"Congratulations on making it this far… I don't know why I need to congratulate you either,"
The man in the suit said coldly. "This was supposed to be the bare minimum you need to survive out there."
He snapped his fingers.
An assistant stepped forward without a word.
Planted his feet, and raised a hand.
[Re-model]
The floor rippled. Metal and concrete sagged like wet clay, bending, folding, reshaping itself under invisible hands. The shooting range broke apart into cube-shaped rooms rising from the ground.
On the side-rows of weapons appeared.
"Last test… Melee Combat."
"Grab whatever weapon you like best. Sword, spear, axe—hell, there's even a shovel in there somewhere."
The room went quiet
"You won't be swinging at dummies this time." he leaned forward.
"You'll be facing the same little freaks that'll greet you in your World Tree trial."
"The Tree Imps."
Some trainees were instantly rattled, wide-eyed. Others, clueless, remained relaxed.
"Before we proceed, listen carefully...
You're allowed to give up mid-fight… Just say it out loud.
If you don't, the assistants will assume you're still willing to fight..
Even if you're bleeding… even if you're missing a limb."
"Proceed to those cubes and line up again."
Trainees stepped into the cubes one by one.
Some came out right away—pale and trembling.
Others emerged with scratches, bruises… but still walking.
Then it was Ahrie's turn.
He entered the cube.
At the far end, an assistant waited.
"Pick any weapon you want," he said.
Ahrie stood in front of a rack of weapons. Swords, spears, daggers, axes, even whips.
Everything looked deadly.
He shut his eyes for a moment.
Imps… Imps… they're small. That probably means they are agile..
He opened his eyes and picked a rapier.
"Ready?" the assistant asked.
Ahrie didn't answer. He simply stepped forward and took a stance.
The cube's wall split apart with a grinding noise.
Out crawled the Tree Imp.
It was… weirdly cute. Too cute… it's big glowing eyes tried to lull him into dropping his guard.
But Ahrie smiled—a menacing grin. And rushed forward.
The Imp's eyes twitched. It's trick didn't work.
It hissed, and its hands transformed—long whip-like vines..
It lashed out blindly in panic.
Ahrie jumped back.
"...So you've got tricks, huh?"
He dove in again, weaving through the wild vine strikes, smiling as he did it..
Dashed to its side and—
Thrust.
The rapier pierced its head clean.
The Imp dropped.
Ahrie stepped back, breathing heavy.
"Tch. Tough little bastard. Should've picked an axe… these things really are trees."
The assistant was stunned. "..Head to the exit. It'll teleport you back to your base."
Ahrie gave a quick bow and left.
Third Test complete.
364/451 remaining.
He returned to the South Fortress Japan branch gym.
The place looked like a war clinic… classmates scattered on benches, limping, arms in slings, faces swollen.
Naoya and Daiki came in a minute later.
Daiki got beat-up good.
Naoya? Not a scratch. Not even a wrinkle on his shirt.
"You got owned, huh?" Ahrie said with a grin.
"Oh, shut it…" Daiki groaned.
Naoya walked up, patted Daiki's shoulder. "Food… you owe us."
"Geez, Naoya…" Daiki scratched his head. "Fine. Let's go."
The three of them walked out together to grab food.
Meanwhile
Inside the Firewall Headquarters, a general meeting was underway.
All the Men in the suits called Overseers and their Assistants had gathered.
At the front, sitting in an old chair, was a shady-looking elder.
Callum Hayes.
One of the 11 remaining First Generation Seekers.
He stared at them with tired eyes.
"... Alright. Give me a detailed report."
"Yes, sir," said the head of the Overseers. "Roughly one hundred fifty thousand passed this year."
Callum stared at the report sheet. "What about the thing I asked you?"
"We caught some. Around twelve percent of the failed trainees paid their way into the final assessment."
"And?" Callum asked.
"It's them again, sir."
"Politicians," Callum muttered. "Of course."
"Based on their testimonies, it looks like they're recruiting normal civilians. Promising big money if they make it into the World Tree."
Callum rubbed his forehead, jaw tight. "Idiots. They're sending them to die."
"Any leads on who's pulling strings?"
"Not yet, sir." The Head Overseer replied.
Callum let out a slow breath. "Get the equipment ready for this batch."
"Yes, sir." The team gave a nod and walked off.
Callum stood there for a moment.
"... I want to retire."
Inside a Convenience Store.
Daiki, Ahrie, and Naoya walked in together.
Without a word, Naoya sped off down the aisles, hunting for snacks.
Ahrie grabbed a soda from the cooler.
Daiki picked out a bag of chips and headed to the counter.
A minute later, Naoya reappeared—arms full of snacks, one already crammed in his mouth.
Daiki looked at him. "This gluttonous bastard…"
They left the store together.
Daiki and Ahrie waved goodbye.
Naoya, as usual, didn't say a thing.
Just walked off, still munching.
Later—Ahrie's apartment.
Ahrie opened the door, stepping into the quiet space.
"I'm back," he muttered softly.
He knew no one would respond. But he still said it—just like every other day.
He moved to the kitchen, started cooking something simple.
As the food cooked, its aroma drifted out through the window.
Bark! Bark!
Ahrie paused. He looked outside—and there it was. A small puppy, sitting by the door, tail wagging.
He smiled.
"Hey there," he said softly, opening the door.
The puppy looked up at him, curious. Ahrie picked it up and brought it inside, setting it down gently on the floor. Then went back to cooking.
When the food was ready, he placed a small portion in a bowl and set it down for the pup.
They ate together in the quiet room.
As they ate, Ahrie's phone buzzed.
He checked the screen.
Congratulations on Passing the Final Assessment.
You're scheduled to enter the World Tree tomorrow.
For further instructions, head to your branch facility.
Ahrie's grin spread wide. He pumped his fist. "Let's fucking goooo!"
After cleaning up, he laid out a soft blanket near his bed for the puppy.
The little thing circled a few times, then flopped down with a tiny sigh.
Ahrie watched it for a moment, then turned off the lights and got into bed.
His eyes were already heavy.
Tomorrow was the start of everything.
The room was quiet, just the soft hum of the fridge and the faint sound of the wind outside.
Ahrie stared at the ceiling.
His fingers tightened slightly around the edge of the blanket.
Everything he'd trained for—everything they told him to be ready for—was finally happening.
He turned on his side. The puppy let out a sleepy yawn.
"... Guess we're both starting new lives, huh?" he whispered.