"W-what?! Why is there so much light?!" Students bickered among themselves. The light glowed so bright that it blinded all the students. When they opened their eyes, all of them were teleported to a mountain near a cliff. All the students were astonished by the sight they were seeing. Two mountains separated by a cliff 2 km wide with many pillars of rock erected by magic acting as obstacles and footing for the exam. Some students went near the edge of the mountain and looked down.
"H-how deep is this?" A student exclaimed in curiosity.
Reinhardt, who was also teleported, said in a stern voice "Students, some of you may have guessed by seeing the sight in front of you, that today's exam is an obstacle course. The distance between the two mountains is 2 km and as you can see the start line present here is where you will start and finish on the other side of the cliff where the finish line is present." The students seemed anxious about the cliff, Reinhardt noticed it and exclaimed "Don't worry about falling down as a magic circle is placed for the safety of students". After hearing this information, the anxiety disappeared from the students and they let out a sigh of relief. But, Reinhardt smirked and exclaimed
"You will be alright, except for a few broken bones here and there."
The students became scared and concerned. But, Reinhardt ignored them and continued
"There are only two rules for this exam
- Don't kill
- Don't be killed
If you understand, Then answer me!"
The students reluctantly replied in a reverberating voice.
"Yes sir!"
Reinhardt then commanded the mages to activate the magic circle. A barrier was conjured at the bottom of the cliff. Reinhardt then ordered all the students to get ready and stand near the starting line. The students reluctantly obeyed him and started to get ready for the exam. Jimmy approached Ric and Yota, he requested
"Uh-umm, Mr. Yota?"
"Who is it?" Yota replied as he turned towards him "Oh~ Jimmy, what's up?"
"I-I was just thinking… if you will become my partner for the exam?" Jimmy asked in a reserved manner. Hearing this, Ric glared at him from behind.
"I-If you dont-!" Jimmy was interrupted by Yota "of course buddy! Ric, It's ok if I go with him right?"
Ric sighed and replied in a stern voice "Do as you wish" he then walked away from there. Yota talked with Jimmy with a smile on his face and slowly went away with him in the crowd. Ric who was watching them thought "I am sorry Yota, But, you need to learn this the hard way"
Then after some time, all the students gathered near the starting line. Some of them made teams, Some didn't bother (like Melvin), Some got ready physically, And some readied their magic spells, But, all of them were awaiting the signal to start. Reinhardt came forward and signalled the start "The time limit is till sunset! Now, Day 2 Exam: Obstacle course, begins!"
As soon as they heard this, all the students rushed forward at max speed! Including Jimmy, Yota, Jim and Ren. There were a few exceptions like Melvin, who was lazy, so he started slowly like a turtle. And there was Ric, who went near the instructor Reinhardt and asked
"Sir, are there traps on the pillars?"
"Yes, otherwise this exam won't be called Obstacle course." Reinhardt replied calmly.
Ric started thinking "ok, so there are traps, then maybe 20 minutes? No, let's make it 10 just to be safe."
"Everyone is gone, Why aren't you going forward?" Reinhardt asked in a serious tone.
"That's because I just need some help from you, sir," Ric replied with confidence.
A council member who was standing beside Reinhardt exclaimed "Why would an Examiner help with the exam? Are you stupid?"
"Only 2 rules were stated for this exam, that means we can do everything that doesn't break those rules, like asking help from an instructor. Well, it depends if you want to help or not. But I think a good teacher should help the students when they are in need. Don't you agree sir?" Ric spoke with a smile on his face.
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"What do you–" As the council member was speaking, Reinhardt gestured to him to stop and said "Interesting, Very well, what do you want". A wicked smile crept on Ric's face as he knew his plan would work with the help of the instructor.
Meanwhile, all the students were trying to be the first to reach the finish. Some started fighting each other, Some fell down due to the traps, while Some just stealthily escaped. Yota and Jimmy were trying to figure out the trap's locations and slowly move forward. But, they encountered two people, a mage and a tank, who ambushed them. Yota got slightly cut, he activated his fire suit and counterattacked. The two of them dodged it and took their positions. The mage stood back, at another pillar and started chanting, while the tank fought with Yota at the front, not allowing him to attack the mage. Tarha, the tank who was fighting Yota, was being overwhelmed by Yota's raw power. He thought "What is this guy?! If not for the fact that my class is a tank with high defense, I would've already fainted!" Tarha looked at the mage and asked "Hey, Vivi! Are you done?! I can't hold him any longer." Yota saw an opportunity, as Tarha was distracted and punched him in the face, Knocking him down. But, Vivi the mage was ready with her magic, she exclaimed
"Burn this world with thy flames! FireBall!"
The fireball was as big as Yota. It was rushing towards him. Yota was thinking "heh! I can easily dodge it!" He jumped aside and dodged the fireball. But, as he jumped aside, he saw the fireball going towards Jimmy, who was standing there scared.
"No! Jimmy!" Yota exclaimed, his face full of concern. He ran towards the fireball while thinking "I have to save him! I need to reach there before the fireball does!" Yota marched at full speed and stepped in front of Jimmy to shield him from the attack. The fireball hit Yota and an explosion occurred. Yota got injured and his fire suit got undone. But, he was still worried about Jimmy and asked
"Hey, Jimmy! Are you okay?"
"I-Am fine, but are you ok?" Jimmy asked with concern.
"Don't worry, I'm fine," Yota replied as he stood up and started walking toward the mage. "Even though I can't use a fire suit right now, I can still defeat her. She's a mage, not a tank." Yota reached the edge of the pillars he was standing on and added, "Don't worry, I'll protect you, Jimmy." a beat of silence followed before being broken by Jimmy.
"Ugh, I hate this!" he exclaimed, his frustration evident.
"Huh? What did you say-" Yota's words were cut off as he saw Jimmy, whom he had trusted, suddenly betray him. Without warning, Jimmy pushed Yota from behind, attempting to make him fall down from the pillars. Shocked by this sudden betrayal, Yota managed to grab the edge of the pillar, desperately clinging on to avoid falling.
Yota's voice faltered as he tried to comprehend Jimmy's malevolent demeanour. "Jimmy, why did you-" Before he could finish, Jimmy interrupted with a twisted, evil smile on his face. "How do you feel, Mr. Hero~?" he sneered, dripping with sarcasm. "Acting all cocky, like you're above me. I don't know why that drug didn't work, But Who do you think you are? You *******!! A hero? How delusional can you be? You're just a show-off, a rat! I can't stand people like you who act like they're something special!"
Yota, who lived a sheltered life in the orphanage under the care of the old man, has only felt love, compassion and brotherhood. It was the first time that he felt this feeling called betrayal. He felt a pang of hurt and confusion as he saw that all of this was a trap.
Jimmy woke up Tarha, Vivi also jumped to the pillar where the both of them were standing. Tarha regained his consciousness and saw Yota clinging on the pillar, he said
"You brat! You dare you hit me like that? How do you feel now that the tables have turned?"
Tarha looked at Jimmy and said "Hey, Jimmy. Let me take care of him!"
Jimmy smirked and nodded. Tarha advanced, his heavy boot lifting, ready to stomp on Yota’s fingers.
Yota was confused and many thoughts came to his mind "What did I do wrong? Why are they doing this to me? Is it wrong to save someone? W-what is this conflicted feeling I am having right now?"
Yota’s thoughts spun wildly. "Was Ric right? Was I too naive?" His grip trembled. For the first time in a long while, tears welled in his eyes.
He closed them, waiting for the inevitable.
Then—
Whoosh.
CRACK.
"A-Aaaagh!" Tarha’s scream ripped through the air as he was sent flying off the pillar, vanishing into the depths below.
Yota’s fingers clenched tighter against the stone. He slowly opened his eyes.
A familiar smirk greeted him.
"Yo, crybaby. You seriously thought I’d let you handle this alone?" Ric stood there, arms crossed, his presence radiating a quiet menace.
"R-Ric...? Waaaah! I’m sowwy!" Yota sobbed as Ric effortlessly pulled him up.
Ric sighed, shaking his head. "Stay back, buddy. I’ll take care of this."
Jimmy’s lip curled in anger. "D-Do you think you can just waltz in here and—"
Ric’s smirk widened. Then, without warning, his bloodlust erupted.
The air turned suffocating. The world darkened, painted crimson with his killing intent.
Jimmy and Vivi staggered, their bodies freezing instinctively. Their breaths came in short, panicked gasps.
"W-What is this?!" Jimmy choked.
Ric tilted his head, grinning.
"This?" His voice dropped to a whisper, laced with chilling amusement.
"It's the place where you will eliminate yourself "