"I'll be the first one out—and with the highest score!" Astrex shouted, his voice echoing through the cave's oppressive darkness.
Agnar scoffed, his tone dripping with disdain. "Please. I saw you earlier, fumbling to calm that trembling little beast of yours at the cave's mouth. If anything, you'll be lucky to make it out at all, let alone first."
"What did you just say?" Astrex growled, his voice crackling with fury.
Their argument cut through the suffocating silence, drawing attention in the pitch-black surroundings. Their argument—petty as it was—offered a strange kind of comfort. At least something felt alive in the darkness.
"ARGHH…"
A long, agonizing groan echoed through the cave—chilling and filled with pain. A student had surely attempted to step forward. The sound of a student in agony, sending a shiver down the spines of those who heard it.
Suddenly, silence fell again. The students seemed shocked by the scream. Yet, strangely, it sparked a morbid curiosity in the others—they stepped forward, drawn to experience just how excruciating the Worm's vicious bite.
"Arghhh…!!"
The more the students pushed forward, the more the Gloomspire Worm's jagged teeth tore into their bodies.
Each time they were struck, chunks of flesh were ripped away—leaving their body shredded and bleeding in the darkness.
The students retreated to where they had started, falling silent once more in the darkness.
Moments later, still, no one dared to move.
But one among them jolted with a terrifying realization.
"How long have we been here, guys?"
Then—
Arghh!
Arghh!
Arghh!
Arghh!
One by one, the students' screams shattered the silence.
"Ugh… those screams—they're horrifying,"
Said a woman as she approached the exam supervisors' tent, which had been set up just outside the cave.
"You're here! Captain Aro Aghora," said one of the supervisors, startled to see the captain.
"Yeah, I Just came by to see how this year's training went," said Captain Aghora as she walked toward Captain Chrysop.
"Oh? What brings the great Captain of Unit 9 all the way out here?" Captain Chrysop said with a teasing grin.
"Don't tell me you've forgotten—I'm the one running new anima training this year."
"I just wanted to see how you're doing your job, Captain Chrysop." Said Captain Aghora.l
"Oh, of course I'm handling it well, Captain... maybe even better than last year when it was led by you," said Captain Chrysop flashing a smug smile as he crossed his arms.
Captain Aghora narrowed her eyes.
"Oh really, Captain? Last year, my students also screamed in this cave—but not as terrifyingly as the screams I'm hearing from this year's batch."
"You did teach the students to properly channel their divine energy through their bodies before throwing them at divine creatures, right? Surely even you wouldn't just dump trainees into a cave and pray they figure it out..." Her voice dripped with suspicion.
Captain Chrysop blinked, then gave a mock-innocent look. "Wait… so first I was supposed to activate their divine energy, then let them face the worms? Huh. Interesting."
Aghora let out a slow sigh, clearly unimpressed. "The trial with divine creatures is meant to refine their control—not awaken it. It's training, not a death sentence.
Captain Chrysop leaned in with sudden intensity, his earlier mockery fading.
"But think about it, Captain Aghora—if these trainees can awaken their power under pressure...Imagine what they could do against The Monstrous. Their power and instincts are wild, chaotic—completely unpredictable. No simulation can prepare them for that."
A sharp grin split his face.
"If our new Anima learn to ignite their divinity in moments of desperation... maybe, just maybe, most of them will actually survive their first year as Ordo Militum Dei."
Captain Chrysop's goofy grin returned. "Well… if they can't handle the pressure, they're free to quit and start the training all over again. No big deal."
Captain Aghora folded his arms, one brow arched. "Hah…But that means only a few students will pass this year… if any at all. Meanwhile every minute, all over the country, The Monstrous are tearing through villages. We're already stretched thin. If our Anima Dei dwindles, the front lines collapse—and the death toll among civilians will spike."
Chrysop didn't flinch. His voice remained calm—almost disconcertingly so. "Maybe so. But at least the Anima who pass the training will be unstoppable and will last longer in the field."
"Why are you so worried about the Anima? Aghora smirked, her tone turning sly." Every year, hundreds more will show up anyway. But if the civilian population keeps shrinking, then so will the number of future Anima Dei."
She glanced away for a moment, then added in a low tone. "But there's someone you should be worried about—the High-ranking government official. They will be furious. If we lose too many civilians, the national worship tax will take a hit—and you know how sensitive those nobles are when it comes to their worship energy revenue. You might be walking straight into trouble, Captain."
Captain Aghora, rubbing her hands together greedily:
"Well… Like I care! If you get fired, maybe I'll take over next year's training program~ Cha-ching! That's a fat pay raise for me! Ha ha ha!"
Captain Chrysop was trying to roll his mechanical eyes, but it only resulted in a weird eyes movement:
"You really do love your money, don't you?"
Captain Aghora is already counting imaginary coins in the air.
"Damn right! And speaking of which... time to cash in on another special government mission'
.She winked. "These 'classified jobs' always pay 'extra' juicy."
With a dramatic swirl of her cape, she sauntered toward the door.
"Later, Chrysop! Try not to bankrupt the academy before I get my bonus."
Meanwhile…
"I can't take it anymore—please get me out of here!"
With that desperate scream, the first student was eliminated from the trial.
After a while, Captain Chrysop made an announcement.
"Ahem—so far, 257 students have dropped out and will not proceed to the next stage of training.
Now, to those of you still standing—focus your divine energy into your eyes. Sharpen your night vision with divine energy…
That's the only thing that will get you through this."
After enduring unbearable pain and suffering for some time, the students began to realize they had no choice but to enhance their ability to see in the dark—otherwise, they would either have to surrender or die.
In a desperate effort to survive, the students try to calm themselves, struggling to suppress the overwhelming fear.
With intense focus, they began channeling their divine energy into their eyes, hoping to sharpen their night vision enough to navigate the pitch-black darkness and avoid the worms. It was a grueling task, as it demanded they completely ignore the searing pain wracking their bodies.
And finally—
"One student has managed to make it out of the cave," Captain Chrysop announced.
Soon after, the students began to emerge from the cave one by one.
"Oh my god, look at Montgomery …" said one of the supervisors, staring at the monitor connected to the cave.
"What? What's wrong with him?" asked Helix, unable to see anything even with the visual aid.
"Is that... blood all over his body?" one of the supervisors asked, his voice tense as he stared at the monitor connected to the cave.
Despite their specialized equipment, the supervisors could barely see clearly—but Captain Chrysop could make out every detail. Jack's body had been utterly shredded by those worms.
"His night vision isn't active yet? Then why... why is he still pushing forward like that? He's not even trying to dodge them!" a supervisor exclaimed, his voice rising in alarm.
"Check Montgomery's status," Captain Chrysop ordered.
"Yes, sir."
A few seconds later, the supervisor's eyes widened.
"Uh… sir? His divine energy is already active? At 5%?" he reported uncertainty.
Status Report: Jack Montgomery
Divine Energy Active: 5%
Physical Divine Enhancements:
Absolute Dark Vision: -50
"...What the hell does this mean? Negative fifty night vision strength?!"