[Point of View: Isabella De Luna]
The first thing to return was sound.
A soft, repetitive sound—like an endless whisper… the gentle waves breaking against a sandy shore.
Then came the smell.
Salt. Clean air. A faint hint of damp vegetation mixed with warm sunlight.
Then feeling.
The warmth of the sun on her face, and the soft, warm grains of sand beneath her cheek.
"Mm…"
Isabella slowly opened her eyes.
Her long lashes felt heavy, and her vision was blurry at first.
She blinked once. Twice.
Gradually, the image sharpened.
A clear blue sky, flawless and endless.
Tall palm trees swaying gently in the breeze.
White sand stretching as far as the eye could see.
It looked like something out of a postcard—a tropical paradise.
Where… am I?
That was the first thought to form in her foggy mind.
She slowly sat up, a light dizziness hitting her, along with a dull headache behind her eyes.
The last thing she remembered…
Her luxurious leather seat aboard the high-speed train… scrolling through Instagram in boredom.
Then—
Nothing.
A black gap. A complete void in her memory.
She looked around, her heartbeat quickening.
She wasn't alone.
Scattered across the beach like discarded dolls were the rest of her team—Team Alpha-2.
They were all beginning to stir, waking up slowly, groaning in confusion.
She saw Luna Farris sitting up, her sharp eyes already scanning the dense forest behind them like a predator sensing its surroundings.
She was the first to awaken.
Then Toro, calmly adjusting his glasses, brushing sand off his clothes, observing everything with quiet curiosity.
Beside him, Kai Morgenstern was already standing, facing the vast ocean with his back to the group.
Jasper Rock sat silently, unmoving, not even bothering to brush the sand off his clothes—his expression unreadable.
"What… what happened?"
The voice came from Maya Hawthorne, sitting with her knees pulled to her chest, her eyes darting anxiously between everyone.
"How… how did we get here?"
No one had an answer.
More team members woke up, and confusion quickly turned into audible anxiety.
"Is this the island…?"
"Were we kidnapped?"
"Where's Professor Fenix?"
"Everyone, calm down!"
Izzy's voice cut through the chaos—louder and firmer than she actually felt.
She was the leader.
And she had to act like one—even if she felt just as lost as they did.
She stood up, brushing sand off her uniform.
"Panic won't help us. First, let's make sure everyone is okay. Any injuries?"
The students began checking themselves and each other.
Fortunately, there were none—just minor bruises and headaches.
Mass sedation… then mysterious relocation to an unknown place. Izzy thought, her mind already working.
This isn't standard procedure… Either something went wrong… or this is part of the test.
"Look!"
One of the girls pointed toward a small pile of items neatly placed in the center.
There were thirteen military backpacks. Thirteen bottles of water.
And beside them… a stack of thin, flexible booklets.
Izzy approached cautiously and picked one up.
The moment she opened it—
[Welcome to the Vanguard Academy Annual Survival Test]
[Version 7.3 – Arcadia Island]
She let out a breath.
So… this really is the test.
"Ding—!"
At that exact moment, all their Cardinal devices received a synchronized notification.
Izzy opened hers. Everyone else did the same.
[Welcome to Arcadia Island. The test has begun.]
[You were transported to your assigned locations during sleep to ensure fairness and prevent prior preparation.]
During our sleep? So they drugged us on purpose. she thought angrily.
[Primary Objective: Earn points through exploration, completing missions, and surviving for seven days.]
[All personal communication devices have been confiscated. Cardinal devices will function only for intra-team communication and system updates. Communication between teams and classes is disabled.]
[Rule #1: Everything is allowed. No supervisor assistance until the end of the week. You are on your own.]
[Team Alpha-2 First Mission: Locate and activate 'Supply Point Alpha-2' within 24 hours. Approximate coordinates attached.]
When she finished reading, silence fell.
"Everything… is allowed?" one student whispered.
"We're on our own… for a whole week?" another said.
The harsh reality began to sink in.
"Alright," Izzy said, regaining control. "We have a mission. We move toward the supply point. Everyone take a backpack and water—and read the rule booklets quickly."
The students began moving—but slowly, hesitantly.
Confusion had turned into tension.
"And who says we should follow that mission?"
A cold male voice.
Toro.
He was flipping through one of the booklets.
"Rule number one says 'everything is allowed.' The better option might be to ignore this initial mission… find another team—and eliminate them while they're still disorganized."
Some students froze in shock.
"That's a terrible idea," Maya said. "We should work together!"
"Working together doesn't earn points," Toro replied coldly. "Eliminating others does."
"I'm the leader here," Izzy snapped, stepping forward. "And we follow the plan. We secure resources first—then decide our next move."
"A boring plan… but safe," Toro shrugged, not arguing further.
As this happened, Izzy noticed something.
Wait… where's Lester?
She counted.
One… two… ten… eleven… twelve…
Twelve?
No… we should be thirteen.
"Has anyone seen Adam Lester?" she asked sharply.
Everyone looked around.
No one had noticed.
Damn it.
Did something happen during transport? Is he unconscious somewhere?
Worst-case scenario.
Starting the test already missing a member.
"I'll look for him," Luna said suddenly.
"Fwoosh—!"
A bright orange aura flared behind her.
…A wolf? Izzy thought, staring.
Luna activated [Lobo Grip], her enhanced sense of smell scanning the air like a predator.
After a few seconds, she frowned.
"Strange… I can't smell any trace of him. It's like… he was never here."
Then she explained calmly:
"My nose can track anyone who was here within the last fifteen minutes. After that… terrain and airflow erase the scent."
That made things even stranger.
Perfect, Izzy thought bitterly.
Five minutes in—and we're already falling apart… and one of our members is missing.
This is going to be a long week.
She looked toward the dark, dense forest bordering the beach.
A chill ran through her.
Not from the wind.
The test had truly begun.
[Point of View: Leo von Falkenhayn]
On the other side of the island—along the rugged northern coast—the atmosphere was entirely different.
Team Alpha-1 had already awakened.
Leo felt a sharp headache—but ignored it, treating it as a side effect of the strange unconsciousness.
In less than a second, his mind was already processing everything.
Rocky shore. Crashing waves. Cold air carrying salt and damp stone.
And beside him—his team.
"Come on… stop slacking."
His voice was sharp—like a blade being drawn.
Ethan stood up, stretching.
Serena was already checking her Cardinal device.
Even Chloe, despite complaining, got up quickly.
Thirteen students. Fully awake.
"Ding—!"
The message arrived.
Serena read it aloud clearly while Leo scanned the surroundings.
[Team Alpha-1 First Mission: Locate and activate 'Supply Point Alpha-1' within 24 hours.]
"It's about three kilometers east," Serena added, projecting a small holographic map.
"Good," Leo said. "We have a target."
"Liam, Zane—frontline. Scout carefully."
"Ethan, Chloe—midline. Prepare for combat."
"The rest—rear guard. Serena, stay with me."
Clear. Fast. Absolute.
No one argued.
After about thirty minutes of careful movement, they reached it.
A small bay, surrounded by cliffs.
At its center stood a small metallic tower—blinking red.
The supply point.
But it wasn't empty.
Around it moved creatures.
Coastal Ghouls.
Grotesque humanoids with slick green skin, covered in algae.
Long limbs. Webbed claws.
Faces twisted between human and fish.
Black, unblinking eyes. Needle-like teeth.
Primitive coral spears in hand.
"F-rank plus…" Serena muttered.
About ten… weak, but numerous—and terrain favors them, Leo calculated.
"No problem," he smiled. "We wipe them out. Quickly."
"Start!"
The battle erupted.
Liam charged first.
"Rock Skin!"
His body turned into granite—he smashed into them head-on.
Spears shattered on impact.
"Now!"
Ethan attacked from the right—
A blazing blue fireball exploded among them.
Chloe struck from the left—
A crackling lightning lash electrocuted two instantly.
Within seconds—half were gone.
The rest panicked.
Tried to flee.
But Zane was waiting.
"No escape."
Shadow beasts emerged.
Ink serpents dragged climbers down.
Zane cut through the swimmers—
Three heads fell in one motion.
The battle ended in under thirty seconds.
Flawless.
"Good," Leo said.
"Serena—activate it."
She touched the tower.
Red turned green.
"Ding—!"
[Congratulations, Team Alpha-1. Supply Point secured. +100 points. +10 per hour.]
"This is just the beginning," Leo smiled.
"We'll take every point on this island."
"Ding—!"
The vibration on my wrist was faint.
I ignored it.
I already knew what it said.
[Welcome to Arcadia Island. The test has begun.]
I skipped everything—
Until the last line.
[Team Alpha-2 First Mission: Locate Supply Point Alpha-2.]
Trash.
A distraction mission.
Designed to send everyone racing toward the same objective—
Forcing early conflict.
They'll fight.
Waste resources.
Lose members.
And me?
After leaving my team…
I'm not stupid enough to earn points through missions.
I looked at the crates in the cave.
"These… are my first assets."
I smiled.
Satisfied.
Then I spent the next hour setting up my base—
Moving everything deeper into the cave.