Tower Entry Assessment

Thunk, thunk, thunk... The sound of leather boots striking the stairs was crisp yet slightly muffled.

Reg followed behind Colin, his brows faintly furrowed... He was the most outstanding student of this batch, though that excellence had been built on ten times the effort of everyone else.

Over the past three years, Colin had not spoken much... but Reg could still sense the attention he had given him.

Reg did not know where that attention came from... After all, on this island, everyone's names were "fake," and their backgrounds and identities were unknown.

For agents working in security, military, and political systems, a name was nothing more than a codename.

The name "Reg" had also been chosen on a whim... merely following local custom.

As Reg stepped into the corridor, his gaze shifted slightly... He saw the door behind which he had been confined for the one and only time.

"What, feeling nostalgic?" Colin turned around as if he knew what Reg was thinking.

"No, Instructor Colin." Reg saluted again.

"Relax. Next, I want to talk to you as a friend." A faint smile appeared on Colin's face.

"A friend? What kind of development is this?!"

The bewildered Reg nodded... Perhaps he would finally understand why Colin had paid him so much attention over the past three years.

This was not the school he had attended in his previous life... Here, life and death played out almost every so often, and interactions between students and teachers were nowhere near as frequent.

A large number of orphans were brought in every year... The method was certainly cruel, but once the trainees graduated, they became official members of the P Organization: because they possessed absolute loyalty and formidable strength.

If Reg did not have the memories of his previous life, he too would have gradually been brainwashed as he grew up... then remained loyal to the World Government and fought for so-called justice.

For most orphans, this was a place where they could change their fate.

Even taking a step back, they could at least fill their stomachs and live in warm, comfortable rooms... The world outside was far crueler than this place.

Creak— As the iron door opened, Reg stepped inside.

Every instructor here had a separate, spacious dormitory. Colin's was still the same as ever: filled with the scent of books.

Judging by appearances alone, the skinny Colin... with glasses on, would look like a teacher or a scholar.

"Sit. Black tea or coffee?"

"Black tea."

Reg sat down at the round table and smiled faintly... Since he was here, he might as well settle in.

Maturity was not something that needed to be made a fuss over here... After all, hardship forced people to mature.

"Seeing you now reminds me of my younger self... Though back then, I wasn't nearly as crazy as you." Colin smiled.

Reg scratched his head. "This is the only chance I have to change my fate."

"That's right... especially for a child like you." Colin spoke with a sigh.

Reg could only put on a sorrowful expression in cooperation... When he had arrived in this body, its previous owner had been a child frightened senseless after witnessing pirates kill his parents.

If he had not arrived a few days earlier and regained his senses... he probably would not even have made it onto the warship the World Government had secretly sent to collect the children.

Such things were not unusual... Every year, too many children were frightened so badly that they could not recover their sanity.

Some of them recovered, while others remained that way forever.

"Please."

"Thank you."

Colin sat across from him at the round table and rubbed his brow... Reg's heart skipped a beat as he watched: There wouldn't be some under-the-table scheme, would there?

Though such things could not be avoided... he still did not want his plan to enter P9 delayed for some other reason.

"What I'm about to tell you... forget it the moment you leave. That is an order."

"Yes."

Reg did not hesitate at all... Was Colin looking out for him?

"Dark Justice... you should have heard of it." Colin took a sip of black tea and spoke.

Reg nodded innocently... He could not exactly say something like, "Weakness is a sin."

"The cruelty of the ninth tower... far exceeds anything you can comprehend."

"Do we have to kill each other?!"

Reg's eyes widened to their limit... It did not need to get that melodramatic, did it?

"You child... Of course not. There may not be many children within P9, but they are quite united. There is just one prerequisite." Colin could not help shaking his head.

"A prerequisite?"

"Yes... I can say with certainty that you are currently the hardest-working person on this island, without exception." Colin did not hide his admiration.

Reg nodded... because he knew he had to work hard.

He was not some child of the Mink Tribe, Longarm Tribe, Longleg Tribe, or another race, nor did he possess some lofty bloodline inheritance... He was just an ordinary human child.

If he had not transmigrated here and had his soul strengthened... he probably would not have made it this far.

"If you left the safe zone, how many days do you think you could survive?" Colin's tone shifted, turning serious.

Reg did not answer immediately. He frowned. "A month, as long as I don't run into a Level 5 beast."

The beasts on this island had been divided into five levels... even the flower he had encountered when he arrived had no rank at all.

Black, meanwhile, was a Level 1 beast... equivalent to a Doriki Value of 100.

For the beasts beyond that, each level increased by 50... up to Level 4. Level 5, however, was an outrageous 400.

What did 400 Doriki Value mean...? Someone who had only just grasped the Six Powers was roughly at that level.

Of course, that was merely a comparison of raw strength... a powerhouse who had mastered the Six Powers could easily crush these beasts, since the gap in intelligence was simply too great.

"Not bad confidence. There are over 00 beasts like that in the southern forest... Even if you pass my test, you'll still need to pass the Ninth Tower's entrance examination."

Colin's words made Reg's face darken... The area might be vast, but if he encountered a Level 5 beast, he probably would not even be able to escape with his current strength.

"One month of wilderness survival... with no protection whatsoever. Only if you survive will you become a P9 reserve member. That is not a place where the weak can remain."

Colin's explanation made cold sweat bead on Reg's forehead... He had still been a little too proud.

In this world... hard work truly could not solve every problem.

"Once you accept the test, you only have two choices." Colin stopped halfway through.

Reg patted his face and lowered his head... Knowing P9's nature, the only outcomes were passing or death.

Quitting halfway? Don't be naive. The weak did not deserve to live... Those who carried out "justice" had no need for the weak!

"Still just a child, after all..."

Colin looked at the head-lowered Reg, disappointment flashing through his eyes... If he did not even have the courage to face life and death, then all his effort was useless.

Moving about in the safe zone did not count as experiencing life and death... The pirates outside were dozens of times fiercer than the beasts there.

"I want to try, Instructor Colin."

Reg raised his head and gave a shy smile... When it came to alertness, he was still confident.

On top of that, he only slept a few hours... further reducing the danger.

If a Level 5 beast got too close, he would not be able to run... But as long as he was careful, he could still avoid them.

For example: the droppings they left behind, traces left by their movements, the territory of every creature.

And even if things came to that... not every Level 5 beast was speed-type.

As long as he could escape into another powerful beast's territory... it would not dare recklessly pursue him.