Aka and 29 walked together into what little remained of the regular crowd. They kissed one last time before going their separate ways. Both of them felt strangely calm, because neither had ever failed a test before. But their plan today was to finally lose on purpose, graduate with average scores, and disappear. When they had first arrived, there were at least 500 people. Now there were maybe 50, at most 100.
Aka had already chosen his opponent — Number 11. His rival looked extremely strong physically and carried a sword that resembled a heavy blade. As hidden weapons, he also had a normal dagger and a kunai. His armor was no longer light like an assassin's. At this point it had turned into something closer to a heavy warrior's armor.
Aka approached Number 11 and made his proposal. But 11 rejected him, because even though Aka had tried to fall out of sight over the years, he was still considered one of the strongest there. Aka insisted he had a plan and needed to fight him. Yet 11 still refused and walked away.
Even though his plan had failed, Aka didn't let anger control him anymore. So he went to his second option — Number 37. He provoked him, saying he could take revenge and that he wouldn't even use the heavy gloves he had taken from 44, giving him an advantage. 37 was about to refuse too, but Aka insulted his honor and said he was too scared to even ask for a rematch. Unable to control his emotions like a child despite his age, 37 went to the instructor together with Aka and they formally requested the match.
Both Aka and 37 had survived long enough to fully master their bodies and weapons. Each of them had their own hidden trump cards. Before the fight started, the instructor announced their failure counts. Neither of them had ever failed, so it would not be a death match. And with that, the fight began.
At the start, Aka handed the heavy metal gloves he had taken from 44 to the instructor. The match officially began. 37 was angrier than ever, but he still kept control and didn't rush in. Aka dashed forward and, before 37 could react, he suplexed him. But 37 had done this intentionally — as he fell, he grabbed Aka with his long arms and slammed him down instead. Then, before climbing on him, he used his shoes — which had spikes on the sides — to slash Aka. These spiked gloves and shoes were 37's signature gear.
While Aka was still down, he grabbed 37's kicking leg and tried to pull him down. But 37 was used to this move by now and didn't fall. Standing on one leg, he slashed Aka's arms repeatedly with his spiked gloves.
Aka finally ran out of patience and threw a throwing dagger at 37's knee. Even though 37 knew Aka had this trump card, he couldn't react in time and fell to his knees. Aka seized the chance, ran in, yanked the dagger out of one knee, stabbed it into the other, pulled it free, and retreated.
37 stood back up and the fight continued. Now Aka held the throwing dagger again, and thanks to all the training he had done with 29, his single–dagger technique had improved greatly. He rushed in once more, dodged 37's punch, slid his dagger into a gap in the armor, and then quickly stabbed and withdrew it from 37's legs as well. His combat skills had grown so much that all of this barely took ten seconds.
But 37 wasn't acting randomly. He collapsed deliberately and waited for Aka to approach. The moment Aka stepped in, 37 threw his own dagger at Aka's weapon arm. Then he grabbed another throwing knife and stabbed Aka's other arm, shoving him down with all his strength. He pinned Aka and kept punching him mercilessly, never letting him stand up again. As a final attempt, Aka weakly raised his hand and brought the throwing knife near 37's eyes. But 37 grabbed his arm, took the knife, and stabbed him again and again. He didn't stop until he was satisfied. Then he bowed respectfully to the instructor and announced that he was done.
The instructor declared the match over and confirmed 37 as the winner. 37 finally relaxed and eagerly waited to hear what he would gain. Since he hadn't killed Aka, he could only take what Aka had left on the field — the heavy gloves he had given the instructor and one throwing knife.
37 returned to his room. Meanwhile, Aka had already been healed by the healer and awakened. He bowed respectfully while listening to the instructor's evaluation.
"Number 47, you've endured and survived well until now," the instructor said. "But with this failure, survival will become much harder for you. So grow stronger as quickly as possible, and repay the investment we've made in you."
Aka thanked him and maintained his respectful bow until the instructor left. Then he went to the training hall and began exercising while waiting for 29. When she arrived, they trained together until they were completely exhausted. But they didn't talk much.
They finally spoke when they returned to their room. They reported their fights to each other. 29 had fought someone who would have killed her if she lost, yet she had still managed to lose without being suspected. Aka explained his situation too, saying his opponent would likely be a distraction in the future since he had graduated without ever failing. As for their losses, 29 had lost a dagger, while Aka had lost the heavy gloves he was never fully used to and one of his very valuable six throwing knives. Considering their plan to stay unnoticed, this was a fair price to pay. When they finished talking, they fell asleep in each other's arms.
The next day, they went to the hall. For the first time, around fifty people were lined up in an orderly fashion. The instructors used a spell to form the new teams. Everyone was assigned a fresh number based on their failure counts.
29 became Number 23, and Aka became Number 22. It seemed that after those with zero or one failure, they were considered the strongest remaining.
The teams were split as follows:Team 1 — Numbers 1 through 21Team 2 — Numbers 22 through 34Team 3 — Numbers 35 through 53
Each team followed a different instructor into rooms that had always been guarded and sealed before. Aka and 29 had no idea what went on inside them until now.
When Team 2 entered their room, Numbers 22, 23, and 24 were called forward. Three people were assigned under Number 22 and 24, while four people were assigned under Number 23. Their very first lesson was team planning
They were now considered officially graduated. After all the years they had survived and grown, it was time to repay their "debt." From now on, they would go on missions in squads of four and were expected to succeed — or die trying.
The instructor also told them more about the world and the map. They were currently in the Tai Mountain branch of the great Wudang Sect, also known as The Nest. And at last, they would soon leave The Nest as adults. The instructor also explained that the Wudang Sect was located on the Main Continent and was one of the eight greatest sects beneath the Central State. To show how powerful it was, he explained that one–eighth of the continent's towns, the entire Nest, and even the whole mountain were under Wudang control. He also said that anyone who reached 20 years old would be tested by the sect, and if they showed talent, they would be accepted as outer disciples. Even this tiny chance gave everyone a faint glimmer of hope.
Before leaving, the instructor said they had exactly one month. Their first test as graduates would be to fight one of their instructors as a team within that month. During that time, each squad would train together, learn teamwork, and prepare for the exam. After that, they would finally step into the outside world.
Their quality of life improved dramatically. Real silk beds were placed in their rooms, and those who lived together were given one large shared bed. The cafeteria now served unlimited food 24/7. It was as if they had been granted a month of vacation as a reward for surviving all those brutal years.
YAAAY, FINALLY — THANK GOODNESS I'M DONE WITH THOSE BORING 'NANO MACHINE AHHH' PARTS! NOW I CAN FOCUS A BIT MORE ON WORLD-BUILDING AND I'M SO HAPPY ABOUT IT! IF YOU'VE READ OR EVEN JUST TAKEN A LOOK, THANK YOU SO, SO MUCH — SERIOUSLY, I REALLY APPRECIATE IT, AND IT'S THANKS TO YOU THAT I KEPT GOING. I HOPE I CAN KEEP WRITING EVEN MORE. THANK YOU AGAIN, REALLY — HAVE A GREAT DAY