~Minutes before the Announcement~
As Yoel entered the auditorium, he noticed many students and participants of many ethnicities.
Human evolution itself had gone a step further, and many of them had acquired a different, more authentic look compared to the average human.
A man with gray skin could be seen sitting down, his height and build resembling that of a mountain.
And a bit further from him, a man half as tall as the average human sat with a grumpy expression.
Many of these men and women excelled at different things merely because of their genetics.
It was a fascinating thing to see, truly.
Not a moment later, Yoel sat down. A man could be seen on the stage, resembling someone in their 40s.
As Yoel focused his gaze on him, he felt a gust of wind, and turned just in time to see someone sit down next to him. It was another man of average build, average posture, and an average gaze.
For some reason, when Yoel looked into his eyes, he felt as if something was staring back at him.
That caused Yoel to blink twice, and to subconsciously raise his guard.
And then, on Yoel's left side sat another man. He had blonde hair, a muscular build, and an exquisitely handsome face.
A mysterious presence surrounded him, and he wore a weird expression. It made Yoel feel as if the man had been annoyed at something.
As someone who had had his own fair share of mysteries and secrets, his alarms flared constantly at the sight of the man. He carried a different, more purposeful aura compared to the other examinees.
And maybe even a few dark secrets.
The others also carried a purpose of some kind, Yoel could feel it. However, it didn't resonate with him as strongly as this individual did.
It seemed almost as if his purpose had been more grand than others.
Yoel didn't have time to observe the man, because the next moment the blonde man spoke.
"Is there something on my face?" the blonde man seemed like the man had noticed Yoel's analyzing stare, and was quite uncomfortable under it.
"Uhh… No. That's my bad." Yoel awkwardly shook his head and turned to look at the stage.
"Mm." The man said without much emotion. Clearly, the man didn't really put much effort into replying, opting to also just look at the stage in silence.
It looked as if Yoel had more to say, but he kept it to himself.
The vice principal had still not begun speaking, and the crowd was slowly getting quieter.
"Ahh. I barely had time to get those last swings in… I hope they let us practice a bit after this.." said a female voice from behind.
Yoel turned to look around, however, he had not been expecting that the voice would be of the girl he would often see at the training facilities.
"What, is there something wrong?" said the girl arrogantly.
Huh? When did she get here?
Yoel was kind of surprised. He didn't expect the girl he had observed at the training facility to take a seat next to them.
"Oh no, sorry!" said Yoel, kind of perplexed. He now couldn't wait for the announcement to start.
He had found himself in quite an awkward situation. He was sitting next to an enigmatic boy, and a very beautiful girl.
The air was unbelievably suffocating right now.
Please. Just start this damned announcement. I'm dying over here.
The crowd had almost fully grown silent now, with only a few whispers left.
"Hey." whispered the average man from his right side.
"What do ya think the old man's going to spew? Think it's something actually serious?"
"I mean, to bring all of us here, I'd expect it's something more than just mindless ramble."
"Maybe.. I think it might just be formalities. We'll see, I guess." the boy's lips slightly curled upwards mischievously, Yoel was not sure if it was a genuine one or not.
Finally, after everyone had stopped speaking, the vice principal began to speak.
"Examinees! Welcome! Welcome to our great auditorium!"
The man's voice boomed throughout the entire hall, reaching every ear and every corner. Even the shadows hidden within it shivered a bit when he spoke.
"I would like to congratulate each and every one of you for being chosen to participate in this year's entrance exams!"
The man wore an honest smile on his face, and the students felt compelled to smile with him.
"Now, I would like to announce the first trial. The trial that will test each of your skills down to even the most rudimentary of techniques."
"The first trial…"
The man stopped speaking, letting the anticipation build up. And surely enough, every individual in the auditorium was staring intently, eagerly awaiting his next words.
"The jungle of Hell!"
"You will be transported to a time dungeon,and you must survive for approximately ten days! The dungeon shall be littered with many obstacles and it will be up to you to find a way through!"
The examinees rumbled in their seats. The vice principal's speech had renewed their vigor, and they were eager to face this new challenge.
As if some unknown force was empowering his very words, or rather… the meaning behind them.
His speech had rekindled the slowly dying flame of determination within them.
And then, a notification was heard. And then another.
Simultaneously, all academy-provided cubes began to sing the same tune.
The notifications kept arriving, and the sound of them kept changing over time. It turned from a robotic to a beautiful melody.
The lot of them were smiling, this melody even further healed their broken confidence and set their decision to win in stone.
This was.. dangerous. To be able to manipulate someone's resolve so easily, was a dangerous power.
Examinees, emboldened by the flame of determination and purpose. They had found a cause once again.
Amongst the unbearable weight of their burdens and expectations, they had found a cause. A guiding light in this darkness.
They couldn't help but cheer for themselves and the amazing performance of the vice principal.
"Now, examinees! I wish you luck!"
Now, a true notification came. It provided the first trial in a bit more detail, for those that had missed it.
[The First Trial]
[Type: Dungeon Dive]
[Location: Jungle of Hell]
[The Jungle of Hell is a jungle located at the edge of Kleim. It is said to be home to many dangerous creatures, which have claimed the heads of even the strongest of warriors. If one treads through the jungle, they must remember to never lower their guard.]
[Trial Objective: Survival]
[Survive, even if you must sacrifice everything. Come out breathing. Everything is allowed.]
[Evaluation will be based on how you completed your trial, whether it be through your cunningness, your strength or through different means.]
Yoel nodded as he read the information.
However as he did, another notification appeared.
[Your Team Assignment: Team J]
[Teammates: ]
[Vasil Schester]
[Loke Demnfield]
[Cole Halen]
[Lilith Laufen]
Huh? Teammates?
[Meet your teammates at Gateway 7, where you will be commencing the dungeon dive.]
[Warning. It is important you meet your teammates, you will be stuck with them for the rest of the trial!]
Yoel was confused, but he began to move. There was no time to question it.
***
After arriving at the Gateway, he couldn't have been.. more surprised. He was unsure if the academy knew something he didn't, but it was quite the comedic sight.
The people who sat around him before happened to be his teammates in the first trial.
The blonde girl and the blonde boy stared at each other with hatred in their eyes. It seemed as if they didn't get along, nor would they get along if they were assigned to the same team.
Yoel, as effortless as his attempts would be, thought to calm them down.
"Alright.. you guys. Listen. I know you might have some past grudges but.. could we forget about them just for this trial? I don't mean to be rude or anything but.."
Before he could finish his sentence, the girl and boy exploded at him with various insults.
How naive and foolish Yoel was, to think that he could stop them from arguing.
It seems that their bickering had no signs of stopping, anytime soon.
At that moment, another boy grabbed his shoulder.
It was the seemingly average teenager from before, that look he had, which reflected something sinister within his eyes still trapped.
"I don't think there's any use trying to distance those two from each other."
He spoke, his voice sounding kind of odd, but not overwhelmingly so.
"They don't seem like people who would settle for another person telling them what to do." he said and sighed, then looked over to the last person who hadn't spoken ever since arriving here.
"How about you, would you like to work with us, perhaps? Or will you be keeping to yourself for the rest of our time together?"
The man sitting down a bit further away from the rest of them got up and walked up to them.
Now that he was standing, it was painfully obvious how tall he was.
"..Sure. I don't mind helping you out, I guess."
"Amazing! Now, before we head into this. We need to learn of each other's specialties!"