Uzuki continued to walk slowly through the heart of the city.
Towering skyscrapers rose like steel needles, intertwined with floating tectonic fragments suspended in midair. Massive holographic advertisements flooded the surroundings with light and sound, overwhelming anyone setting foot here for the first time.
The streets bustled with traffic. High-tech vehicles resembling alien spacecraft zipped past like lightning through the crowd. Yet most of the citizens wore relatively normal clothing. Only a few donned armor as if heading straight into battle.
On their wrists were SmartWraps, watch-like devices with intricate designs and various customizable models. These could project small holographic screens for communication, information access, or transactions, functioning like high-end smartphones.
Uzuki? He didn't care at all.
He moved through the noise like a ghost, his eyes hollow, as if the world around him was nothing but a blurry backdrop.
◇
After leaving the main street, he turned into a narrow alley, quiet and deserted.
Uzuki gently rolled up his sleeve. On his wrist was a black SmartWrap. Its glass gleamed with metallic light while tiny metal fragments floated freely around it, orbiting like satellites around a planet.
As he was checking the data...
*Boom...*
A strange clattering sound echoed. It was like something metallic crashing against another surface.
"WARNING: DANGER DETECTED, MASTER."
The system's voice suddenly rang in his head. Instantly, Uzuki dropped his stance and leapt backward, retreating more than five meters in under a second.
*BOOMMM!*
A massive object crashed down exactly where he had been standing. The ground trembled violently and cracked open. Smoke and dust filled the air.
As the dust settled, a giant scorpion tail came into view.
"Master, you are currently facing a Scarno...!!!"
"SHUT UP!"
Before the system could finish, Uzuki immediately barked at it coldly. It vanished in an instant.
In front of Uzuki stood a giant Scarnox over three meters long. It was armored with jagged plates as hard as military alloy. The creature loomed like a cosmic demon, its eyes glowing red like burning coals.
> (Scarnox is a tyrant-class scorpion species. It moves at high speed, has strength comparable to a tank, and its venom can kill a fully grown elephant. Once it locks onto a target, it never gives up.)
Without hesitation, it fired a jet of thick black venom from its tail. Uzuki had to retreat again. His expression remained cold and indifferent.
"What a pain."
He muttered in irritation.
Reaching into his pocket, Uzuki pulled out a short energy knife. Its blade glowed with a cold blue light as if yearning to end the creature's life.
Scarnox didn't wait. It charged forward like a black flash.
Uzuki didn't dodge. Instead, he kicked off the ground and accelerated straight toward it.
The scene looked like he was about to slam head-on into a tank.
But at the last moment, Uzuki leaned back. His movement was so fluid it defied logic, almost like his body had brushed the ground.
*Whoosh!*
In that backward glide, the energy knife stabbed straight into Scarnox's lower abdomen. It was a lethal strike.
They passed each other.
The monster froze for a moment. Its massive body then collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
Uzuki didn't even glance back. He had already pulled up a hologram screen to double-check if he had arrived at the wrong location.
*Beep... beep...*
A strange sound came from somewhere.
Suddenly, the space around him began to distort. The scenery warped, then vanished entirely as if it had never existed. In its place was a white room. The walls were covered in square tiles that pulsed and contracted like they were breathing. It felt alive.
"What the hell...?"
Uzuki narrowed his eyes. His pupils tightened.
*...Clack... clack... clack...*
Footsteps echoed from behind.
A young man approached. He was tall, brown-haired, dressed in a gray suit and wearing a black hat.
Uzuki turned around, alert.
"Who are you? And where is this?"
A line straight out of a main character's script.
The man stopped. He took off his hat, pressed it to his chest, and bowed deeply.
"Apologies for the inconvenience just now."
He straightened up and introduced himself.
"I'm Awamoru Kura, the one responsible for bringing you here. This place is the testing room for agents. It's to assess whether you're as qualified as your file suggests."
Uzuki frowned.
"So this is that organization?"
Kura smiled.
"Exactly. I was assigned by the Commander to give you a warm welcome."
"When did you bring me here?"
"In fact, the moment you stepped into the alley, it was already within our territory. The recognition system immediately triggered a teleport."
Uzuki stayed silent for a few seconds before asking:
"What now?"
"For now, you've only completed the preliminary test. We'll begin the official assessment this afternoon."
Uzuki scowled. Another problem to deal with.
"Master! You've only completed 40%! You need to continue!"
The system chimed in again. Uzuki, already irritated, became even more so. He seriously considered crushing the damn thing.
"Mr. Uzuki? Are you okay?" Kura looked surprised to see Uzuki standing still, eyes closed like he'd frozen.
"Fine."
Uzuki replied curtly. His voice was colder than ice.
"Well then, please follow me. The official assessment starts this afternoon. I'll take you to the waiting room for future agents."
Uzuki thought for a moment.
"Alright."
They both left the preliminary test room and headed to the waiting area.
"This afternoon's test is just the beginning. A whole world lies beyond the door of trials…"