Even from the back of the line, Oliver could still watch the challengers. An . He strode toward the entrah a casual fidence, perhaps bolstered by having watched others navigate the challenge before him.

  As the doors sealed shut behind An, the holographic dispy above the arena flickered to life, projeg his progress for all to see. The initial levels seemed manageable; he moved with deliberate ease, dodging the first volleys of projectiles. But like many before him, A his match at the third level. The projectiles increased in speed and uability, and a well-aimed shot clipped his shoulder, signaling his elimination.

  ‘Agility isn't your strong suit, then,’ Oliver thought.

  Moments ter, An emerged from the chamber, rubbing his shoulder with a wry grimace. "Ouch! That hurt," he muttered, rejoining the lio Oliver.

  Shortly after, it was Isabe's turn. Oliver noticed her hands trembling slightly as she approached the entrance—a stark trast to her usual exuberant demeanor. The doors slid open with a pic hiss, swallowing her into the chamber.

  She navigated the first two levels with precision, her eyes focused and movements calcuted. But at the third level, fate took a cruel turn. Her foot nded on a stray projectile, its rounded surface causio slip. In that split sed of imbance, a projectile struck her squarely, ending her run.

  She exited the arena flushed, her cheeks a fiery red. Her hands ched into fists, knuckles white against her skin. Oliver sehe simmering frustration radiating from her—a votile mix of anger and disappoi.

  "Breathe! Breathe! Breathe!" Isabe whispered to herself, each word a mantra as she struggled tain posure.

  "Nice work to those who survived the first test, but you won't have much time to rest. We'll move on to the sed stage right away. This one will be simpler, but don't fuse simplicity with ease," the officer spoke as he guided the students out of the testing hall.

  He led the group out of the testing hall and into the open air. Surrounding them was a swath of open ground—a buffer before the dense forest of t, bio-engirees began. Within this clearing, an oval track was etched into the ground, its path marked by lumi strips that pulsed gently.

  Before the recruits could pohe challehe officer began his briefing. "Your sed test will en three minutes and will assess your endurance," he decred. "All of you must run on this track around the building for the hour. Points will be awarded for eapleted p. Simple, right?"

  He paused, a subtle smile hinting at the twist to e. "Not quite. There will be some surprises. The first is the artificial gravity geor embedded beh this track. With each step you take, the gravitational force will increase by 0.1%."

  ‘0.1%? So little?’ Oliver judged.

  [tdown initiated.]

  [180 seds remaining]

  "Everyone line up on this line. When the tdown ends, start running," the officer expined.

  [3 seds... 2 seds... 1 sed...]

  [Sed test initiated]

  As soon as the starting signal reverberated across the training grounds, a thunderous stampede ensued. Hundreds of recruits surged forward, their synized footsteps eg like a heartbeat against the expanse of the Academy's artificial terrain. Some exploded off the lih all their might, eager to gain an early advantage, while most clustered together in a tight pack, serving energy and the petition.

  The initial strides felt deceptively ordinary. Oliver scarcely noticed the subtle shift i; it was as if a single feather had been added to his gear. But as they he pletion of the first p, an uny sensatio in. The feather-light burden gradually transformed, each step amplifying the gravitational pull ever so slightly. It was as though invisible weights were being added with every footfall. Around him, some recruits began to bor, their breaths growing heavier, faces flushing with effort.

  Oliver maintained a steady pace, his demeanor calm amidst the esg strain. His prior bor hauling Ork carcasses had fortified his body, granting him a resiliehat now served him well. Gng sideways, he caught sight of Isabe. A fident smile pyed on her lips—a stark trast to her earlier ay during the agility test. She seemed to thrive uhis challenge.

  [The sed phase will start in 60 seds]

  [Any didate one p behind will be eliminated]

  [3 didates will be eliminated in 60 seds]

  ‘They're pushing us to qui our pace,’ Oliver thought, feeling the gravity's ial increase. ‘This is only going to get tougher.’ He chose to serve his breath, fog his energy oask ahead.

  At the rear, two girls and a boy struggled to keep up, red crosses flickering ominously above their heads. Their faces were flushed, s down as they fought for every step. Desperation edged their movements; falling behind now meant immediate elimination.

  A sudden otion snapped Oliver's attention forward. A sharp yelp cut through the rhythmic pounding of feet. Up ahead, a muscur boy had shed out, delivering a brutal kick to another recruit's khe victim crumpled to the ground, clutg his leg in agony. Shouts of anger erupted, but there was no time to intervehe mass of runners swept past him like a river around a stone. He had seds to decide—give up or push through the pain.

  [3... 2... 1...]

  [4 didates eliminated]

  As the tdown cluded, figures pristine white appeared beside the fallen recruits. Medics or enforcers, Oliver wasn't sure. They moved with swift precision, whisking the eliminated away before vanishing as abruptly as they had e. A ripple of unease spread through the pack. Eyes darted to the overseeing officer, expeg reprimand for the btant aggression. But he remained impassive, no aowledgment.

  ‘So that's how petition works here,’ Oliver mused bitterly. The memory of the first test surfaced—the strict prohibition against harming others. But here, silence implied sent. The Academy was testing more than physical limits, probing their willio do whatever it took to survive.

  The collective unity shattered. Recruits began to distahemselves, wary gnces repg the camaraderie of minutes before. Small groups coalesced—alliances formed out of y. Oliver sed the thinning crowd for familiar faces. An was nearby, matg his stride, but Isabe had surged ahead, perhaps seeking to avoid the brewing flict.

  "Stick close," Oliver suggested to An, his voice low. An nodded, uanding unspoken.

  They hadn't gone far when the sound of rapid footsteps approached from behind. Oliver turned, but it was too te—a fist ected sharply with his side, sending him sprawling to the ground. Pain radiated through his ribs as he fought to draw breath.

  "Stay down, Nameless," a cold voieered above him. A girl with hard eyes and a cruel smirk gred down, pt etched on her features. "It'll be better for you."

  A spatter of spit nded near his face as she rejoined her group, disappearing into the crowd. Anger and humiliation warred within him, but there was no time to dwell.

  An reached him, urgen his gaze. "e on, we have to keep running..."

  Gritting his teeth against the pain, Oliver accepted An's outstretched hand, pulling himself up.

  [The third phase will start in 300 seds]

  [Any didate more than 600 meters behind the first pce will be eliminated]

  [9 didates will be eliminated in 300 seds]

  As they resumed running, Oliver could feel the atmosphere shift. The track had bee a battlefield, every runner for themselves or their chosen few. He and Ao the middle, trying to avoid drawing attention while maintaining enough speed.

  A sudden shout drew their eyes forward. "What was that?" Oliver excimed. Up ahead, a recruit smmed his fist into the ground. Instantly, jagged spikes of stoed from the track, f a hazardous barrier. Runners veered wildly to avoid the obstacle, chaos spreading through the ranks.

  Before they could adjust their course, a figure blurred past them—a girl with fierce determinatioched on her face. Instead of dodging, she charged directly at the stone spikes. With a burst of raw power, she smashed through the barrier, shards of rock exploding around her.

  Oliver's mind reeled. ‘What kind of abilities are these? Are these from Z Crystals?’

  The increasing gravity bore dowlessly. Each step demanded more effort, muscles straining uhe pounded weight. Oliver's lungs burned, but he pushed forward. He cast a sidelong g An, who, despite the strain, seemed to hahe pressure with surprising endurance.

  ‘I didn't expect him to be so resilient,’ Oliver thought, a flicker of admiration stirring. But there was no time for distra. The pack was thinning, the leaders pulling further ahead.

  Miretched into an agoniziernity. The sweat blurred his vision, every breath a bor. But surrender was not an option. The memory of the girl's disdain, the ruthless petition—it all fueled his resolve.

  "Keep going," he urged himself. "Oep at a time."

  [5 didates eliminated]

  Only 11 didates remained of the 20. Oliver could see that Isabe and the blonde-haired girl were still far ahead of them, almost a whole p in front.

  [Sed test pleted]

  Many recruits colpsed to the ground to catch their breath a.

  "Rest while you ; you still have two more challeoday. But before we move on to the one, each of you will receive yrades," the old officer warhem.

  [Evaluating...]

  A new hologram appeared in front of each recruit, dispying their evaluations.

  [Evaluated status: Endurance]

  [Grade: Pawn]

  Oliver was satisfied with his evaluation. The boy felt he might have scored higher, but with the risk of being attacked by others, this was realistically his best oute.

  Nearby, Isabe ractically radiating joy. She bounced ooes, eyes gleaming as she admired her Knight grade h above the dispy. Beside her stood the enigmatic blonde-haired girl—the oh the pierg gray eyes—who seemed equally pleased with the same evaluation.

  "Let's move on to the third challehe old officer announced, his voice cutting through the ambient murmurs. "It will be in another building this time. Follow me."

  As the group began to move, Oliver took a deep breath, trying to quell the anger simmering within him. His head still throbbed, ears ringing slightly from the punch he'd received during the run. The injustice of it g him. Ever since his reawakening, he'd grappled with the prejudice against the Nameless, but he'd never expected to face such btant hostility twi one day.