Matthew Atkinson & Natalie Russell
Fifth Layer of the Supernatural Realm
In an unknown space, three hundred students from the University of Oxford appeared at the same time.
They discovered that the place was filled with fog, and apart from the flat ground beneath their feet, everything else was a blank expanse.
The freshmen were all curious and looked around.
The teaching staff, management staff, and guest supernaturals, however, seemed unfazed and remained calm.
"Everyone, please stay put and wait patiently." Professor Isabel Grant spoke up.
Upon hearing this, the students fell silent and waited.
A moment later, as the fog dissipated, everyone realized that there were still many people around.
It should be said that there were countless people.
One university group after another.
However, most groups were not full, unlike the University of Oxford, where there were not enough spots.
Coincidentally, the University of Cambridge was right next to them.
The elderly man at the head of the group was probably the principal of the University of Cambridge.
When he noticed that the University of Oxford was next to them, he smiled and nodded in their direction.
However, some teachers and students looked at the University of Oxford with a fierce fighting spirit.
The next moment, a notification popped up in the left eye of every freshman.
[Each group has 60 seconds to select ten representatives to stand in the red area.]
The University of Oxford's ten representatives had already been decided.
So, upon seeing the prompt, Natalie, Matthew, and others stepped forward, went to the front, and stood in the red area as required.
Matthew noticed that among the representatives from the University of Cambridge, a pair of eyes kept looking in their direction.
Now, thanks to his Observation Haki, it was easier for him to notice such things.
He turned his head and saw that it was a young man with a buzz cut.
To be precise, the other party was looking at Natalie, and their eyes were filled with fighting spirit.
Matthew wasn't the only one who noticed the other person. The other members also took notice of him.
"That's Marcus Kelly from the University of Cambridge, a Magma-Magma Devil Fruit user. He's very strong and is being groomed by his university as a potential powerhouse."
Filip Walker whispered, "I also heard that he has always regarded Miss Natalie as his rival and wants to surpass her."
Everyone suddenly understood, and Matthew finally remembered that this Marcus Kelly was the student who was specially recruited by the University of Cambridge.
In fact, they were from the same hometown, both hailing from London City.
Sixty seconds passed quickly.
A holographic screen suddenly appeared in front of all the contestants.
Professor Grant had told them at university that these things would happen, so they weren't surprised. They were just watching the holographic screen curiously.
Soon, the holographic screen recorded the contestants' information, and then a prompt appeared.
[Please decide on your team captain.]
The professor said that in the fifth layer of the supernatural realm, the team captain would receive the most rewards, and that the most capable person must take on this role.
In everyone's mind, Natalie Russell should be the captain.
However, this had already been discussed, so there was no further debate.
Everyone clicked on Matthew's profile picture to confirm who the team captain was.
Later, university staff and guest supernaturals were somewhat surprised to find that the University of Oxford's team had not chosen Natalie Russell as their captain.
Grand Magister Russell, in particular, looked quite surprised.
He never expected that the Atkinson family's kid would actually become the captain.
Could it be that this kid has some extraordinary talent?
[Captain's identity has been confirmed: Matthew Atkinson.]
[This Supernatural Realm Layer is a competition-based layer, with three modes: Survival Mode, Hunting Mode, and Escape Mode.]
[All participants, please draw your challenge mode.]
Drawing lots was entirely a matter of luck.
As the team captain, Matthew took the initiative and began drawing lots.
The method was very simple. There were one hundred red balloons on the screen in front of them.
Tap one, and the balloon would pop, revealing its contents.
Matthew randomly picked one from the middle.
The balloon burst, revealing the challenge mode Matthew got. [Hunting Mode]
Everyone was pleased.
Hunting mode was the simplest of the three modes.
As long as they were strong enough, they could kill indiscriminately.
With Natalie, the top freshman, on their team, their strength was naturally sufficient.
As long as everyone drew more than four lots for the Hunting Mode, the Supernatural Realm would start the Hunting Challenge for everyone.
The second person to draw lots was Natalie.
The girl didn't click the middle, but clicked the edge, and what popped up was [Survival Mode].
The survival mode was also decent, providing opportunities to showcase one's abilities.
As long as it was not the escape mode, it was fine.
Escape mode was the most frustrating and the most dangerous.
Entering escape mode would seal everyone's abilities, turning them into ordinary people.
In this challenge, Natalie's advantage as the top freshman would be lost entirely.
In addition, the escape mode contained various terrifying traps and was extremely dangerous.
After Natalie finished drawing, the muscular woman stepped forward and chose one of the red balloons.
-Pop
The balloon burst, revealing the lot: [Escape Mode]
Just what they feared.
Upon seeing these words, Zoe turned pale with fright.
"It's just one lot, it's nothing," a team member next to her comforted her.
However, no one dared to draw lots again at this moment.
Matthew then said, "The drawing time is only 60 seconds. How long do you plan to dawdle?"
"I'll do it."
The speaker was Filip Walker.
This kid was lucky. He drew the same lot as Matthew: [Hunting Mode]
However, the next few people were not so fortunate.
The escape mode, rarely seen, kept popping.
After all ten people had drawn lots, everyone's expressions turned grim.
Because out of ten lots, five were for escape mode.
This result was absolutely the worst possible outcome.
Behind them, in the crowd, the bigshots who had come to watch the show all changed their expressions upon seeing this result.
Surprise, disappointment, solemnity, worry... and so on.
"How could it be escape mode?"
"They are just too unlucky."
"Yeah. Escape mode has the lowest probability of appearing. I didn't expect them to be the ones to draw it."
"This is troublesome. Escape mode will restrict their abilities. Gran Magister Russell's daughter has completely lost her advantage."
"I'm afraid it's more than that. Of the three modes, the escape mode is the most dangerous. People die every time it appears."
"So, all that effort we put into getting this spot was for nothing?"
"You still care about these things now? It's good enough if Natalie doesn't get into any trouble. This child is someone the higher-ups are specifically looking after, because she's involved in an important plan..."
The crowd was buzzing with discussion.
The university's teaching and management staff all frowned.
In particular, Professor Grant and Professor Holland looked extremely grim.
The atmosphere in the University of Oxford's group was not good.
In contrast, the University of Cambridge, next to them, was overjoyed because they drew four lots for the Hunting Mode, four lots for the Survival Mode, and only two lots for the Escape Mode.
This meant they could choose hunting mode or survival mode, whichever they preferred.
"We've got this in the bag."
This was the prevailing opinion at the University of Cambridge.
...
"What...what should we do?" Zoe Chapman asked with a mournful face.
"I'm so unlucky, I actually drew the Escape Mode." Bobby Burns looked remorseful.
"Me too."
"And me..."
"Matthew, Miss Natalie, we've dragged you down this time."
Natalie didn't speak, but looked at Matthew.
Matthew, however, still had a big smile and seemed very confident.
"It's okay. Escape mode also has its advantages. Although it's a bit dangerous, ten people can participate together, and the speed of accumulating points will be faster."
As he finished speaking, a voice suddenly rang out from behind. "Matthew, you are the captain. After passing the first hurdle, you will voluntarily choose to forfeit the competition, understand?"
The one who suddenly spoke was the principal of the University of Oxford.
The other party's suggestion was clearly made with Natalie's best interests at heart.
The principal was well aware of Natalie's importance.
As long as Natalie didn't die, a single failure in the supernatural realm wasn't considered a serious incident.
"That's right. Matthew, listen up. If you pass the first hurdle, immediately forfeit."
Grand Magister Russell then spoke up.
The old man said such things, naturally, for the sake of his daughter.
In the Challenge Layer, regardless of the mode, once the team passed the first mode level, they could choose to forfeit and end the competition.
As for how to pass the first mode level in escape mode?
It was very straightforward.
If they genuinely thought that there was no way to escape, then sacrificing three teammates would suffice to clear the hurdle.
"I see." Matthew didn't say much, just gave a simple reply, but didn't take it to heart.
He still had a lot of confidence in the escape mode.
It wasn't because he was confident in his own intelligence.
Instead, from Professor Grant's previous explanations, he discovered that he was pretty familiar with the mechanisms and scenarios in the escape mode.
Even before coming to the Fifth Layer, Matthew had hoped that he could draw the Escape Mode this time.
Only in this way could he better conceal his true strength.
...
[Based on the lottery results, your challenge mode is "Escape Mode." All participants, please prepare yourselves.]
This prompt appeared, then the holographic screen disappeared.
The next moment, a large door appeared before them.
Behind the main gate was a giant building, similar to a movie theater, with many seats inside, and directly in front of it was a giant screen.
This was the spectator area for Escape Mode.
From here, everyone in the group could see Matthew, Natalie, and others' performance in escape mode on a giant screen.
The spectator area differed in each mode. In the Hunting Mode, it was an arena.
Time was limited, so everyone quickly entered the theater.
The spectators found seats and sat down.
Matthew and the others followed the instructions and arrived at the entrance to a secret room, waiting for it to open.
That's right.
Escape Mode was basically an escape room game.
The secret room contained various traps and mechanisms. If the team failed to escape the secret room within the time limit, they would be killed by the traps and mechanisms.
Historically, many teams that selected Escape Mode were wiped out in the first round.
Thinking about this, Filip Walker, Zoe Chapman, and the others all had pale faces.
Suddenly, Bobby Burns said, "If we really can't get past the first level... count me in as a sacrifice. I just drew the escape mode, so I'll consider it as atonement for my bad luck."
"Miss Natalie is very important. We can't let her get dragged down here."
Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at Bobby Burns.
Nobody expected that this guy would have such courage.
Filip Walker couldn't help but ask, "Bobby, aren't you afraid of dying?"
"Of course, I'm afraid. Who isn't afraid of death?" Bobby Burns said, "I just don't want to drag others down with me."
"Count me, too."
It was Sam Harris who spoke this time. "I also just drew the escape mode, and I don't want to drag Miss Natalie and Matthew down with me."
This kid was a user of the Rubber-Rubber Fruit, and his mind was likely influenced by it. He was a straightforward person.
His words were tantamount to putting the other people who had drawn the escape mode in a hotbed of fire.
Not everyone was fearless.
Who would be willing to sacrifice their life?
Moreover, they were all the pride of the University of Oxford. As long as they get through this hurdle, they will have a bright future. Who would be willing to die voluntarily?
Just when everyone was in an awkward situation.
Matthew chuckled and patted Sam Harris and Bobby Burns on the shoulder, then said, "Don't be so pessimistic. I'm still here."
Upon hearing this, Filip Walker quickly replied, "Yes, yes, Miss Natalie already said that Matthew has keen observation skills in the Supernatural Realm and can foresee opportunities..."
"With Matthew here, we will definitely be able to get through this smoothly."
Others chimed in.
Now, their only hope was probably Matthew.
Just then, the door to the secret room opened.
The crowd's expressions changed, and some hesitated to move forward out of fear.
Matthew noticed that even Natalie seemed a little nervous.
He grasped Natalie's small hand and gave her an encouraging look.
Seeing this, Natalie felt much more at ease as she felt the warmth of Matthew's palm.
The next moment, Matthew took the lead and stepped into the secret room.
Seeing this, the others had no choice but to follow.
They couldn't afford to fall behind.
At this point, the Supernatural Realm would not allow them to withdraw.
...
The instant Matthew and the others stepped into the secret room, the massive screen in the theater lit up, displaying a video feed.
In the video, the first challenge Matthew and his group faced was a sauna.
Almost the instant they stepped into the sauna, the sauna's mechanisms activated, steam billowed, and the temperature rose rapidly.
Seeing this, everyone in the hall was worried about Matthew and the others.
Grand Magister Russell and others were especially nervous, fearing that something might happen to Natalie.
In the video, besides seeing Matthew and his group and the traps and mechanisms of the secret room, they could also hear them talking.
Now, the people in the theater heard panicked voices.
"I feel like all my abilities have disappeared, and even my strength has returned to the level of an ordinary person."
"My claws are gone, and my hands are completely back to normal."
"This feeling is awful."
"Don't think about that now. Let's find a way out quickly. In a little while, we'll be cooked alive."
"What's the temperature inside now?"
"There's a thermometer here, it shows... 47 degrees Celsius. And it's still rising rapidly."
"There's a glass door over there that should be the exit... but it seems to be locked from the outside, we can't open it."
"Hurry up and find the clues. The professor said that the escape room puzzles in escape mode will always give a clue..."
"It's so hot, I can hardly breathe."
Seeing the panicked behavior of these people, the bigshots in the theater all frowned.
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Next Chapters' Name:
Ch.135: Riddles of the First Escape Room
Ch.136: Second Escape Room
Ch.137: The Champion Team