The screams of Kylian's peers grew distant as he plunged into the darkness, his vision seemingly expanding with every second of his descent. The sensation of falling into the unknown was as terrifying as it was exhilarating. Despite the small thrill he felt, the fear of the unknown gnawed at him.
Suddenly, his freefall ended with a jarring yet soft impact. His body slammed into something that cushioned his landing, though the shock left him momentarily disoriented. A blinding light pierced the darkness, forcing him to shield his eyes.
Kylian took deep breaths, feeling his racing heart calm. Gradually, his vision adjusted, revealing a wooden ceiling above him. He sat up slowly, blinking in confusion as he surveyed the unfamiliar room, catching the faint scent of pine and the soft creak of the floor beneath him.
The room was sparse—a simple wooden house with a single bed, a table and chair, and a small bookshelf. The air carried the faint scent of aged wood, and a gentle breeze filtered through the lone window. Kylian approached the window, peering outside.
What greeted him was an endless expanse of identical wooden houses arranged in neat rows, each as modest as the one he stood in. In the distance, he spotted other figures moving about, their faces unfamiliar yet filled with a similar sense of confusion and curiosity.
Kylian decided to search the room for clues, hoping to make sense of this strange place. His exploration didn't take long. The bookshelf was crammed with scrolls and books, their spines worn but intact. On the table, a lone scroll caught his attention. Unrolling it, he found its contents written in neat, precise handwriting.
"This is for all attendees of the admission test for the School of Daoism."
As Kylian continued reading the scroll, his brow furrowed.
"You are now in a simulation modelled after one of the most mysterious places in the world, The Ruined Continent. This environment is teeming with monsters, abundant in resources, and characterized by extreme, unstable climates. The terrain is a blend of all extremes—mountains, deserts, jungles, and swamps—compressed into a single region. Opportunities to gain power are limitless for those who dare to seize them.
Your task is simple: survive. The minimum requirement is one year, and the maximum is three years. Use every resource available. Form alliances or go it alone. Fight or cooperate—it is up to you. The path of cultivation begins with this trial."
"The Ruined Continent?". Kylian murmured.
His eyes narrowed as he set the scroll down. A survival test? For a year—or longer? He glanced out the window again, this time with a keener interest. Participants wandered the simulated village, their expressions a mix of excitement, fear, and determination. Some stood in hesitant groups, while others had already begun exploring the outer edges, ready to test their luck.
Stepping outside, Kylian inhaled deeply, taking in the fresh yet oddly oppressive air. The environment around him felt unnervingly real, from the texture of the ground beneath his boots to the distant cries of unknown creatures. The breeze shifted suddenly, carrying the scent of rain even as the sun blazed overhead—a stark reminder of the climate's instability.
He examined his surroundings more closely. Beyond the uniform wooden houses lay untamed wilderness. Dense forests bordered the village to the north, a barren desert shimmered to the west, and a jagged mountain range loomed to the south. To the east, a sprawling swamp exuded an ominous aura, the air above it thick and heavy.
A low growl snapped Kylian's attention back to the village. He turned just in time to see one of the participants cry out as a wolf-like creature with eerie black eyes lunged at him. The boy barely managed to dodge, scrambling back with terror etched on his face. Another participant hesitated before stepping forward, brandishing a spear she'd fashioned from a tree branch.
The wolf snarled, its movements unnaturally fluid as if testing its prey. The girl's spear jabbed forward, and the wolf leapt aside, circling her with calculated precision.
Kylian watched from a distance, his expression unreadable. The scroll's instructions echoed in his mind: Survive. Fight or cooperate—it is up to you.
"This isn't just a test of strength," he muttered. "It's a test of strategy, endurance, and how far we're willing to go."
"Heh. It seems like not all rumours about you are true. At least you can read the scroll." Kylian heard someone mocking him from behind. As he turned around, he saw a black-haired boy who was shorter than him. His presence felt harmless but something about his narrow eyes felt dangerous.
Then the boy looked past him to see the girl who was fighting the wolf. "Wow! It seems like there are fools in this world who put themselves in unnecessary danger.". He smiles a little lasciviously. "She looks just as beautiful as she was in the news and media articles. But it's a shame I don't have time to indulge in such exquisite appearances."
Kylian looked towards the boy who mocked him and started moving away from all the conflicts. He looked back towards the girl. The short crimson hair that flowed with the wind, jade green eyes that darted around the wolf and the cold expression on that face did give her an exquisite appearance. But if there is one thing he learned in this world is that beautiful appearances in this world are quite commonplace amongst both women and men.
He looked back towards the boy who had walked away and tried to remember if had seen his face amongst any of the social media platforms in this world. While he didn't have any active presence on social media, his family made sure to create secure and verified social media accounts for everyone in the family, even the servants. And before coming here, he tried to remember a few famous faces to avoid unnecessary conflicts with. The boy's identity felt unfamiliar to him.
The red-haired girl fighting the wolf was familiar to him. Aurora Ardenthal. Like him, she came from one of the aristocratic families in the central continent. However, her reputation was the complete opposite of his. She was talented, bold, and disciplined. Her popularity is spread so far and wide that most people from even other continents know about her. Although she was not the heir to her family, just like him, her family held high expectations for her. She was hailed as one of the greatest talents of the continent
Roars resounding from the forest broke his gaze as he looked towards the rustling and rumbling sounds that made him focus on himself. He went back into his hut as he looked for anything that could help him. He removed the sheets from the bed to use as a bag.
He looked towards the bookcase took all the books that felt were important and threw it into the makeshift carry bag. He looked for anything that could be used as a weapon but before he could search any further, the floor of the hut rumbled as though an earthquake was happening.
Realizing that it was likely a stampede, he grabbed his carry bag and rushed outside through the door. Suddenly, an explosion erupted behind him. Instinctively, he jumped to the side, but the force sent him tumbling into a crowd of fleeing people. Kylian's head hit the ground, and he was overwhelmed by pain before everything went black.