Kaien raised his hand, his calm voice echoing across the colossal stadium.
"Now, everyone—raise the arm wearing your Celerist again."
All 508 candidates lifted their hands.
Instantly, a radiant pulse of purple light burst out from every Celerist, wrapping around their bodies like a shimmering cocoon.
Within seconds—
FLASH.
The light engulfed the hall—
—and they were gone.
Teleported.
Scene: Observation Stadium
A gigantic holographic screen flickered to life above the arena, projecting live visuals of every team scattered throughout the jungle.
Spectators cheered wildly, the air trembling with excitement.
Scene: Dense Jungle — Team 55's Location
Kaito, Rin, Naoki, Surume, and Akira appeared in a dark, misty forest—
The canopy above was so thick that sunlight barely reached the ground.
Crickets chirped in the distance. Raindrops from the earlier storm still clung to the leaves.
Kaito (grinning wildly): "Hehahaha… Now this is where the fun begins."
Surume (cautiously): "Don't let your guard down."
(Kaito smiles. Naoki nods quietly.)
Rin: "Before we move, we need a plan. Acting without strategy is the same as walking to your death."
Akira (confidently): "Right. I have an idea. Since the total points are limited, we should secure as many as we can before others get ahead."
Rin: "Hmm, that makes sense. But to cover more ground, we'll need to split up at first."
Surume: "How many teams are we dividing into?"
Akira: "Let's make three. One strong, one weak together. I'll go solo."
Rin (sternly): "Don't be overconfident. If someone lures you into a trap, who's going to save you then?"
Akira (annoyed): "Do I look like someone who'd fall for a trap?"
Rin (dead serious): "Who's the leader here?"
Akira (clicks tongue): "Fine…"
(Surume giggles silently in the background.)
Kaito (smiling): "Alright, leader. Then let's split into two groups instead."
Rin: "Good. Naoki and I will make one team — my arrows and his shields complement each other."
(Rin opens the holographic map through the Celerist.)
Rin: "We'll head northeast. Kaito, Akira, and Surume — you three go north.
We'll regroup after an hour at this ruined castle. Any objections?"
Akira: "Why can't I just go alone? They'll only slow me down. Well—except Surume."
Kaito (snapping): "What the hell is your problem?!"
Akira (mocking): "You'll drag me down, idiot!"
Rin (interrupting firmly): "Just do as I say. I don't give orders without thinking.
You don't know Kaito like I do. Enough wasting time. Others have already started hunting."
Naoki (fixing his glasses): "Alright, see you later then."
Rin: "Oh, and remember — your Celerist has a team communication system. Use it if anything happens. Surume, you lead your group."
Surume: "Roger that!"
Rin: "One more thing—once all the Hordes are cleared, it'll turn into team-versus-team combat for the remaining points. So let's stay focused."
Everyone nodded firmly before dashing off into the forest —
Rin and Naoki toward the northeast,
Kaito, Akira, and Surume went straight north.
Scene: Kaito's Group
They sprinted through the dense undergrowth when—
CRACK!
Something leaped out from the shadows and lunged at Akira.
It was grotesque —
Its spine twisted backward, skin a sickly green, a long spear clutched in its hand,
Ears stretched wide, and a forked tongue slithered between jagged teeth.
Akira twisted midair, dodging with ease,
Then drove her fist straight into its neck, sending it flying backward.
Before it could recover,
She leaped high, her cyan aura flaring,
And smashed down a punch so hard that the creature disintegrated instantly.
Her Celerist chimed:
[D-tier Horde Eliminated – +1 Point]
Akira (smirking): "Heh. Disgusting, but a Piece of cake. One shot."
Kaito (rolling eyes): "Two shots, actually."
Akira (snapping): "What did you just say?!"
Surume (analyzing): "So… these Hordes aren't real. Just as I thought. They disappear when killed. They must be artificial constructs—Aura-based projections."
Akira (examining the ground): "Hmm. And there's loot too. A stone sword? Ugh. Disappointing."
Kaito: "It's just a D-tier Horde. What were you expecting? And anyway, swords are unnecessary. My hands are enough." (smiling)
Akira (teasing): "Can those hands even break a stone?" (laughing)
Kaito (offended): "Of course they can!"
Surume (cutting in, tossing something): "Hey—here. A smoke grenade. Might come in handy."
(Kaito catches it instinctively.)
Surume: "Alright, let's move."
They continued deeper into the forest.
Scene: Rin's Group
Rin and Naoki had already taken down two D-tier Hordes.
Their total points reached 3.
Rin had found a bow — simple but durable, clearly suited for him.
Naoki wielded a heavy stone sword.
Their team currently ranks #87 on the leaderboard.
Rin (frustrated): "Our progress is too slow. It's been twenty minutes, and we only got three points."
Naoki: "They're all D-tiers. If we could find a C or B-tier, we'd jump up fast."
Suddenly, Naoki froze.
Naoki (tense): "Rin… stay alert. Something's coming."
Leaves rustled violently. Bushes trembled.
Then—ROAR!
A massive red beast burst from the foliage, claws slashing forward.
Naoki barely blocked with his sword. Sparks flew.
The creature resembled a tiger—its entire body glowed crimson, flames burning along its tail and ears, Two sharp fangs protruding like daggers.
Rin quickly scanned it through her Celerist.
Rin (shouting): "Oh, crap! A B-tier Horde?! Naoki, you shouldn't ask. It's your fault!"
Naoki (panicking): "How would I know?!"
Rin: "RUN! We're under-geared for this fight!"
Both bolted through the forest, branches snapping beneath their boots.
The beast chased them with terrifying speed.
Naoki spun around mid-run, blocking another slash—
His stone sword cracked under the force.
Naoki (gritting teeth): "Crap! It's gonna break!"
Rin (skidding to a stop): "It's targeting only you! Keep it busy!"
He raised his bow, drawing back an arrow of pure blue Aura.
Naoki barely deflected another attack.
Rin's eyes sharpened—he predicted its next movement,
And released.
Fwoosh—!
The arrow sliced through the air and pierced the beast's neck cleanly.
It roared once before vanishing into light.
Their total points jumped to 10, ranking them #68.
Naoki (panting): "Huff… Huff… Phew! Nice shot, Rin!"
Naoki's sword shattered into pieces.
He looked at the fragments and chuckled,
Naoki: "Heh. An iron sword. Figures."
Rin (smiling slightly): "Let's check the loot. We might finally get something good."
Scene: Back to Kaito's Team
Meanwhile, Kaito's group had slain two more D-tier Hordes—
Both were finished off by Akira. Surume had a stone sword and a stone shield.
A notification appeared on their Celerist.
Surume (excited): "Oh wow! We got five more points. Good job, Rin…"
Kaito (smiling): "Heh, I knew He'd do it."
Akira (impatient): "Ugh, are we ever going to find something stronger?"
Flashback: 6 minutes earlier.
Akira: "We got a sword and a shield. Surume, take the sword. Kaito, keep the shield—at least you'll have protection." (mockingly)
Surume accepted the sword, but—
Kaito (frowning): "I don't use shields."
Surume: "Then take the sword."
Kaito (crossing arms): "I don't use that either. I already said—my hands are enough."
Akira (rolling eyes): "Fine, fine. Surume, take both since you're the sword-and-shield type."
Back to the present.
The group pushed forward.
After a while, they reached a small clearing where the trees thinned out.
Then suddenly—
ROAAARRR!!!
A deafening roar tore through the air.
Kaito (grinning): "Heh… Sounds like an A-tier. Yahoo!"
Surume (feeling the intense Aura): "Hmm… definitely A-tier. Everyone, stay sharp."
Akira (smirking): "Kaito, if you get eliminated, don't expect us to waste a Revive Stone on you."
Kaito (annoyed): "Hmph! Don't need any."
Surume: "We need the points—but A-tiers are extremely dangerous. Don't let your guard down."
The wind began to howl—leaves swirled violently.
Then, in a flash, a massive dragon descended from above, crashing into the ground.
The earth shattered, shockwaves blasting through the jungle.
They raised their guard instantly—
Kaito, Surume, and Akira stood in formation.
The dragon was colossal, standing 20 metres tall, with scales as black as night and streaks of glowing purple veins.
Its back was lined with sharp amethyst-like purple spikes, and its eyes burned with violet flame.
A faint purple mist leaked from its mouth with every breath—a purple aura of raw dominance.
Dragon (slowly, calmly): Grrrrrrr,,,
Akira (sweating slightly): "It looks… strong. Heh."
Kaito… just smiled.
That fearless, cocky grin spread across his face as lightning flashed above.
To be continued...