Two hours passed in a blink. At exactly 13:00, a loud bang echoed from the door—
the same sound as before, almost like déjà vu.
All 100 examinees were already inside. No absentees, no latecomers. Every face was stiff with tension and anxiety.
The silence inside the room was suffocating. Pressure coiled around the examinees like an invisible fog.
Some trembled, some panted shakily.
"Alright, it's 13:00. Looks like everyone's here.
Please line up in five rows and receive your magic equipment from each examiner."
Five examiners carried large boxes and placed them down.
Students moved forward to receive their items—one or two at a time.
Soon, everyone had their necklace.
Ao walked back with a scowl, gripping the necklace so tightly his hand trembled.
It's starting soon… Damn, I'm nervous…
He inhaled deeply, trying to steady himself.
"Hey, Ao… you look super tense," Renuru said, calm as ever.
"You're still smiling at a time like this?"
"Told you—it's genetic," Renuru chuckled and bumped Ao's arm.
"But honestly, I'm just as nervous as you."
"…This is you when you're nervous?" Ao wiped sweat from his forehead.
"Okay! Everyone's got theirs, right? Good!!"
The announcer's booming voice cut through the oppressive silence.
"Man, the mood in here is gloomy. No need to be that stressed.
You can reapply next year. If you fail this time, just come back again!"
No one responded.
"Wow, tough crowd. Not one person laughed. All stiff faces. Hahaha…"
His laugh echoed awkwardly.
"Alright, before we begin, I'll explain what Phase 3 is.
First, the magic item you just received is called a Link Necklace.
It creates a clone of your body for battle.
Simply put, it's a simulated battlefield—you'll feel pain, but you won't die for real.
Because it's a safety measure, the clone is weaker than your real body."
The announcer clapped his hands.
"I'll give you twenty seconds to put it on."
Examinees rushed to equip the necklace in a panic.
"You don't have to hurry so much. I'm only showing you the arena map, not starting yet! Haha!"
Once everyone put theirs on—
He snapped his fingers.
The world distorted.
In the blink of an eye, everything turned into a blinding white space.
Gasps and shouts rang out.
"This is the Link Arena, created through magic,"
the announcer's voice boomed from nowhere—he was no longer visible.
Students panicked.
"Where the hell are we?"
"What's happening!?"
"This is insane!!"
"Where is that voice coming from!?"
"Your real bodies are stored safely inside mana crystals. No one can touch or disturb you while you are in the Link Arena.
Now then, let me explain the map. Ahem—(show it)."
He whispered the last part like talking to someone unseen.
A huge circular multi-layered map appeared on the white floor beneath their feet.
Whispers broke out again.
"The examination field has four layers. To pass, you simply need to reach the center.
Along the way, you'll encounter monsters.
Every 30 minutes, your score will update on your sticker via illusion magic.
The system will rank the top 10. The higher your score, the more targeted you become—
Because you can also eliminate other examinees to steal their points."
Chaos erupted instantly.
"What does that mean!?" "We don't all pass!?" "You want us to fight each other!?"
The announcer snapped his fingers again.
Everyone's mouths vanished.
Silence.
"Do you all think this is a playground? This exam determines whether you deserve to enter this institution.
Do you expect us to accept everyone?
There are tens—hundreds—of thousands who want to enter.
Use your brains."
His voice was low and stern, the complete opposite of before.
Ao scanned the room. Many students were already breaking down. Some clutching their heads, some trembling.
He glanced at his own shaking hands.
Of course they're afraid… I'm afraid too. But this is just like an elimination round. Aspida is a world-class institute—it makes sense.
"Right, where was I? Oh, yes.
Your clone bodies will feel only 20% of real pain.
Don't worry if your clone gets injured—it fully heals every 5 minutes.
There are treasure chests throughout the field. Inside are weapons, combat tools, or treasure that gives points.
The shinier the treasure, the more points."
Suddenly, the white world melted away.
In a flash, they were standing in a dense, untouched forest. But they couldn't move— as if their bodies were pinned in place.
Only their eyes could move, darting around the massive woodland.
The announcer spoke again:
"This is Layer 1.
You have 5 hours to reach the finish line.
Layer 1 → Layer 2: about 2500 meters
Layer 2 → Layer 3: about 5000 meters
Layer 3 → Layer 4: about 7500 meters.
In one minute, your bodies will regain movement.
Phase 3 will begin."
One minute!? They decide to start the exam whenever they feel like it!?
He strained his unmoving muscles.
The forest was so quiet it felt unnatural. Only distant birdsong echoed faintly.
At least let us move first, damn it…
He glanced around with only his eyes— spotting vague silhouettes of other examinees frozen in place.
30 seconds left… Too quiet… but it's not calming at all.
29, 28, 27, 26…
He forced himself to think.
*To pass, I need to reach the center. But points matter too—meaning they WANT us to gather as many as possible.
Some people will hunt others. Monsters also exist—probably at different levels.
Treasure and monsters give points. They never said points get deducted…
So eliminating examinees probably gives full points.
This is totally an elimination test.*
10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2—
1
A soft tone chimed from the sticker.
"Start."
Everyone regained movement.
Leaves rustled everywhere as dozens of examinees dashed off.
Ao sprinted forward too, even without knowing the direction— instinct pulled him deeper into the forest.
It was chaos: footsteps, crashing foliage, distant shouts.
No monsters yet… maybe Layer 1 is just a running section…
He closed his eyes briefly to focus on sound.
Still no fighting sounds. Guess everyone's just running.
But something else hid beneath all the noise.
A faint growl in the bushes.
Just as he passed—
SHRIP!!
In that instant—
Ao was ambushed.