The lights in the briefing room dimmed slowly. The large circular room grew quiet as all the students stood in rows, waiting. At the center stood Professor Kael Durnas, his arms crossed, eyes sharp like a hawk.
"Listen up," he said, his voice deep and steady. "Today's Simulation Test will show me more about you than your rankings ever will."
He tapped a glowing sphere beside him. A floating map appeared above the platform. It showed a ruined city, full of broken buildings, flickering lights, and red danger zones glowing faintly.
"This is Sector Theta. It's a training zone, but the danger is real enough to hurt you if you're careless."
He pointed at different parts of the map. "Your mission is simple: rescue seven civilian dummies hidden in the city and bring them to safety. You'll have to deal with Kaiju enemies, tricky environments, and time pressure."
Murmurs spread through the room.
"Some Kaiju will charge you head-on. Others will hide and wait. A few… may get into your heads. You'll need your powers, yes—but don't depend on them alone. Use your minds. Use your teammates."
The students grew quiet again.
Then Durnas added, "This is also a graded exam. Fail here, and your rank will drop. Badly."
A soft chime rang through the room. The map changed, and now team assignments began to appear on the screen in glowing blue letters.
The screen above flickered to life, casting a soft blue glow across the quiet room. Names began to appear—three per team. The air felt heavier with each new line.
*TEAM 1*
Kai Draven ( Absolute Manipulation)
Renji Takahara (Battle Instinct)
Mina Arlow (Sound Pulse)
Renji stood beside Kai, arms crossed. "Well," she said with a confident smirk, "looks like they want us to carry this team."
Kai didn't respond, but his glance toward her was sharp—acknowledging her without words.
Mina stood a few steps behind them, quiet as always. She gave a small nod and adjusted the earpiece embedded behind her silver hair. No one underestimated her silence.
*TEAM 2*
Airi Tsukino ( Elemental Mage)
Rika Amagiri (Neuroverse)
Leo Kisaragi (Explosive Combat Style)
Leo gave a casual thumbs-up. "Alright, Team Beauty and the Bomb reporting in."
Rika tilted her head. "We're not carrying you."
Airi didn't even look at him. "Focus. This isn't a playground."
*TEAM 3*
Kaito Shiranui (Arsenal Vein)
Sera Volen (Energy Blade Manipulation)
Troy Denzil (Barrier Craft)
When Kaito Shiranui's name appeared, the room buzzed with whispers.
"That's the fifth S-Rank…"
"He's the one who can use every weapon, right?"
"I didn't even know he existed until now…"
Kaito stood near the back—calm, quiet, unreadable. A long black case rested on his back, and a thin metal wire coiled loosely around his wrist like a snake waiting to strike. He didn't seem surprised by the attention.
Professor Durnas stepped forward again.
"You have five minutes to gear up and report to your gates. Once inside, the simulation begins."
He paused, looking over them with a soldier's eyes.
"This is your first real test. Treat it like one."
He turned without another word.
(SIMULATION BEGINS)
Five minutes later, the teams stood before massive steel doors, each marked with a glowing number. The simulation gates hissed softly as energy pulsed through the floors.
Professor Durnas' voice echoed through the comms in each student's earpiece.
"Remember your objective. Rescue the civilians. Work as a team. You will be watched."
The countdown began.
3…
2…
1.
The gates opened.
Each team stepped forward into darkness—and then light exploded around them.
The ruined city stretched endlessly in all directions. Buildings stood cracked and leaning, smoke drifted from distant fires, and sirens echoed faintly through the air. It felt real—like a place long abandoned after disaster.
Holographic civilians, looking and moving like real people, were scattered throughout the city. Some hid in alleyways, others called for help from broken windows.
(Team 1 — Kai, Renji, and Mina POV)
Kai moved ahead without speaking. He held out one hand, and with a quiet hum, the broken metal from a collapsed building slid aside like water. His control was smooth, precise—every piece moved exactly where he wanted it to.
"Clear path," he said.
Renji followed just behind him, her red eyes scanning every rooftop, alley, and window. Her power gave her short flashes of what might happen next, helping her sense danger before it came.
"Movement on the left rooftop," she said suddenly.
Without missing a beat, Mina stepped forward. A soft, high-pitched tone buzzed from the collar around her neck. She raised her hand, and a sharp sound wave shot upward like a spear. A fake drone—a Kaiju scout—shattered instantly.
Renji gave a quick nod. "Nice shot."
They moved like a sharp unit. Kai broke through obstacles, Renji guided them around traps, and Mina silenced any threats without speaking a word.
As they entered deeper into the ruined streets, Kai spotted a faint yellow glow inside a broken car.
"Civilian dummy inside," he said. "Let's go."
(Team 2 — Airi, Rika, and Leo POV)
Airi walked with a calm, steady pace. Her eyes glowed softly as she read the magical flow of the area. She could sense weak spots in the buildings and hidden Kaiju signals beneath the surface.
Behind her, Rika used her Neuroverse ability to create small illusions. Not enough to fool real enemies—but enough to trick cameras or hide their presence from early detection systems.
Leo didn't hide at all. He marched ahead, his short sword strapped to his back, confident and full of energy.
"This is more fun than I thought," he grinned. "We're getting graded for this? Easy points."
"Don't rush," Airi said, her voice calm but firm.
They stopped near a wrecked apartment. Airi held up a hand. "Three signals inside. Civilian dummies."
"I'll get the one on the top floor," Leo said, already climbing through the broken door.
"Wait—" Airi started.
But he was already inside.
"Typical," Rika muttered. "No patience."
Airi sighed. "We'll cover him. Rika, send an illusion to the street corner—draw any hidden units away."
"On it."
As Rika focused, the air shimmered. A faint copy of Leo sprinted across the street, distracting any Kaiju waiting nearby.
Inside the building, Leo reached the second floor. He found a dummy slumped in the corner, glowing softly. "Found one!" he shouted.
Then the floor rumbled.
(Team 3 — Kaito, Sera, and Troy POV)
Kaito walked calmly, a sheathed blade on his back and a calm fire in his golden eyes. He said little, but his presence was commanding.
Sera moved beside him, glowing energy blades forming at her fingertips like glass made of starlight. She moved like a dancer—fast, graceful, and deadly.
Troy stayed in the back, both arms glowing with shield energy. His job was clear: protect the team, no matter what.
"This sector feels too quiet," Sera said.
"They're waiting," Kaito replied.
They turned a corner and saw two Kaiju scouts approaching a trapped civilian dummy. Without a word, Kaito moved.
He drew a long chain-blade from his back—one swing, and the first scout was down. He spun, kicked off a wall, and drove the blade through the second.
"Target secured," Troy said, raising a glowing blue barrier to protect the dummy.
Sera looked toward the center of the map. "We're heading toward trouble."
Kaito didn't hesitate. "Then we go faster."
And then the roar came.
All three teams heard it echo through the ruined city. Deep, loud, monstrous.
Back in the apartment, Leo turned, eyes wide. The wall behind him exploded outward as a massive Kaiju charged in. Its red eyes locked onto him. Its claws gleamed in the dusty light.
Leo tried to jump away—but the Kaiju's strike hit first.
He flew through the air, crashing hard into the wall. Dust exploded around him as he hit the ground, coughing blood.
Airi and Rika arrived just in time to see him fall.
The Kaiju growled low and began stalking toward him.