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.

before, Professor Thibaut's goal was to further divide the line between the 'competent' and 'incompetent' students. This was so

students into making a pact with

test

of scenarios where some

such example was building a grudge against an incredibly talented student,

their pride would cause them to build a grudge against Kevin, not because

prideful and arrogant individuals would of course not accept their defeat and seek revenge at

overwhelming talent, they

Thibaut would finally make

would be made, and a new

was full of

get

cheat, and thus knew

trees...I should be on

where the desert is located...Melissa and Amanda should both be on the west side near the ocean, thus meaning that no important

of the main character's locations, I started to formulate a plan regarding my

not because I was obsessed with them, no, rather it's because all the events that will happen will be

predict what happened to them, but not what will happen to me, as I have never written anything

good grasp on what the protagonists were up to, I could make a rough estimate on the

high-ranking students, strong simulations of beasts will be roaming the map preventing me from staying in a single place for

thing that the

creature that was hunting them could

focus on hiding, but actually try to develop survival skills for situations where they were

20 minutes trying to get a good grasp of his surroundings before making his way towards the middle of the map, where

have a slight conflict with Jin, but they then decide to

is thus to make my way towards the center

I

gather at the center,

were to go there, the only options I had were to either

left me with

reuniting with my group, or complete a hidden task so that even if I die I

discard the first option. Just the thought of interacting with Arnold pisses me off. Moreover just because I know what

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

As for the rest?

even have the slightest idea of

this leaves me with only

Complete the hidden task.

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

task was different, moreover, the difficulty of the task should be something that a rank 1750 like me

that is if I was really rank

I decided to head to where the hidden task

where I thought it

fact, I actually don't have a clue as to where the

none of the main characters have ever stepped foot on the east side, where I currently was, I knew nothing about this place. Apart from the fact that this was a forest-type terrain

harden myself and aimlessly walk to where I thought the hidden

of where the hidden tasks could be located, allowing me to have some

Johnson has died -

where I estimated the hidden task was located, I saw a notification once again emerge on

were ignoring me

see our team having more than 2-3 points which would put

all means is not a bad score, but for someone like Arnold, this could be considered a humiliating score, which will result in

I really don't want to

of the annoying things that could come as a consequence of my actions. Moreover, if he really wanted to, he could

if that were to

dogs that didn't know their place. Though, at the