"Nine, eighteen, twenty-seven—dude… how many are we in here?" Daiki muttered, trying to count.
The field buzzed with noise.
A lot of trainees were just chilling, chatting like this was some field trip.
But Ahrie, Naoya and Daiki stood sharp—focused.
"I can't wait to receive my skill after passing the trial inside the World Tree," one guy said nearby.
"Man, my family paid the trainers last time. Should I ask them to pay for this too?" a smug rich kid laughed.
"Why can't we just enter the damn tree already? My husbandos are waiting," a girl with colorful nails sighed.
Suddenly, someone walked up front.
A man in a black suit.
His face was covered with scars.
"Good day, everyone… Welcome to the Firewall."
"...So we were teleported," Naoya muttered.
"You're currently inside one of many training sites—Facility In-49," the man continued.
"Incase you're wondering… there are about a thousand of you here now."
He paused, scanning the faces in front of him.
"The number of humans trying to enter the World Tree increases every year.
Last year alone, nearly two hundred thousand signed up.
Many died, others returned—crippled, broken, missing limbs,"
He let the silence drag for a second.
"We're not looking for weaklings,
We don't need useless trash.
This entire process was designed to weed people like you out."
He locked eyes with a few trainees who weren't paying attention.
"Keep dreaming, and you'll be gone before you even get a glimpse of what's inside."
"Anyway… there are three tests you need to pass to get your entry pass."
"First test… Endurance… start running !."
First Test – Endurance
Task : Run 24 laps / 9.6 kilometers. Finish in under 60 minutes.
People started running.
Daiki broke into a sprint. "Let's go, slowpoke! First to lap ten gets bragging rights for the whole month!
Ahrie smirked. "Hoho… you sure you wanna get humiliated this early?"
He sprinted after him.
Naoya sighed and jogged at his own pace. "Idiots."
After a few laps, Daiki and Ahrie returned to the line where Naoya was, both panting — Daiki nearly collapsing, while Ahrie seemed barely winded.
"Did you… always run like that?" Daiki wheezed.
"Can't help being talented," Ahrie teased, stretching out his legs.
Then, it happened.
Someone at the back slowed to a stop, hands on their knees.
One by one, a few others followed.
Some out of exhaustion, others–just… because someone else did.
The man in the suit walked toward the stopped group, hands in his pockets.
"Why did you stop?" he asked casually.
A rich-looking guy puffed up his chest.
"Tch. This is pointless. My family—"
The man in the suit cut him off. "This isn't something you can bribe, kid," the man snapped. "The World Tree eats people like you."
Another trainee chimed in. "Seriously, what's the point of this? The World Tree is not some marathon."
That made the man in the suit chuckle darkly. " Cut the fantasy bullshit."
His voice turned ice-cold.
"You think the World Tree is some grand adventure? A game? It's a place where one step means safety, and the next means death. If you can't even run this long, how do you expect to outrun large beasts inside."
He reached into his coat pocket, pulled out a folded slip of parchment, and whispered:
[Restriction]
In an instant, every trainee who had stopped vanished.
Gasps rippled across the field. Some runners stumbled mid-step.
Others pushed forward, suddenly aware of the stakes.
"Don't mind them," the man said flatly. "They failed."
Meanwhile, Ahrie and Daiki exchanged a glance, a wicked grin forming on both their faces.
"Last one owes the other dinner!" Daiki yelled over his shoulder.
Ahrie grinned, "Hoho… Free food."
Naoya, still pacing steadily, chimed in without emotion, "Sounds fun."
The race was on.
Ahrie finished in 35 minutes.
Naoya followed a minute later, barely winded.
Daiki stumbled in 38 minutes, gasping for air.
"You bunch of sickos…" Daiki said, hands on his knees. "When the hell did you get that fast?"
All three stood, drenched in sweat, sharing a rare moment of exhausted pride.
The man in the suit observed from a distance, scribbling notes on his clipboard.
"Hmm… Not bad… kiddos."
First Test complete.
742/1000 remaining.
"Let's proceed."
The man in the suit turned away.
"Everyone, gather and move to the shooting range."
The second test was simple— Shooting Proficiency.
Second Test – Shooting Proficiency.
Task : Hit 10 human-sized dummies placed 50 meters away.
You're given 15 bullets. Only 5 missed allowed.
"Line up…" the man in the suit shouted."
"You can pick whichever gun you prefer. Proceed!"
The trainees hesitated for a moment—rows of pistols, rifles and even a few old-style revolvers were laid out across a long steel table.
Some rushed forward, scrambling like kids at a clearance sale.
Others walked with purpose.
Gunfire echoed across the field.
Bang. Bang. Bang.
Some trainees nailed their shots. Others grazed limbs or missed entirely.
"Next batch!"
Naoya glanced at Daiki.
"...What?" Daiki asked.
Naoya looks at him with a straight face, "Food…Later."
Daiki Grinned. "Yesss… You gluttony bastard."
Ahrie Laughs.
"Next batch.."
Daiki grabbed a pistol and spun it once in his hand. "Woaa.."
Naoya silently reached for a matte black semi-auto. He checked the weight, aimed down the sights once, then nodded to himself.
Ahrie moved forward as well.
"Name and base?" an assistant asked.
"Ahrie Von Creed, South Fortress—Japan Branch."
The assistant tapped into a datapad, eyes scanning.
"Alright, Ahrie. There are 8 visible targets. Your score depends on where you hit each one—head, chest, limbs, it all counts differently. Once all 8 are down, the final 2 will pop up. The faster you take them out, the better your score. Got it?"
Ahrie raised a hand. " Can I ask something?"
The assistant blinked. "Sure."
"...Why are we shooting human-sized dummies?"
A moment of silence.
The assistant hesitated. "If you really want answers—pass the test… "
Ahrie exhaled, closing his eyes.
Steady breath. Steady mind.
He grabbed two pistols, opened his eyes—and moved.
Bang—Bang—Bang.
Targets 1, 2 and 3 fell in under a second.
By the time he hit the 8th, the last two launched—and before they even fully rose, they were down.
The assistant was stunned. "Head to the waiting area."
Ahrie dropped the pistols with a light thud and walked over.
Both Naoya and Daiki were there.
Ahrie raised an eyebrow. "Naoya~how'd you do?"
Naoya gave a silent thumbs-up.
Ahrie turned to Daiki. "Why are you looking at the ground?"
Daiki scratched his head. "Hehehe… I missed two."
Naoya, blank as ever, muttered, "It's nice to know you."
Ahrie laughed. "You'll be remembered. Forever."
Second Test complete.
451/742 remaining.