[Simulation Room — Just before the trial begins]
Instructor:
— Listen up!
Your first official simulation starts now.
You'll face a dungeon environment recreated with real conditions.
Survive for 10 minutes — that's the goal.
If your HP hits zero… it's over.
---
(Douriel stretched confidently.)
Douriel (grinning):
— Easy win for me.
Milim (sighing):
— Don't get cocky. Difficulty adjusts to your level.
Douriel (blinking):
— …Wait, what now?!
---
[Students took turns entering the simulation.]
— No.1: Adlene — success.
— No.85: Milim — success.
— No.95: Douriel — success (barely).
---
Instructor:
— Candidate No.99: Diopha Hitari. Your turn. Step forward.
---
Diopha (thinking):
Alright… My turn. Let's get this over with.
---
---
[Inside the Simulation — Dungeon Zone]
---
(Diopha appeared in a dark, cracked land. The air was heavy.
An oppressive presence lingered.)
---
System:
— Welcome, Candidate Slayer.
Initializing conditions…
Warning: anomaly detected.
Diopha (frowning):
— …Anomaly?
---
System:
— Special adversary detected.
— Boss monster incoming: Avatar of the Dragon of Despair.
— Level: Unknown.
---
Diopha (dead serious):
— …A boss? Already?
---
(The ground trembled. Cracks spread like lightning.
From the darkness, the massive Dragon Avatar rose —
a monstrous creature with crimson scales and black flames swirling around it.)
---
System:
— Boss Class: Avatar of the Dragon of Despair.
— Survive or defeat the enemy.
---
Diopha (gritting his teeth):
— You've gotta be kidding me…
First day… and it throws THIS at me?
---
---
[The Battle Begins]
---
(The dragon roared, the sound shaking the entire simulation field.
A blast of black flames erupted, aimed at Diopha.)
---
Diopha (thinking fast):
Can't block that—!
---
(He dodged at the last second, but the heat scorched the air behind him.
The ground where he stood melted into lava-like cracks.)
---
(The dragon lunged — claws tearing through space.)
(Diopha jumped back, breathing heavily.)
---
Diopha (panting):
— This… isn't just a test.
This thing's trying to KILL me.
---
---
[System — Emergency Unlock]
---
System:
— Combat anomaly detected.
— Permission granted: partial access to inherited skill.
— Synchronization: 20%.
— Unlocking temporary skill:
→ Thunder Poudre — (Disintegration effect: destroys both matter and antimatter on contact).
---
Diopha (eyes widening):
— …Thunder Poudre?
Did I really unlock THAT already…?
---
---
[The Counterattack]
---
(Diopha steadied himself. His aura flared — a blue-white light surging.)
---
Diopha (focused):
— Let's see if you can handle this, you oversized lizard.
---
*(He raised his hand, and crackling lightning condensed, forming a sphere.)
(Energy warped around it — even the air trembled.)
---
Diopha:
— Thunder Poudre… FIRE!
---
(He launched the attack.
The beam struck the dragon — the impact was catastrophic.
Space rippled, and the beast's scales began to disintegrate — atoms torn apart.)
---
Dragon Avatar (roaring in agony):
— GRAAAAHHHHHH—!!
---
(Smoke and energy blasts filled the field.
Diopha fell to one knee, panting hard.)
---
Diopha (thinking):
That should've finished it… No way it survived that.
---
---
[But…]
---
(From within the smoke… a figure moved.
The dragon stepped out — but changed.)
---
(It had taken on a humanoid dragon form — still massive, but now faster, leaner, and far more dangerous.
Its aura cracked the ground with every step.
Its claws gleamed sharper.)
---
System:
— Boss phase: transformed.
— Speed: Supersonic.
— Attack power: capable of leveling a large city.
---
Diopha (staggering, shocked):
— Tch…
It evolved? After THAT?
---
---
[The Dragon Strikes Back]
---
(The Avatar moved — now blindingly fast.
Before Diopha could react, it appeared before him and struck.)
---
(A claw slashed across his chest — blood sprayed.
Diopha was thrown back, slamming into the dungeon wall.)
---
Diopha (gasping, barely standing):
— …Damn it…
---
(The dragon didn't stop.
It lunged again — this time aiming to crush him.)
---
---
[Passive Skill Activated]
---
System:
— Passive regeneration triggered.
— Lethal damage avoided.
---
(His wounds began to heal — painfully slow, but enough to keep him alive.)
---
Diopha (gritting teeth):
— Tch…
If this keeps up… I'm dead.
---
---
[System — Synchronization Increased]
---
System:
— Emergency synchronization boost: 25%
— Access granted: 1/100,000,000th of Zenkai's power.
---
(Diopha's eyes glowed red.
His aura shifted — pressure surged outward, cracking the simulation space.)
---
Diopha (smiling faintly):
— Guess it's my turn now…
---
---
[Awakening]
---
*(The dragon hesitated — sensing something… unnatural.)
(Diopha's aura alone made the ground quake.
Even the air warped, the sky in the simulation turning crimson.)
---
Diopha (calm, focused):
— Let's end this.
---
(He vanished — moving faster than before.
Appearing above the dragon, he struck with compressed lightning —
every bolt disintegrating anything it touched, whether matter or antimatter.)
---
(The dragon roared, trying to counter — but Diopha was faster now, every move perfectly calculated.
Each strike chipped away at the beast, until finally —
he gathered his energy for one last blow.)
---
Diopha:
— Thunder Poudre…
Overload mode…!
---
(He unleashed it point-blank.
The explosion erased half the field — even the simulation's space itself tore apart.)
---
---
[Silence]
---
(The dragon's body collapsed, flickering, before shattering into data fragments.
Diopha stood alone, breathing heavily, his hair streaked more with white.)
---
System:
— Simulation cleared.
— Victory: Candidate No.99 — Diopha Hitari.
---
---
[Deep within — A Voice Echoes]
---
??? (voice, cold and amused):
— So…
It took me lending you this much power
just to swat that insect.
— But…
Your abilities…
are impressive.
Interesting.
---
(Diopha's vision blurred — exhaustion crashing down.
But somewhere, deep inside…
his synchronization with Zenkai had grown stronger.)
---
[End of Chapter]