Chapter 15: The Survival Challenge Begins
The countdown hit zero.
Aether Academy's AI-generated battlefield materialized—a massive warzone featuring forests, mountains, ruined cities, and hostile terrains.
The only rule: Survive.
The moment Rei Kurogane and his team landed in the fog-covered forest, the competition had already begun.
Rei's Team Takes the Lead
Rei, Souta, and Akari moved with precision. While others fought, they advanced.
Their first challenge—a guarded checkpoint deep in the forest.
Souta (grinning): "Let's just crush them and move on."
Akari (calmly): "That's a waste of energy."
Rei adjusted his glasses.
Rei: "We don't need to fight them at all."
He quickly outlined his plan:
Souta creates a distraction, making the enemy think a frontal attack is coming. Akari sneaks in from behind while they focus on Souta. Rei exploits their blind spot and secures the checkpoint.
Within seconds—
DING!
[Checkpoint Secured: Team Rei Kurogane]
Enemy Team: "WHAT?! Who—?!"
By the time they turned, Rei's team had already disappeared into the forest.
Frustration erupted.
Enemy 1 (angrily): "How the hell did they do that?!"
Enemy 2: "They didn't even fight us! That nerd just stole our checkpoint!"
Enemy 3 (gritting teeth): "Tch… I won't let this happen again."
Across the battlefield, other teams started noticing something.
Every time they reached a checkpoint—Rei's team had already passed it.
Frustrated Student: "Are they skipping fights or something?!"
Another Team Leader (clenching fists): "No, they're just moving smarter than us… Damn it!"
Teams that prided themselves on strength were growing furious. Rei wasn't even fighting—yet he was ahead of them.
The race had turned into a game of pride vs. intelligence.
Other Teams Make Their Move
Not everyone was struggling. Some teams were starting to push forward.
Lina Veras – The Untouchable Phantom
Lina's team had reached a checkpoint guarded by four opponents.
But they never touched her.
Student 1 (panting): "I—I can't hit her!"
Student 2: "She's moving too fast—!"
Dodge. Dodge. Dodge.
Lina evaded twenty consecutive attacks without breaking a sweat.
Then—she moved.
With one fluid motion, she knocked out all four opponents in seconds.
DING!
[Checkpoint Secured: Team Lina Veras]
Spectators whispered: "She still hasn't been hit once… how do you even fight her?"
Lina exhaled, eyes scanning ahead.
Lina (thinking): Where's Rei Kurogane's team?
She had noticed them moving ahead faster than expected. That annoyed her.
Lina (muttering): "I don't like people getting ahead of me."
Her speed increased.
Elias Krow – The Iron Tower
In the rocky mountain pass, a team of five surrounded Elias Krow.
They attacked.
BAM!
Their fists and weapons landed on Elias's chest.
Nothing.
He didn't react.
Enemy 1 (stumbling back in shock): "H-He's not even moving?!"
Elias calmly grabbed the nearest opponent—and threw him off the ridge.
The rest hesitated.
Elias (tilting his head): "Are you finished?"
One more tried to attack.
BAM. Elias didn't block. He just took the hit.
Then, with a single brutal swing, he sent his attacker flying.
DING!
[Checkpoint Secured: Team Elias Krow]
Spectators murmured: "That guy doesn't even feel pain…"
But Elias wasn't focused on them.
He had noticed Rei's team.
Elias (calmly): "That strategist keeps passing first. Annoying."
He started walking faster.
Kenji Arata – The Fist of Aether
In the ruined city, Kenji stood in the middle of an abandoned street.
Enemy 1 (grinning): "You're alone. You think you can fight us all?"
Kenji smirked.
Kenji: "Yeah."
The fight lasted ten seconds.
Kenji's Muay Thai strikes crushed three opponents in an instant.
BAM!BAM!BAM!
Spectators whispered: "Kenji already crushed three teams… this guy is a monster!"
Kenji glanced at his notification.
DING!
[Checkpoint Secured: Team Kenji Arata]
Then, he noticed something.
Kenji (grinning): "That nerd's team passed before me?"
His excitement grew.
Kenji: "Alright, now I'm interested."
He picked up the pace.
Rei's Next Challenge: The Mountain Pass
Meanwhile, Rei and his team had reached the next zone—an unforgiving mountain pass.
Souta: "This terrain is brutal. No cover, steep cliffs, and—"
RUMBLE.
A massive boulder crashed down, nearly crushing them.
Akari (dodging): "Avalanche traps?! Seriously?!"
Rei analyzed the landscape instantly.
Rei: "This isn't just natural—it's triggered. Someone's controlling the terrain."
They weren't alone.
Another team had reached this checkpoint before them and had set up ambushes.
Enemy Team Leader (smirking): "You nerds got ahead of us before, but this time—no tricks."
Souta cracked his knuckles.
Souta: "Oh? You wanna do this the hard way?"
But Rei stopped him.
Rei (calmly): "No. We're not fighting them."
Souta (blinking): "Huh?"
Rei smirked.
Rei: "We're outsmarting them. Again."
As he prepared his next strategy, something caught his attention.
A shadowy figure stood in the distance, watching them.
A student with golden eyes and an eerie, confident smile.
Zayne Alistair: "You're interesting."
Rei turned.
Another dangerous contender had entered the game.
The real battle was about to begin.