The second stage began without warning.
The moment the last candidate stepped away from the crystal pillars, the ground beneath us dissolved.
Not cracked.
Not shattered.
It simply… vanished.
The world flipped.
Shouts erupted as hundreds of bodies dropped at once, swallowed by darkness. Wind tore past my ears as I fell, my stomach lurching violently.
So this is how they start it.
I twisted my body midair, controlling my descent the way I had learned on far deadlier battlefields.
Then—
THUD.
I landed in a crouch, knees burning but intact.
Dust filled the air.
Torches flared to life one by one, revealing a massive enclosed forest—ancient trees, broken stone ruins, and thick fog crawling along the ground like something alive.
Screams echoed in the distance.
Some from fear.
Some from pain.
A voice boomed from above, amplified by magic.
"Welcome to the Survival Zone."
I looked up through the canopy, eyes sharp.
"For the next twenty-four hours," the examiner continued, "you will remain inside this area."
A pause.
"There are monsters."
More screaming.
"You may form groups. You may betray each other. You may hide."
Another pause—longer this time.
"But understand this."
The pressure suddenly increased, pressing down on my chest.
"This is not a test of bravery."
A shadow moved between the trees.
"This is a test of instinct."
The voice faded.
Silence followed.
Then—
A low growl.
My Despair Sense flared instantly.
"Fear detected."
"Hostility detected."
I drew the sword halfway from its sheath.
Not fully.
Enough.
From the fog ahead, something stepped into view.
A wolf—twice the size of a normal one. Its eyes glowed faintly red, saliva dripping from its fangs as it locked onto me.
A Feral Beast.
Low-tier.
But deadly to untrained candidates.
Somewhere to my left, I heard panicked footsteps.
"No—stay back!"
A scream cut short.
The wolf lunged.
I moved.
Shadow Reinforcement surged through my legs as I sidestepped, the beast's claws missing my chest by inches. I twisted, striking its side with the blade's edge—not enough to kill.
The wolf yelped and crashed into a tree.
I didn't chase it.
Why?
Because the forest was waking up.
Growls.
Crashes.
Shouts turning into silence.
The exam wasn't about killing monsters.
It was about enduring fear.
About not breaking.
I climbed onto a ruined stone structure, scanning the area.
Groups were already forming—strong candidates banding together, weaker ones clinging to them desperately.
And others…
Others were being hunted.
The blade pulsed.
"Despair density increasing."
"Synchronization rising: 12%."
I exhaled slowly.
So this place was perfect for me.
A sudden roar shook the ground.
Trees bent violently as something massive moved in the distance—far larger than the wolf I had just faced.
Candidates froze.
"What… what was that?"
I smiled faintly, eyes dark.
"That," I whispered, gripping the sword tighter,
"is when the real test begins."
And deep within the forest, a monster far beyond the exam's intended difficulty opened its eyes.