The instructor's voice had grown hoarse from repetition, yet he maintained his stance before the swirling azure portal, thodically distributing bracelets to the steady stream of cadets passing through. The ethereal light from the portal cast dancing shadows across his stern features as he delivered his briefing once again.
"I'll repeat again," he called out, his tone carrying a hint of resignation. "The test is survival based, lasting for one month. Your score directly correlates with your survival ti." His eyes narrowed as he emphasized the next point. "Hurting fellow students is strictly prohibited!"
The portal's gentle hum provided a constant backdrop to his words. "The mont you enter, you'll be teleported to a random location." He paused, catching sight of a couple approaching with intertwined fingers. "And no, holding hands doesn't an you get transported together," he added with a touch of exasperation.
"If you encounter any problems and are unable to continue, press the button in your bracelet for instant extraction..." his voice continued to echo as the procession of students moved forward.
Marcus approached with asured steps, collecting his bracelet with practiced ease. As he drew closer to the portal, a slight smirk played across his features. The academy's presentation of this as a simple test seed almost comical to him. His gaze swept across his fellow students, noting their casual deanor with a mixture of pity and disdain. In his assessnt, most wouldn't last more than a few days, let alone the full month. With one final breath, his hand instinctively brushed against the familiar weight of his sword at his waist. Then, without hesitation, he stepped through, vanishing into the dinsional void.
At the back of the line, Ambrose observed the proceedings with growing unease. He had already convinced Hualing and Adelaide to go ahead, though Hualing had been particularly resistant to the idea. He had to explain to her that it wouldn't matter either way since they'd be teleported randomly upon entry to finally persuade her to proceed without him.
As the line dwindled and his turn approached, Ambrose's apprehension only grew. He collected his bracelet, studying the swirling portal with a critical eye. Years of reading similar scenarios in stories had taught him better – when a main character was involved in such scenes, unexpected things often happened. Dungeon breaks, high level monsters, sabotage... and when multiple protagonists were involved, the likelihood of unexpected developnts increased exponentially. With himself, Marcus, and ihua all potentially qualifying as main characters, he couldn't shake the feeling that sothing extraordinary was bound to occur.
What troubled him even more was the portal's peculiar effect on him. It seed to call to him, almost demanding his entry. His space-ti talent was resonating more powerfully than ever before. If it was what he thought, there was a high possibility of awakening a space-related skill. However, such an awakening would likely render him unconscious and vulnerable in an unknown location. Although he could cancel the forcefull awakening, he wouldn't bet on it actually working. He looked at the description of one of his abilities:
[Thought Transmission](A) - An evolved form of ntal communication that approaches true telepathy. The user can transmit their gathered information telepathically to multiple willing recipients within a 500-ter radius, complete with sensory details from their observations. They gain near-perfect sensitivity to ntal transmissions in their vicinity, able to detect, intercept, and even redirect telepathic communications within 300 ters. This sensitivity extends to reading surface thoughts and emotional states of those around them.
With a resigned sigh, he formulated a hasty contingency plan. He would attempt to establish thought transmission with both Hualing and Adelaide imdiately upon entry, hoping at least one of them would be within range to locate him before anything else did.
The mont he crossed the threshold, he activated his ability, but before he could complete the transmission, system notifications began flooding his consciousness:
[Ding! The host has co into contact with a large amount of spatial force]
[Ding! Requirents t! Forcefully awakening an observation related skill with space essence]
"Dammit! You didn't even ask this ti," Ambrose managed to grumble before consciousness slipped away, his body crumpling onto the grass below.
...
Marcus materialized in a vast expanse of grassland, his trained instincts imdiately prompting him to scan his surroundings with careful precision. Only after completing a thorough assessnt did he allow his guard to lower slightly. His mind quickly prioritized the essentials - shelter and sustenance would be his first objectives. Though he knew the instructors had kept certain details to themselves, the fundantal nature of this trial remained true to their words - survival was paramount.
As he traversed the terrain in search of a suitable location for shelter, a twinge of regret nagged at him. His past life's mories of these trial grounds were frustratingly vague - he had been too preoccupied with running from... The thought dissolved as his ears caught the distinct sound of flowing water. Without hesitation, he sprinted toward the source.
The sight of the river sparked an unexpected reaction in him. In a mont of pure, unbridled joy, he leaped into the water, splashing about like a child before abruptly freezing mid-motion. "How embarrassing," he chided himself, sowhat mortified by his display. He tried to rationalize his behavior - surely the relentless sun justified such excitent over finding water? The excuse felt weak even to his own ears.
With water secured, his next priority crystallized - establishing shelter nearby would guarantee access to both hydration and potential food sources through fishing. After careful consideration, he selected a spot roughly thirty ters from the riverbank - close enough for convenience but far enough to avoid potential flooding and other water related risks.
The construction process began with him cutting down logs and using his sword to dig holes for the support posts. He found himself apologizing to his trusted blade for this mundane abuse of its craftsmanship.
Sword: (╯°□°)╯︵ ┻━┻
Using common reeds gathered from the riverside, he bound the logs together, then covered the structure with a layer of leaves. The result was... modest, to put it kindly. Calling it a house would be generous to the point of delusion, but functionality mattered more than aesthetics in this situation.
After completing the shelter, he returned to the river to carefully clean his sword with a cloth before returning it to its sheath. His attention turned to his next challenge - food procurent. Looking at the rushing river, he reassessed his initial optimism about fishing. The task suddenly seed more daunting than he'd anticipated as he lacked both tools and skills. With daylight waning, he decided to focus his imdiate efforts on hunting small animals in the surrounding area. He needed to secure so form of sustenance before darkness fell.
The entire ti, a part of him remained acutely aware that this was just the beginning. The real challenges of this month-long trial still lay ahead, but at least he had established a basic foothold for survival.
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