- Oliver -

  His first attempt was over.

  He hadn't realized just how exhausted he was until the armored soldiers escorted him back to the entrance of the colossal arena. The adrenalihat had coursed through his veins masked the fatigue settling deep into his muscles. His body had been taut, every nerve on edge, as he expended a siderable amount of his Energy dug the st series of experiments. Standing in the same position for what felt like hours, he was oblivious to the creeping wearihat now threateo overtake him.

  As he stepped into the corridor, Oliver noticed Katherine and Isabe still waiting in the endless line of recruits. The hum of maery and distant echoes of other trials filled the air. Isabe oised to be the entrant. Katherine caught sight of him and approached, her eyes shining with curiosity.

  "Nice work," Katherine said with a hint of admiration. "That was a brilliant idea. I bet you'll have plenty of people trying to replicate your strategy in the few days."

  Oliver managed a weary smile, the ers of his mouth lifting ever so slightly. "I think I'll stick with this path. Relying solely on bat might be easier for some, but I 't imagihat'll get me the best results."

  Katheriilted her head thoughtfully. "Perhaps. I suppose it depends on what Boon you've got."

  Before they could delve deeper into the versation, a loud hiss sighe opening of the arena doors. Isabe had already entered, disappearing behind the massive metal gateway.

  Oliver made his way to the opposite side of the corridor and sank down onto the floor, careful not to obstruct the flow of didates advang toward their trials. He reactivated the holographiterfa his gau. He felt the cool touch of the floor through his unifrounding him amidst the swirling haze of fatigue.

  Isabe had just stepped into the arena. Unlike most who chose the primary entrance, she had opted for the sed entrance, adjat to the river that wound its way behind the orchard.

  "What is she pnning?" Oliver wondered aloud, his gaze fixed on the live feed streaming across his gau's dispy. Watg Isabe break from the established pattern piqued his i.

  As Isabe stepped into the arena, she swiftly moved to ceal herself behind a wooden pole in the small wooden bridge, which ected the outer perimeter to the inner area. The immediate challenge loomed ahead: two sentinel robots methodically patrolled the bridge's exit and the entrao the inner grounds, their sensors sweeping in precise patterns.But Isabe's eyes gleamed with unwavering fidence. She remained crouched, patiently timing the sentinels' movements. When one of the robots pivoted to s its teral side, she sprang into a. With a graceful fluidity, she stood and activated her Boon. At first, she hovered just above the ground, but then she began to asd—slowly at first, then faster—rising higher and higher until she was mere meters from the arena's domed ceiling.

  From this elevated vantage point, the entire arena sprawled beh her like a plex maze. The surveilnce cameras captured this breathtaking perspective: every building, every shadowed alley, every robot lurking atop rooftops. Yet, spicuously, none of the maes looked upward. Perhaps their programming didn't at for an aerial approach, or this was an iional ht—a subtle allowahin the examination's design.

  Without hesitation, Isabe accelerated towards the graral house. Arms crossed before her like the prow of a ship; she became a human missile, slig through the air with increasing speed. Her trajectory was direct, her i clear.

  Oliver noticed something subtle yet signifit. Isabe had modified her armor—not to the sophisticated degree that Katherine was capable of, but a noticeable enha heless. She had trated additional defeing along the forearms of her suit.

  ‘That must be ing more Energy,’ Oliver mused. ‘Is she trying to finish this quickly?’

  As Isabe tio pick up speed, there was no sign of her decelerating. Finally, with a resounding crash that echoed throughout the arena, she smmed into the front of the house. The impact sent a shockwave rippling through the structure, a cloud of dust and splintered wood erupting into the air. The cameras lost sight for a moment, the swirling debris obsg the view. Arms bred as robotitinels began verging on the epiter from all dires.

  The camera system automatically switched to thermal imaging, cutting through the haze to reveal the heat signatures. Isabe was already on the move ihe shattered remains of the house, her form dartiween fallen beams and broken walls as she searched frantically for the Orb—the objective she o secure.

  Meanwhile, the bck-cd robots were mobilizing. Desding from the third floor with eerie synization, while others asded from the ground level, they closed in on her position. Isabe's gaze swept the wreckage, but amidst the chaos and the settling dust, the Orb remained hidden from sight.

  For a fleeting moment, one of the cameras captured a glimpse of something—a faint glow emanating from a table on the sed floor. An item glowing with a yellow hue stood out against the backdrop of destru. But Isabe, blind to this clue, pressed oime slipping away.

  Her fate turned in that instant. The sentinels reached her before she could locate the Orb. Reag swiftly, she ehem, her reinforced arms abs and defleg blows as she fought back. Sparks flew as metal cshed against augmented armor. Yet, Oliver khe odds were stacked against her. The yellow robots she had bypassed earlier were cssified as [Pawns], the red ones as [Knights]. These bck robots were of a higher echeloirely—[Bishops], something pletely out of their level.

  ‘Fag oppos of this level is a whole different game,’ Oliver thought, etched on his face as he watched Isabe's struggle unfold on the holographic dispy.

  ‘I should have asked Nico about his ranking,’ Oliver reflected silently. ‘He's probably surpassed the [Bishops] by now. Could he be above the [Rook] level already?’

  The battle was over almost as quickly as it had begun. Isabe might have held some time if fag a single robot, but against five of them, her efforts were swiftly overwhelmed. In moments, the bck robots had immobilized her, metallic limbs restraining her, as the resonant tone signaling the end of the match echoed throughout the arena.

  As the exam ended, a squad of armored soldiers ehe arena. They approached Isabe and escorted her out.

  "Dammit!" Isabe excimed, frustration evident in her voice.

  Oliver rose from where he had been sitting, his eyes trag her as she approached. He offered a reassuring smile. "You were amazing out there! If you'd found the Orb, you'd have been the first to plete the challenge—and probably the fastest, too."

  Isabe took a deep breath, attempting to steady herself. "But now I'm not sure my strategy will work. With all that debris and dust, it's nearly impossible to see anything in there."

  At the entrao the arena, Katherine was already gearing up for her attempt.

  "If the Orb doesn't ge positioween runs, maybe you memorize its location," Oliver suggested, his mind already w through potential solutions.

  "Maybe," Isabe nodded, her expression thoughtful. "But that still doesn't solve the visibility problem."

  "Or perhaps you could bring a thermal visor," Oliver mused, tapping his . "That way, you could see through the dust inside."

  Isabe's eyes lit up. "I'd o figure out how to ie it with my helmet without exposing myself," she sidered. "But that could work. Thanks, Oliver." She fshed him a grateful smile before turning abruptly. Without waiting another moment, she dashed toward the equipment store on the first floor.

  Oliver watched her go. He didn't have much to prepare for his attempt, so he settled back down along the corridor's edge, tuning into the live feeds to observe Katheririal.

  Katherine's approach was more direct than both his and Isabe's previous strategies. Opting for stealth, she moved silently through the arena's periphery, her footsteps barely making a sound. She aimed to elimihe robots quietly, one by o times, she used her Boon to extend her bde with blood and seamlessly slice through multiple robots.

  Her agility was remarkable. Katherine weaved between patrols, her movements a blur as she advaoward the grand house at the arena's ter. However, she faced a new obstacle upon reag her destination: four bat robots guarding the mairance. Despite her skills, Katherine couldn't find a way to ralize them before the arm was triggered. The pierg sound filled the arena, and the bck elite robots soon desded upon her. Outnumbered and outmaneuvered, she was swiftly overtaken.

  Just as Katherine had predicted, the outes of their initial attempts had started to shape a new 'meta' among the recruits. Word spread quickly about the possibility of distrag the robots, and soon, others began experimenting with every element of the arena's enviro. Some sought ways to isote and elimihe sentinels, while others searched for hidden pathways to gain easier access to the main house.

  To Oliver's chagriiced Damian Nemo employing a strikingly simir strategy. Damian's Boon allowed him to summon and trol Ice Goblins, drawing the robots' attention with calcuted mischief. It erfeplement to the distra tactics that were being popur.

  Damian became the first to successfully breach the grand house, though he, too, was defeated by the bck robots ihers followed suit, blending stealth with targeted strikes to elimihe robots methodically. This approach quickly became the simplest and most accessible tactic among the recruits.

  Despite this emerging trend, arategy captured the attention of most watg the petition. O, clips of another petitor were shared wildly. The audacious tactic of ung oneself directly at the target and demolishing the house resonated with viewers, who were thrilled by its sheer boldness.

  They began referring to her by a new moniker: "MissileGirl." The niame spread like wildfire, much to Isabe's annoyance.

  GCLopes