A heavy silence smothered the room.
Emily sat hunched over, her fingers trembling as she clenched her fists. Bitter tears streamed down her face, but she wasn't crying out of fear. No—her heart burned with something far uglier.
Hatred.
A deep, festering grudge against everyone who had mocked her. Against those who had ridiculed her weakness.
And most of all—against Ares.
Then—
CLAP!
A sharp sound snapped everyone's attention forward.
"Well," Kendrick's voice rang out, smooth and condescending. "I hope that little exercise reminded you all not to slack off."
A wave of suppressed anger rippled through the remaining participants. Some clenched their fists, others bit their lips, swallowing the fury that threatened to spill out. They knew the truth—Kendrick had orchestrated their suffering. He had controlled the robotic humanoids. He had designed this torment.
Jonathan's death was on his hands.
But no one spoke.
Because Kendrick held all the power here. And one wrong move meant death.
Ares, standing among the others, remained silent. His blood boiled, his nails dug into his palm, but he knew better than to act recklessly. Not yet.
Kendrick scanned the room, smirking at their helplessness. "We still have a significant number of you left. Let's see if you truly have what it takes to become an S-rank."
Then—he snapped his fingers.
A section of the wall groaned open.
A pitch-black passage was revealed, and with it came a foul draft—damp, metallic, thick with the scent of blood.
No one moved.
Eyes darted between one another, uncertainty plastered across their faces.
Should we go in? Should we wait?
Jones and Sylvia exchanged nervous glances. Ares, despite the unease curling in his stomach, kept his gaze locked on the entrance.
In the farthest corner, Nia smiled. An eerie, knowing grin curled her lips as she whispered, "Let the games begin."
Then—she vanished.
No one saw her.
No one—except Kendrick.
His smirk instantly vanished. Veins bulged along his temple, his eyes flashing with raw irritation.
"That bitch," he hissed under his breath. His fingers tightened around the monitor screen, eyes darting across the footage.
A Fool's First Step
The thick tension was shattered by a sudden, frantic stomping.
A man—a fat one—barreled through the crowd, shoving others aside.
"Hey! What the hell are you doing?!" someone shouted.
The man, drenched in sweat, turned back with a manic grin. "What does it look like I'm doing? I'm becoming an S-rank!"
He ran straight toward the dark passage, laughing.
Then—
WHOOOOOOOOO!
His triumphant shout echoed through the room.
And a second later—
Screams.
Bloodcurdling. Guttural.
Raw terror.
Everyone froze.
The screaming only lasted a moment before—silence.
Ares' stomach twisted. His instincts screamed at him—Move. Prepare. But for what?
His hands balled into fists.
"Jones, Sylvia, Nia," he called out.
Jones and Sylvia, still dazed, turned toward him and rushed over.
"I don't know what's in there, and I don't want to find out," Ares muttered.
"Agreed," Jones said, swallowing hard.
"Fine by me," Sylvia added, her face pale.
Ares glanced around but frowned. "Where's Nia?"
"Forget about her," Jones scoffed. "She creeps me out. Smiles too much."
Ares exhaled sharply. Focus on survival.
Then—
A heavy footstep echoed from the passage.
Then another.
And another.
The ground trembled.
A massive shadow loomed at the entrance.
And then—
It stepped into the light.
A B-rank Minotaur.
Nearly seven meters tall, its monstrous frame was clad in tattered armor. Thick, battle-worn muscles rippled beneath its dark hide. And in its enormous, clawed hands—
A double-bladed axe.
Dripping.
With fresh.
Blood.
Impaled at the tip—was the fat man.
His body hung limply, a gaping hole in his chest.
A deafening silence stretched across the room.
Then—
A voice. Female. Cold.
—Survive for 10 minutes.
—Or kill the Minotaur to receive privileges.
The Minotaur's red eyes gleamed.
Then—
RAAAAAAAAAAGH!
It charged.
A Trial of Blood
Screams erupted.
Emily's eyes widened in horror. "Shit—!" she shrieked, bolting to the side.
Chaos exploded.
Some people ran to the back, desperate for a way out—but there was none. The room was sealed. Those who fled blindly had made a fatal mistake.
The Minotaur stomped forward.
Its axe swung.
Limbs flew.
Blood painted the walls.
Screams turned to gurgles. Then—silence.
Ares clenched his jaw. One minute in, and dozens are already dead.
His eyes darted to the Minotaur.
It was eating the corpses.
"Shit," Ares muttered under his breath. "It's wounded. It's eating to recover." The Minotaur must have been used by the government for whatever the hell they did to it
He exhaled sharply. "We can't take it head-on. We just have to survive."
But then—
The Minotaur turned its head.
It inhaled.
Then—
A shockwave pulsed through the air.
Ares felt his entire body freeze.
"Shit—it has a skill too?!"
For just a second—
But a second was all it needed.
The Minotaur lunged.
SWOOSH!
Two heads rolled.
The survivors panicked.
Ares' mind raced. He needed a plan.
Fast.
"Everyone—MAKE SPACE IN THE CENTER!" he shouted.
The desperate survivors snapped their heads toward him.
"DO IT IF YOU WANT TO LIVE!"
They hesitated for only a moment—then moved.
Some to the left. Some to the right.
Leaving—
A wide-open space at the center.
The Minotaur charged straight through.
BOOOOM!
It crashed headfirst into the wall.
A thick cloud of dust erupted.
Silence.
Then—
Cheering.
"We did it!"
Jones, Sylvia, and Ares collapsed to the ground, panting. They exchanged looks—then burst into laughter.
A man from the crowd rushed behind the Minotaur, dancing and hooting.
Then—
A shadow loomed over him.
He looked up.
Confusion crossed his face.
Huh?
The Minotaur's massive body collapsed backward—right on top of him.
CRUNCH.
Silence.
Then—
[4 minutes remaining.]
Ares' smile faded noticing its horns chipped off.
The Minotaur shifted.
Then—
It stood.
And this time—
It was angry.
"We need to move—NOW!" Jones shouted.
But Ares couldn't.
Something latched onto his leg.
He looked down.
Emily.
Smiling.
"Hello," she whispered, yanking him down.
Ares fell.
The Minotaur's red eyes locked onto him.
It raised its axe.
Terror filled his veins.
"NO!"
He thrashed—kicked—his foot slammed into Emily's face—freeing him.
Roll.
Dodge.
Just in time.
The axe came down.
Emily wasn't so lucky.
Her scream echoed as her arm was severed.
Her pale face twisted in horror.
She turned—
The Minotaur's axe swung again.
BAM!
Her body slammed into the wall.
She twitched.
Blood dripped from her lips.
Her blank eyes stared into nothingness.
Then—
She stopped moving.
[2 minutes until the end of the First Experiment]