Five merit points. That was how much the battleaxe cost, and that was even with Lance Gage's recommendation— the huge soldier had told Zephyr his name earlier that evening. They had gotten talking after Zephyr revealed his mana node count, with the man giving him some tips here and there to take advantage of his strength instead.
He seemed very practical about it, not beating about the bush or giving Zephyr some false hope.
Zephyr tossed the battleaxe between both hands, comparing it to the one he held earlier.
It wasn't the same. This was smaller, the material was different. Here, the shaft was made from a strong wood rather than the Ironwood steel from the other, but it would serve its purpose. Now it was just for Zephyr to get as much practice as he could within three days...
.
.
.
The end of the week was upon them quicker than they expected. Basically all the recruits had adapted to the daily routine of the camp. One could hardly hear the words of complaint that were prevalent during the first few days. It was amazing how quickly humans could adapt to new environments.
Zephyr stood silently with his hands resting on the butt of his battleaxe in a relaxed position. He had subconsciously taken the habit from Lance Gage. Next to him was Cedric, who was also in his own world, staring straight ahead, out the dome.
All the recruits had been brought to the edge of the camp, right next to the barrier that separated them from the outside.
The contrast was once again glaring. The greenery from inside came to an abrupt stop right at the barrier of the dome. From there, it was just gray as far as the eye could see— an endless, featureless wasteland stretching out in every direction.
In their theory classes, they had all been warned about the risk of eye fatigue due to the monotonous environment, and how to curb it.
Zephyr looked around, scanning specifically for his competitors. Aside from Cedric, who he was closest to, and Anna and Helga, who he still ate some meals with these past few days, he had no idea what Zeke, Kathelyn, and Jet had been up to, or how much stronger they had become. He spotted them standing separately as they were all being given a final brief by the camp commander. He was just about finishing up. Most recruits barely even paid attention to what he was saying because they had been told the specifics repeatedly since the previous day. Besides, nerves were tense— everyone was trying to prepare themselves mentally in their own way.
The rules of the test were simple. It was every man for himself. A regular Skarnid kill was worth five points, while an Alpha Skarnid was worth fifteen. Among the Wild Skarnids, there were hierarchies, but the chances of crossing paths with an Alpha Skarnid were next to nothing.
There were merit points for other beasts that dominated the rift, but since they were mostly weaker, they were only worth around one to three points based on the beast, except for a Clydrax— a large, viscous, centipede-like beast— which was worth fifty points, and rightly so. They were solitary beasts, but a single one still posed a threat to a small pack of Skarnids. There were other beasts in the rift, but this was the only beast that the recruits had a very slight possibility of coming across, though it was almost impossible.
"— I trust you're all smart people, and you know when to give up." Zephyr caught the last bit of what the camp commander was saying.
"Do not resist when the bracelet deploys its shield. At that point you have been deemed to be about to take critical damage, and the only thing that can prevent a clean and quick deployment of the shield spell is interference from you."
They all looked at the bracelet on their wrists, noting the commander's final words.
"There will be soldiers around watching you and grading you. They'll be out of your view, but they are there. We won't condone any purposeful intention to harm a fellow colleague from you. There are dire consequences for that." His voice turned cold towards the end. He let that final threat sink in before he nodded to the soldiers near him, signaling the start of the test.
The instructor for each mana node group was present, watching as the soldiers gave the recruits orders to get into position as they walked out of the dome.
Glimmers of the Mana Barrier spell flashed all around spontaneously as the recruits prepared to step outside the dome.
Zephyr started up the spell too, being extra careful with his mana usage. As usual, he was a fair beat slower than everyone around him, but he still got the spell running eventually. He felt a stare and turned toward the direction of the instructors, noticing Mistress Alyra looking straight at him.
'Ahh... I haven't seen her since that day... I'm sure she'd understand I was preparing for this though...' He sighed, giving a slight nod towards her in greeting, which she surprisingly returned openly.
Soon, Zephyr was near the front, about to step out into the vast gray wilderness again.
"May the best man win," Cedric said out loud just as they crossed the barrier.
They were out.
And the air was... not as dead as it felt the first time. The Mana Barrier spell was doing its job properly, filtering out the effect of the flakes slowly drifting down from the gray sky.
They were urged to walk faster, joining the others to go further into the rift. Soon, the dome started to look small in the distance like it did on the first day, its pillar of light stretching up to the sky like a beacon. Zephyr wondered what it was. Inside the dome, one could see it, but not so brightly or prominently.
'Maybe it's the contrast against the backdrop,' Zephyr concluded.
They continued for a long while, going deeper into the rift until the soldiers leading them began to slow their pace as they got to the edge of a cliff. Those at the front had stopped, staring down below and murmuring among themselves. Zephyr and Cedric at the back had to catch up. They, along with those just catching up spread out or squeezed their way through trying to see what the others were looking at.
"Whoa..." The view stopped Zephyr in his tracks.
A pitch black forest.
In the simplest words, that was what it was. There was no gray here anymore, but a deep black that seemed to absorb the little light available in this world. It was like a black carpet was stretched below them, vast and unwelcoming, like a gaping maw that wanted to swallow them up. And that seemed to be their destination.