honor if it is a fair fight, to begin with. One it is unfair, it can be unfair on any level and it can be unfair from both sides.
There is no reason for them to risk their lives just for some intangible honor that could get them killed. Yes, dying with honor makes their names remain in history, but that will still be within the history, living can make them see the future.
They could have thought of honor if they are really in a fair competition, but since it is already unfair with their escape tokens and the bounty they might as well change their ways, and particularly Sam gave them an agenda.
Currently, within the audience, Sam is still watching the situation leisurely, while the audience are sweating because of the brutality and the change in atmosphere in the battle. The people from the faction members are all looking at it with intrigue and tension at the same time and the professor who is looking through the fight is having chaotic thoughts.
He knew what is happening as he knew the one-star military unit personally. What the trio is doing is not just playing dirty or using trickery, they are going to create a large psychological shadow that wouldn't leave them for the rest of their lives.
One star military unit is used to beating the crap out of other people. They are good at setting ambushes, facing ambushes, direct clashes, chases, and many other things, but fighting dirty and slowly wearing them down it is new to them. They are the ones who tore others down.
And the way the trio dealt with them is collapsing their belief in their abilities. The trio is leading them on, making them chase like madmen, stealing one of them like they are some children while throwing the tricks and cheap shots and mauling and torturing the abducted person in mere seconds and minutes before throwing them back.
The confidence and the solid wall they built to themselves, it now being chipped away bit by bit. Slowly creating chink after chink and slowly making holes all over that wall.
If this continued, by the end of this, the core force of the One-star military unit will be crippled.
This will break their mental states.
Now the professor understood what Sam meant by the bet. He is so sure of what his friends can do and he has to way to make them do it.
It was them who became too happy with so much belief in their own strength of numbers and their elites. At the end of the day, all they thought is that they are only three humans.
He could only think about trying to mitigate the situation and his first thought is to get through the shadow. But he remembered the slip Sam sent to him and stayed his hand. He cannot interfere in the fight directly.
While he is thinking the current situation in the forest is getting worse. The one-star military unit is being constantly ripped apart as one after other soldiers are being caught, tortured, and thrown back at them.
They are too emotionally invested and couldn't get their heads straight.
And the trio are doing this slowly while taking their time without a care for the world.
In the next two hours, they only took ten people and there is only an hour till noon.
The professor is already having second thoughts.
Some of the soldiers are already thinking about escaping and giving up. But they are still hesitating.
And the judges couldn't interfere because the trio is not killing anyone.
By noon, another four people suffered the same fate and finally, the professor couldn't take it. He stood up from his seat and started walking towards Sam's seat.
Sam looked at Raunak and said.
"Get away from here for a while. It is better if you are not involved in this conversation."
Raunak nodded and left the place. The Professor took that empty seat and spoke.
"Your friends are really good."
"Of course, they are my friends."
"I wonder how good you are. There was never a talk about your battle prowess. Are you as good as them?"
"Maybe I am, maybe I am not. I am pretty sure you are here to discuss more important issues."
"Of course, I lost the bet. Tell them to leave them alone."
"I will do that, as soon as you leave from this seat. Is there anything else you would like to talk about?"
"How did you do that?"
"Do what exactly?"
"Communicating with your friends."
Sam looked at him and spoke.
"If you really are as smart as I think you are, you know that I am not going to give an answer for that."
"Of course, I know that. But it never hurts to ask. Anyway, you are a lot more interesting than I thought and you have a lot more hidden within you than what you show outside. I am really impressed."
"It is flattering. Getting compliments from someone like you. It is a great feeling."
"You are bullshitting. You don't care at all."
Sam just chuckled. And the professor continued.
"I don't know what your goal is, but it is better to not interfere in other's business. I will give you free advice. That guy, Raunak. He might get you more troubles than you can handle. You have a lot of future left for you if you work with the right people."
"That's really kind of you. And I really don't like crossing paths with others. But sometimes it is inevitable to do so. Just like how our paths crossed. At least we are business partners. But in Raunak's case, it is impossible for me to back down. I can't take back my words and I need a person like that to do my bidding."
"I hope you can handle what you are messing with. I would like to see what kind of influence you can bring to this realm. If you disappear early that would be a real pity."
"Don't worry, it wouldn't be long before you knew what I can bring to this realm. In fact, it would be sooner than you think. And please tell your students to not bug me about the new products. It is more of my personal project. I wouldn't be selling them until I test it personally."
"Sure."
With that, the professor left the place.
Sam once again closed his eyes and looked told something to his friends.
The trio stopped their actions and looked at the remaining soldiers.
Philip took a step forward and said.
"If you want to leave you can leave now. If you don't, the same thing continues. If you don't leave that is completely on you and we wouldn't be held accountable."
The team leader was about to say something, but a small shadow merged with his own shadow and he went into a daze for a while before saying.
"We will give up."
His face is full of unwillingness and frustration. The rest of the team could only agree without much resistance as the leader agreed.
After that, they took out their escape tokens and crushed them. The space gate activated and threw them out.
Now only the trio and some stray cultivators that came here are left. But they are not competing for the top three places.
They are just here for the extra treasures that are left within the forest. When the trio looked at them, they just lifted their hands and gave up without much thought clearly making sure that the trio knew that they are not here for them.
The trio relaxed a bit and sat down. Even though they performed well enough and they recovered with the wine, they are still a little exhausted mentally.
Playing such a long game.
They sat there and had some food and wine while recovering slowly. Until the end of this fifth day, the entries to the forest are not banned, and only after that can the competition be confirmed. After the display of the trio, the rest of the people didn't want to join in and stayed put.
They knew that once they go in they wouldn't even fare as better as the One-star military unit. They would be having a harder time than them. And they wouldn't even be able to resist as much as them.
The time slowly passed. Even though the whole event turned boring without much activity, nobody complained and all looked at the situation as they wanted to see if anyone would step up.
But to no avail. By sunset, the rest of the strays didn't even dare to stay in there and gave up and by night only the trio was left in the place making them the remaining three winners and ending this trial or tournament prematurely.
