Rin sat alone on a corner bench, applying green ointment to the scratch on her arm. The ointment was cold and a bit sticky, but the burning sensation in her wound slowly subsided.
She stared at the small tube in her hand.
Topical anti-spore.
Items like this weren't sold publicly.Only dome medical personnel or high-ranking military families had access to medicines like this.
So who exactly was Kurohana Mei?
Rin put the tube into her jacket pocket,then leaned her head against the wall. Her body was still tired from the earlier test. But her mind couldn't settle.
How could I "feel" the Hound's attack pattern?
Not a prediction.Not intuition.
It was as if sheknew. As if there was an invisible line connecting her mind to the monster.
Rin shook her head slowly,trying to ignore it.
Maybe it was just a coincidence.
But deep down,she knew it wasn't.
Ten minutes later, the door to Arena-B opened.
Akira came out.Still alive, but gasping for breath. His uniform was torn at the sleeve, and there was a thin scratch on his cheek. His face was pale, his eyes wide. As if he had just seen something terrifying.
Rin immediately stood up."Akira!"
Akira waved weakly,then stumbled towards the bench. He fell onto it, breathing heavily, clutching his chest.
"I...passed," Akira muttered, his voice hoarse. "Somehow."
"Are you hurt?"
"Just a scratch."Akira touched his cheek, wiping away thin blood. "The monster was insane. I almost died twice. Luckily the rod still had charge."
Rin sat beside him,handing him a water bottle from the vending machine. Akira drank it all in one gulp.
"You...how was it?" Akira asked, glancing at Rin's treated arm.
"Same.Almost died a few times."
"But you passed."
"You did too."
Akira gave a faint smile.A tired smile. "We're still alive, Rin. That's what matters."
Rin nodded.But something was bothering her.
Akira seemed more shaken than usual.
"Are you...sure you're okay?" Rin asked softly.
Akira was silent for a moment,then answered in a low tone. "In the arena earlier... I felt like the monster knew I was afraid. Like... it could feel my fear. And it got more aggressive because of it."
Rin looked at Akira longer.
Monsters could sense human emotions?
Or...did Akira feel something from the monster?
Before Rin could ask further,an announcement echoed.
"All participants who passed the First Stage,please assemble in the Main Hall in 30 minutes. The Second Stage will begin."
Akira let out a long sigh."Not over yet, it seems."
"Not yet,"Rin answered. "Just the beginning."
Thirty minutes later, the Main Hall.
Of the initial 400 participants,only 210 had passed the First Stage.
They gathered in a large hall with a high ceiling and transparent walls displaying a view of the distant Yellow Zone.The atmosphere was tense. Some participants still looked traumatized, others seemed more focused. As if ready for anything.
Rin stood in the middle row,Akira beside her. In front of them was a small stage with a large screen.
Commissioner Lian Shu appeared on stage.Her black-and-silver uniform perfectly neat. Her gaze was sharp, scanning the entire room.
"Congratulations to those of you who passed the First Stage,"she said in a formal but cold tone. "You have proven you have the basic physical ability to survive. But that is not enough."
The screen behind her lit up,displaying a simple chart.
STAGE 1.PHYSICAL & REFLEXES
STAGE 2.MENTAL & PSYCHOLOGICAL ENDURANCE
STAGE 3.SURVIVAL SIMULATION
"A Frontliner doesn't just need a strong body,"Lian continued. "They need a stable mind. The Yellow and Red Zones are not only physically dangerous. They also attack you mentally."
"The Second Stage will test how well you can maintain your consciousness when exposed to low-level hallucinogenic spores."
The crowd began to murmur.
"You will be placed in a sealed room with controlled spore mist for 10 minutes.Your task: remain conscious, remain calm, and complete one simple task."
Lian paused for a moment.Looked at the entire room.
"Participants who cannot complete the task,or lose consciousness... are disqualified."
Complete silence.
"You have 10 minutes to prepare.After that, the Second Stage begins."
Ten minutes later.
Rin and Akira walked towards the Isolation Rooms.Block C. Where the Second Stage would be conducted.
The corridor leading to that block was dark and narrow.LED lights flickered dimly. The air felt colder. As if deliberately made uncomfortable.
"Ever heard about hallucinogenic spores?"Akira asked, his voice slightly trembling.
"Read about it in the archives,"Rin answered. "Low-level spores can make us see things that aren't there. Sounds. Shadows. Sometimes... old memories."
"Old memories?"Akira glanced at Rin. "You mean like... trauma?"
Rin nodded slowly."Yes. The spores react with our brainwaves. If we panic, the effect gets stronger."
Akira swallowed."So... we have to stay calm?"
"Or we fail."
They arrived in front of a large door labeled ISOLATION ROOM. BLOCK C.
The door opened automatically.
Inside was a small room with clean white walls,a single chair in the center, and an oxygen mask hanging beside the chair.
On the wall was a small screen with instructions.
STAGE 2.MENTAL ENDURANCE TEST
DURATION.10 MINUTES
TASK.COMPLETE THE VISUAL PUZZLE THAT APPEARS ON THE SCREEN
DO NOT REMOVE THE MASK UNTIL TIME IS UP
Rin entered the first room.Akira entered the one next to it.
The door closed with a pneumatic hiss.
Rin sat on the chair,put on the oxygen mask. The mask was tight, but comfortable. She could hear her own breathing. Deep, regular.
The screen in front of her lit up.
TEST BEGINS IN 5...4... 3... 2... 1...
Thin green mist began to flow from vents in the ceiling.
Rin stared at the screen.A simple puzzle appeared. Arranging geometric patterns in a specific order.
She began moving her hand on the holographic panel.Arranging patterns.
Easy.
Too easy.
But then...the mist grew thicker.
Rin began to feel something.
A small pulse.An echo. A faint sound.
She shook her head,trying to focus on the puzzle.
But the sound grew louder.
Not a sound from outside.
A sound from inside her head.
The screen in front of her began to shake.Or was that just her eyes?
The puzzle changed.The shapes more complex. The colors shimmered too brightly.
Rin blinked repeatedly.
But then...she saw it.
A shadow in the corner of the room.
A small figure.Standing still.
Rin turned quickly.Nothing there.
She went back to the screen.The puzzle was still there. She kept arranging.
But the shadow appeared again.
Closer this time.
A small child.
Black hair.Wide eyes. Pale face.
Rin recognized that face.
Herself.At age six.
The child stared at her without blinking.
Then whispered with a distant voice.
"Why don't you remember?"
Rin tensed.Her heart pounded hard.
This is a hallucination. This isn't real.
"Why did you forget what happened?"
"Quiet.You're not real."
But the child stepped closer.
"They left you.Why don't you remember?"
Rin squeezed her eyes shut tightly.Her breathing began to quicken.
"Why are you alive...and they're not?"
"QUIET!"
Rin opened her eyes.The child was gone.
The screen was normal again.The puzzle was still there.
Rin took a deep breath.Her hands trembled, but she forced them to move.
Focus. Finish the puzzle. Don't think about anything else.
She finished the pattern quickly.
TIME.8 MINUTES.
Almost done.
The mist grew even thicker.
And this time,she heard another voice.
Her mother's voice.
"Rin...help me..."
Rin froze.
The voice sounded so real.
"Rin...don't leave us..."
Rin bit her lower lip,holding back tears.
This is a hallucination.
But the voice was too real.
"Why didn't you save us?"
TIME.9 MINUTES 30 SECONDS.
Rin forced her hand to move.Finished the last piece of the puzzle.
CLICK.
The screen flashed green.
TASK COMPLETE.TIME. 9 MINUTES 52 SECONDS.
The mist stopped flowing.
Rin removed the mask.She gasped for breath. Her face was wet with sweat.
Or tears.She didn't know.
The door opened.
"Participant 237.PASSED SECOND STAGE."
Rin walked out unsteadily.
Outside,several participants were already waiting.
Some relieved.Some severely traumatized.
Some were crying.Some stared blankly.
Rin sat alone.Her hands still trembled.
Her mother's voice still echoed in her head.
A few minutes later,Akira came out.
Pale face.Red eyes. As if he had been crying.
Without a word,he sat next to Rin.
They both stayed silent.
There was nothing to say.