As soon as the test started, everyone rushed towards the ocean, creating a strange and almost surreal scene where hundreds of candidates ran towards the freezing water in the middle of winter. You could hear the dull sound of their footsteps hitting the cold water, soon followed by the first muffled cries of thermal shock. The icy air, mixed with palpable tension, turned the atmosphere into an unreal spectacle, where courage and madness seed to rge.
Alexandre deliberately stayed slightly behind. He quickly understood the true nature of this test: it wasn't a speed race, but a test of physical and ntal endurance. It was best to avoid the compact mass of students, which could quickly beco dangerous.
At the front, several students, driven by ambition or desperate desire to catch up in the general ranking, chose to closely follow their professor, Jack Blade, who walked on water with supernatural ease, setting a regular yet demanding pace for the test.
All around them, about ten inflatable boats similar to those used by coast guards for sea rescue operations could be seen. The re sight of these boats imdiately reassured so candidates, implicitly reminding them that, despite the toughness of the challenge, no one was truly risking death today. However, nobody really wanted to be rescued, as it ant imdiate and permanent elimination from the exam.
The first minutes of swimming were grueling for everyone. The freezing water bit their skin, causing intense pain like thousands of needles piercing their flesh. Soon, the differences between the candidates beca evident. Although most students knew how to swim correctly, their technical levels varied greatly, significantly affecting their endurance. Amateur swimrs, under the effect of cold and growing panic, exhausted themselves much quicker than the experts.
Alexandre himself was a decent swimr but nothing exceptional. He knew he had to preserve his strength to last as long as possible. After thirty minutes, the first withdrawals were announced by drones flying over the area. Candidates raised their arms, officially abandoning, exhausted by the cold and fatigue, and were imdiately picked up by the inflatable boats.
It was after about forty minutes that Alexandre felt a strange sensation. An unknown, oppressive feeling surged from deep within him. His gaze plunged into the dark abyss below, and his heart tightened suddenly. His breathing beca shallow, and an irrational, almost paralyzing fear overca him. He was trembling—he who was almost immortal, who had survived so many terrifying experiences. How could he feel such primitive fear of water? It made no sense.
Looking at the other students around him, Alexandre quickly realized he wasn't the only one experiencing this inexplicable anxiety. Marlon, a few ters away from him, was also panicking, swimming clumsily, his erratic movents revealing his distress.
All around them, fear spread rapidly. So students were completely disoriented, others struggled to catch their breath, and a few even sank into uncontrollable panic attacks, crying or screaming in absolute terror.
Alexandre then realized that this test was not only evaluating the physical endurance of the candidates but also their ntal resistance to a phobia induced by the Z Virus itself. He began to understand that this collective fear of deep sea water was a natural defense reaction from the virus, as if desperately trying to avoid seawater, possibly toxic to it.
Alert and focused, Alexandre understood he had to quickly find a solution if he wanted to continue the test without succumbing to this collective panic.
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