Last I remembered, I was on the ground, barely able to even move. But now, instead of failing the test and being rescued by the proctors that I knew watched our every movement.
Instead of waking to the safety of the exam halls, I woke to the dark light of some sort of cave. For a moment I just felt around, the rough surface on my hands creating a sense for where I was.
It was at that moment that I noticed the others. They were quiet, as if they were sleeping.
But on another look that was exactly what they were doing.
Their eyes were scrunched and their skin was pale, it told of the poison that had affected them, but they were still asleep.
However, in another moment there was a scrunching of multiple eyes, and as if on cue they all woke. All except a few.
Those few woke minutes after.
Minutes in which chaos reigned. Quiet whispers of encounters and their own horrid experiences. Of pain and near death.
But it was not that that I found strange. There was this almost strange whisper in the back of my head, one that was vindicated when I felt some sort of paper fall into my lap.
-You have been captured by the goblins, and for this reason the proctors have given you the choice to fail the exam and be rescued. Merely tear the paper and you will be rescued.
There was a moment of doubt, where I found myself contemplating whether I should or not. But in that moment so many others did what I did not have the guts to.
They ripped the paper and with nary a sound they disappeared. There was no sound, no sight that would tell of their disappearance. They merely disappeared and that was all.
"You're here too?"
It was a familiar voice, one that I had forgotten about, thought had given up as those others had. But apparently not. As in front of me was the same boy that had patched me up.
I sighed and turned to the side, giving a non answer. It was rhetorical either way so there was no need to answer.
While I ignored him I found myself standing, carefully as my legs were still a bit weak from the poison.
But at the very least they were able to walk and that was enough for me.
I had to squint to see anything but what I was able to see turned the vapid hope in my mind to stone.
I ran my hand over metal bars. I tried to channel a bit of mana through my hands and break the bars but it did not work.
Whatever it was made of, it was made tough. Able to take the enhanced strength of mine, no matter how average it was.
And so I sat by the bars, thinking of ways to escape.
Of the situation.
Obviously, after a bit of thought, we were in a goblin compound. But something wasn't right. According to the proctors, before the test even began, they had said they had gotten rid of the bosses and minibosses.
But these structures only appeared when there was one of the two. Which could mean one of two things.
Either the goblins had found this structure from the previous boss and the proctors had not demolished it. Or there was a new boss around.
Of the two I could not help but hope that it was the former of the two. But knowing my luck it was going to be the latter.
[100%]
'What!' My head span, all while my hand held tightly to the bar.
Something had appeared in my vision. It was not anything that I knew, not any skill that I had ever seen.
It was…
It was some sort of screen.
I felt a scream threaten to fall from my mouth, but I suppressed it, even drawing blood from my cheek as I tried to stay quiet.
But there was a limit to pain tolerance, and as the headache continued to pound upon my head I found a small groan echo from my mouth.
A hand placed over my back and another over my mouth to muffle any sounds. I could only gratefully look up to the boy and nod.
Then after a moment I passed out, I left my body in the grasp of one that I could not trust.
But it was a gamble I had to take.
…
…
…
[Welcome to the fusion system, a system where everything and anything can be fused. Your destiny is now your own. Take it and make history, fuse and create, for that is your purpose.]
Static, it woke me from my sleep. A sound that pounded through my ears and even through my body.
My finger twitched and I could barely feel it move, only the static of a phantom movement. It was disorienting, like the numbed pain of some sort of stabbing wound.
I tried to raise my head and open my eyes but all that I could see was that screen. One that I couldn't help but curse.
It had come so late, too late. I had nothing, for even if I understood the purpose and could see the usefulness of it, it was of no use if I were to be kicked from my home.
Thrown to the streets because of the failure of now.
I tried to throw a punch at the screen all to rage against it but I could not even lift my own fingers let alone my arm.
But even if I could not do that I still glared at it. Showing all of the rage and resentment I had felt throughout the years.
Through my whole life.
"Woah there. What's got you in a tizzy?" The same voice appeared again and even if he had kept vigil over me I couldn't help the scowl that appeared on my face.
"A bit pissy cause of a bit of pain, hehe, I get it"
I just turned my head and looked at the wall.
"Inari, my name's Inari."