"I HAVE WAITED—OH, I HAVE WAITED SO DAMN LONG FOR THIS MOMENT!" The instructor's laughter echoed across the assembly grounds, and everyone grimaced. "I'VE WAITED FOR THE DAY I CAN FINALLY TORTURE YOU ALL!"
We all knew he wasn't joking. He was serious. Dead serious.
And I knew that better than anyone.
Kylen Wilston Strahgat.
This sadistic bastard was a complete psycho, and it made no sense how someone like him was allowed to teach kids. But here we were, enduring his madness. The only reason he was thrilled right now was because we were in our final year in the Standard Zone—officially Guardians. There was no longer any need for restraint in what we were subjected to.
Well, that's what they made everyone believe. To instill fear in us.
They weren't really going to let us die... right?
Hah.
At this point, I wasn't sure anymore. The bastard kept laughing like a delusional maniac, and it didn't help that he might actually do something traumatic to the weaker students.
Like me.
"I HAVE MADE SURE TO CLOSE EVERY LOOPHOLE THAT COULD SAVE YOU WEAKLINGS! THERE WILL BE NO SAVING GRACE!" His grin widened, feral. "THOSE OF YOU WHO'VE BEEN SLACKING OFF THESE PAST EIGHT YEARS WILL FINALLY FACE RETRIBUTION! HAHAHAHA!"
Shit.
I had to get the hell out of here.
[You can't.]
"I know..." I muttered, tracing the damned restriction collar around my neck. As long as this thing was stuck on me, any plans of escaping this facility were pipe dreams.
We were trapped. We were all freaking trapped.
"Now, I will proceed to explain how this exam works." Wilston's eyes swept over the gathering, predatory and gleeful.
We stood in front of the Augmented Reality Lab—the ARL. It wasn't as massive as the other academy buildings, but it was impressive in its own right. Three stories of VR equipment, heavily guarded due to its exorbitant cost. Only high-ranking students were normally permitted inside.
Instructor Wilston stood at the front alongside the homeroom teachers of each class. About five of them total, which meant there were a lot of us.
Damn, just how many students are there?
I stole glances at the massive crowd both ahead and behind me. We stood in neat rows, but even organized like this, we were so damn many.
Haah.
Anyway.
Wilston was the textbook definition of a muscle freak. He wore a tank top just to show off how much better he was than the rest of us in the physique department. Even the protagonist, with his over-the-top build, didn't have a fraction of this guy's bulk. Black hair tied back, green eyes—a testament to his elven heritage. In fact, most of us were connected to elves in one way or another.
"This will be a simulation of Creven City," he announced.
"WHAT?!"
Murmurs erupted immediately. Everyone knew what that meant.
Creven City was one of the cities destroyed by the Kaleed during the Age of War. But more than that...
...I think this happened in the game as well.
This was the start of everything.
This mission was meant to familiarize players with the game mechanics and story. However, I recalled this arc being the point where the hero made an impression on one of the heroines—marking her transition from friend to romantic interest.
Emily Lora Raitilian.
One of the heroines.
Like that crazy bitch Lyra, she was a princess. But not just any princess—she was the princess of one of the most powerful nations in the Azure Empire. Of course, no one knew that yet. Everything would change by next semester when we became Upper-Level Guardians.
Hm.
But something about this whole narrative feels off.
Too many loopholes. Too many things that don't quite add up. Well, considering this world was originally based on a game, it isn't surprising that some things just don't make sense.
[Nonsense. This world is perfect.]
"You will be in teams of three," Wilston continued, that nasty grin spreading wider across his face. "Your mission will be to accumulate 1,000 points per member to pass the exam. Additionally, your group must collect a total of 4,000 points to pass."
Oh, I see.
The bastard wasn't holding back any tricks to make this hell for everyone hoping to hide behind the strong. By making it mandatory for each member to have a minimum of 1,000 points, participation was no longer optional. And with the group total needing to be 4,000, everyone would be scrambling to collect more than the minimum.
No one would be helping anyone else. It was every man for himself.
"The creatures are ranked by tier, and you will be notified of that through your Graphto watches," he added.
Wait.
Graphto what?
Oh.
...This?
I glanced down at the watch on my wrist.
But wait a minute.
...Was this always here?