The inside of the transport vehicle had been silent for most of the journey.
No one spoke.
Rows of first–year awakeners from AEGIS PRIME sat in their seats, tension hanging in the air like invisible pressure. Even the usual loud students had gone quiet. The authorities organizing this camp clearly weren't the type to entertain chatter.
Zael leaned back slightly, eyes half-closed, conserving energy.
Two days had passed since Professor Avery's lecture about Class Changes. Since then, one thought had refused to leave his mind.
Level 20 Awakening Task.h
The system notification still lingered like a silent threat.
---
[Awakening Level Task — Extreme Difficulty]
Objective: Survive continuous combat against opponents above your level for 24 hours
Restrictions:
– No external healing
– No clone substitution
– No retreat outside designated zone
Reward: Awakening Level Advancement
Failure: Talent stagnation for 30 days
---
He still hadn't found a solution.
Twenty-four hours of combat against stronger opponents without healing was essentially a death sentence.
Even with Blade Domain, Void Step, Resonance Strike, Night Sever, and Phantom Split, the task bordered on insanity.
Zael opened his eyes slowly.
Maybe… this camp is the opportunity.
If the authorities were gathering elite students from different universities, then the environment might contain monsters or combat situations intense enough to trigger the task.
Still…
No healing.
No retreat.
Twenty-four hours.
He still had no plan.
---
The vehicle eventually stopped.
A metallic door slid open.
"Out."
The command came from a uniformed officer waiting outside.
One by one, the students stepped down.
Waiting for them was something far larger than expected.
An airship.
Not the luxurious type used by corporations.
This one looked like a military transport — massive, black, and featureless. Its body absorbed light like a void. Most noticeably…
There were no windows.
The group was herded inside.
The moment the doors sealed shut, the engines roared to life.
---
Hours passed.
Inside the ship, time became impossible to track.
No sunlight.
No outside view.
Only the low vibration of engines and the occasional metallic groan of the hull.
Some students tried to sleep.
Others whispered nervously.
Zael remained still.
Six hours later, the ship finally slowed.
A loud metallic clang echoed through the cargo bay.
A group of officers walked in, carrying crates.
"Stand up."
The students obeyed immediately.
The officers began distributing items.
Each student received:
• A black smart watch
• A compact backpack
Zael opened the bag.
Inside were only a few supplies.
– One ration pack
– One water bottle
– A basic survival knife
– A small emergency flare
That was it.
Murmurs spread through the room.
"That's barely anything..."
"Are they serious?"
An officer stepped forward.
His voice carried the authority of someone used to command.
"Listen carefully."
The room fell silent.
"You are now participants in the Training Camp Entrance Trial."
The cargo doors behind him began to open.
Cold wind rushed inside.
Outside was nothing but endless wilderness.
Forests stretching to the horizon.
Mountains in the far distance.
No civilization.
No roads.
Just raw, untamed land.
The officer continued.
"You will be dropped here."
More murmurs.
He ignored them.
"Your objective is simple."
He tapped his wrist.
All of their smart watches activated simultaneously.
A glowing map appeared on the screen.
A single blinking point flashed several kilometers away.
"Reach this location."
Someone raised their hand nervously.
"H-how long do we have?"
The officer smiled slightly.
"Six hours."
The room erupted.
"Six hours?!"
"That's impossible!"
"We don't even know where we are!"
The officer raised a hand and silence returned instantly.
"Those who fail to reach the location within six hours..."
He paused.
"...fail the training camp entrance test."
Cold realization spread across the room.
This wasn't training.
It was selection.
Only those capable of surviving the wilderness and reaching the point would even be allowed to enter the camp.
The officer pointed toward the open ramp.
"Begin."
Before anyone could react—
The floor beneath them shifted.
Panels opened.
Students were suddenly dropped out of the airship in staggered intervals.
Wind exploded in Zael's ears as gravity yanked him downward.
The forest below rushed up fast.
Without panic, Zael activated Void Step.
Space warped beneath his feet.
His descent slowed just enough.
He landed silently on a thick branch before dropping to the forest floor.
The airship was already disappearing into the clouds above.
The forest was quiet.
Too quiet.
Zael glanced at his watch.
Timer: 05:59:32
The destination marker blinked.
Distance: 18 kilometers
He exhaled slowly.
Six hours…
For him, the journey itself wasn't the problem.
But the wilderness around him…
A faint growl echoed somewhere deep in the forest.
Zael's eyes sharpened.
His fingers rested lightly on his blade.
A small smile appeared.
Maybe this place…
…can help me solve that awakening task after all.
Then he started moving.
Fast.
Through the trees, shadows flickering around him as Void Step carried him deeper into the wild.
The airship doors slid open with a deep metallic hiss.
Cold wind rushed inside.
For a moment, none of the students moved.
They had been traveling for hours inside the sealed transport. No windows. No information. No destination. Just the constant hum of the engines and the quiet tension between elites from AEGIS PRIME.
Then the instructor's voice echoed through the cabin.
"Disembark."
Outside, there was nothing but wilderness.
Endless trees stretched to the horizon, thick and ancient. The ground was uneven and covered in damp leaves, while jagged mountain ridges loomed in the far distance like silent sentinels.
The airship hovered just above the clearing.
One by one, the students jumped down.
Zael landed lightly.
The moment his boots touched the soil, a vibration pulsed from the smartwatch now strapped to his wrist.
Ping.
A blue holographic screen appeared.
On it a blinking red light kept blinking on the map..
---
Zael studied the map.
A single blinking point appeared far north.
Forty-eight kilometers.
Through dense wilderness.
In six hours.
Zane whistled beside him.
"Forty-eight kilometers in six hours through a forest? That's not a test."
He cracked his neck.
"That's a hunt."
Around them, the other AEGIS PRIME students were already moving.
Some formed teams immediately.
Others shot into the forest alone.
Zael remained still.
His perception scanned the area quietly.
There were presences everywhere.
Not just monsters.
Students.
Different uniforms.
Different insignias.
Different universities.
So this was the real test.
They had been scattered across the same wilderness.
Some would never meet each other.
Some would meet by chance.
Some would meet as enemies.
Zane glanced at him.
"So?"
Zael finally started walking.
"Run."
Zane grinned.
Then both of them exploded forward.
---
The forest blurred.
Branches snapped as they tore through the undergrowth.
Zael didn't even need to look at the map anymore.
His Perception (160) filled the surroundings like a radar.
Lifeforms.
Movement.
Mana signatures.
Animals.
Awakeners.
Monsters.
Everything existed as faint signals in his awareness.
Thirty minutes later—
They were already 12 kilometers in.
Zane laughed while running beside him.
"This test is easy."
Zael didn't answer.
Because something was wrong.
He slowed slightly.
Zane noticed immediately.
"What?"
Zael's eyes narrowed.
"Three presences."
Ahead.
Hidden.
Watching.
Zane cracked his knuckles.
"Students?"
Zael shook his head slightly.
"No."
The moment he finished speaking—
The forest erupted.
Three figures burst from the trees.
Scaled bodies.
Six limbs.
Bladed tails.
Razor Stalkers.
A mid-tier predator monster.
And they were fast.
One lunged directly at Zael's throat.
But Zael didn't move.
His sword flashed.
Night Sever.
A silent arc cut through the air.
The Razor Stalker's body split cleanly as the internal organs collapsed before the blade even fully passed through.
Zane burst out laughing.
"Finally!"
He slammed into the second creature like a meteor.
Bone shattered.
The monster flew into a tree.
Zael stepped forward.
The third creature circled him cautiously now.
It felt it.
Danger.
But it was too late.
Zael's body blurred.
Void Step.
Space folded.
He appeared behind it.
The blade slid through its spine.
Three monsters.
Dead.
Total time—
Four seconds.
Zane stretched his arms.
"If this is the entrance test, we'll reach the point in two hours."
Zael looked at the forest ahead.
"No."
Zane blinked.
"What?"
Zael pointed slightly.
"Students."
Zane followed his gaze.
Far ahead—
A clash echoed through the forest.
Steel striking steel.
Mana surging.
Different awakeners fighting.
Some of them weren't holding back.
Zane grinned slowly.
"Oh…"
Now he understood.
This wasn't just a race.
It was a filter.
Weak students would be delayed.
Strong students would eliminate rivals.
And some…
Would hunt.
Zael looked down at his smartwatch again.
Then at the deep wilderness ahead.
His mind was already calculating routes.
Threat density.
Energy expenditure.
Possible ambush points.
But beneath all of that…
Another thought lingered.
His Awakening Task.
---
Awakening Level Task — Extreme Difficulty
Survive continuous combat against opponents above your level for 24 hours.
Restrictions:
– No external healing
– No clone substitution
– No retreat outside designated zone
Failure: Talent stagnation for 30 days
---
This environment…
Hundreds of elite students.
Unknown monsters.
Constant combat.
For a moment—
Zael stopped walking.
Zane frowned.
"You zoning out again?"
Zael slowly looked deeper into the forest.
For the first time since receiving the task—
A possibility appeared.
Dangerous.
Insane.
But possible.
He whispered quietly.
"…Maybe."
Zane raised an eyebrow.
"Maybe what?"
Zael started walking again.
His eyes calm.
But something inside them had sharpened.
"Nothing."
But in his mind—
A single thought repeated.
If he survived this place long enough…
This camp…
Might complete his awakening task.
---