Chapter 14: The Trial Begins

The Axis

The best military academy in the Solaria Empire, and one of the top four academies in the entire world.

And of course, the starting point of the protagonist in the game—where he reveals his talent to the world and is praised as a new miracle.

When I passed through the gate, the first thing that greeted me was a vast plaza filled with numerous long lines, checkpoints, and staff members organizing the newcomers into orderly queues.

I walked toward one of the lines and joined it on my own.

I sighed.”How much I hate waiting.”

…

What followed was a routine inspection—verification of my identity and documents. After that, I was sent to one of the offices designated for registering participants for the exam.

There, I filled in various forms and signed several conditions, such as the academy not being responsible for my death during the test, along with plenty of meaningless clauses.

In short, it was boring.

After that, we were informed that the test would begin in two days, and we were even prohibited from freely roaming the academy.

Instead, several buildings near the entrance were designated as lodging areas. Naturally, it wasn’t free—you had to pay.

With a frustrated sigh, I headed toward one of those buildings to find a place to spend the next two days, before everything filled up and I was forced to sleep outside.

…

Two slow, boring days passed.

And now, the test had finally arrived.

I walked beneath the sunlight as the early morning breeze brushed gently against my face.

I was wearing a cloth-and-leather armor that fit my body perfectly, provided by the academy—just like everyone else here.

Ahead of me was a massive crowd of people around my age, all wearing the same armor, with slight differences such as color.

Each of them radiated a unique aggressive pressure, as if preparing for a battle that would determine their lives… which was exactly what this was.

Within this massive crowd, several individuals stood out, each remarkable in their own way.

A beautiful girl with black hair and red eyes, surrounded by many people as if they were trying to protect her.

A handsome young man with hair and eyes the color of dark wood stood at the edge of the crowd, his gaze scanning everyone… like a hunter evaluating his prey.

Another beautiful girl stood nearby, with dark blue hair and eyes as cold as ice. She looked like a fragile doll, completely mismatched with the hostile atmosphere.

And at the front of the crowd stood someone who looked like a leader.

His presence drew countless gazes—golden hair and eyes like two blazing suns, his body emitting pressure that surpassed most of those present.

His name was Elliot Sivrax, the destined protagonist of this world.

As my eyes searched for the remaining key characters, a large projected screen appeared ahead.

The projection displayed the image of a man in his thirties.

The next moment, he smiled, and his voice echoed from multiple directions.”Welcome, young men and women, to the Axis entrance examination.”

“I can see that you’re eager to begin, so let’s not waste time and start explaining the test.”

He snapped his fingers, and the projection changed to display a vast dome.”As you can see, this is the academy’s dome—a massive space where we can alter the terrain and environment however we wish.”

The projection moved inside the dome, showing forests transforming into deserts, then into swamps, as the man continued.

“You will all be transported to its outer boundaries at random locations. Then, fog will begin to appear from the edges, gradually shrinking the area in a circular pattern toward the center.”

The projection changed again, now displaying our armor.”Your objective is to eliminate others and earn points. For each person you defeat, you will gain five points, plus fifty percent of their total points.”

“A participant will be considered eliminated if they come close to death or if their armor is heavily damaged, in which case they will be instantly transferred to a medical center.”

“You may form teams and cooperate with one another, but points will only be awarded to the person who lands the final blow.”

He clapped his hands.”The exam will last ten hours, or until only one person remains. After every hour, the fog will shrink the area further. Beware—if it touches you, you won’t be injured, but you will be immediately eliminated.”

A wide smile spread across his face.”After the first hour, a ranking of the top ten will be displayed. In the end, only the top four hundred will be accepted. As for the rest… they’ll have to wipe away their tears and return to where they came from.”

Then he spread his arms wide, still smiling.”Now then—let the test begin.”

In the next instant, I felt the environment around me change. I—and everyone else—were being transported into the dome.

A few moments later, my vision stabilized, and I saw my surroundings.

I was in the middle of a dense forest filled with tall trees when I heard a small notification sound beside me.

I looked at my wrist. There was a watch we had been given along with the armor, displaying several pieces of information:

Remaining Time: [9:59:32]Points: 0Top Ten Rankings: …

The test had officially begun.

And when it ended, it wouldn’t be just the strong who remained—but the smart as well.

Some people would immediately start running around, trying to gather points as quickly as possible—but that would be the stupidest thing they could do.

After the first few hours, they would find themselves drained of essence and exhausted to their limits.

Others, however, would form groups and share final blows to secure spots within the top four hundred.

I remembered how the protagonist dealt with these groups in the game… to him, they were nothing more than easy points.

So, what was my plan?

Simple.

I wouldn’t remain passive. I would move toward the center of the area, collecting all available points along the way, while keeping my essence and body in good condition—without reckless waste.

My ability, [Soul Eyes], didn’t consume much essence compared to other abilities. Combined with the fact that I was already at the second rank, my essence reserves surpassed most people here.

Of course, I wasn’t the highest-ranked participant. There were a few others at the mid–second rank—including the protagonist himself.

“It’s time to move.” I muttered, climbing one of the nearest trees.

From the top, I could see the treeline stretching ahead, though not very far—the tree wasn’t tall enough.

Still, I saw what I was looking for.

A pillar of light rising all the way to the dome’s sky… that was the center. The place I had to reach before the fog swallowed this area and eliminated it.

After confirming my direction, I jumped down from the tree and began advancing toward the center.

Essence flowed through my body as I activated my ability.

The scenery around me shifted, and I could see essence in the air itself, along with a new perception extending in a two-hundred-meter radius.

As I moved forward, I sensed two souls entering my range—one directly ahead, and another to my right.

I smiled as I drew the two swords I had chosen from the academy’s provided weapons, meant to maintain fairness.

They were razor-sharp. Two resembled a katana, but without the curve.

While I was proficient with many weapons, among them all, dual swords were my favorite.

I wondered which unlucky person would become my first prey.

But there was no need to hesitate.

I sensed the person on my right moving toward me, while the one ahead continued forward.

So I adjusted my path to intercept.

Moments later, I saw her.

I smiled as I balanced the swords in my hands and muttered:”My first five points.”

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