"This is Phase 2 of the selection tests. The Battle Royale!"
The crowd erupted into cheers. The sound echoed through the stadium, bouncing off the walls and mixing with the electric hum of the teleportation runes.
The announcer’s voice continued, clear and authoritative.
"Listen carefully to the rules."
The screens around the stadium lit up, displaying the rules in bold text.
"Rule one. If a participant’s badge breaks, that person will be teleported back imdiately. If all team mbers break their badges, the entire team loses."
A murmur spread through the crowd. So nodded. Others exchanged nervous glances.
"Rule two. If a person is critically injured, they will be teleported back. In return, the team loses that mber for the remainder of the battle royale. No replacents. No exceptions."
The announcer paused, letting the weight of the rule sink in.
"Rule three. To prevent participants from staying in one place, the area of the battlegrounds will be shortened every thirty minutes. The barrier surrounding the zone will close in. Stay inside, or be disqualified."
"Rule four. The last ten standing teams will move on to the Grand Summit Trials."
Cael listened to each rule carefully. It was very straightforward and brutal. Exactly what he expected.
He turned his head toward his team and nodded. Edwin and Aria returned the nod. Brania took a deep breath.
The countdown began on the large screen.
Three.
Two.
One.
"Let Phase 2 comnce!"
The teleportation circle glowed bright blue. The runes pulsed once, twice, then flared with blinding light.
Cael felt the familiar pull of space twisting around him. His vision blurred. The stadium vanished.
....
Cael slowly opened his eyes and found himself in a forest.
Tall trees surrounded him, their branches weaving together to form a dense canopy above.
Patches of sunlight broke through the leaves, casting scattered golden spots on the ground. The air was cool and damp, carrying the sll of earth and moss.
Cael quickly checked on his teammates.
They were struggling slightly. The teleportation had disoriented them.
Cael felt nothing. Maybe due to the constant use of his Teleportation skill and Space elent, which made him immune to the side effects.
After a few monts, his teammates adjusted.
Cael looked at everyone and spoke.
"Let’s take it slow. Preserve as much mana as you can. We will avoid fights until we cannot."
The others nodded. They were not stupid.
Cael turned his head toward the distance. A shimring barrier encased the entire battleground in a perfect circle.
Based on his spatial awareness, the diater was approximately six miles [9.65 KM]
He guessed the barrier would shrink every thirty minutes, just as the rules stated.
Then he realized sothing. Their team was already close to the center of the zone. The barrier was still far away. It would be a long ti before it reached them.
Cael smiled and said,
"Let’s hide for now."
Team Gray began searching for a suitable spot.
They moved carefully, staying low, avoiding open areas. Edwin scouted ahead, using the shadows to check for other teams.
After several minutes of searching, they found it.
An old tree.
Its trunk was massive, wider than six n standing side by side. The bark was thick and cracked, covered in moss and vines.
But there was sothing unusual about it. A hollow space inside, large enough for all four of them to sit comfortably.
Cael entered first. The interior was dark but dry. Roots protruded from the walls and ceiling, creating a natural web. The floor was covered in soft, dry leaves.
Edwin followed. Then Aria. Then Brania.
Once Team Gray was inside, Cael activated his new SS rank skill.
Dream Weave.
Nothing changed from the inside. They could still see the outside through the entrance they walked in. They could still hear the distant sounds of the forest.
But from the outside, the old tree looked completely normal. The entry vanished. Now it was just an old tree standing alone in the clearing.
Cael sat down against the inner wall.
"Now we wait."
...
On the other side of the stadium, multiple screens appeared, hovering in the air for all to see.
Each screen displayed a different team. Their initial actions. Their plans. Their strategies.
Thirty minutes had passed since the battle royale began.
Seraphina watched from her seat, her amber eyes scanning the screens.
Beside her sat instructors from various academies. A few vice principals were also present, their expressions ranging from calm to tense.
Finally, Seraphina saw the team she had been waiting for.
Team Gray.
But as soon as she saw them, her lips twitched.
All she saw was an old tree.
"Is this a joke?"
She muttered under her breath.
Even the announcer, who had been comnting on various teams, paused briefly.
"Let’s see what the rank one team of Phase One is up to."
The recording played. The crowd watched as Cael, Edwin, Aria, and Brania walked toward an old hollow tree. They entered.
Then the hollowness vanished. The tree beca solid.
The announcer’s voice returned, impressed.
"Team Gray used an illusion technique to hide. Indeed, this is a great idea. This way, they can preserve their mana and power and avoid any risks."
The screen changed to another team. By now, teams had started encountering each other. The battles began.
Blades clashed. Spells flew. Badges shattered.
The crowd cheered.
...
Inside the battleground, the ground began to shake.
Cael’s eyes snapped open.
He sat perfectly still, listening. The tremors were faint but steady. Not an earthquake. Sothing else.
He looked at the entrance. There was nobody outside. Just the shaking ground.
Cael slowly walked to the opening.
"You guys stay inside."
Without waiting for a reply, he stepped out.
His eyes fell on the barrier in the distance. It was moving inward. Shrinking.
The ground shook because the barrier was adapting to the terrain changes as it closed in.
Thirty minutes had passed. The first shrink had begun.
Cael turned back toward the tree, ready to re-enter.
Then he sensed them.
It was a team, and by the look of it, they were about to dash into another team, a battle about to begin.
Cael felt he should do sothing.
His long silver hair fluttered as the wind passed through the clearing. A playful smirk appeared on his lips.
"Sorry in advance."
He waved his hand toward the old tree.
Dream Weave deactivated.
The hollow space reappeared. The illusion faded.
"Guys... let’s go."
Edwin was the first to walk out. He looked around, confused.
"Why? Isn’t hiding better?"
Cael shook his head.
"Isn’t it boring? Besides, my mana was constantly draining."
Edwin nodded in understanding.
"So, where are we going now?"
Cael smiled. His purple eyes glead under the filtered sunlight.
"To do sothing fun."
...
Following Cael’s lead, Team Gray moved through the forest.
After several minutes of careful movent, they arrived near a pond.
The water was still, reflecting the canopy above like a dark mirror. Reeds grew along the edges, swaying gently in the breeze.
And on opposite sides of the pond, two teams faced each other.
They had not started fighting yet.
After all, it was too early. The barrier had only shrunk once. There was still plenty of space to hide, to maneuver, to wait. Neither team wanted to be the first to engage.
Not to ntion, they gained nothing even if they defeated the team before them.
No points. No rewards. Just elimination.
And even if they won, they might lose their own team mbers in the process. Badges could break. Injuries could force teleportation.
But they did not know what the other party might be thinking. After eliminating a team, that ant one less competitor for the top ten spots.
So, they stood there. Trapped in a silent dilemma.
Cael was not here for that.
He gestured for his team to stay low. No sounds or movents that would give away their positions.
Then Cael began to walk, his every step slow and deliberate.
The two teams did not notice him. They were too focused on each other, too trapped in their own hesitation.
Cael reached twenty ters from the nearest team, then he used Dream Weave again.
The two teams, which had been about to clash with each other, suddenly beca dazed. Their eyes went empty.
Their expressions blanked. Their bodies went still, like puppets with their strings cut.
All eight of them fell under Cael’s illusion.
It was an easy illusion. He did not need anything complex.
He simply made them see what they expected to see. A fight.
Given the current situation, the participants would not doubt it. They wanted to fight. They expected to fight.
So, Cael gave them a fight.
The real world faded from their perception.
Then Cael smiled and said,
"Now."
Edwin, Aria, and Brania moved; their target was the badges of the two teams.
Within seconds, all eight badges were broken.
Cael deactivated Dream Weave. The illusion dissolved.
But before they ca back to their senses, the two teams vanished in flashes of blue light, teleported back to the stadium.
Their bodies had not been hard. Their mana reserves were still full. But their chance at the Grand Summit Trials was over.
Cael turned to his teammates.
"Easy, isn’t it?"
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