Chapter 4 — The Polluted Fields (Part 2)
### Entering the Wastes
The gates of the academy rattled open, releasing twelve groups of five into the Polluted Fields. The poisoned land stretched before them: blackened grass snapping underfoot, cracked rivers oozing toxic sludge, air thick with a fog that shimmered faintly under Pulsarite traces.
Above, hundreds of **AR nanodrones** hovered in formation. Teachers monitored everything through holographic projections, scoreboards floating on their HUDs. Every slash, strike, and shard collected was logged as points.
[ARC Protocol Active: Training Evaluation]
[Teams Registered: 12]
[Mission Objective: Eliminate Level 5 Neutrons. Collect Nanite Cores and Bone Marrow. Points Awarded to Teams.]
Roy swallowed. All around him, he saw rival groups glowing with confidence. Wealth-born elites twirled custom swords, trackers shimmered in stealth, shealders projected shields as bright as beacons. Compared to them, his team looked… ordinary.
- Jean steadied her sword in silence.
- Kira's shield hummed.
- Taro rolled a generator sphere in his palm.
- Lyra whispered range reports.
- Roy's weapon remained invisible, hidden in his wristband.
"Stay sharp," Jean murmured. "They want competition, not cooperation."
***
### First Blood — Rival Teams Emerge
The fog split with screeches—**packs of Level 5 Neutrons** crawled out, skeletal claws gleaming with corruption.
The academy air erupted.
- A gunner team rained projectiles, AR HUD flaring their point counter green.
- A summoner squad unleashed spectral wolves, ripping Neutrons apart.
- Shealders and supports stood behind frontline duelists, presenting near-perfect formations.
Roy's own team faced their first pack. Lyra called angles. Kira blocked a slash. Jean's S-rank blade flashed, cutting straight through carapace. Roy dashed in second-line—shadows fused into quick diversions while Zephyros gusts angled his darts.
HUD lines flickered before his eyes:
[Team Kaelson — Score: 25]
[Nanite Core +15 | Bone Marrow +10]
Not far off, Kael's squad surged ahead, blazing heat across the land, already scoring triple.
"Pathetic," Kael's voice carried from across the field. His team's points pulsed *green-gold* on the floating scoreboard.
***
### Meeting Aaron — A Rival Leader
Between waves, Roy's group crossed paths with another squad inside the fog. Their leader, a tall figure with short black hair and calm eyes, lifted a hand.
"Aaron," he introduced himself. His team lingered behind him—precise, efficient, mirrored confidence in every stance. Their score was already leading on the board.
"Good instincts," Aaron said to Roy, catching his subtle scouting movements. "But instincts won't keep you alive. Precision, timing, and unity do."
Jean bristled slightly, but Roy inclined his head silently, storing the words.
Lyra whispered: "That group's efficient. They'll be ahead if we don't adapt."
Taro sighed, readjusting his supports. "And Kael's flaming through everything like it's fuel."
***
### Clash of Dozen Teams
The battlefield became chaos. Waves of Neutrons spawned endlessly, dozens at once, pulling all twelve teams into furious combat. AR nanodrones fed real-time updates to teachers:
[Top Scores:
1. Team Aaron — 120 points
2. Team Kael — 105 points
3. Team Rivas (Gunline) — 94 points
4. Team Kaelson — 78 points]
On the school grounds, holograms projected every strike. Instructors commented sharply, praising formations, cautioning errors.
"Jean's team works smart," one teacher noted.
"But Kael's combustion burns fast—he'll wear down. Typical fire-wielder arrogance."
Roy's HUD flickered, showing weapon calibration improvements:
[Weapon Resonance +6%]
[Elemental Sync (Umbryon/Zephyros) +8%]
[Bond Stability 74%]
His breath quickened. He wasn't catching up through raw strength—but through controlled synergy.
***
### Systems Collapse — The Colossal Emerges
Suddenly—
A loud, overwhelming **hum** tore through the field. Every nanodrone monitoring the match shattered violently in arcs of static. Teacher HUDs fuzzed; scoreboards blinked erratically.
Then silence.
From the roiling mist, the ground split. A presence radiated raw dread. The soil cracked, pulsing with toxic light. A massive **Colossal Neutron** rose—towering dozens of meters, armor shell fused with pulsating cores, red eyes burning like molten suns.
Every team froze. Weapons shook. Even Kael's flames faltered at the edges.
This was no simulation spawn.
Teachers shouted orders through static, AR feeds straining to keep connection.
"Withdraw! This is an anomaly! Retreat to boundary zones!"
But the Colossal was already tearing into the field, claws scattering entire squads.
***
### Frenzy of Rivals
All twelve groups turned weapons on the beast. Pistols fired, swords blazed, shealders raised full domes. Aaron's team moved in perfect synchrony, Kael screamed fire into its armor, others scrambled desperately.
Jean's voice cut through the chaos. "Stay tight!"
Roy felt his wristband pulse, nanobots weaving slickly along his arms. He could feel it—the storm clawing awake again.
All around him, rivals bled, alliances broke, and enemy claws threatened to collapse the entirety of the school's top class.
The Polluted Fields had turned from an exam into war.