The sound of hurried footsteps echoed faintly through the dimly lit corridor as Soo-jin and Baek-hyeon pressed forward. Their pace quickened as the adrenaline from their recent encounter still lingered in their veins. The thought of finally reuniting with their teammates spurred them on, their breaths steady but determined.
"Do you think they've gotten this far?" Soo-jin asked, glancing at Baek-hyeon.
"They better have," Baek-hyeon replied, his gloves flexing as if readying for another wave of mannequins. "If they're still back there, we'll probably have to fight our way through more of those things just to find them."
Soo-jin smirked. "Wouldn't put it past the lecturers to throw us another curveball before we meet up."
Just then, distant voices echoed through the hallway ahead. Soo-jin and Baek-hyeon froze for a moment, straining to hear.
"Joon-ho!" Soo-jin called out, recognizing one of the voices.
There was a pause, then a reply.
"Soo-jin? Is that you?"
Relief flooded through her, and she broke into a run, Baek-hyeon following close behind. Rounding a corner, they saw them—Joon-ho, Min-jae, and Jin-kyong standing at the entrance to another room, their faces lighting up as they spotted their approaching teammates.
"You guys took your sweet time," Joon-ho teased his voice a mix of relief and humour.
"Blame the mannequins," Soo-jin shot back, stopping just short of the group.
"We've been dealing with those too. It's been... fun," Min-jae grinned.
"Fun isn't the word I'd use," Baek-hyeon muttered, though there was a flicker of amusement in his tone.
Jin-kyong stepped forward, her sharp eyes scanning them both.
"You're in one piece, though. That's what matters. Did you find anything useful?"
"Found these. Let me control mannequins. Helped us out of a tight spot," Baek-hyeon lifted his gloved hands, wiggling his fingers slightly.
"Of course, the Mage gets the cool stuff," Joon-ho muttered, though his grin betrayed his lightheartedness.
"And you? What about the rest of you?" Soo-jin asked, her gaze darting over the group.
"Found this. Not fancy, but it gets the job done," Joon-ho gestured to the pole slung over his shoulder.
"Same here. Practical," Min-jae patted the shield strapped to his arm.
"And Jin-kyong..." Joon-ho began, pointing to her paintball rifle.
"Don't say it," she interrupted, rolling her eyes.
They all shared a brief laugh, the tension of the day easing for a moment.
"Alright," Min-jae said, his tone growing serious. "We're all here. Whatever the lecturers have planned next, we face it together."
The five of them exchanged glances, a sense of camaraderie settling over them. The journey had tested each of their roles and their resolve, but now, united as a team, they felt ready for whatever awaited beyond the next door.
With renewed determination, they stepped forward, their footsteps echoing as one.
The final room loomed before them, its entrance larger and more foreboding than any they had encountered before. The faint hum of machinery buzzed from inside, and the moment they stepped in, it became clear: this was no ordinary test.
Rows of mannequins lined the walls, poised and ready to be launched. Suspended platforms rose and fell unpredictably across the room, forming an ever-shifting battlefield. A timer on the far wall flickered to life, counting down from five minutes.
"Looks like they saved the best for last," Joon-ho grinned, adrenaline sparking in his veins.
"Stay sharp," Jin-kyong said, raising her rifle and scanning the room. "This is designed to throw us off. Stick to what we know."
The first wave came hard and fast—mannequins flying toward them with increasing velocity. Joon-ho darted forward, his pole spinning in his hands like a whirlwind. He struck mannequins mid-air with precision, deflecting their trajectory toward safer directions. His Assassin reflexes were on full display as he wove between the platforms, leaping with agility and ensuring no mannequin got too close to the others.
Min-jae stayed rooted in the centre, his shield raised like an immovable fortress. He intercepted the few mannequins Joon-ho couldn't reach, bracing against their impact and redirecting them to safer zones. Each collision echoed with a metallic clang, but Min-jae barely flinched, his endurance a testament to his role as the team's Tank.
Soo-jin, meanwhile, embodied raw power. She moved with calculated aggression, smashing through clusters of mannequins with controlled strikes. Her Fighter instincts shone as she initiated each offensive push, creating openings for her teammates to manoeuvre. At one point, she grabbed a mannequin mid-flight and hurled it back into a group, the resulting crash scattering them like bowling pins.
"Nice throw!" Joon-ho called, dodging another mannequin with a graceful roll.
Jin-kyong held back, providing pinpoint support. From her vantage point on a raised platform, she fired paintball rounds with unerring accuracy, picking off mannequins that strayed too close to her teammates. Her years of playing as a Marksman in NexaRealm translated seamlessly; each shot was calculated, her positioning strategic, ensuring she could cover every angle of the room.
Baek-hyeon, ever the quiet one, let his newfound confidence shine. His gloves hummed with energy as he manipulated the mannequins' trajectory, turning the chaotic battlefield into a controlled dance. With subtle hand movements, he redirected incoming mannequins away from the group or sent them careening into each other, thinning the waves with surprising efficiency.
"Baek-hyeon, to the left!" Jin-kyong called out.
"On it!" he replied, flicking his wrist and sending a cluster of mannequins spiralling off-course.
The synergy between them was undeniable. Every role complemented the other, each action timed to perfection. Despite the chaos, they moved like a well-oiled machine, the trust they'd built in NexaRealm translating seamlessly into reality.
As the timer neared zero, the waves intensified. More mannequins launched simultaneously, the platforms shifting faster, threatening to throw them off balance. But the team adapted. Min-jae's shield protected the group during moments of heavy fire; Soo-jin broke through bottlenecks with sheer force; Joon-ho's agility kept the group mobile, while Jin-kyong and Baek-hyeon provided flawless support.
With ten seconds left, the room fell silent. The mannequins ceased their onslaught, the platforms stilled, and the timer hit zero. A loud chime signalled the end of the trial.
Breathing heavily, the five stood together in the centre of the room, surrounded by the scattered remnants of mannequins.
"That... was insane," Joon-ho said, wiping sweat from his brow.
"But we did it," Soo-jin replied, a proud smile spreading across her face.
"Not bad for a bunch of gamers," Baek-hyeon added, his tone light but tinged with satisfaction.
Jin-kyong lowered her rifle, her sharp eyes scanning the room one last time.
"We didn't just survive—we thrived. NexaRealm taught us to trust each other's roles, and it worked."
Min-jae nodded, his shield clanking as he removed it from his arm.
The five exchanged nods, the unspoken bond between them stronger than ever. The trial had pushed them to their limits, but it also reminded them of their strengths—not just as individuals, but as a team.
Together, they walked toward the next door, ready for whatever awaited beyond.
The group stood at the exit of the room, a heavy steel door looming ahead. The faint sound of gears turning signalled the door slowly unlocking, creaking open to reveal a long, dimly lit corridor. It stretched into the distance, the light at its end barely visible—a promise of escape from the maze-like obstacle course they had spent hours navigating.
Jin-kyong slung her paintball rifle over her shoulder and glanced at the others.
"This must be the final stretch."
"Good," Soo-jin said, rolling her shoulders. "I'm ready to be done with this place. My arms are killing me from smashing all those mannequins."
"Better than getting hit by one," Joon-ho quipped, earning a small chuckle from the group.
Min-jae, ever the steady presence, stepped forward, his shield still secured tightly to his arm.
"Let's not let our guard down just yet. If the lecturers designed this course to test us, they might have one last trick up their sleeves."
Baek-hyeon adjusted his gloves, the faint hum of their mechanisms barely audible. "Even if they do, we're ready. We've made it this far because we worked together. We'll finish it the same way."
The sentiment hung in the air, and for a moment, they all paused, exchanging glances that spoke volumes. This wasn't just about surviving the course—it was about proving themselves as a team. Despite their different personalities and roles, they had found a way to complement each other perfectly.
"Team 2," Joon-ho said with a grin, pointing toward the faint light at the end of the corridor. "Let's finish this."
They moved as one, their steps echoing against the stone walls. The corridor seemed to stretch endlessly, but no one complained. Each step felt lighter, each breath steadier, as the anticipation of reaching the end grew stronger.
As they neared the exit, the air grew fresher, and the faint sound of voices—cheers and laughter—echoed from the other side. It was a welcome reminder that this wasn't just an isolated trial but part of a larger event designed to challenge and celebrate their abilities.
Finally, they stepped into the open air, the sun blinding them momentarily after the dimness of the maze. Instructors stood nearby, their clipboards in hand, watching with expressions that ranged from approval to mild surprise. Other teams had already gathered, some lounging on the grass, others discussing their experiences with animated gestures.