The classroom was silent. The clock chimed 14:32 and the teacher was talking about classical literature in his monotonous voice, unable to hold Renji Kurogane's attention as he leaned his chin on his hand and stared out of the window.
The gray sky seemed to be a reflection of his life: predictable and devoid of any emotion. Everything was always the same, every day. He didn't hate his existence, but he didn't see any fun in it either.
His classmates were scattered around the room, going about their equally boring routines. Arisa Tachibana, the president of the student council, remained serious, absorbing the teacher's every word.
Toru Kanzaki, sitting in front of her, maintained an arrogant posture, pretending to be bored but clearly considering himself superior.
Yui Aoyama, the most popular girl in the class, was smiling at her friends, although her distracted gaze suggested that her mind was elsewhere.
Then everything changed.
An intense blue light exploded in the middle of the room, engulfing everything in a flash. Heat filled the room, and then an overwhelming force pulled Renji upwards.
The floor disappeared.
He felt his body being thrown into the void, without control, without support. Screams echoed around him from all sides. The icy air cut into his skin as he fell into absolute nothingness.
[Welcome to the Valley of Endless Havens.]
A cold, mechanical voice reverberated in his mind, indifferent to the panic that was consuming him.
[The First Trial Is About to Begin...]
[Survive. Evolve. Or perish.]
○
Renji awoke, feeling the cold of the rough stone floor penetrate his skin. A heavy smell of mold and dried blood filled the air, while the room was lit by torches spaced between the walls.
The place felt unnatural.
He then slowly stood up, trying to organize his thoughts. That's when he realized he wasn't alone.
Around him, Arisa, Toru and Yui were also awake.
The president was the first to get to her feet, her eyes scanning the room as if searching for an answer to the situation. Toru grumbled, shaking the dust off his uniform. While Yui hugged her arms, trying to process what had just happened.
None of them seemed to have any answers, just the same confusion on their faces.
“Where... are we?” Yui's voice came out hesitantly.
“This isn't a dream...” Arisa muttered, clenching her fists. “Have we been... teleported?”
[Hero's Path Activated].
The notification flashed before Renji's eyes. He blinked, confused. A blue screen floated in the air, filled with incomprehensible information.
[Calculating Initial Status...]
Before he could ponder the meaning of those words, a dry sound echoed through the hall.
Grrr. Raww.
Something grunted in the darkness.
Renji felt a shiver run down his spine. He turned slowly, his eyes fixed on the deepest shadows of the chamber.
Then he saw it.
Several eyes glowed like embers in the darkness, pointed teeth protruded forward, followed by greenish skin.
Goblins.
They were small and deformed, their clothes looked like dirty rags, and in their hands they held rusty daggers. They had hungry looks in their eyes, like predators about to pounce on a defenseless prey.
Toru took a step back, pale. “This has got to be a joke...”
“Monsters...!” Arisa muttered, narrowing her eyes.
Amidst the green-skinned creatures, a goblin stole the students' attention.
A scar marked one of his eyes, giving him a more experienced appearance.
He seemed to be the leader of the group.
With a crooked smile, he stepped forward, letting out a laugh that reverberated throughout the stone chamber.
Then, without hesitation, he advanced against the schoolboys.
[The First Trial has begun.]
The creature jumped between the stones and debris of the chamber, trying to avoid a direct attack. Renji, who was ahead of his group, would be the monster's first target, so he raised his fists to protect himself from the aberration.
It was all in vain.
The schoolboy wasn't used to battles, let alone being able to defend himself against a fast creature like that.
The goblin then went through his combat stance and drove his rusty blade into Renji's throat. Knocking him to the ground.
The little monster, taking advantage of this opening, picked up a nearby stone and proceeded to strike the schoolboy in the face.
Again, again and again.
Again and again until his face was unrecognizable.
When it was finished, the creature pulled its dagger from the corpse and licked the tip of the blade.
It tasted the blood of Renji, who now... lay dead on the ground.
“What the fuck was that?” Toru said, incredulous at what he had just witnessed.
“Is he... Is he really dead!” Arisa clenched her fists, ready to fight.
Gyahehehe! The goblin laughed, looking at the girls' thighs and bust.
Yui stared at Renji's dead body. “I... I couldn't even apologize to him...”
The creature then puffed out its chest and let out a shrill cry, like a call to war.
Graaarrrr!
The other goblins, resting in the darkness of the chamber, advanced against the group of schoolgirls. Aiming to surround them on all sides.