The sound of the whistle split the air — the test had begun.
In an instant, the forest exploded with movement.Students scattered across the vast arena, trees stretching endlessly in every direction. The wind howled, dust surged, and the first training bots emerged from the shadows — glowing red eyes, armored bodies, and weapons morphing from blades to blasters.
The battle had begun.
Deep within the trees, a streak of blue lightning flashed. Ronney Smith, the "Assassin Child," moved faster than sight. Every slash of his blade left behind a faint blur of light.
Clank! Clank! Clank!
Metal shattered. Sparks flew. In less than ten seconds, over eighty robots had been dismantled — each one falling before they could even register his presence.
Ronney reappeared, breathing steadily, blades still humming with residual energy.
"Too slow," he muttered, vanishing again like a phantom.
Elsewhere, arcs of electricity crackled across the field. Grid Volt, younger brother of the Japan's second-ranked hero, grinned wildly as the ground beneath him split open from the voltage.
"Thunderburst—Scatter!"
Dozens of electric spears shot through the air, piercing through the advancing bots. Their metallic bodies convulsed before collapsing, smoke rising from their cores.
Fifty-five robots — destroyed in thirty-seven seconds.Grid wiped sweat from his brow, smirking.
"Guess I'll have to go all out next time."
Not far away, the forest glimmered with slashes of pure light. Brianna, daughter of Korea's No.1 Hero, the famed Swordsaint, moved like flowing water — graceful, unyielding.
Each swing of her sword sang through the air, carving clean arcs that sliced through both machine and tree.Within twenty-five seconds, sixty-seven bots lay in pieces.
She exhaled softly, blade gleaming under sunlight.
"If this is the test, it's far too easy."
Meanwhile, the ground itself trembled. Vines erupted from beneath the soil, coiling like living serpents.
Nikki Jones stood in the center of the chaos, her emerald eyes glowing.
"Let's dance."
Thick vines lashed out, seizing and crushing robots in every direction. The forest answered her call — trees bent, roots surged, and the entire field seemed to move with her will.
Within seventeen seconds, eighty-five robots were torn apart, their cores shattered.She smiled proudly, brushing a leaf from her shoulder.
"The forest always wins."
As the last bot fell, she raised her vines high and used them to form a bridge that carried her toward the exit — smooth, graceful, unstoppable.
Far across the field, Ryan Jones stood still — calm, centered, his breath steady.The robots approached him cautiously, their sensors locking on.
He moved.
A single step forward — and in that instant, the air around him ignited.Flames whirled around his body, forming crimson trails. He clenched his fist, the ground cracking under his heel.
"Flame Burst."
A wave of fire erupted outward, engulfing everything within range. The forest trembled, and the machines disintegrated into molten scraps. Ryan dashed through the blaze, blade of pure energy cutting through what remained.
Seventy-seven bots, gone in twenty seconds.
But even then, he was holding back.He extinguished the fire with a flick of his wrist, expression unreadable.
"That's enough. Standing out too much isn't worth it."
Then came silence.A chill swept through the forest. Mist rolled in — and in the next moment, everything froze.
Trees, soil, and metal alike turned to ice.From the frost emerged Jason Cruz, his eyes glowing an icy blue. The temperature dropped instantly, breath visible in the cold air.
"Freeze."
In a single command, the entire battlefield was locked in glacial stillness. One hundred and seven robots, frozen and shattered in thirty seconds.
Jason gazed ahead, eyes scanning the crystalline horizon.
"So that's where the exit is," he said quietly, recognizing the distortion in the air where the maze ended.
Ryan paused mid-step, feeling the faint pull of energy.He closed his eyes and placed his hand on the ground. The pulse of the exit resonated beneath his palm.
"Found it," he whispered.
Without hesitation, he turned and began walking — calm, deliberate — as if he had known the way all along.
Most of the students got out with Ronney being the first
The loudspeaker blared across the arena.
"Attention candidates. The time is up. The test is over. Please exit the field."
The forest shimmered and dissolved as the illusion faded, returning the field to its original state.Students were escorted out one by one, exhausted but proud.
Ryan and Nikki regrouped near the gate, both quiet, both smiling slightly.
"You didn't even break a sweat," Nikki teased."You talk too much," Ryan replied, smirking.
That evening, they returned to Sir Shiro's rented home.As dawn broke the next morning, a faint knock echoed at the door.A single envelope lay waiting on the doorstep, stamped with the Royal Hero Academy crest.
Ryan picked it up, tore it open, and read aloud:
"Congratulations. You have passed the Royal Hero Academy Entrance Examination."
Nikki's cheer filled the room.They both began preparations immediately — shopping, organizing, and packing for their first official day at the Academy.
Neither of them realized that their quiet arrival would shake the entire Hero world.Because the Key had just stepped back into the light