The familiar white text appeared on the surface of the Black Sphere once more.
[Welcome to the real world...] [From this moment on, you will join the trial as Qualified Ones...] [S Points can be exchanged at a 1:10 rate for real-world class evaluation points, or used to purchase equipment and reclaim your own life.]
"All right, quiet down. We've got a mission."
Ryuen Kakeru called out to remind them.
The image flickered, and a photo appeared on the Black Sphere's surface—enough to make anyone with a fear of clustered patterns keel over on the spot.
The narrow frame was crammed full of overlapping, squashed, translucent faces twisted into grotesque shapes, as if they had crawled out of the depths of hell.
[Go hunt the evil spirits.] [Target: Visible Evil Spirits *20] [Characteristics: They wander among the living, are extremely clingy, and cannot be seen by ordinary people.] [Likes: The cries of humans, fresh brains, and lingering obsessions from life.] [Catchphrase: Can you see me?] [Failure penalty: All participants will be eliminated.] [Time limit: 120:00] [Helpful tip: There are rewards for killing hidden monsters. As newcomers, you may each use one item for free, and each of you has one extra life. Use it wisely!] [In addition, exam scores will henceforth count toward your class score.]
"Only... one life?"
As Ichinose read, her face went pale, and she unconsciously gripped Shiranami Chihiro's hand.
"What happened? We had three lives last time..."
"Did the rules change?"
"No. I doubt this refers to us," Sakayanagi said.
Su Wei picked up the thread. "As the ones who went through this first, we may be present for every exam from now on. It makes sense that we'd get a little preferential treatment."
Actually, he'd thought about it while reviewing things last night.
If everyone else also had three lives, wouldn't this bunch be able to exploit all kinds of bugs and trial-and-error their way through?
With such a high margin for error, where was the sense of danger?
It was like the ending of the second Fate/Grand Order game. For Gudao, forgetting everything didn't seem so bad, but the players who had followed him for years couldn't accept it.
Gudao's story was over. What was I supposed to play now?
Exactly. If you were all having a good time, what was there left for him, the Main God, to watch?
He couldn't help it. The rules changed on a whim; that was how a small-time operation worked.
If you didn't like it, don't play.
"Instead of worrying about that, you should worry about the twenty evil spirits we're about to face." Ryuen folded his arms.
Katsuragi Kohei had more or less figured out what was going on.
He looked at Ichinose. "So you've already been through an exam like this once?"
"Yeah."
Ichinose gave a slight nod and stepped up to the open Black Sphere.
"There's no time to explain more. The Black Sphere only gives us three minutes to prepare, so hurry and grab your equipment!"
As she spoke, she picked up an X-GUN and explained to everyone:
"This gun can fire repeatedly, but there's a delay before it shoots, so you need to anticipate your target..."
Katsuragi Kohei pondered for a moment. Seeing that Ryuen Kakeru had picked up a Standard Gun, he took one too.
"Kamuro."
Sakayanagi Arisu nudged Kamuro Masumi, who was still standing there in a daze.
"Go get two guns, one of each kind."
"This exam... it's real? People can die?"
Kamuro Masumi looked utterly resistant. "Can I quit? Even if it means expulsion, I don't want to die..."
"Don't be silly."
Sakayanagi Arisu chuckled.
"If you could quit, do you think someone like me, who can barely walk, would choose to stay here?"
"Uh..."
With her last bit of hope gone, Kamuro sighed as if resigning herself to her fate.
Sakayanagi followed Su Wei's gaze to Horikita Suzune, who was crouched in front of the Black Sphere, her face troubled.
The girl's eyes shifted, and she let go of Su Wei's arm.
"That's someone from your Class D, isn't it? I heard your class scored zero this month. Looks like she's carrying the weight of the whole class."
"Yeah. It's already in ruins anyway. Why not join my side?"
"I'll earn points to support you~"
Su Wei couldn't be bothered with Sakayanagi's teasing.
He walked straight to the weapon rack, selected a Combat Knife, then handed the X-GUN to Horikita.
Horikita Suzune pulled her hand back.
"I don't need it."
"Take it," Su Wei cut her off. "It's the only item we've tested that can hurt those monsters."
"Unless you want to rely on your karate and fight a Ghost bare-handed."
Karate?
Horikita Suzune froze for a moment.
She looked at Su Wei in surprise.
She wanted to argue, and she also wanted to ask, "Then why didn't you pick a gun?"
But she didn't get the chance to speak.
[00:00] [Weapon selection complete.] [Transporting all participants.]
The feeling of weightlessness faded.
Having prepared herself, Horikita Suzune held her breath and forced her heart, which had leapt into her throat, back down.
Her pupils trembled, but soon refocused on reality.
She wasn't the only one.
With the leaders of each class keeping everyone steady, the newcomers this time handled the transition much better than Ichinose had the night before.
They all regained their composure at once.
"Where are we...?"
Holding Shiranami Chihiro's hand, Ichinose quickly scanned their surroundings.
A dim hallway, peeling walls, and a rickety wooden door at the far end.
It was like they'd stepped onto the set of a horror movie.
But soon, her gaze swept over the blurred Advanced Nurturing School emblem on the wall, and her tone turned certain.
"This is... the Old School Building the school is preparing to renovate."
After learning from her conversation with Hoshinomiya-sensei last night that the school was indeed connected to the Black Sphere Trial, Ichinose had looked through a lot of documents, including the school's layout.
"Construction hasn't been completed yet, so this area is sealed off. Everyone, watch your step!"
"The Old School Building, huh..."
Katsuragi Kohei rubbed his chin and said gravely, "The layout is complicated. If we split up, that could put us at a disadvantage."
Horikita Suzune looked away and examined the oddly shaped X-GUN in her hand.
Su Wei had handed her the gun, but she had no idea how to use it...
She opened her mouth to ask.
"Ahem."
At some point, Sakayanagi Arisu had moved to the front of the group. She raised the X-GUN in her hand and began to explain:
"I'd like to let everyone discover the pleasures of exploring this unknown technology for themselves, but since this is a team battle, I'll make an exception and serve as your guide."
"To use this gun, first press the button to lock on. You can only fire once the word 'LOCK' on the screen by the stock turns red."
"Ichinose already mentioned the three-second delay... What I want to emphasize is that this weapon is extremely powerful."
As she spoke, she gave Ryuen a pointed look.
"We still don't know whether it works on humans, so please be careful where you point your guns."
"After all, the cost of trial and error is high, isn't it?"
"Phew..."
Hearing this explanation, Ichinose visibly relaxed.
Even though Sakayanagi was a rival, her willingness to share information in an unfamiliar environment saved them from the most dangerous cost of trial and error.
Ryuen Kakeru couldn't be bothered to argue with Sakayanagi's insinuation.
He toyed with the Black Gun in his hand, his gaze sweeping over the equipment held by Su Wei and Kamuro Masumi.
Since he and Ichinose had both chosen the X-GUN, which had performed brilliantly in the previous exam, most people had made the same choice.
The only exceptions were Shiina and Kamuro, who had chosen the Y-GUN, and Su Wei, who carried a Combat Knife.
Though puzzled, Ryuen still offered a warning:
"When you use that knife, the blade extends. It can cut through iron like butter."
"As for the Black Gun that looks like a hair dryer... no one's tested it yet, so we don't know what it does."
At that, Horikita Suzune couldn't help looking at the hilt of the knife in Su Wei's hand.
Why did he choose a knife?
Ranged combat is obviously safer... Is he confident in his skills, or is there something special about that knife?
"Ichinose, are the red dots on the screen our targets?"
The usually reserved and steady Katsuragi raised the Black Gun's screen and asked the key question.
"That's right."
Ichinose added solemnly, "Based on our experience, the monsters selected by the Black Sphere can hide in society. They have a certain level of intelligence and can disguise themselves. The moment they realize their identities have been exposed, or they're provoked, they'll attack immediately."
"So until we figure out the specific traits of these 'evil spirits,' it's best if no one gets separated."
In truth, no further encouragement was necessary.
Faced with the fear of the unknown, human instinct drove everyone to cluster together.
Before you continue