The fight, if it could be called that, was pathetic. Candidate 18 dodged and scrambled, his sword used only for clumsy parries.
He ran laps around the arena, eyes wide with panic, while the Skeletal Warrior clanked slowly behind him. The ten-minute timer on the screen ticked down with agonizing slowness.
Finally, it hit zero.
"Time elapsed," the announcer stated flatly. "Candidate 18 passes. Evaluation: Survival Minimum."
The young man slumped in relief, dropping his sword, but the expressions on the faces in the observation booth remained unchanged, if anything, more dismissive.
'He survived,' Sunny thought, 'but he just crashed his chances of getting recruited. That was painful to watch.'
A new graphic appeared beside the arena feed – a scrolling leaderboard showing candidate numbers, times, and scores across multiple arenas running concurrently. Candidate 18 was near the bottom. Near the top, Candidate 42 boasted a time of 2:03.
'Damn,' Sunny noted, 'someone managed to beat his monster in 2 minutes? That's fast.'
"Two minutes? Still too slow," one of the arrogant candidates nearby scoffed loudly. "When I get in there, I'll clear it in ninety seconds flat. Mark my words. Number one spot is mine." His friends nodded eagerly.
More fights followed. The screen cycled through different arenas, showcasing brief, brutal encounters.
Some candidates displayed surprising skill, dispatching their opponents quickly. Others panicked, made critical errors, and were dragged out injured by medical teams that rushed in the moment the trial ended in failure.
Each victory and defeat added names to the scrolling leaderboard.
Then, the voice called out, "Candidate number 103. Proceed to Arena 2."
Sunny watched as the blue-haired girl nonchalantly pushed herself off the wall. She popped her gum one last time, tucking the wrapper into a pocket, and strolled towards the doors without a backward glance.
'She doesn't look worried at all. Still chewing that gum mentally, I bet.'
Her feed appeared on the main screen. Arena 2 was identical to 1. "Candidate 103 versus Goblin Pack (Weakened)," the announcer declared.
Three small, green-skinned goblins wielding crude wooden clubs emerged from the gate opposite her. They spotted her and immediately charged, chittering aggressively.
The girl stood perfectly still as they approached. Just as the first goblin swung its club, something happened. A faint, almost invisible shimmer enveloped her body. Then, undeniable power surged – a pale blue aura flared to life around her body.
Sunny's eyes widened.
'Aura?! Already? But she's just B-rank potential... How?'
He wasn't the only one shocked; murmurs of disbelief rippled through the training facility. Using Aura consistently was typically a sign of a solidified C-rank Player or higher, not an unranked candidate.
She didn't wait for the charging goblins. She moved first.
Instead of a direct charge, she flowed forward, her steps light, almost like she was gliding over the sand. The provided short sword appeared in her hand, held in a relaxed, ready grip.
'She looks like she's dancing, not fighting,' Sunny thought, mesmerized.
The lead goblin swung its crude club wildly. She swayed aside, the wood whistling past her blue hair by mere inches. Her sword arm blurred, not with impossible speed, but with smooth, motion.
The blue aura flared along the blade as it sliced cleanly through the goblin's neck.
Its head tumbled onto the sand. The body staggered a step before collapsing.
The remaining two goblins hesitated, their primitive minds confused by the sudden loss of their packmate. She didn't give them time to regroup.
She spun, her body low to the ground, the sword trailing behind her in a controlled arc. The blue energy around her seemed to transfer to her feet, giving her movements an unnatural grace.
One goblin lunged, trying to grab her leg. She pivoted sharply, her sword flashing upwards in a reverse grip, piercing the goblin through the jaw and into its skull. It dropped instantly.
The final goblin shrieked in fear and tried to flee back towards the gate. She was faster. Three fluid steps closed the distance. Her sword stabbed forward, a single, precise thrust that punched through the goblin's back and burst out its chest.
She pulled the blade free with a flick of her wrist, shaking off droplets of green blood. The blue aura around her faded slowly. She stood calmly amidst the three fallen monsters, breathing easily, her expression unchanged.
The timer on the screen froze: 1:00.
"Trial complete," the announcer's voice echoed, perhaps with a fraction less monotony than before. "Candidate 103 neutralized all opponents. Evaluation: Superior."
The leaderboard flashed, updating instantly.
1- CANDIDATE 103 - SCORE: 1200 - TIME: 1:00
2- CANDIDATE 42 - SCORE: 850 - TIME: 2:03
3- CANDIDATE 77 - SCORE: 815 - TIME: 2:15
...
58- CANDIDATE 18 - SCORE: 100 - TIME: 10:00 (SURVIVAL MINIMUM)
A stunned silence gripped the training facility. 1200 points. A perfect score, achieved in exactly one minute. And with Aura.
'She didn't just beat them, she dominated,' Sunny thought, a cold knot forming in his stomach. 'B-rank potential? Bullshit. She's way stronger than that suggests. How?'
The arrogant candidate who had boasted earlier was now silent, his face pale.
On the screen, Candidate 103 gave a brief, almost imperceptible nod towards the observation booth, then turned and walked calmly towards the arena exit, disappearing from view. She didn't even look winded.
The next number was called, but Sunny barely heard it. His mind was racing.
'This exam... it's full of monsters. And not just the ones in the arenas.'
The numbers kept coming. Candidate after candidate walked through the arena doors. Some returned with grim satisfaction, others were helped out, their exam over. The leaderboard flickered, names rising and falling.
Sunny watched, his gaze fixed on the top spot held by Candidate 103.
'One minute,' he thought. 'How is that even possible without some kind of advanced skill? She's hiding something, just like me.'
Then the disembodied voice cut through the facility's noise.
"Candidate number 734. Proceed to Arena 3."
Sunny's breath hitched. 'My turn.'
He pushed himself to his feet, his duffel bag left behind. He didn't need it. Every eye in the training facility seemed to follow him as he walked towards the arena doors. He could feel their stares, their silent judgments.
'Let them watch,' he thought. 'They haven't seen anything yet.' The memory of his first exam, the shame of his failure, burned cold in his gut. 'This time will be different.'
The doors to Arena 3 hissed open, revealing the sandy expanse within.
He stepped inside. The arena was bigger than it looked on screen. The sand underfoot was loose, unstable. High walls curved around, topped by the observation booth.
He could make out the silhouettes of people watching from behind the reinforced glass.
He tilted his head back, looking directly up at the booth. He couldn't see their faces clearly, but he could feel their collective gaze, cold and appraising.
The same way Director Pierce had looked at him. Like he was a resource to be exploited.
A slow smirk spread across his lips. It wasn't a friendly expression. It was sharp, predatory.
His eyes went cold, his breath coming slowly, the air in the arena seemed to be still.
'Let's set a history record shall we, partner?'