Arena Block C smelled like steel and ozone.
The candidates stood in rigid lines on the reinforced floor, whispers echoing despite everyone trying not to speak. High above, observation windows reflected their nervous faces back at them.
Akira stood between Ren and a quiet boy with glasses who had introduced himself earlier as Kaito.
No one smiled.
Just silence.
Then—
The door opened.
A man walked in like he didn't care that the room existed.
Long black hair tied loosely behind his neck. Hands buried deep in his coat pockets. His expression looked permanently tired—like the world had disappointed him one too many times.
But his eyes—
They were sharp.
Uninterested.
Unimpressed.
The entire room stiffened instinctively.
Akirawa.
Akira didn't know how he knew the name.
He just did.
Akirawa stopped in the center of the arena and looked around.
He sighed.
"…Wow. They're accepting kids now."
A few candidates flinched.
"I'll make this simple," he continued. "I don't care about your scores. I don't care how hard you trained. And I definitely don't care how badly you want this."
His gaze swept over them like a blade.
"I care about one thing."
He pointed lazily at the reinforced doors behind him.
"Whether you can live in real compact."
Murmurs spread instantly.
Akirawa ignored them.
"We're skipping the usual tests," he said. "No obstacle course. No sparring drills."
A pause.
"Because those don't matter out there in real scenarios."
Akira felt his pulse spike.
"Form teams of six," Akirawa continued. "No more. No less."
The floor tablets lit up.
"You have three minutes."
Chaos erupted.
Ren grabbed Akira's arm immediately. "You. Me. No debate."
Kaito adjusted his glasses, already stepping closer. "Staying together increases survival odds."
Two massive figures approached silently—the Misoke twins. Their presence alone made the air feel heavier.
Then—
Ayla.
She stopped beside them, silver eyes assessing.
Akira froze.
Akirawa watched, amused.
Registered
The tablet chimed.
TEAM 7 — CONFIRMED
Akirawa clapped once.
Loud.
"Good. Now listen carefully."
The reinforced doors groaned open.
Beyond them—
A city.
Skyscrapers. Streets. Bridges.
A full-scale urban simulation.
Akira's breath caught.
The Test
"Inside is an autonomous combat construct," Akirawa said casually. "Strong enough to flatten a district."
Someone gasped.
"You will minimize city damage," he continued. "Locate the dreamer. And survive."
A pause.
"If you want to quit, now's your chance."
No one moved.
Akirawa smiled thinly.
"Figures."
One by one, teams entered.
Screams followed.
Metal shrieked.
Explosions echoed.
Teams were expelled—broken, unconscious, terrified.
Akirawa yawned.
Finally—
TEAM 7 — ENTER
The doors slammed shut.
Silence.
The ground shook.
A metallic roar tore through the air as a massive steel titan emerged from between buildings, crimson scanners locking onto them instantly.
Ren grinned.
"Oh hell yeah."
Akira's instincts screamed.
This wasn't training.
This was real.
Akira tightened his grip.
Ayla shifted her stance.
The Misoke twins stepped forward.
The titan charged.
And the exam truly began.
END OF CHAPTER 4