Crimson flames licked at the edges of my vision, everything blurred through a thick, suffocating veil of industrial smoke. The acrid scent of charred timber and molten iron clawed at my throat. Screams echoed from somewhere deep, hollow and thin, like sounds bouncing off the bottom of a well.

  ?"Marcus..."

  ?A familiar voice, a ghost of a whisper.

  ?Something wet hit my cheek.

  ?Drip... drip...

  ?Blood? Or tears?

  ?Suddenly, a white-hot agony flared in my right arm. It felt as if the cauterized wounds from my encounter with the mutant mech were being systematically torn open by a rusted blade.

  ?"Gah!"

  ?I bolted upright, lungs burning as I sucked in the stale air of the dormitory. Cold sweat drenched my skin, making the sheets cling to my back. The fire was gone, replaced by the dark oak ceiling. But the reality was, in a way, more disgusting.

  ?The weight crushing my injured arm wasn't debris—it was Roy’s skull.

  ?My lethargic roommate was sprawled sideways, his head pinning my wounded limb directly against the mattress. And the 'blood' from my nightmare? It was a string of lukewarm saliva trailing from the corner of his mouth onto my face.

  ?"Roy! Get off!" I shoved him away with a mix of genuine pain and visceral revulsion.

  ?Roy rolled across the bed, colliding with Ethan, who was currently snoring like a malfunctioning forge. "Mmm... fold... wait for the next hand..." Roy muttered, eyes sealed shut, his fingers twitching as if shuffling an invisible deck of cards.

  ?I clutched my throbbing arm, shaking the remnants of the dream from my head. Then, I saw the sunlight. It was harsh. Way too high in the sky.

  ?I checked the wall clock. The small hand was nearing nine. The long hand sat at the forty-five-minute mark.

  ?08:45 AM.

  ?The license exam started at 09:00.

  ?"Dammit!"

  ?I bellowed, the sound vibrating the windowpanes. "We’re going to be late! Wake up, both of you!"

  ?The shout acted like a flashbang. Ethan jumped so hard he kicked his blanket across the room, his eyes wide with combat-ready panic. "What? Enemy breach?"

  ?Roy sat up slowly, hair looking like a bird's nest, his amber eyes blinking with heavy drowsiness. "Debt collectors?"

  ?"Exam in fifteen minutes! Get moving!" I lunged off the bed, grabbed a towel, and sprinted for the bathroom.

  ?"Fifteen minutes?! Hell!" Ethan roared, scrambling to his feet. "Marcus! Move! I need to clear my bladder or I'm failing the physical!"

  ?"First come, first served!" I reached for the doorknob.

  ?But a blur of motion slipped under my arm with ghostly efficiency.

  ?Slam. Click.

  ?Ethan and I stood there, staring at the locked door.

  ?"Sorry, boys..." Roy’s lazy voice drifted from inside, followed by the hiss of the shower. "The late-riser always bathes faster than the early bird. Lazy Man’s Rule Number One."

  ?"ROY, YOU SON OF A—!"

  ?Ethan and I pounded on the door in a synchronized fit of rage. The first day of the exam was beginning in a state of absolute logistical collapse.

  ?After the bathroom war ended in Roy’s fraudulent victory, we looked like a disaster relief project.

  ?I shoved my shirt into my trousers, missing a button in the process. Ethan was trying to wedge his massive feet into his boots while chewing on a piece of rock-hard ration bread left over from the train. Roy, somehow, was the only one who looked decent—mostly because he didn't seem to care if his collar was crooked.

  ?"Four minutes of sprinting distance left," Roy noted, checking a battered pocket watch. "Unless we’ve developed wings since last night, I’ll bet a hundred credits we don't make it."

  ?"Shut up and run!"

  ?I kicked the door open. We tore down the hallway like heavy-caliber projectiles.

  ?Thud. Thud. Thud.

  ?Ethan’s footsteps were heavy enough to make the floorboards groan. Other students dived out of the way as we blurred past.

  ?"Faster!" I yelled, my lungs starting to burn.

  ?"Wait!" Ethan shouted through a mouthful of bread. "Where... where the hell is the arena?!"

  ?I skidded to a halt, nearly face-planting into the carpet. My brain searched for data. The rulebook? The map? The orientation guide?

  ?Nothing. I had been in possession of an Ether crystal for exactly seventy-two hours. I hadn't spent a single second reading a map. My face went pale, sweat beaded at my hairline. "I... I don't know!"

  ?"Are you serious?!" Ethan’s jaw dropped. "Roy?!"

  ?Roy caught up, jogging at a leisurely pace. "Me? I was just following you guys. I figured you had a plan."

  ?"Dammit!" I growled, clawing at my hair.

  ?Then, out of the corner of my eye, I saw a group with blue armbands—Second Year students.

  ?"Seniors!" I yelled, charging toward a startled guy. "The license arena! Which way?!"

  ?The senior looked at our disheveled state and let out a short laugh. He pointed toward a spiral staircase. "Down the Spire! Level four, past the botanical gardens. Look for the white dome. Move it—the gates seal automatically!"

  ?"Thanks!"

  ?We dove for the stairs. It was a steep, dizzying descent.

  ?"Short cut!" Roy shouted. He leaped over the banister, landing his boots on the handrail and sliding down the spiral like a high-speed projectile. "See you at the bottom!"

  ?"You lunatic!" I didn't have a choice. I vaulted over and followed, with Ethan’s terrified roar echoing right behind me.

  ?Whoosh!

  ?We hit the ground in seconds, tumbling into the dirt but scrambling back up instantly. Before us stood a massive white dome, looking like a reinforced hangar.

  ?"This is it?" Ethan wheezed. "Looks small."

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  ?"Don't judge the architecture! The gate's closing!"

  ?We threw ourselves through the opening just as the heavy steel plates ground shut with a heavy thud.

  ?"Made... made it..." Ethan collapsed, lungs gasping for air.

  ?Roy leaned against the wall, casually dusting off his shirt. "Thanks for the wake-up call, Marcus. That was entertaining."

  ?"What?" I stared at him.

  ?"My team's over there." Roy pointed to a group on the far side of the dome. "See ya."

  ?He walked off, hands in his pockets, toward two girls who were already glaring at him. One was tapping her foot, the other was crossing her arms with a look of lethal disappointment. Roy just offered his usual sleepy grin.

  ?I turned back to the arena. The 'small' exterior was a lie.

  ?The interior was colossal—a landscape the size of a small island. The ceiling was a high-altitude simulation of the sky. It was high-tier Spatial Expansion magic, making the inside a hundred times larger than the outside. The center was divided into various tactical zones.

  ?"You're late."

  ?Vanessa was waiting, arms crossed. Her emerald eyes were cold behind her lenses. "You're the last team to arrive. We were seconds away from a default disqualification."

  ?"My bad," I muttered, Ethan offering a weak thumbs-up as he recovered.

  ?Suddenly, floodlights ignited, focusing on a suspended platform. A man in silver-plated armor—the Combat Proctor—appeared.

  ?"Welcome to the Simulation Arena! Listen well! This is not a duel to the death... it is a test of tactical logic!"

  ?He swept his hand across the air. The terrain below began to shift and grind.

  ?"The arena will adapt to each team! Your mission isn't just to destroy the target; it’s to Control the Variable. Whether it's a natural disaster, a hostage situation, or a mutant beast—prove your synergy!"

  ?Vanessa adjusted her glasses, her mind already running through potential scenarios. Ethan began shadow-boxing, his fists cutting the air. Whoosh. Whoosh. A faint red heat began to radiate from his Medium.

  ?I looked at my teammates and swallowed hard.

  ?"Uh... Vanessa..." I whispered.

  ?"What? Get in position, Marcus. You're our long-range variable, right?" She didn't look at me. "What’s your specialty? Kinetic projectiles? Elemental bursts? Buffing?"

  ?The question hit me like a physical blow.

  ?"The thing is..." I offered a dry, pained smile. "I don't know."

  ?Vanessa snapped her head toward me. "You don't know? Explain."

  ?"I’ve had this crystal for three days!" I hissed. "I haven't opened the manual. I don't even know how to 'turn it on' without my arm catching fire!"

  ?Vanessa’s jaw tightened. Her glasses nearly slipped down her nose. Ethan stopped boxing and stared at me.

  ?"Are you for real?!" Ethan barked. "You’re at the top academy in the world with zero baseline knowledge? What did you think this was, a field trip?"

  ?"Hey, I have a gun!" I held up the custom pistol. "And... and I can run fast!"

  ?Vanessa massaged her temples, letting out a sigh so long it felt like her soul was leaving her body. "Great. I’m paired with a muscle-bound oaf and a novice who’s still learning to walk..."

  ?"Make it count," the Proctor’s voice boomed. "The Council is watching from the observation deck."

  ?The murmur in the crowd spiked.

  ?"And remember..." the Proctor emphasized, "Failure to pass means no License. You will have no right to leave this island for field missions. You will repeat the year. Understood?!"

  ?"YES, SIR!" The response was a wall of sound. I swallowed hard. No second chances.

  ?"First team... take the field!"

  ?Under the floodlights, a familiar trio stepped out. Led by Elias Sunnier. He walked with the same practiced arrogance, his golden hair gleaming. Behind him was a girl with fiery red hair tied in twin-tails. She was shaking, her light blue eyes wide with terror.

  ?"I can't... I can't do this... Evie's gonna die... I'm dead meat..." she muttered to herself. On her right hand was a black leather glove with an orange crystal embedded in the back. Evie Brown, of Solaris.

  ?The final member was Noah Grave. Tall, silent, and expressionless. He wore ten silver rings, each set with a small yellow crystal. Following him was a polished metal puppet, a faceless skeletal frame that moved with a rhythmic click-clack as Noah’s fingers twitched.

  ?Creeeeak!

  ?The ground split open. A massive stone platform rose, holding an Iron Knight—a three-meter-tall construct in matte black armor etched with gold. It held a greatsword the size of a man. Its optical sensors flared a lethal red. The terrain shifted into a Desert Zone.

  ?"Listen up... we don't engage that thing directly," Elias commanded. He didn't rush in; he analyzed. "Evie! Eyes on the ground! Burn it!"

  ?Evie flinched, tears welling up. "The... the sand?"

  ?"Yes! Flash-fry the silica! I don't just want hot sand; I want it molten. Turn it into glass. Do it until your Toll hits your limit, then retreat!"

  ?Evie nodded frantically, her gloved hand trembling. "I'll... I'll try!"

  ?Elias turned to Noah. "Noah. Use your puppet to kite it. Keep its attention until the glass sets!"

  ?Noah gave a single, sharp nod. His fingers began to dance as if playing an invisible piano.

  ?Whir. Click. Snap!

  ?The metal puppet blurred forward, its movements jagged. it circled the Iron Knight, drawing its focus.

  ?"Now, Evie!"

  ?"AAAAHHHH! EAT THIS!"

  ?Evie slammed her gloved hand into the sand. An orange pillar of fire erupted. The heat was immense, sizzling the silica until it liquefied into a glowing pool that rapidly cooled into a jagged sheet of glass.

  ?But Noah’s kite was failing.

  ?CRACK!

  ?The Iron Knight’s greatsword swung with a velocity the puppet couldn't match. The blade sheared through the puppet’s torso, shattering the metal.

  ?"Gah!"

  ?Noah collapsed to his knees, clutching his chest. His face contorted in agony. The Toll. Because his nervous system was linked directly to the puppet, every point of damage the machine took hit his own nerves with 1:1 feedback.

  ?"The puppet's down!" I yelled from the sidelines. "It's heading for Elias!"

  ?The Iron Knight locked onto Elias. It charged across the glass floor. Elias stayed perfectly still, a victor’s smirk on his face. "Thanks, Noah... that was a necessary debt."

  ?Elias reached for his hilt. He drew the Glass Rapier.

  ?Shing!

  ?The blade was pure crystal, refracting the lights.

  ?"Now..."

  ?As the knight’s sword descended, Elias didn't block. He slammed the tip of his rapier into the glass floor.

  ?"Execution!"

  ?Gold light surged from Elias’s crystal, flooding the glass floor. The light didn't pass through; it reflected and refracted within the glass layer, erupting upward in thousands of laser-thin needles.

  ?Zip. Zip. Zip. Zip.

  ?The beams shredded the Iron Knight from the bottom up—the weak points where the armor plating didn't overlap. The light pierced the joints, the vents, and the red optical sensors.

  ?Internal circuits overloaded. Heat vented from the knight’s neck.

  ?Boom!

  ?The construct detonated. Shrapnel clattered onto the glass floor like rain. Elias sheathed his blade. He walked over to Noah, helping the injured boy up. "Good work. Let’s get you to the med-bay."

  ?"Next team: Alissa Valentine! Prepare yourselves!"

  ?The desert vanished. In its place, a Simulation City erupted. Skyscrapers, concrete streets, and a group of 'hostage' constructs tied up in the center. Six armed mechs surrounded them.

  ?Alissa stepped out, followed by Cassian Valerius and Bella Florentine.

  ?"Start!"

  ?Alissa slammed her lace umbrella into the concrete.

  ?"Eternal Frost"

  ?A frost-circle expanded, turning the city into a frozen wasteland. Alissa stood perfectly still.

  ?The mechs targeted the hostages. "Threat detected. Executing targets."

  ?But the hostages... vanished.

  ?"Looking for someone?" Bella giggled. She had already cast an Illusion Veil before the mechs could process the data.

  ?"Now!" Alissa hissed, frost on her breath.

  ?The ice she had created crawled up the mechs' legs, seizing their gears. They froze into silver statues.

  ?"Cassian."

  ?"Understood."

  ?Cassian drew his sword. Golden lightning crackled along the steel.

  ?Flash. Flash. Flash.

  ?He blurred through the street. Six mechs were dismantled in a single heartbeat. He sheathed his blade. Click.

  ?At the back, the hostages were revealed, safe and untouched.

  ?"Alissa, you're the best! You did it all yourself!" Bella ran to Alissa, immediately draping a heavy, fur-lined cloak over her friend’s shoulders.

  ?Alissa didn't answer. She let out a long, white breath. Her skin was translucent, her lips a bruised shade of blue. Her body was trembling uncontrollably. The Toll: her internal body temperature had dropped to lethal levels. She pulled the cloak tight, trying to hide the shivers, and walked off the field.

  ?"Monsters..." I whispered.

  ?Vanessa didn't look away. "What you see isn't just talent, Marcus. It's 'Resources.' They were taught to hold a blade before they could read. We’re fighting a Bloodline Wall."

  ?"Next team: Gareth Ironheart!"

  ?Gareth’s team entered a Marsh Zone. Mission: Escort a supply cart. Gareth was a powerhouse. He swung his greataxe, cleaving giant crocodiles. "World-Breaker!" The impact sent mud flying ten meters.

  ?"Joe! Shield up! Sina! Take them down!" Gareth barked.

  ?"Copy that!" Joe slammed his shield down. "Bastion Aegis!" A blue dome covered the cart.

  ?"My turn!" Sina swung her staff. "Gale Scythe!" Wind blades carved through the swamp, slicing any crocodile trying to flank them.

  ?Everything looked perfect until a hidden mud-trap seized the cart wheels. The heavy vehicle tilted dangerously.

  ?"Watch out!" Sina tried to push the cart, but she was too slow. A giant marsh serpent lunged from the shadows, colliding with the cart and flipping it into the mire.

  ?"Stop the exam! Failure!"

  ?Gareth stood in the mud, staring at the empty space where the cart had been. He hadn't noticed the terrain shift.

  ?"Failed," the Proctor said. "Excellent combat. Zero situational awareness. Try again next year."

  ?Sina was in tears. "I'm sorry... if I was faster..." Joe shook his head. "No, I couldn't hold the weight."

  ?But Gareth put a hand on their shoulders, smiling despite the mud on his face. "Hey! Don't look like that! We gave it everything." He laughed. "This year the swamp got us. Next year, we're paving over it. Good fight, guys."

  ?The atmosphere in the dome turned cold again.

  ?"Next team: Vanessa Lucenna!"

  ?I jumped, my heart dropping. Vanessa adjusted her glasses. "Our turn."

  ?My legs felt like lead. My gun felt like a ton. I had seen the perfection of the nobles and the crushing failure of the strong.

  ?"Right..." I ground my teeth. "Do or die."