The speech started with Vice Principal George expressing his concerns about the future of the human Kingdoms. He mentioned that no human had successfully reached (SS)-rank in the past thirty years.
Then he went on to talk about the 'Dark Forest', a dangerous place filled with monsters. These monsters occupied about thirty-five percent of the land on the 'Blue Planet', where all the races lived.
The monsters were stronger than other races, giving them a power advantage. Just like humans, monsters were divided into different ranks. To defeat a monster, the other races usually had to be one sub-rank higher.
As the monster's rank increased, they gained the ability to command lower-rank monster hordes.
Centuries ago, the first (SSS)-Rank 'Monster Lord' emerged from the Dark Forest. This 'Monster Lord' commanded millions of monsters and brought destruction to the civilizations of the 'Blue Planet'.
Many Ancient Kingdoms faced complete annihilation at the hands of the 'Monster Lord' and his army.
To stop the massacre and protect thousands, even millions of lives, the different races put aside their prejudices and joined forces. They sent their elite armies with (SS)-rank warriors to defeat the 'Monster Lord'.
After years of fighting and sacrificing thousands of lives, the 'Monster Lord' was finally defeated, bringing peace once again to the civilization of the 'Blue Planet'.
However, the danger of monsters still persists within the Dark Forest. Since the civilized races are unable to explore the deeper parts of the forest, they can only gradually reduce the number of monsters. As a result, they established various Academies to train young talents who can fight against the monsters in the Dark Forest.
George ended his speech by emphasizing that people with power should protect the weaker ones. It was the kind of speech that everyone would appreciate, but Kyle would rather sleep than listen to this boring speech.
"You all know that the entrance test is different every year. This year, passing the first round is pretty simple."
Then he took something out of his pocket.
"You see this? Each of you will get this small flag, and in a few minutes, all the participants will be teleported inside a special artificial dungeon created by the Royal Academy. You have to run and reach the end of the dungeon without losing the flag."
"In the end, the top 1000 participants will pass the first round. There will be some monsters inside the dungeon, blocking your way. It's up to you whether you hunt them or avoid them, but remember, your main goal should be reaching the finish line first."
"Sounds easy, right?"
Kyle looked at the big smile on the Vice Principal's face and cursed to himself.
'When was the last time I ran so much? My stamina is almost non-existent. How am I going to reach the end of the dungeon!?'
George explained that participants could steal from each other inside the dungeon and also work together to defeat monsters. The main goal was to reach the end without losing the flag.
Many participants expressed their concerns after hearing George's words. But he reassured them with a loud clap, saying that if anyone got seriously injured, they would be teleported out, but that would mean failing the test.
As the Vice Principal finished his explanation, tension filled the air among the participants. Everyone looked at each other with a sense of vigilance. It seemed likely that there would be fights inside the dungeon.
However, not everyone was worried. Some participants with high agility found the first round quite easy.
George looked at all the kids and started floating above the Arena stage.
"Pick up the small flags on the ground and get ready. In a little while, everyone will be teleported inside the dungeon."
As he spoke, all the participants looked at him with awe and respect. They all aspired to reach the same level as him one day.
Kyle glanced at the Arena ground and noticed the multitude of flags scattered about.
'Oh, I didn't notice them before.'
He bent down and picked up one of the flags.
Suddenly, without warning, a powerful force from an array drawn on the ground sucked all the participants in.
Kyle opened his eyes to find himself in a completely different environment. The dungeon resembled a forest, but before he could appreciate the scenery, his stomach churned, and he began vomiting everything he had eaten.
In just a single day, he used the Teleportation Array twice. He was able to hold it the first time, but now he felt like all of his organs would come out of his mouth soon.
Seeing Kyle, some other participants wanted to throw up as well, but they held back.
After calming down, Kyle saw a straight, narrow road in front of him, surrounded by trees of various sizes. He sighed and watched other participants pass by him.
With a pale face, he approached a shady tree nearby to rest for a while, feeling weak and drained.
Minutes passed, and all the participants left the starting line. Some of them noticed Kyle sitting under a tree, but they thought he had been robbed and given up on competing. That's why everyone ignored him.
After resting for 10 minutes, Kyle finally stood up, feeling a little better. He looked at the empty road, with only falling leaves from the trees, wearing a dark expression.
'They're so cruel. Not a single person extended their hand to help me!'
Kyle smiled bitterly. Surrounded by only leaves and dust, he knew he was in last place. It seemed like luck wasn't on his side today.
Without wasting any more time, he started running along the straight road. Even though he was last, he was determined to at least reach the finish line.
'What face would I show my father if I can't even complete a simple race? Neon would mock me for the rest of my life!'
The image of Neon mocking him flashed through Kyle's mind, and his speed increased. The scenery inside the dungeon was beautiful, with tall trees and towering mountains in the distance.
On his way, he didn't encounter a single monster. It seemed like the participants ahead of him had already defeated them. He felt disappointed because he had never seen a monster before. He had hoped to at least encounter one during the first round, knowing full well that this round was probably his last.
Half an hour later,
Kyle was gasping for breath as he struggled to calm his racing heart.
"Fuck the determination! At this rate, I won't even make it halfway through the dungeon!"
He cursed loudly and punched a nearby tree, only to wince in pain as he quickly rubbed his hand.
"Ouch! What the heck? Is this tree made of steel?"
Leaves fell on his head as he glared at the tall tree. If he had a sword, he would have sliced this insolent tree into pieces! But the problem was, his sword was inside Neon's storage ring. The first round started so suddenly that he didn't have time to retrieve it.
"Huuu..."
Kyle took a deep breath to calm himself, patting the tree trunk slowly.
"You are rather lucky today."
Then he gazed at the long road ahead with a bewildered expression. This time, instead of determination, his eyes were filled with uncertainty.
"It's impossible."
Kyle looked at the dense forest and without a second thought, he ventured inside.
"Let's head into the forest and find a monster."
He wasn't worried about the monsters being dangerous because the Vice Principal had said they would be teleported outside the dungeon if they got badly injured.
'And if I get injured, I don't need to finish the race, hehe.'
After walking for a while, Kyle furrowed his brow. He hadn't seen a single monster. Not even a living insect!
He was roaming around aimlessly when the ground beneath his feet trembled and a hole appeared. Kyle panicked, wanting to move away, but it was too late.
"Ahhh..."