A group of n sat before the wall stacked with monitors, the live feed of students clashing against golems flickering across dozens of screens.
With a handheld pad, they shifted angles, zooming in and out, trying to capture the chaos clearly while still maintaining distance from the combatants.
"Keeping tabs on thousands of students is surely difficult," one of them muttered, wiping sweat from his brow. His eyes stung from staring too long.
"It's not thousands, Dave. It's exactly 1,482. Numbers matter," the man beside him corrected flatly.
"Hey, quit nitpicking. He's a newbie. He'll adjust soon enough." Their superior gave a dry chuckle but quickly added, "Still, stay focused. No distractions."
Dave groaned. "Leader, you know it's impossible to keep up with them. All we see are dust clouds and afterimages—the caras can't track their movents properly."
The leader sighed, wearing a bitter smile. "That's why we're not ant to follow everything. Our main priority is spotting ergency signals."
KNOCK. KNOCK. KNOCK.
"Co in," the leader's voice carried across the room.
The door opened, revealing a man with a tray of steaming cups. His pleasant smile softened the strict atmosphere.
The leader's brows furrowed at the disturbance, but when his gaze fell on the tray, his expression eased. "It's not even lunchti. Why bring coffee now?"
"You'll need sharp eyes today," the delivery man replied warmly. "Better to clear away the drowsiness before it sets in."
"Not bad. Thanks," the leader said, accepting a cup.
The man went around, handing them out one by one. Conversation lightened as the staff tasted the coffee.
"I should've brought so snacks to go with it," the delivery man remarked casually.
"Nah, it's fine. Lunch is in two hours, and the next shift will replace us soon," one of the staff replied, sipping contently.
The man nodded, his smile never wavering. He lingered just long enough to make sure everyone drank, then excused himself.
The door shut softly behind him. Out in the corridor, his smile dropped. He exhaled, shoulders loosening as though shedding a mask. His hand brushed his ear, clicking a small device tucked behind his lobe.
"Delivery complete. Coffee's been served ahead of schedule. They'll be down soon."
A distorted voice crackled in his ear: "Good. Proceed with the next step."
~~~~
The students roared and charged as the forest finally cleared, revealing the hulking golems spilling out in waves.
Steel t stone in an instant.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
CLANG! CLANG! CLANG!
Weapons clashed, spells detonated, and the battlefield erupted into chaos. Fireballs lit up the night sky, thunderbolts cracked across the treeline, and students pushed forward with everything they had. The training ground turned into a warzone.
Screams filled the air.
"Hold the line!"
"Don't let them through!"
Blades hacked into rocky limbs. Arrows zipped past ears. Explosions shook the dirt loose from the ground.
So students went too hard too fast, emptying their mana into flashy spells, and it didn't take long for the tide to turn.
"Kyaaak!"
"Arghhh!"
"What the hell!?"
Out of nowhere, beams of raw energy shot out of the golems' cores, slamming into students who hadn't been careful. A cluster of them were blown off their feet, coughing blood.
The earth quaked.
THUD. THUD. THUD.
Shadows swallowed the battlefield as a towering black golem stepped forward. Its entire body glead with a dense obsidian sheen, carved with glowing lines of magic. Three concentric circles burned across its chest—proof that it was a three-circle construct. Stronger, faster, and deadlier than the rest.
The students froze. So stumbled back in sheer panic.
Then—
"Alex!"
The black-haired boy broke from the formation, spear in hand. He ducked low, rolling under the golem's swing, his movents sharp and flawless. Sparks flew as its massive arm smashed the dirt where he'd been standing seconds ago.
Alex darted in like a predator. Mana flared around his weapon, the tip glowing a violent blue. His muscles tensed—then released.
SWOOSH. SWOOSH. SWOOSH.
The spear split into a blur of afterimages, jabbing again and again until the air itself cracked.
BOOOOOOM!
Blue light tore across the golem's torso, shattering the stone plating and detonating its core in one explosive strike. The monster that had dwarfed the crowd was reduced to nothing but rubble.
"Holy shit…" soone whispered, stunned.
Alex barely glanced at them. He spun his weapon, eyes already scanning for the next threat.
To his left, another group of golems collapsed under the weight of massive ice spires.
BAAM! BAAM! BAAM!
Akira Frost stood at the center of it all, frost spreading beneath her boots. Her cold eyes glead as the beasts froze in mid-stride, their joints locking until the weight of their own bodies shattered them into frozen chunks.
On the other side—
FWOOOSH.
A single arrow whistled through the night sky. Then another. Then another. Each left trails of compressed air as if a cannon had fired.
BAAAAANG!
One by one, the arrows drilled straight into the glowing cores of the golems, piercing stone like paper.
It was Nyra, the elven princess, her bowstring drawn back with effortless precision. Every shot struck true.
The battlefield turned into a showcase of destruction.
"Damn…" Cedric muttered, sweat dripping down his face as he fought off smaller constructs. "Who the hell said this was team play? These S-class freaks are running a solo exhibition!"
A golem nearly took his head off, forcing him to leap back. He swung desperately, sparks flying as his blade barely held.
"What the fuck am I even doing here!?" Cedric yelled, teeth clenched.
In the backline, Alan's expression twisted. He'd been assigned to guard the rear, to hold formation while Alex kept the frontline secure. But seeing Alex abandon his role and recklessly dash into the spotlight made Alan's blood boil.
And now? Alex wasn't just fighting. He was shoulder to shoulder with Nyra, as if the two had been born to fight side by side.
Alan's grip on his sword tightened, his face sour. "Son of a bitch…"
His thoughts were cut short by the guttural roar of another golem charging from behind. Alan's frustration had distracted him.
"Watch it!" soone scread.
Alan spun, barely deflecting the crushing strike. His arms went numb from the impact.
anwhile, farther away, another figure caught the attention of the students. A boy stood alone, muttering incantations and swinging his weapon dramatically as if performing for an imaginary crowd. His awkward, over-the-top movents scread of second-hand embarrassnt.
"Is that… a chuuniboy?" one student whispered, blinking in disbelief even in the middle of battle.
The spectacle only added to the chaos, leaving the students torn between awe at the elites and disbelief at the clowns among them.
But one thing was clear: the battle had just begun.
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