Professor Claire stood before the remaining participants, her posture relaxed yet commanding, as if the chaos of the first test had been nothing more than a warm-up in her eyes. The students, however, told a very different story. Some were still catching their breath, others silently nursing bruises, and a few simply stared ahead, trying to mentally prepare for whatever came next.

After allowing them a short rest, Claire spoke again, her tone smooth and almost casual.

"The second test is simple, in a way. In there..." she lifted her hand and pointed toward a large cubic structure not far from them, its surface plain and almost unnervingly clean, "...you all have to enter that building."

A pause followed.

Then the reactions came.

"Wait, what?"

"No further explanation?"

Questions were fired almost immediately, voices overlapping with confusion and irritation.

"What about the rules of the test?" Jane asked, her tone sharp and direct.

Claire smiled, the kind of smile that only made things worse. "That’s up to you to figure out... if you have the chance to think."

The last part was quieter, just enough for those closest to hear it clearly. It sent a subtle chill through the group.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Jane pressed, her gaze shifting briefly toward Shadow and Talia. "How are we supposed to pass a test when we don’t even know the rules?"

Lucian, who happened to be nearby, stepped in with a calm expression. "It’s probably testing how quickly we adapt and figure things out under pressure."

Jane glanced at him. She didn’t know him, and she didn’t say anything, but his reasoning made sense.

"Yeah... obviously. That’s what I was about to say."

Jaden’s voice cut in, just a little too late. He was standing next to them after he barely made it out alive.

"So what’s your plan?" Talia asked without hesitation, turning to him with genuine curiosity.

Jaden paused. His eyes shifted toward the cube, his expression turning serious as if he had just been struck by some profound realization. For a moment, he looked like the main character of a story only he was aware of.

"...Adapt," he said in a low, composed tone.

Silence followed.

No one reacted.

Jane let out a quiet sigh, already regretting engaging.

"Don’t worry," Jaden continued, straightening his posture as if trying to recover some dignity. "I’ll figure it out first and guide everyone."

Jane looked at him, completely unimpressed. "You couldn’t even stand up earlier."

Lucian turned his head slightly, clearly trying to suppress a laugh.

Jaden ignored the comment entirely, as if he had chosen to pretend it never happened.

Shadow, on the other hand, said nothing.

’It’s pointless to overthink it’ he thought calmly. ’We’ll understand once we’re inside’

Seeing that confusion still lingered among the participants, Claire spoke once more.

"Since everyone here understands the rules of the test," she said lightly, "then let it begin."

"...Is she serious?"

"What rules?"

Murmurs spread through the participants, though no one dared to raise their voice too much.

One by one, they began moving toward the cubic structure.

Jaden was the first to reach it.

Before entering, he stopped and began inspecting the surface as if he were examining some ancient relic. He knocked lightly against the wall, narrowed his eyes, and ran his hand across it as though expecting hidden symbols to reveal themselves.

"Hmm... this structure... it’s definitely hiding something," he muttered.

At that exact moment, the doors opened normally.

Jaden flinched.

He quickly straightened his posture and stepped inside as if nothing had happened, the others following behind him.

The interior of the building was entirely white, smooth and empty, with no visible features or objects. The space felt unnaturally clean, almost artificial.

As soon as everyone entered, the doors shut behind them.

A sharp sound cut through the silence.

Woosh—

A small square opened in the wall, and an arrow shot out with alarming speed before the opening sealed itself again.

The arrow struck one of the participants in the leg.

He collapsed almost instantly unconscious.

"Don’t get hit," Shadow said immediately, his tone steady but clear. "Those arrows have something on them."

Another square opened.

"Be careful!"

A dart shot toward Talia.

Shadow reacted quickly, pulling her out of its path. For a brief moment, she found herself pressed against him, her mind going strangely blank as her heart skipped for reasons she couldn’t quite process.

Then, without ceremony, Shadow threw her to the ground and shifted his position, narrowly avoiding another projectile himself.

The situation escalated rapidly.

Squares began opening across the walls in unpredictable patterns, firing arrows, darts, and other strange projectiles at random trajectories. Panic spread as participants scrambled to avoid getting hit.

"Stay behind me. I’ll handle anything," Jaden declared, stepping forward with forced confidence.

A split second later, a panel opened directly beneath him.

A burst of sticky slime shot upward.

It hit him perfectly.

"Aghhh—!"

The high-pitched scream that followed echoed embarrassingly throughout the room. The impact alone was bad enough, but the location made it significantly worse. It was an under the belt shot.

For a moment, even the chaos seemed to pause around him.

Then everything resumed.

Participants ran in all directions, trying desperately to avoid the incoming attacks.

Two projectiles targeted Jane.

"Be careful," Lucian warned, raising his hand as earth magic formed quickly in front of her, blocking one of them.

Jane reacted just as fast, swinging her sword horizontally to deflect the second.

"Thanks," she said, not taking her eyes off the surroundings.

Amid the chaos, Shadow remained near the center.

He moved only when necessary, dodging with minimal effort, his focus directed elsewhere.

Reaction speed... unpredictability... pressure...

It was obvious to him what this test was designed to measure.

Then his eyes shifted.

What caught his attention next wasn’t the traps.

It was Talia. 𝒻𝑟ℯℯ𝑤𝑒𝑏𝑛𝘰𝓋𝑒𝓁.𝒸𝑜𝘮

Her magic activated in a way that was... unusual.

Sheets of what looked like toilet paper materialized around her, layering and shifting in perfect synchronization with the incoming attacks. Every arrow, dart, and strange projectile was blocked effortlessly, the material absorbing or deflecting them with surprising effectiveness.

"That’s... actually useful," Shadow murmured, a faint smile forming.

"System, seize it"

He heard the rings in his head and only smiled.

Talia, still focused, suddenly spoke.

"Paper beats rock. I am the meta."

Then she went silent again as if nothing had happened.

Shadow blinked once.

Time passed slowly inside the building.

One by one, participants fell, rendered unconscious by the coated projectiles. The attacks weren’t lethal, but they were efficient.

After what felt like a long ten minutes, the openings in the walls finally stopped appearing.

Silence returned.

Jane, Lucian, and the others were breathing heavily, exhaustion evident on their faces. Even those still standing looked like they were on the verge of collapsing.

Jaden, somehow, was still upright.

Despite the earlier incident, he hadn’t been hit by any arrows. Not due to skill, but because he had unintentionally stayed within the range of stronger participants, effectively using them as shields without realizing it.

The doors opened once more.

Professor Claire and the other instructors stepped inside.

Their gazes swept across the room, taking in the scene of unconscious participants scattered across the floor and the few survivors barely holding themselves together.

All except one.

A single boy walked calmly through the room, his steps unhurried, his eyes scanning the walls as if he were studying the mechanism behind the traps rather than recovering from them.

Claire’s gaze lingered on him.

"He passed it again... easily," she muttered under her breath.

The other professors said nothing, but they had all noticed the same thing.