The scene shifts to a group of ten participants running through the forest, their footsteps pounding against the soft earth in a synchronized rhythm.
The canopy above them allowed slivers of sunlight to penetrate, casting a dappled pattern of light and shadow across their path and the carpet of dried leaves beneath their feet.
They were all in the apprentice realm, the first step towards awakening their true potential.
The apprentice realm is akin to that of an introduction of a book, barely entering the first page of the whole story before they could embark upon the first chapter, which would be the first-tier realm.
Though they were still far from the heights of power, they had crossed the threshold into the world of the divine, where every action and decision could lead them closer to their goals—or spell their doom.
One of the men, a young participant with a fearful expression, glanced nervously at his surroundings.
His breath was slightly ragged, not from the exertion but from the anxiety gnawing at the edges of his mind.
He tried to suppress the fear, but it showed in his wide eyes and the slight quiver in his voice as he spoke.
"Zel, are you sure we can survive five days in this trial with this tactic?" he asked, his gaze darting between the towering trees around them.
Zel, a tall and sturdy figure at the front of the group, responded without breaking stride. His expression was calm, eyes focused straight ahead as he led them deeper into the forest.
"Yeah, don't fret about it," he said, his voice steady and confident. "We can make it as long as we stick together. Just don't panic."
Zel was the kind of person who inspired trust—not through grand speeches or overwhelming power, but through his unyielding belief in their ability to succeed as a team.
Another voice chimed in, this time from a girl running alongside them.
She had a determined look on her face, her jaw set with resolve as she spoke. "Agreed," she said firmly. "We must stay positive. The trial just started, it won't be that hard too early."
Her words were meant to bolster their spirits, and for a moment, they seemed to work.
There was a sense of collective resolve among the group, a shared belief that they could push through whatever came their way.
But doubts lingered, as they often do in situations like this.
Another girl, her expression betraying a mix of curiosity and fear, voiced the question that had been gnawing at the back of their minds. "But... what is the survival content all about? Is it against monsters... or against—"
Zel cut her off sharply, his voice firm but not unkind. "Don't say it," he warned, his eyes flicking back to meet hers briefly.
"Having such thoughts early in this trial is not beneficial for us. Stay focused." There was a protective edge to his tone.
The girl nodded, her face flushing slightly as she shyly responded, "W-well, yes, okay."
She lowered her gaze, focusing on the path ahead, trying to push away the thoughts that threatened to unsettle her.
The group continued onward, their formation tight and their steps in unison. The forest was alive with the sounds of nature—birds chirping high in the canopy, the rustling of leaves as a gentle breeze wove through the trees, and the occasional snap of a twig underfoot.
The path was uneven, strewn with roots and rocks, making each step a careful calculation.
The light that filtered through the dense foliage above created a mosaic of shadows on the forest floor, giving the surroundings an almost ethereal quality.
The air was thick with the scent of earth and greenery, the group of ten moved steadily through the forest, their breaths synchronized with the rhythm of their steps.
The trees around them seemed to stretch endlessly into the sky, their towering trunks forming a natural corridor that guided their way.
As they ran, the silence between them grew heavier, filled only by the sounds of the forest and their breathing. It was a silence of concentration, but also of unspoken doubts and anxieties, each member of the group lost in their own thoughts.
Then, breaking through the silence like a pebble dropped into still water, a boy's voice rose hesitantly.
"Say..." His voice trembled slightly, but it was enough to draw the attention of those around him.
The others glanced his way, giving him the space to speak as they continued to move through the dense forest. "What do you guys want to do after passing the trial?"
For a moment, his question hung in the air, mingling with the sounds of their surroundings.
The group was initially skeptical, the idea of thinking so far ahead seeming almost absurd in the midst of their current challenge.
One of the men, a burly figure with a sharp jawline and a dismissive attitude, snorted as he ducked under a low-hanging branch.
"It's just the beginning, and yet you've already thought this far ahead?" he said, his tone laced with disbelief.
His breath came out in puffs as he kept pace with the group, shaking his head slightly at the boy's sentimentality.
Another of the group mates, a lean girl with quick, darting eyes that constantly scanned their surroundings, chimed in as they leaped over a fallen log.
"Focus on surviving first," she muttered, though there was no real malice in her voice—just the pragmatic caution that had kept her alive so far.
The boy's question was met with silence again, but this time it was a silence filled with contemplation rather than dismissal.
The group pressed on, their footsteps crunching over leaves and underbrush, the occasional beam of sunlight catching on the metal of their weapons or the sweat on their brows.
Then Zel, who had been leading them with unwavering resolve, turned his head slightly, offering the boy a small, reassuring smile.
"It's fine," he said, his voice cutting through the tension with surprising warmth. "To have a goal is to be alive."
Of course, especially in such a world they live in. Despair fueled almost their everyday lives, a constant battle against the cruelty of the world against Humanity.
Perhaps there might be some light in this dark world, some smiles and hope. Perhaps, there's a way at the end of this tunnel.
As they continued to run, Zel's gaze turned forward again, his eyes sharp but his expression softening with a rare moment of vulnerability.
"I want to be a strong person," he continued, his voice steady. "So strong that I could protect everyone I love. It's quite laughable but, hey... A dream is what keeps me alive this far"
A chuckle broke the brief solemnity of the moment as one of the girls behind them, a sprightly figure with a playful demeanor, piped up.
"Ehhh, Captain Zel is being emotional" she teased, though there was a genuine warmth in her voice.
Her laughter was light, a small break in the tension as they kept running through the forest.
The forest path wound on, the group's earlier tension gradually giving way to a more relaxed atmosphere as they conversed.
The dense canopy overhead filtered the sunlight into gentle rays that danced across their path, and the sounds of their steps blended with the rustling leaves and distant birdcalls.
Zel led the way, his expression less severe than before, and he couldn't help but chuckle at the teasing from his comrades.
"Alas, a man can cry too," he said with a laugh, glancing back at the group.
His eyes sparkled with a rare mix of humor and fondness, a fleeting moment of lightheartedness amid their trial.
One of the men, a broad-shouldered fellow with a perpetual grin, laughed heartily in response.
"Captain, you're already so strong! If you weren't, I wouldn't have followed you all these years." There was genuine admiration in his voice, and the others nodded in agreement, their spirits buoyed by the easy banter."Remember that time in the Greywood? You practically carried us all out of there," another man chimed in, his tone warm with nostalgia.
"Yeah, that was something," added one of the girls, her voice bright and clear as she sidestepped a protruding root. "We were lucky to have you then, and we're lucky to have you now."
As they continued, the conversation flowed freely, filled with memories of past exploits and shared laughter.
But as suddenly as a thunderclap on a clear day, their light-hearted chatter was shattered.
Without warning, the true nature of the Academy Trial revealed itself in a flash of brutal violence.