— How boring…
Melissa walked near the eastern forests of the map, her lazy steps sinking into the damp grass. A beautiful silver spear rested casually against her shoulder, reflecting the soft glow of the sun. Her angelic appearance and emerald-green eyes blended perfectly with the scenery: leaves dyed gold by the late afternoon light and the gentle rustling of trees. For a brief moment, the scene looked like it had been pulled straight from a painting.
Apparently, she was alone. It had been a while since she'd seen any other students, and the end of the test was drawing near. Her survival was practically guaranteed, after all, her group was strong.
Except, of course, for that dead weight ranked 2055.
Even so, everyone would likely make it out alive. And in the worst-case scenario, even if that useless boy died, there would still be five points left, more than enough to secure a decent ranking.
Melissa let out a sigh. Unfortunately, she hadn't found any hidden tasks.
She had just left a hidden lake deep within the eastern forest, a location that had seemed promising, but… apparently, someone else had gotten there first. In the end, it didn't really matter. Even though the test was done in groups, Melissa knew individual performance carried enormous weight, and in that regard, she had already done more than enough.
She had defeated several students who crossed her path. Rank E and F beasts had fallen with relative ease, costing her nothing more than a few scratches. Up to now, the test had been painfully dull.
But just the thought of returning to class… those pointless, repetitive lessons, and having to sit next to that piece of trash again… made her head throb.
Melissa didn't understand why, but that boy irritated her to an absurd degree.To the point of accomplishing the impossible, etching his name into her memory.
Kazehara Yuto.
Maybe it was the nerve he had to sit beside her, clearly using her as a shield. Or the sleepy, uninterested expression he wore throughout every class. He slept all the time, never spoke to anyone, and yet somehow managed to be irritating. Even the sound of his breathing annoyed her.
Still, she knew she was being petty. In the end, it was enough to ignore him, just like she did with most people.
Melissa sighed again and lifted her gaze toward the sky. All she wanted was to finish the test and return to her private laboratory. There, silence reigned absolute. There, she could finally feel at peace.
But her thoughts were abruptly interrupted when a notification flashed before her eyes.
The interface's automatic reading made her heart skip a beat:
[Your teammate Rank 2055, Kazehara Yuto, has completed a hidden task (Infernal Spider Trial). +1 point awarded. Team Points: 7]
Melissa blinked, stunned.
— …What did I just read?
That was… absurd. Rank 2055, the boy everyone assumed wouldn't survive the first hour of the test, had just completed a hidden task?
And not just any task.
Infernal Spider.
The name was familiar. She remembered it well. The fangs of that monster were used in high-grade heat resistance potions.
The problem was that Infernal Spiders were Rank A creatures, completely out of reach even for veteran students.
Even if it had been a juvenile, it would still be a Rank C monster.
Killable, yes… but not without consequences. Not even Kevin would walk away unscathed from a fight like that. And she herself couldn't imagine defeating one.
And yet… that inconspicuous boy had done it.
An incredulous laugh escaped her lips. Then, a crooked, almost amused smile took its place.
— Heh… fine. — she muttered, irritation laced through her tone. — You managed to make me remember your name, you damn brat.
———
Ding!
A sweet, melodic chime echoed in my ears. Suddenly, my body froze, and blue text appeared before my vision.
[Remaining Time 00:00:00 — Congratulations on completing the test.Each participant will soon be disconnected from their capsule.]
"Ah… it's finally over."
Even though, technically, I hadn't done any real physical training—since everything was just a simulation, the mental exhaustion was overwhelming. I felt completely drained.
It was as if I had trained nonstop for five straight hours without a single break.
Slowly, the rocks, the sky, and even what remained of the Infernal Spider's corpse began to disintegrate, turning the entire world into a blinding white void.
Squinting, I could make out the other surviving students scattered far away in the distance. Curiously, there was no one near me. That could mean one of three things:
a) most of the students in my zone had died;
b) they had moved to other areas;
c) or there simply hadn't been many students generated in my region to begin with.
I figured the correct answer was somewhere between the first two. After all, the desert wasn't exactly the preferred location for people who valued comfort.
Observing the vast white space more closely, I realized there weren't that many survivors in the end.
Even without an exact count, the map was enormous, I could still grasp just how brutal the test had been. Based on that, I estimated that at least 60% of the original ninety students had died.
Most of the survivors were clustered near the center of the map. The few outliers who remained in their original zones must have had either extraordinary luck or an exceptional strategy.
[Um… um… can everyone hear me?]
Suddenly, Professor Thibaut's voice echoed in my ears, pulling my attention back.
[Very well. I have a few words before you exit the capsules.]
[First, congratulations to all who survived. This test was designed to evaluate your ability to adapt to hostile environments and your capacity to survive in the wild.]
…Yeah. He wasn't wrong.
Even if the man had used the test as an excuse to stir chaos among the students, the results were undeniably effective. In the end, the test fulfilled its purpose: forcing adaptation under extreme conditions.
In fact, it might have gone even better than planned, because one day, we might not be hunted by beasts, but by other humans.
In that case, the lesson would be even more valuable. Allowing students to "indirectly" kill each other was a stroke of genius. We had to worry not only about monsters, but also about our own classmates.
Of course, that didn't make the professor a likable person.But I wouldn't deny that I took full advantage of his schemes to grow stronger.
[Although many of you survived through sheer luck or clever tricks, in the end, what truly matters isn't how you won, but that you won.]
[To everyone who made it this far, you have my congratulations. Considering how difficult this test was, survival itself is an achievement worth taking pride in. Hold your heads high as you leave the capsules.]
[Now, once you exit, look at the large monitor at the top of the room. The group rankings will be displayed there.]
[There will be no extra merit this time, since it's still the first week, but… feel free to brag about being at the top of the class.]
I could practically feel pride swelling in half the students just from hearing that.
[Alright, I've spoken enough. I'll disconnect you one by one, so don't panic if your vision goes dark.]
[Once again, congratulations to the survivors.]
With that, Thibaut's voice faded away. One by one, the students dissolved into trails of light, disappearing from the virtual world.
[Exit Y/N]
— Swaa!
My vision darkened, and my consciousness slipped away.
— Pshhhhh.
The capsule lid opened, releasing white vapor into the air. Using the edge for support, I slowly stood up.
"Man… I'm exhausted."
I stretched, trying to loosen my stiff body, and immediately felt eyes on me.Anthony and Jack, my two teammates, were staring my way. In their eyes was a confusing mix of emotions: guilt, gratitude… and pity.
Wait… pity?
It took me a second to understand why. Across the room, Troy Derekz was glaring at me with seething hatred. His yellow eyes practically burned with rage.
Looks like I managed to make myself a pretty troublesome enemy.
And as if that wasn't enough, on the other side of the room, Arnold was giving Ren Dover the same kind of look. Somehow, the two of us had managed to irritate Jin's main subordinates at the same time.
Lucky us, huh?
Setting that aside, everyone's attention soon shifted to the massive screen mounted high on the wall, which began displaying the rankings.
=== Team Rankings ===
Group 15 Points: 8 Result: No casualties + 2 Hidden Tasks
Group 9 Points: 7 Result: No casualties + 1 Hidden Task
Group 4 Points: 7 Result: No casualties + 1 Hidden Task
Group 5 Points: 6 Result: No casualties
Group 1 Points: 5 Result: 1 casualty
Group 7 Points: 4 Result: 3 casualties + 1 Hidden Task
Group 10 Points: 3 Result: 3 casualties
Group 13 Points: 3 Result: 3 casualties
Group 11 Points: 2 Result: 4 casualties
Group 14 Points: 0 Result: Party wipe
Group 3 Points: 0 Result: Party wipe
Group 6 Points: 0 Result: Party wipe
Group 12 Points: 0 Result: Party wipe
=====================
"Second place, huh…"
Honestly, that was better than I expected.But something stood out to me: I was the only one in the group who had completed a hidden task, despite being the lowest-ranked member.
And judging by the looks on some faces… it clearly bruised a few egos.