Kizen Training Center.
Fwoooosh.
Late into the evening, a man was lifting a massive barbell. Each time he pushed it upward, the jet-black energy wrapped around the weights pulsed along with his movements, making the muscles in his arms and upper body swell before tightening again with controlled force.
Not far from him, a male student who had been absentmindedly fiddling with a dumbbell finally gathered the courage to speak.
"H-Hector…"
THUD!
The barbell slammed down onto the floor with a heavy crash that shook the entire training room, making the student flinch and stiffen on the spot.
Fwoooosh…
Hector grabbed a towel and wiped the sweat from his neck. As he did, the jet-black aura that had been coating the barbell faded away, revealing its original steel form.
"Where are the others?"
"Uh… oh! They're all gathered in the next building."
"No need for a long explanation. Just pass along what I'm about to say."
Crack, crack.
As Hector tilted his neck, a sharp cracking sound echoed, carrying an unsettling pressure.
"During this island survival assessment, we will take down Simon Polentia."
A fierce light burned within Hector's eyes.
The chance to crush Simon had finally arrived, and unlike before, there would be no need to rely on structured evaluations or matchups.
"You already saw it during the Cyclops evaluation. As long as that guy is still standing, fully alert, we'll never dominate Class A, and we'll never take the top spot."
"Y-Yeah… that's true."
"Class A is directly overseen by Vice-Chancellor Jane. Taking control of that class is essential."
The student listening to him forced a small, awkward smile.
At Kizen, eliminating rivals was nothing unusual. Conflicts like this were practically part of the system, and even factions and alliances accepted that reality.
Still, the way Hector talked about Simon felt different.
It went beyond simple competition.
Why was he so fixated on bringing Simon down? Was there some kind of history between the Moore family and the Polentia family?
"If you understand, then go."
"O-Okay!"
As the student hurried off, Hector lifted the barbell once more. The moment it rose, jet-black energy wrapped around it again, turning the steel into a deep black.
It was a training method that pushed both physical endurance and control over jet-black energy at the same time.
"Huff!"
Sweat poured down his body like rain.
His killing intent was unmistakable.
Then, after hesitating for a moment, the student who had not fully left yet turned back and spoke in a careful, uneasy tone.
"T-Then… what about Knox Aznable?"
The moment that name was spoken, Hector's expression stiffened.
It was as if cold water had been poured over him. The killing intent did not disappear, but it was clearly suppressed, reduced to a much lower level.
Knox Aznable.
That name alone was a massive obstacle.
Of course, Hector wanted to eliminate him as well, but the real question was... how.
For a brief moment, Hector considered forming alliances outside his own clique, perhaps with other Special Entry students or particularly strong individuals.
However, the stronger and more unique someone was, the more pride they carried.
There was no guarantee they would not betray him.
If he chose to form an alliance, he would not only have to worry about being stabbed in the back by his allies, but also about being crushed head-on by Knox himself.
Just thinking about Knox Aznable was enough to dull his killing intent and make his head feel heavy.
Still, with his pride, there was no way he could openly admit that he had no answer against that white devil.
"…As for Knox Aznable, we'll assess the situation later," Hector said, masking his hesitation.
Hearing that, the student beside him quietly felt relieved.
The truth was, he did not want to fight Knox at all. Just imagining it was enough to make his body tremble.
Putting Knox aside, somewhere in the outskirts of Kizen…
An abandoned building stood there, worn down by time and covered in dust, looking as if it could collapse at any moment.
Inside, three figures were having a discussion.
Two of them were Haren and Jessica, both of whom had previously been defeated by Simon.
The third was an unfamiliar figure.
A mysterious individual who had approached them with an offer.
In that crumbling building, their conversation continued, revolving around one thing.
How to defeat Simon.
***
With the major event finally arriving, the students of Kizen were filled with excitement, their faces showing clear anticipation for what was about to begin.
Fourteen large-scale teleportation magic circles had been prepared across the area, and Class A was currently gathered on one of them.
At the center stood a massive main circle, intricately inscribed with glowing patterns, while smaller circles spread outward around it like branches. Each student stood on one of those smaller circles, waiting for the teleportation to begin.
"This is really making me nervous!" Cindy said, her face practically screaming "waku-waku", though unfortunately she did not have pink hair to complete the image.
Claudia immediately shot back, "Your face doesn't look like someone who's nervous at all!"
Knox then noticed Merida standing quietly beside them, or more precisely, quieter than usual.
"Merida?" Knox called.
Claudia glanced at her and added, "She's really nervous, isn't she?" while pointing in her direction.
Cindy nodded right away. "Yeah, this is unusual."
Knox tilted his head, clearly not following.
Hello? Excuse me? Are we even speaking the same language right now? Or is this some kind of Teyvat dialect? Really nervous? Unusual? Who are we talking about? Merida? No matter how many times I look, she's just the usual Merida.
Meanwhile, Merida stood there with her usual sleepy expression, looking no different than she always did.
Cindy noticed Knox's confusion and sighed.
"Knox, you're really dense, huh? Look at her properly. Her face looks tense, not sleepy!"
But to Knox, nothing had changed.
Merida still looked like… Merida.
"….."
Cindy used Confuse!
It's super effective!
Then, wanting to steer the conversation back to something more normal, Knox changed the topic.
"By the way, girls… are you actually ready to butcher and eat monster meat?"
The moment he said that, the three of them froze.
Completely stiff.
Cindy let out an awkward laugh. "Ah… ahaha…"
Claudia sighed and looked away. "I… I hope I can catch some fish instead…"
Meanwhile, Merida, who had been tense earlier, now looked even more serious.
"No matter what… Supply Drop. Whoever gets in my way, I will crush them…"
Supply Drops were one of the detailed mechanics of the Island Survival.
From time to time, a large magic circle would appear in the sky.
Exactly one minute later, supplies would descend from it, ranging from food to special artifacts that could only be used during the event.
Naturally, the competition for them would be intense.
Any students nearby would definitely fight over those supplies.
"Alright! Everyone, get ready!"
At that moment, staff members began running around, making announcements.
"We will begin teleportation to the island now!"
"Under no circumstances are you allowed to step outside the magic circle!"
The students quickly adjusted their positions, standing firmly within their assigned circles, their expressions tightening with anticipation.
Knox looked at the three girls and gave a small smile.
"Alright, guys. See you on the other side~"
"See you!" Claudia replied.
Cindy pointed at him with determination. "Knox! No matter what, I'll find you!"
Merida looked at him and spoke in a calm but serious tone. "Knox… make sure you find me quickly later… or I'll starve…"
Wooooong!
Wooooong!
The magic circles began to glow brightly, light spreading across the ground.
Cheers, shouts, and nervous screams erupted from all around as the teleportation activated.
When Knox opened his eyes, the world that had been filled with blinding light slowly began to take shape.
Before his vision fully returned, his sense of touch came back first, a faint breeze brushing against his skin.
He didn't rush.
Instead, he waited calmly until his sight stabilized, then slowly looked around.
"…Did I really just get air-dropped into the middle of a jungle?" Knox muttered, his tone sounding slightly helpless.
And it really was.
No matter where he looked, all he could see was green.
Towering tropical plants with massive leaves, thick vines wrapping around trees, and dense foliage spreading in every direction.
On top of that, the heat and humidity were intense.
The air felt heavy, and the ground beneath his feet was damp, as if it had just rained not long ago.
Knox scanned the surroundings once more and let out a quiet sigh.
"Sigh… if I had a summon from Monster Hunter World, this environment would fit way too perfectly…"
He shook his head lightly.
"Alright, no point regretting that now. I should focus on the survival test."
A small grin formed on his face.
"Hehe, this is going to be fun!"
Then his expression shifted slightly, becoming more focused.
"But first things first, I need a base."
"Come out."
A subspace portal opened behind him, and from within it, dozens of skeleton knights stepped out one after another.
"Even if I can't use my shadow army freely here, I can still use my other summons! Alright, guys, help me build a shelter!"
The skeleton knights rattled as they moved, their empty sockets facing Knox before nodding, as if acknowledging his command.
Knox didn't stop there.
He gave additional orders, having them construct not only a basic shelter, but also a simple watchtower, one that could remain well-hidden within the dense jungle.
Soon after, he summoned several skeleton archers as well to secure the area.
"Hm, with this, my starting base is pretty much set!" Knox said with a satisfied nod.
While the… skeleton builders, ahem, skeleton knights continued their work, Knox turned his attention elsewhere.
It was time to hunt.
And as for what kind of hunt?
"Monsters, beasts… or students, anything that comes into my sight is fair game~" Knox said with a faint, villain-like grin.