The Author's POV

Soon after the professor initiated the simulation, my surroundings started to change.

Thick lush trees started appearing from beneath my feet followed by soft and crumbly soil that caused my feet to slowly sink.

My visibility slowly started getting blocked by the towering trees that started sprouting from the ground at an incredible speed.

Extending my hand forward to touch a tree, I was immensely surprised by the realistic sensation that spread through my fingers. Running my hand along the tree trunk it felt like I was touching the lines and wrinkles of an old man's face. It had an uneven surface where I could feel the flaky nature of the dark exterior, that crumbled and peeled, with a crackling sound at the slightest pressure exerted by my fingers.

It almost felt like I was touching the real thing.

It didn't feel like I was touching a bunch of codes, but an actual tree.

"How intriguing..."

[Rank 1750 Ren Dover - Team points: 6]

As I was busy being mesmerized by how realistic the trees were, a notification popped up in front of me.

Seeing the notification, I quickly swiped left to discard it and fell into deep thought.

The game was simple.

Each student had one point, and every time a teammate died the team would lose a team point.

The teams that reached 0 points would then be automatically eliminated and hence lose the game.

The only way to gain points was through completing the hidden tasks available on the map.

At the end of the test, there will be a ranking list that ranks the teams in accordance with their performance.

Taking a good look at my surroundings, my teammates were nowhere in sight.

In fact, although the professor never mentioned this to us when briefing us on the rules, I already knew that everyone was going to be separated from each other.

Well, I was the one who created the scenario in the first place.

The main goal of this test was to survive for 1 hour.

Although it sounded easy, it was in fact not. If it were that easy what sort of test would this be?

The lack of information provided by the professor was intentional because this essentially meant that there was only 1 rule.

And that was to 'survive'

Each person was directly given a weapon, which was automatically given to them depending on the weapon that they had registered on the first day of the academy.

In my case, a sleek black katana rested on the side of my hips.

-Shua! -Shua!

Swinging it a couple of times to adjust myself to the weight of the sword, I nodded in satisfaction.

It feels identical to the katana provided to us by the academy.

Sheathing the katana back into the scabbard, I warily glanced towards my surroundings.

When telling us the rules, the professor never mentioned anything apart from the fact that you must survive, and the more teammates survive with you at the end of the test, the more points your team had.

He purposely left out the details in regards to killing, and because of this, the students automatically assumed that killing was allowed.

Which was his true purpose.

between the 'competent' and 'incompetent' students. This was so that he

into making a pact with a

was to turn this test into a hunting party

couple of scenarios

building a grudge against an

lost miserably, their pride would cause them to build

some would choose to give up right away, but certain prideful and arrogant individuals would of course not accept their defeat and seek revenge at every possible opportunity

and they slowly realize the gap between themselves and Kevin's overwhelming talent, they fall into depravity and despair at their inability to take

point, professor Thibaut would finally make his move by

a make a pact would be made, and a

short, this test was full of ulterior

to get a

thus

trees...I should be on the east

south side where the desert is located...Melissa and Amanda

locations, I started to formulate

because I was obsessed with them, no,

but not what will happen to me, as I have never written anything outside of the scope of the main

up to, I could make a rough estimate on the timing of the events, and how

1 hour, while it does sound easy, excluding the high-ranking students, strong simulations of beasts will be roaming the map preventing me from staying in

thing that the professor didn't

they would've never expected that the creature that was hunting them could perceive their

to develop survival

minutes trying to get a good grasp of his surroundings before making his way towards the

Jin, but they then

to make my way towards the center where a

I

definitely going to gather at the center, that's

were to go there, the only options I had were to either directly get killed by one of them

me

or complete a hidden task so that even if

discard the first option. Just the thought of interacting with Arnold pisses me off. Moreover just because I know what will happen, doesn't mean I know where

his way towards the center, and if I follow him there, he won't kill me, but

As for the rest?

even have the slightest idea of where

this leaves me with

Complete the hidden task.

general, there were five hidden tasks placed on the map. One in the north, south, east,

difficulty of the task should be something that a rank 1750 like me couldn't hope to be

I was

that I wasn't just your regular rank 1750, I decided to head to where the hidden task

where I thought

I actually don't have a clue

the fact that this was

could only harden myself and aimlessly walk to

idea of where the hidden tasks could be

William K. Johnson has

task was located, I saw a notification once again emerge on the corner of my view, prompting

ignoring me because

I don't really see our team having more than 2-3 points which would put

but for someone like Arnold, this could be considered a humiliating score, which will result in more troublesome situations where I would have to interact

really don't want to involve myself with

didn't lash out against him last time was because of the annoying things that could come as a consequence of my actions. Moreover, if he really wanted to, he could use some of his influence to directly affect my parent's

if that

stray dogs that didn't know their place. Though, at the expense of some dire consequence that I