| Congratulations, Aramina Winstone. |
Seeing her photo in the sky, followed by the loud trumpet, the girl finally looked at her own hands, which were now like broken glass. Small cracks turned into big ones as some pieces vanished into the air.
As the fragments of glass floated away, Aramina's heart raced with a mix of curiosity and dismay. She then looked down at the person on the ground, disappointed.
'Too bad I didn't even meet any other students except this useless man.'
The girl had just closed her eyes when her whole body suddenly lit up.
When she opened her eyes, the large trees and wild grass that had surrounded her had vanished. Instead, a vast training field had taken its place. It was already getting dark.
She blinks several times, unsure what is going on.
She could feel a tingling sensation all over her body as if she had been transported to a different realm. Confusion washed over her as she tried to make sense of her surroundings.
The artificial terrain, such as the ruined buildings and dense and vast forest fields, was utterly gone.
In short, everything that had been projected in the morning before everything started had vanished. Instead, it was replaced by the wide and plain training field.
"Bullshit!!"
Lost in her own world, the girl turned immediately in surprise toward the source of the loud shout.
There, she saw a group of people, all dressed in matching uniforms, gathered around a tall figure with an authoritative presence. It was clear that they were her fellow trainees, and the person they were addressing was their instructor.
A man was sitting quietly on the ground behind her. He couldn't believe his eyes; he was fine. There was no blood or any kind of wound on his whole body. The man was eagerly touching various parts of his body as if they had been missing for a long time.
"Hey, are you still alive?" The woman's rude language caused the man to turn around and crawl back as if trying to avoid Aramina.
Seeing his scared reaction gives joy to the girl, causing her to smile sweetly at the person in front of her, but the man starts to tremble.
Aramina couldn't help but find amusement in the man's fear, relishing in the power she held over him. She took a step closer, her smile growing wider as his trembling intensified.
"What? You can't accept that you lost?"
Both Aramina and the man turned their attention to the source of the noise.
Aramina got confused by what was going on after seeing a group of students from a distance. One of the students, a girl, pointed her gun at their instructor, who stood motionless as if he didn't care.
She furrowed her brow, trying to make sense of the situation. Aramina's curiosity compelled her to step closer as the tension in that area grew.
"You tried to kill us!" A man holding a spear added.
"This is unfair! I will tell this to my father!"
Their instructor laughed out loud as a result of what they said. His voice is so deep that the laughter that comes from his mouth is terrifying to hear. No one knew what he was laughing at because, at that time, nothing was funny.
When he got tired of laughing, he grinned devilishly and looked at them sharply.
"You are here to be a soldier. What do you think, your exam will be easy? Remember, you will be fighting a real battle to serve the country..."
"... Trying to kill you? Did you die? No, because we are so considerate that we will only put you in this virtual reality simulation rather than causing you physical harm, crippling you for life, or worse, dying..."
"... I don't care if you come from a famous family or are a smart student. Remember this: in the battlefield, all of this shit doesn't matter in the eyes of the enemies..."
"... What we need are students who are strong, smart, brave, and above all, able to use the resources around them, one way or another, amid battle. We need people who can think quickly in any situation so as not to drag down or destroy the whole group, but as far as I can see, you're just showing off..."
"... We even had some powerful Mahistiya create those realistic illusions just for you, so you could have a real battle experience. You ungrateful swine." It shook its head and turned away.
"Those who passed, come with me. Those who aren't, well, better luck in the next five years. Oh, and please leave your weapons."
Seeing the five people who passed the test silently following their instructor until they vanished from the area, Lucy's opponent felt extremely angry and jealous. Even now, she still can't accept the defeat. She quickly turned to the remaining four.
"This is so unfair! That rule was so stupid in the first place, you know. We can beat them if the rules are properly explained and we are given enough briefing!" Seeing that her companions had no complaints about the outcome only adds to her annoyance.
They each have their own worlds, and none of them take her words seriously. Two of the men remained seated and dumbfounded, their bodies still shaking from what they experienced inside the illusion, but the woman in front of them knew nothing of what they had seen and, more importantly, she didn't care.
Annoyed, the woman kicked the ground and violently tousled her hair.
"I can't accept this!"
"Shut up!" Suddenly, the man, whom Sean had been fighting with inside the illusion, quietly touched his neck. He remembered how the young man immediately defeated him and the coldness of the Clawed Gauntlet once it gently touched his neck.
'What if he did kill me that time?'
The fear that had gripped him inside the illusion resurfaced, and he instinctively took a step back.
"This can't be! I'll have the test repeated!" After the girl said that, the man who foughtnAramina suddenly stood up.
"Don't you dare you fucking--"
Suddenly a loud, sarcastic laugh broke through everyone; it came from a man who was sitting quietly.
His body is massive. Because of the size of his muscles, he appears to be a skilled fighter at first glance. His biceps bulge and his shoulders broaden, implying immense strength and power and indicating years of dedicated combat training and experience.
He was famous for being the best candidate before this started. His name became known even before they entered the academy. The battle prodigy and strategist, Jayson Carl.
He was already well known for his unrivaled combat abilities and tactical knowledge. People admired his ability to quickly analyze any situation and devise effective plans, making him a formidable force on the battlefield. Even before his official training began, his track record of victories and strategic triumphs established his status as a fighter.
Out of all of them, he probably has the most perfect picture of being a soldier, so it's a big question why he didn't pass the test.
"I bet you died instantly. Lucky you, you didn't experience some fucked-up things." This refers to the woman who has been complaining for a while.
Jayson seems to have a deep understanding of the harsh realities of combat and the effects it has on individuals. His words suggest that he has witnessed gruesome and traumatic events that others may or may not have experienced.
He looked at his hands. He was not shocked that they were still shaking. Tears slowly fell from his eyes, and he smiled happily when he saw that there was no visible wound on his body.
He seemed to lose a huge thorn when he saw that nothing had happened to him.
Good thing everything was just an illusion powered by technology and a very powerful Mahistiya. He then looked the woman straight in the eye.
"Shut your mouth if you still want to have the ability to talk." His gaze returned to his trembling hands.
Everyone fell silent, only broken by the sound of his shaky breaths. His traumatic experiences had left an indelible mark on him, shaping his reaction to any possible danger.
"I'm just thankful that the test is over and that I'm still alive." Everyone turned to the man who had been dragged mercilessly inside the illusion by Aramina.
He can still feel the pain experienced inside that illusionary barrier. It's like they've been marked on his soul and can't be removed, no matter how much he forgets.
"I— I don't think I'll be able to hold another weapon for the rest of my life. I think I'm going to quit," said the man whose head had been cut off inside the illusion after being sliced by the sharp boomerang.
"Just what the heck did you experience?" A man Sean had fought asked the three after seeing their sorry appearance.
He can't help but notice the haunted look in their eyes and the lingering trauma from their encounter with their respected opponents. He wonders how they will ever recover from such a harrowing experience, grateful that he only suffered physical wounds the entire time and did not die like the others.
The three exchanged glances, their faces etched with deep sorrow and trauma. One of them, which Aramina had been dragging bloodily for a while, hesitated for a moment before finally mustering the courage to speak.
"It was like being trapped in a never-ending nightmare," he began, his voice trembling.
"H— her face was too gentle at first. I didn't even take our situation seriously when I first saw her. I thought I could easily win this one." The memory of that night will forever be etched in his mind, a constant reminder of the thin line between life and death.
"Everything began when she suddenly laughed, that fucking laugh that will haunt me for the rest of my life—even if that girl just smiled, I couldn't stop shaking..."
"... Every swing of that whip while fire surrounded it felt like a piece of my soul being torn apart. I can still feel the sensation of pain reverberating within me."
"You all should be wary of this girl." Out of nowhere, Jayson suddenly spoke while still bowing. You could feel how serious he was in the words he said.
"What do you mean?"
"I'm not belittling you or insulting what you've experienced there, but I think the most dangerous of them all is that person."
"Who?"
"Recka... Recka Tuazon."
"What did she do?"
The man just stayed silent, not attempting to answer the girl's question.
His silence spoke volumes, leaving an eerie sense of dread hanging in the air. The weight of his unspoken words only intensified the mystery surrounding Recka Tuazon and the potential danger she posed.
"You all should be lucky to not be in the same place as her. I'm satisfied even though I didn't join the Special Section, and I'm not going to let myself get involved with her again."