player POV-Chapter 59: for the test 1

I raised my arm to shield my eyes from the sunlight, narrowing my eyelids slightly as I stared at the sky. A heavy yawn escaped me despite my attempts to suppress it. After two full days without sleep, my body had clearly reached its limit.

I hadn’t known rest for even a moment. I had always been on high alert, ready for any sudden threat... but now, finally, it was over.

Today was the day of the test.

Unusually, the sun shone with exceptional brightness, even though it hadn’t yet passed eight in the morning.

Its light illuminated the area with an almost surreal intensity.

As soon as I reached the combat arena, a scene I hadn’t expected met my eyes.

A massive crowd of students.

They were gathered everywhere; voices overlapping, whispers here, nervous laughter there, and eyes full of anticipation and anxiety.

Although more than half of the students had already been injured before the test had even started, the number in front of me was far from small... on the contrary.

I quickly scanned the crowd and estimated their number. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

More than two hundred students.

I paused at the back for a few moments, observing the scene in silence.

Then I let out a slow breath and clenched my fist. There was no use standing here.

I began pushing my way through the crowd, apologizing quietly whenever I bumped into someone, until I suddenly stopped.

A massive figure blocked the path entirely.

A tall man, broad-shouldered, with a noticeably protruding belly, stood like an immovable human wall.

I lifted my head toward him and hesitated for a moment before speaking politely:

"Excuse me... could you let me pass?"

I gestured with my hand toward the direction I wanted to go.

He looked at me for a moment, then gave a slight smile... one that was frightening in its own way, his prominent cheeks making his features appear harsher and stranger.

Finally, he moved aside, and I passed him, feeling the weight of the moment as I made my way through the crowd.

Moments later, my eyes landed on my team, standing together in one place. Silvar was at the front, though his features weren’t yet clear from the distance.

I made my way toward them slowly, and soon I could see them clearly.

"Hurry, you’re the last one."

The moment Silvar spotted me from afar, he waved, urging me to come faster.

I said as I approached, trying to lighten the mood:

"Alright... am I late?"

Silvar glanced briefly at his watch.

"Yes. By a full ten minutes."

I clicked my tongue lightly and quickened my pace.

I finally reached the rest of the members, who were leaning against the wall.

I did the same, standing silently, and let out a faint whistle, barely audible, as if filling the empty space.

I wasn’t a social person by nature. On top of that, none of them seemed particularly interested in me.

They were busy talking among themselves, exchanging words and laughter, while I remained on the sidelines, watching quietly.

After ten minutes of waiting, I was whistling there alone...

George appeared in the middle of the combat arena without warning.

His gaze was cold and sharp, sweeping over us one by one without the slightest expression.

He slowly turned his head, scanning the entire area, before his imposing voice rang out across the arena.

"Take a good look at yourselves."

He paused for a moment, letting the words sink in, then continued:

"The last time you came here, your numbers exceeded eight hundred students.

And now?"

He gestured toward the remaining crowd.

"Look closely at the scene. The test hasn’t even begun, and yet... more than half of you have already been eliminated."

Silence fell. Only tense breathing could be heard.

George continued, his voice sharper:

"Do you understand what this means?

You haven’t been defeated in a real battle, nor have you faced a true enemy. All we did was make the environment resemble a battlefield... just a little."

He emphasized the last words, then added coldly:

"And yet, half of you fell."

He stepped forward, his gaze growing even harsher.

"On the first day, smiles were on your faces. You laughed, joked, and spoke confidently, as if this place were nothing but a game."

Then he suddenly raised his voice:

"And now? Look at your faces!"

His eyes swept over us again.

"Exhaustion. Fear. And wounds covering your bodies."

He paused for a second, then spoke in a low voice—one heavier than any shout:

"Do you know that there are people who live like this every day?

Fighting, fear, pain... it has become part of their daily lives."

He ended his speech in a firm tone that allowed no argument:

"And if you cannot endure even this much, then quite simply... you are not qualified to continue."

The arena fell into a suffocating silence, as if even breathing had stopped.

No one dared utter a single word. I looked around at the faces surrounding me, all lowered, anxiety and sorrow etched clearly upon them.

What the hell are they trying to achieve?

Why do they want us broken ?

Shouldn’t we be angry after being forced to live two full days of hell?

I exhaled slowly, trying to make sense of it.

Honestly... I couldn’t understand their way of thinking.

At that moment, George raised his hand, silencing any movement, then continued in a firm voice:

"I’ll skip the unnecessary details and get straight to the point. This year’s test will be different from previous years. The administration has decided to implement a new system."

He paused briefly, then continued:

"Every five minutes that pass without any team being eliminated, the monsters’ rank will automatically increase. This escalation will continue gradually until the monsters reach Rank C... or only one team remains."

Tension thickened in the arena, but George continued without softening his tone:

"At the start of the test, each team will be transported to a different location, with a distance of three kilometers separating each team from the others."

He slowly lowered his hand, then said in a decisive voice that allowed no argument:

"Prepare yourselves. The test will begin in ten minutes."

And the moment he finished speaking, he turned and left the arena with steady steps, without looking back even once.