Chapter 85: The Trial of Survival
Chapter 85: The Trial of Survival
The world twisted.
The magnificent lecture hall dissolved into countless fragments of shimmering light.
For a brief instant, Andras felt as though space itself had folded around him.
Then—
His feet touched solid ground once more.
A cold breeze brushed across his face.
The chatter of hundreds of students had vanished.
In its place...
Silence.
Andras slowly opened his eyes.
He found himself standing in the middle of an ancient forest.
Towering trees rose like silent giants, their gnarled branches blotting out much of the sky. Thick roots coiled across the earth like slumbering serpents, while countless vines hung from the canopy, swaying gently despite the stillness of the air.
Only scattered rays of pale sunlight pierced the dense foliage, casting long shadows across the forest floor.
The air was damp.
Heavy.
Every breath carried the scent of wet earth, moss, and decaying leaves.
Far in the distance...
Something growled.
Another creature answered with an eerie howl.
A flock of birds suddenly burst from the treetops before disappearing into the darkness above.
The forest felt alive.
Not with life...
But with danger.
Even the silence seemed to be watching him.
Andras calmly surveyed his surroundings.
"So..."
"This is the examination."
Only moments ago, he had been seated inside Ambrose Academy’s lecture hall.
Now...
He stood alone in an unfamiliar wilderness.
Not another student was in sight.
Echo Resonance spread outward.
Nothing.
No human heartbeats lay within its current range.
Only countless faint vibrations belonging to beasts hidden among the ancient trees.
Then—
A familiar voice echoed throughout the forest.
It came from every direction at once.
"Students..."
"I imagine many of you are wondering where you are."
It was Professor Alaric Thornwood.
His calm voice carried the confidence of someone who had overseen this examination countless times before.
"You are currently inside one of Ambrose Academy’s Simulation Realms."
"Everything around you has been created through large-scale illusion magic combined with spatial enchantments."
"The pain you experience here will be completely real."
He paused.
"Death..."
"...will also feel completely real."
A heavy silence followed.
Then—
"Do not panic."
"Death inside this simulation is temporary."
"The moment your life reaches its limit, you will immediately be removed from the examination."
"The examination, however..."
"...will be over for you."
His words settled over the forest like an invisible weight.
Then he continued.
"This year’s entrance examination consists of three hundred participants."
"They will be divided equally into five classes."
"Sixty students per class."
He paused once more.
"But before that..."
"Only sixty students will remain by the time this examination concludes."
The moment those words echoed across the forest...
Countless students froze.
Only sixty.
That meant two hundred and forty participants would be eliminated.
Professor Alaric continued without the slightest hint of emotion.
"Throughout the simulation, you will encounter monsters ranging from E-Rank to B-Rank."
"Defeating monsters will earn you points."
"The stronger the monster..."
"...the greater the reward."
His tone remained perfectly steady.
"You may form alliances."
"You may travel alone."
"You may cooperate."
"Or..."
"You may eliminate one another."
There wasn’t the slightest hesitation in his voice.
"If you defeat another student, you will receive fifty percent of their accumulated points."
"The defeated student will immediately lose fifty percent of their own points before being eliminated from the examination."
He paused once again.
"There is one final rule."
"Surviving until only sixty students remain will also earn additional points."
"However..."
"Do not misunderstand."
"Being among the final sixty survivors does not guarantee admission into Class A."
"When the examination concludes..."
"Every participant will be ranked according to their total score."
"The sixty students with the highest scores will enter Class A."
"The next sixty..."
"Class B."
"Then Class C."
"Then Class D."
"And finally..."
"Class E."
Soft murmurs spread throughout the forest.
Many students had assumed survival alone would be enough.
Now they understood.
Hiding until the end would accomplish nothing.
They needed points.
As many as possible.
Professor Alaric spoke once more.
"There is no method to determine another student’s score during the examination."
"Nor will you know your own ranking."
"The only information you will receive..."
"...is the number of students still remaining."
His voice became noticeably lighter.
"The rest..."
"...is up to you."
The announcement ended.
Silence reclaimed the forest.
Andras remained where he was.
His expression never changed.
Instead...
He spoke inwardly.
"System."
The familiar mechanical voice answered immediately.
[Devouring System Activated.]
Andras asked the question that interested him most.
"Since this is merely a simulation..."
"If I kill either monsters or students inside this world..."
"...will I be able to devour their talents?"
A brief pause followed.
Then—
[Negative.]
[Simulation entities do not possess true souls or authentic talent fragments.]
[Devouring is impossible.]
Andras wasn’t surprised.
"I expected as much."
Without the possibility of acquiring new talents...
His interest in indiscriminate combat immediately diminished.
There was little value in taking unnecessary risks.
After all...
Points alone were insignificant compared to permanent growth.
His violet eyes slowly swept across the surrounding forest.
Most students would already be rushing into battle.
Some would hunt monsters.
Others would search for allies.
And some...
Would begin hunting fellow students.
A faint smile appeared on his lips.
"They’re all in far too much of a hurry."
Instead of venturing deeper into the forest...
He walked toward the largest tree nearby.
Its ancient trunk was so enormous that even six grown men linking arms couldn’t have encircled it.
Its sprawling branches stretched high above the surrounding canopy.
Without hesitation, Andras began climbing.
His movements were smooth.
Precise.
Effortless.
Within moments, he settled comfortably atop one of the massive branches overlooking the forest below.
From that height, the entire surrounding area lay spread before him.
Very few people would think to search the treetops first.
Satisfied with his position, he reached into his storage ring.
A familiar wooden pipe appeared in one hand.
In the other...
A beautifully crafted bottle of aged rum.
A faint smile crossed his face.
"Now..."
"This feels much more civilized."
He calmly packed the pipe with fragrant pipe-weed before igniting it with a tiny spark of mana.
A thin ribbon of bluish smoke drifted lazily through the leaves.
He uncorked the bottle and took a slow sip.
The rich warmth of the aged liquor spread pleasantly through his body.
As he quietly enjoyed the moment, his thoughts returned to the examination.
Interesting...
They never revealed how many points each action is worth.
No one knows how many points surviving until the end will grant.
No one knows how many points each monster is worth.
And no one knows how many points another student possesses.
A system built entirely around uncertainty.
No one can determine who is truly worth hunting.
Nor can anyone know whether fighting another student is even profitable.
A faint smile lingered on his lips.
Interesting.
Below him...
The forest remained restless.
Monstrous roars echoed in the distance.
Branches snapped.
Somewhere nearby...
Steel clashed against steel.
The examination had already begun in earnest.
Students fought desperately for survival.
Monsters prowled through the undergrowth in search of prey.
Alliances were being forged.
Others were already being betrayed.
Meanwhile...
High above the forest floor...
Andras Darkmoor quietly enjoyed his pipe and rum, watching the chaos unfold with the calm expression of a man observing a theatrical performance rather than participating in it.
His violet eyes reflected neither excitement nor fear.
Only quiet curiosity.
"Let’s see..."
"...who makes the first interesting move."
The forest answered with another distant scream.
---
Several kilometers away...
Seraphina Valebright stood among towering black pines, her emerald eyes calmly surveying the unfamiliar forest.
Professor Alaric’s announcement still echoed in her mind.
"Class A is determined by points."
She exhaled softly.
"In that case..."
"The fastest way to earn points is to hunt monsters."
Her thoughts naturally drifted toward one person.
Andras.
If they joined forces, they could gather points far more efficiently than either of them could alone.
Besides...
She wanted to see just how much stronger he had become since dual between them.
A faint smile touched her lips.
"I should find him first."
She had barely taken a few steps when every instinct in her body screamed.
Danger.
A violent gust of wind tore through the forest.
CRACK!!
A towering pine exploded into countless splinters.
From the cloud of flying debris emerged a beast nearly three meters long.
Its body resembled that of a gigantic wild boar, yet crimson fissures glowed beneath its charcoal-black hide as though molten lava flowed through its veins. Twin tusks, burning like heated steel, curved menacingly from its jaws, scorching the earth wherever they scraped.
Its crimson eyes locked onto Seraphina.
A deep, thunderous snort shook the forest.
Ember Tusk Boar.
D-Rank Monster.
Seraphina sighed quietly.
"...Just my luck."
"I’ll have to deal with you first."
The monstrous boar pawed violently at the ground.
Heat shimmered around its blazing tusks.
Then—
BOOM!
It exploded forward like a flaming cannonball.
The earth shattered beneath its charge.
Seraphina’s emerald eyes sharpened.
Without the slightest trace of panic...
She calmly began weaving a spell
The forest trembled as the D-Rank monster charged straight toward her.