Chapter 100: Second Phase

He explained, causing everyone to furrow their brows as the purpose of the test slowly began to dawn on them.

"So, I believe you all have at least a basic understanding of the situation. With that done, you’d better get going, right?"

Mr. Ian spoke as one of the teachers, a woman, stepped forward.

She began forming several hand seals, her fingers glowing with a crimson light.

In the next instant, she drew through the air, creating a magical rune that quickly spread across the sky.

Moments later, the rune split apart, revealing a gateway leading to another realm.

"You’d better keep moving," Mr. Ian continued. "And should I pray that you’ll be the first person to get a bag in your hands, or should I not?"

He paused, seemingly lost in thought.

"I strangely find myself conflicted. But I definitely won’t pray for the bag to be in my hands first."

He waved them off.

"Well, goodbye, and I wish you all good luck on the test."

One after another, the students walked into the portal, their figures gradually fading into the gateway.

"Um... sorry for being disrespectful, Vice-Chancellor Torianna, but may we ask why you set up this test?"

Mr. Ian couldn’t help but ask.

The test they had originally prepared was completely different. It had been designed around logical questions, theories, and other academic subjects.

But suddenly, with only ten minutes remaining, Vice-Chancellor Torianna had handed him a new script, replacing the original test at the very last moment.

The sudden change had greatly puzzled the staff.

However, who were they to disobey?

They could only follow the new instructions, even though none of the students understood what was truly happening.

"If the purpose of this test is to select the students with the highest chances of surviving the Outer-Season mission, then I find theories and the origins of various subjects to be useless."

Vice-Chancellor Torianna spoke calmly.

"The mission this time will focus solely on combat and infiltration. That is what should be tested."

She glanced toward the portal.

"And what better way to test how they handle pressure than by having them chased by hundreds of others?"

Her gaze sharpened.

"I have heard that Class A is supposedly striking fear into the hearts of the remaining students, despite the fact that they are all being taught under the same conditions."

She turned toward the staff.

"I want you to ensure that at least half of the Class A students possess bags in their hands."

The Vice-Chancellor’s voice became solemn.

"This is a test. A test to determine whether the future of Cthulhu Academy will cave under pressure, or whether they will fight back regardless of the odds."

She paused briefly.

"Sadly, there are students with the ability to put the Class A students in their place, yet they refuse to do so because they are intimidated by their status and names."

Her eyes narrowed.

"This trial will reveal whether they can awaken the beast within them, or whether they will continue cowering beneath the shadow of those they fear."

The Vice-Chancellor turned toward the teacher who had opened the portal.

The woman immediately stretched out her hand, causing a hologram to appear in midair.

It displayed every student currently inside the realm, including those holding bags and those still running around in search of one.

"So, what say we all sit back and observe the true nature of the people we are raising?"

A faint smile appeared on Vice-Chancellor Torianna’s lips.

"Cowards or warriors?"

_____________________

BAAAAAANG!

The ground caved in as Arlo slammed heavily into the broken earth.

He quickly curled his body into a ball, allowing his back to hit the ground first. He rolled across the surface like a ball before finally coming to a stop.

"Tch. What kind of rough bullshit landing was that!?" Arlo grumbled as he slowly rose to his feet and cracked his back.

He looked down at his hands and the sight of them made the light in his eyes dull slightly.

"And here I was thinking that, with my good luck, I’d already have a bag in my hands. Guess I was hoping for too much."

He glanced around the area.

"Still, I’d better keep searching for someone carrying one. I don’t know how long this test will last, after all."

Contrary to his expectations, the area looked like an apocalyptic simulation.

Tall skyscrapers stretched into the sky, their surfaces covered in crawling vines. Broken glass littered the streets, while deep craters scarred the ground in every direction.

[There are thousands of places to hide inside those buildings. Locating someone would be difficult.]

The system’s detached voice sounded in his mind.

Arlo nodded, his eyebrows furrowing.

There were hundreds of skyscrapers, and someone could be hiding inside any one of them. Finding a person in such an environment would be exceedingly difficult.

Not unless they decided to reveal themselves.

Or unless someone was fast enough to search through every floor within seconds.

"Hmm... but what is that golden light in the distance?" Arlo asked, noticing the strange glow far ahead.

[Ascend the nearest skyscraper.]

Arlo dashed toward the wall of a nearby skyscraper and began running horizontally across it, using his ability of flight to maintain his footing.

He could have simply flown upward, but doing so would attract unnecessary attention. Revealing that he could fly without relying on anything would expose more of his true power and bring an end to his quiet cultivation.

Even so, he was still fast enough to reach the top of the skyscraper within seconds.

But the moment he arrived, his expression changed.

His jaw nearly dropped.

"Just what kind of stupidity is this?"

In the far distance, approximately thirty figures were seated on a row of benches, each of them holding one of the golden bags in their hands.

But that wasn’t the most shocking part.

Surrounding those thirty students were nearly eighty others, all of whom were empty-handed.

They simply stood there and stared at the seated figures.

Not a single one of them moved nor made an attempt to attack.

And all the while, the time continued ticking away.

"Just what the hell!? Why aren’t they attacking them for their bags!?" Arlo asked in dumbfounded shock.

’Or did I somehow misunderstand the rules of the event?’

[Time’s running out.]

BOOOOOM!

The top of the skyscraper exploded as Arlo burst forward with instantaneous speed.

His body became a flash of black light that rapidly disappeared into the wind like a flickering shadow, heading straight toward the strange gathering.

Along the way, Arlo sensed several presences hiding inside skyscrapers. Some of them were even carrying bags.

But he ignored them all.

Those bags would have been easy to obtain.

What he wanted to know was why thirty students were sitting like kings with bags in their hands while eighty others surrounded them.

None of them dared to attack.

It was almost as though they had been mind-controlled.

________________

"Tch! Damn them!"

A loud roar of frustration came from none other than Vael.

His eyebrows were scrunched together, and one hand was tightly clenched into a fist as he stood with a group of nearly one hundred students.

All of them were staring at the Class A students gathered on the beach.

The Class A students had their hands behind their heads, their bags resting casually beside their feet.

"Tch! Those Class A brats! How arrogant can they be!?" one student muttered.

"They’re sitting right in front of us with their bags clearly exposed. Is that how much they disdain us!?" another complained.

Similar murmurs spread through the group.

Yet none of them dared to move.

They simply stood there, encircling the Class A students in a wide formation, as though they had all been rendered immobile.

RUUUSTTTLEEE...

Suddenly, the sound of gentle rustling came from behind Vael.

He slowly turned his head.

The moment he saw the familiar face standing only a few meters away, his expression changed.

He instinctively retreated in shock, accidentally stepping on a twig behind him.

CRACK!

Vael lost his balance and slammed onto the ground.

"Arlo, you bastard!"

He quickly rose to his feet, glaring at Arlo murderously.

"I accept the greetings," Arlo replied casually. "So, um, how’s the test going for you? Good?"

"Please tell me you’re not here just to rub it in..."

Arlo scoffed.

"That’s actually exactly why I’m here."

"Tch. Well, then, the joke’s on you, because you’re standing beside me, aren’t you?"

Vael clicked his tongue distastefully.

"That automatically makes you part of our coward group."

"I see, I see."

Arlo glanced at the large gathering around them.

"It seems you’ve amassed quite the number in this coward group of yours. That’s quite an accomplishment."

Vael’s horn immediately began glowing with a bright purple light, a sign that he was experiencing intense emotional turmoil.

It didn’t take a genius to figure out what had caused it.

"Knock yourself out, Arlo. It won’t change the situation, though."

Vael turned away from him, clearly refusing to continue the argument.

"So, tell me," Arlo continued. "Why are you all standing around watching them sit there with their bags while they keep accumulating points?"

He tilted his head.

"Could it be that they’re carrying faulty bags or something?"

Vael sighed.

"Look at them, Arlo. I’m pretty sure this is some ploy by the higher-ups."

"Mysteriously enough, out of the fifty bags, thirty appeared in the hands of Class A members. All thirty members of their entire class have bags in their hands!"

"Class A is the best in the academy, and no one dares to challenge them if they want to live peacefully afterward in the academy."

"So now we’re stuck standing around them, unable to approach, even though there isn’t any barrier stopping us..."