"Look! He cleared it in record time! Eight minutes!"
"Eight minutes?! It's a 10-kilometer course!"
"Who is that?!"
"Someone named Tero…"
"I didn't even see him in the arena."
"He completely erased his presence… that's insane."
"He doesn't want attention…"
Bill and the others rush up to the stands.
Bill:
"What?! Someone already passed? Was it Ryo?!"
Nara shakes her head.
"Ryo? No. He's talented… but not like that. That place is hell."
Arena — The Course
Ryo runs among the candidates.
Dodging fireballs.
He smiles.
"This is too easy."
Mini volcanoes erupt beneath the ground.
He leaps between them.
A candidate gets stuck—his feet trapped inside molten rock.
"AAAH! HELP ME!"
Ryo rushes toward him.
Pulls him out.
Lifts him onto his back.
Keeps running.
"I've got you. Just hold on."
Stands
Alan watches.
"…He lost his foot."
Nara nods silently.
"…Yes."
Shift
The arena changes.
More elements emerge.
The sky darkens.
Thunder roars.
"Rain…?" a candidate mutters.
ZAAAP
Lightning strikes.
The candidate is hit directly.
Drops lifeless.
Ryo keeps running.
Still carrying the injured boy.
Dodging lightning.
Fire continues raining down.
He looks around—
A candidate burns alive.
Screaming.
Another gets hit in the face by a fireball.
Half his face gone.
He's launched out of the arena.
Ryo's smile fades.
His body trembles.
The headache returns.
Stronger.
The ground shakes.
Earth rises beneath him—
The boy on his back is thrown into the air.
For a brief moment—
Silence.
Then—
CRUNCH
A giant carnivorous plant bursts from the ground.
Swallows the boy whole.
Ryo freezes.
Eyes wide.
Breathing broken.
Stands
"Is this the same level as before?! This is way worse!"
"That just shows how terrifying the first candidate was!"
"All elements at once?! That's unfair! My son is down there!"
Arena
Ryo runs.
He glances sideways—
Two boys.
Impaled.
Hanging from a massive sharpened stake.
Dead.
Ryo shuts his eyes.
The ground splits open.
Flames erupt upward.
He dodges—
Barely.
Then—
A vine wraps around his body.
Violently.
He's pulled—
And thrown directly into a massive crater of fire.
Stands
Oliver stands up.
Nara stands.
Bill stands.
Kazume lowers his head.
Pain spreads through his body.
Veins bulge along his neck.
Silence.
Contained agony.
Isaac watches in disbelief.
Arena
Ryo disappears into the flames.
The trial continues.
Candidates keep running.
Crater of Fire
Silence.
Then—
A black flash.
Something rises.
A presence.
Shadows spread across the arena.
The elements… retreat.
Making way.
VUUUM
The shadows ignite.
Turning into dark flames.
A candidate is pierced through the abdomen.
Instant death.
Flash.
The boy's life.
Simple moments.
Dreams.
Cut.
Black screen.
A mother's voice.
Broken.
"…My son…"
"THAT WAS MY SON!"
Stands
Oliver lowers his head.
Closes his eyes.
Return
The shadow stops.
At the finish line—
Ryo appears.
Unconscious.
Standing.
Shock spreads.
His siblings feel relief—
But tension.
They know.
Someone died.
And it was because of him.
Ryo stands still.
Body wrapped in darkness.
Fist burning.
Sharp wood shoots toward him.
Ice surges.
Fire explodes.
Water slices through the air.
Everything is repelled.
As if an invisible barrier surrounds him.
The candidates he passed—
Collapsed.
Empty.
No elemental energy.
No aura.
Nothing.
The crowd doesn't understand.
Confusion spreads.
Oliver's eyes widen.
He's sweating.
A General watches him closely.
Upper Stands
A pale man observes.
He speaks quietly:
"Darkness… in the South?"
"…Something isn't adding up, Oliver."
Stands
"RYOOO!!"
Bill and Nara shout.
Alan frowns.
"He won't hear you."
"Why are you shouting? He just needs to cross the line."
Bill replies:
"…He's unconscious."
Alan freezes.
"…But he's standing."
Nara narrows her eyes.
"Ryo is in a different state."
"…That's darkness around him."
Bill lowers his voice.
"And he doesn't even know he killed someone."
Silence.
"…We shouldn't tell him."
Arena
Announcer:
"Congratulations! Another one passed!"
"Another!"
"Well done!"
Bill shouts:
"Wake up, idiot! You're falling behind!"
Nara joins him.
The sound distorts.
Inner World
Red water beneath Ryo's feet.
A green field.
Faces appear.
Bill.
Nara.
His parents.
Distorted voices:
"You're a monster."
"Useless."
"You're not my son."
"How could I ever trust you?"
Ryo looks ahead—
BOOM
Two silhouettes flash past him.
Fast.
Terrifying.
Ryo's eyes snap open.
"…W-Where am I?"
A distant voice echoes:
"RYOOO!"
Arena
"Another candidate! Congratulations!"
"RUN!!"
Ryo awakens fully.
For a moment—
The entire arena freezes.
Then—
BOOOOM
The ice shatters into millions of fragments.
They scatter violently.
Nearly killing nearby candidates.
Glass barriers crack and explode.
Some fall to lower levels.
Ryo realizes where he is.
He runs.
Crosses the finish line.
Announcer:
"Congratulations! Another candidate has passed!"
Aftermath
Silence.
No one celebrates.
The atmosphere is heavy.
Isaac remains seated.
He looks toward where the pale man stood.
Empty.
Gone.
Oliver is still in shock.
He looks at the General again.
The truth is clear.
Oliver is afraid.
Isaac turns to Kazume.
"We're keeping that kid close."
Kazume lifts his head.
Blood runs from his mouth.
He wipes it away.
"…You need to train him."
Next
Erik stands up.
He's next.
Recovery Room
Nara and Bill arrive first.
They hug Ryo.
Ryo is crying.
Silently.
Alan enters.
"Wait—he might have broken bones—"
Bill speaks:
"Ryo… you must be hurt all over—"
They stop.
No wounds.
No burns.
Nothing.
Only tears.
Ryo whispers:
"…They…"
Flash—
Dead candidates.
Screams.
Fear.
Dreams.
"…They had dreams…"
Silence.
Bill (narration):
"That day… Ryo proved something terrifying."
"That he might not be human."
"His eyes were different."
"The light of a child… was gone."
"He felt no joy in passing."
"And those who knew his secret…"
"…were more afraid than ever."
End of Chapter.