"What do I do? Think!" Oliver's mind raced, the situation's urgency pressing in on him. "Improvise!"

  [Prometheus]

  Without hesitation, Oliver positioned himself directly beh the room that held the Orb. Summoning every ounce of his strength, he activated his ability, eling the entire flow of Energy into his right arm.

  ‘Damn. This is going to hurt,’ he thought, gritting his teeth.

  He drove his fist upward with all his might. trating his Energy into a single, focused point, his uppercut unleashed a devastating force straight above. The impact detonated like a bomb, bsting through the ceiling and obliterating the rooms owo floors above him. Wood splintered, dust and debris filled the air, and fragments of furniture rained down like lethal fetti.

  Pain shot through his arm—a searing, all-ing agony. His hand throbbed violently; it was obvious he had re useless. He could feel the siing grind of shattered bones, and warm blood seeped inside his armau, pooling around his fingers.

  But there was no time to dwell on his injury. The colossal noise of the explosion had alerted every robot in the facility. Oliver could hear the whirring of servos and the g of metal verging on his location—from above, from the floors below, all zeroing in on him.

  As the st of the debris settled, a pulsating glow caught his eye. Amidst the wreckage, he sehe unmistakable Energy signature of the Orb. Pushing aside ks of wood with his good hand, he finally grasped his objective. The Orb was cool to the touch, a smooth sphere emitting a soft yellow luminesce that seemed to resoh his own Energy.

  ‘Alright. Time to get out of here,’ Oliver thought urgently.

  He turo make his escape, only to find two bck sentinel robots blog his path. Their impressive human-like exteriors and the air around them seemed to crackle with tent power. The ominlow of their eyes fixed on him, assessing, calg.

  The aura they emitted left no doubt—these were elite units far beyond his ability to front in his current state.

  ‘No. I'm so close. I 't give up now,’ Oliver steeled himself. Every sed ted; the robots were closing in, their frames moving with unnerving smoothness.

  His mind raced, sc for options. With his right hand incapacitated, direbat was out of the question.

  [Insight]

  Log his gaze onto the robots, Oliver tried to absorb every piece of information he could about them—anything that might prove helpful, no matter how insignifit.

  ‘Programming: immobilize targets. ons: none. Okay, what else?’ he thought, his mind rag. ‘Battery life: twenty mihere's got to be something.’

  [Skill Obtained: Robot Maintenance - Pawn]

  ‘Maximum jump height: 1.5 meters. Right, I work with that!’ Oliver realized.

  Cradling the Orb in his injured arm—pain pulsing through his shattered hand—he gripped his Energy Pistol tightly in his other hand. Tension coiled within him as the two bck sentinel robots closed in, their footsteps a metronome ting down the seds. He steadied his breathing.

  ‘Almost there. Just a little longer,’ Oliver told himself, standing his ground as he waited for the robots to make their move.

  The instant both robots luowards him, he snapped into a. Leveling his pistol, he unleashed a rapid barrage of shots—not at the robots themselves, but at the floor beh them. He didn't care how muergy he expended; his sole focus was on causing maximum destru.

  The floor beh the robots cracked and splintered uhe assault. With a loud roar, the ground gave way, sending the maes plummeting into the sublevel below. The crash of metal on crete echoed up, followed by a momentary silence.

  ‘I’m not stig around to see how quickly they recover,’ Oliver thought. ‘With a maximum jump height of 1.5 meters, they'll have to use the stairs to get back up.’

  Seizing the moment, he sprinted into an adjat room. Without hesitation, Oliver aimed his pistol directly ahead. eling his remaining strength, he fired several trated shots, weakening the wall's structural iy. Then, summoning every ounce of power, he hurled himself against it. The wall buckled uhe impact, exploding outward as he burst through the side of the house.

  Oliver tumbled onto the side wn, debris raining around him. Covered in dust and bruises, he didn't pause for breath. Adrenaline surged through his veins as he pushed himself back to his feet, fully sprinting toward the arena's exit.

  Out of the er of his eye, he glimpsed the robots he'd evaded inside, now p out from windows and doorways, relentlessly pursuing him.

  [Prometheus]

  Drawing deep from his reserves, Oliver eled Energy into his legs, feeling a power surge propel him forward. The world around him blurred as he accelerated, the wind whipping past his face. Ahead, bat robots moved to intercept him, f a barrier between him and the exit.

  L his head, Oliver barreled forward, weaving through the meical gau. Laser fire scorched the air beside him, but he didn't slow down. He ducked under grasping arms and leaped over obstacles, his foarrowing to a single point—the treeline marking the arena's boundary.

  The arms cresdoed, signaling his unauthorized approach to the edge of the simution. His lungs burned, and every muscle screamed in protest, but he was close.

  Just a few more steps.

  With a final burst of speed, he plunged into the forest. The cacophony of the arena faded behind him as he crossed the designated finish line.

  A sharp tone sounded, signaling the pletion of the trial.

  | Leaderboard Update| #103 — Oliver Nameless| Time: 02:25

  Oliver staggered to a halt just beyond the trees, gasping for breath. The Orb was still clutched tightly in his injured arm, its glow a stark trast against the grime c his suit. His heart pounded in his chest, each beat eg the rhythm of his footsteps moments before.

  He turo see the bat robots halting at the forest's edge, bound by the exam parameters. For a moment, he allowed himself a triumphant smile.

  Still reeling from what he had aplished, Oliver stood frozen in pce, his gaze fixed oification flickering across the arena's vaulted ceiling. The enormity of his achievement was only beginning to sink in. He had do. He had pleted the mission.

  The muffled sounds of the arena buzzed around him until the armored doors slid open with a hiss. Soldiers approached, their footsteps eg as they came to escort him out of the simution chamber.

  As Oliver stepped outside, the cool air hit him, and the chaotiergy of the military base washed over his senses. Waiting eagerly were Isabe and Katheriheir faces alight with exhiration. The moment they spotted him, they rushed forward.

  "That's it! You did it!" Isabe shouted, practically boung with each word.

  "Nice work!" Katherine excimed, her eyes wide with admiration. "That was genius! How did you know they wouldn't be able to climb back up?"

  Oliver managed a modest smile, still catg his breath. "I have good eyes," he replied enigmatically. Both girls knew his Boon was lio his vision, but he hadn't shared all the nuances of his abilities. And even if he wao, now wasn't the time or pot with so many ears listening.

  "Amazing!" Katherine shook her head in disbelief.

  "You're ranked 103rd! Do you realize that?" Isabe beamed. "If the exam eoday, you'd qualify to bee a Ranger!"

  The weight of her words settled over him. The possibility was thrilling, almost surreal. But as their excitement bubbled over, it became clear that not everyone shared their enthusiasm. Murmurs drifted from the nearby clusters of recruits waiting their turn, ced with skepticism and envy.

  "What are they so excited about? It ure luck," someotered.

  "Exactly. 103rd pce isn't that impressive. He'll drop down soon enough," another scoffed.

  "Now that everyone knows the bck robot's oint, it's only a matter of time before others surpass him," a voiickered.

  Oliver could have ighe whispers, but the rush of his ret victory still coursed through him. Instead of brushing it off, he decided to front the doubt head-on. Turning slightly, he projected his voice just enough to be heard over the din.

  "And this isn't even my limit," he decred, his gaze sweeping fidently over the crowd. "Tomorrow, I'll take first pce. I'll plete the mission in under fifty seds."

  A hush fell over the onlookers as his bold procmation hung in the air. Then, scattered ughter and incredulous remarks rippled through the group.

  "Get out of here, you're crazy!" someone jeered.

  "Just because you mao get on the leaderboard, now you think you're hot stuff," another sneered.

  "But is it even possible to do it ihan fifty seds?" a recruit whispered to his panion, skepticism tinged with curiosity.

  Oliver met their skepticism with unwaveriermination. The adrenaline was still pumping through his veins, and he felt an unshakable fiden his abilities.

  "Wait and see," he said calmly.

  The only thing that made Oliver step out of the line was that his arm was still dripping blood inside his armor. However, he already had a clear pn in his mind. Tomorrow, he would climb the rankings.

  GCLopes