"Isn't it fascinating? Mana remains the only mystery the world is yet to solve. It's intangible yet can do such wonders that it cannot be..." The man in front of me, who looked like a psycho no matter how you thought about it, droned on about this mana. I wasn't particularly interested in him or his lesson, unlike everyone else in the class who either looked like they hadn't slept in days or were too far gone to be saved.
But who could blame them? Tomorrow was an exam—and not just any exam. It was an examination meant to completely reshuffle the hierarchy and prepare us for the final test before we could move into the Evangelion. But unlike everyone else who had barely tasted sleep because of this news, I wasn't disturbed... by that problem, at least. My problem here was two things:
One: Why am I here? Two: What the fuck is this?
[THE FIRST MISSION
OBJECTIVE: SURVIVE
TIMER: 13:43:21:45
REWARD:?
PENALTY: DEATH
TRIAL: 3/5
NOTE: DON'T DIE NO MATTER WHAT IT TAKES...]
I took a deep breath—one I really desperately needed at this point.
I don't understand what brought about any of this, why I'm here, why any of this is happening. All I know is that I am a student of the Triqon, and I am about to die.
I don't remember anything before this. I don't even know who I am... Well, I know this name should be mine: Aeda. But I don't have any memories of 'my' past. All I know is that if I don't find a way to survive until the timer runs out, I will die.
"If one could truly come to comprehend this phenomenon that is mana, then perhaps a day would come when man can tamper with the laws of reality as we know it," the man kept on.
I stretched out on my desk, my eyes facing the window as I stared down at the garden of cherry blossoms. I really need to take a nap there. All this stress is getting to my head.
But...
[TRIAL: 3/5]
I still can't escape the loop.
This is not the first time I've experienced this, nor is it the second time I've experienced this. For the first try, everything happening now happened just the same—waking up to a lesson on mana being taught by a professor who looked demented.
Back then, I panicked. I panicked so much that the professor took notice and called me out on it. Who could blame me, though? Suddenly gaining consciousness in a hall filled with students, dressed just the same as them, with no memory of... anything, aside from this world.
For some reason, I know everything about this world. Like, everything. Even what I think might be the future.
Anyway, back to what transpired in that first iteration. After answering the professor, settling down, and taking a deep breath to think, this interface popped up:
[THE FIRST MISSION
OBJECTIVE: SURVIVE
TIMER: 14:13:31:25
REWARD:?
PENALTY: DEATH
TRIAL: 5/5
NOTE: DON'T DIE NO MATTER WHAT IT TAKES...]
I didn't understand shit. Like, what was this? Was I the only one seeing it?
Over time, I realized I was the only one who could see it, which further intensified my worry. The fact that there was a timer with the word 'survive' in it only meant one thing: I was going to die if I didn't do something fast.
So I tried everything I could to get the system to respond to me. At least tell me why I can't remember anything. What was happening? How did I end up here? How can I read when I didn't have memories? How can I do... anything, when I didn't have memories?
But there was no answer—only that same interface, which then promptly vanished after a while. I was left alone. I was fucked.
Ding-Ding-Ding!
That was the sound of the bell, which prompted the professor to wrap up the lesson, as we had combat class next. I had a feeling this combat class might be linked to my inevitable death, so I became afraid and cautious about it.
However, I couldn't escape it. I didn't know the penalties for skipping class, and given how seriously everyone was taking it, it was probably something I wouldn't want to find out.
So I attended. After a lengthy and disturbingly loud speech by the instructor in charge of our class, we were instructed to pair up for the combat exercise.
Now I quickly realized something: What if I got paired with someone who wanted me dead? The result was a no-brainer, so I took great caution in picking my partner.
A ton of people approached me, which further solidified my suspicion, so I rejected them all. But I still had to find a sparring partner, and time was running out.
Eventually, this... beautiful girl approached me. I was literally stunned by her appearance when she came with a smile.
"Can you be my partner, Aeda?" she asked, looking a bit shy.
She looked so innocent and so charming... that was probably what blinded me to accept foolishly. Damn. I still regret doing that. That girl almost killed me.
In fact, I should have noticed something was wrong when she looked surprised at my agreement to be her partner. But I was just too... blinded.
The moment the barrier was erected around our arena and the fight started, she broke into a crazy grin. That was when I knew I was fucked. I avoided potential flags and finally walked into the most enormous flag of them all.
She beat me so severely that all my bones disconnected. She broke my kneecap. She broke my elbows. She snapped my ribs—at least a few of them broke, others cracked. She looked so happy, punching me inch by inch to my death.
That look on that psycho's face. That look of pleasure. She was definitely demented—a lunatic, a monster in sheep's clothing.
My vision went bloody. I tried to surrender, but she had already broken my windpipe at the start. With time, I fell unconscious from suffocation.
When I woke up, I was in the infirmary.
"I... survived?"
That was the first thing I asked. I was so damn sure I should have died. But I didn't, which meant the combat class wasn't what would bring about my inevitable death. After all, the timer was still counting.
Before I could do anything, I realized someone had walked out the door. I didn't see them clearly, but I was sure it was a guy from what little I saw. All my injuries had healed, so I was discharged.
Apparently, I was brought in half-dead by the instructor himself, and I had missed lunch break. I was told to head to the next class immediately, and I did. They didn't even care that I had almost died just hours ago. That was when I realized the cold, hard truth:
This place didn't give a shit about the weak.