"Allen!" Cinister yelled with wide eyes.
"Yo, we meet again, Cini" Allen said while sizing him up.
"Wherever I go, I always see you," Cinister said as he balled up his fists. "Can I go a couple floors without seeing your dumb face?"
"It's not only me," Allen replied as he moved out of the way. "Choi and Scrappy are here as well."
"Yo, Cinister, we haven't seen each other in a while" Choi greeted him as he went to dap him up.
"This loser again?" Scrappy said as he shook hands with Cinister and Ragna.
"Long time no see, you both" Cinister replied. "But what are we doing here?"
"We don't know, but we heard it'll be a physical challenge, so everyone's stats will be equal" Choi said as he gave Cinister a card with his new stats.
"Where did you get this?" Ragna chimed in.
"Oh, the Tree Guy gave us them," Choi explained as he handed Ragna and Alya theirs too.
[Cinister: Participant #1800678]
Speed: 10Strength: 10Durability: 10
[New Abilities]
Quick Draw Rapid Fire
"Quick Draw and Rapid Fire, huh?" Cinister thought to himself. "Sounds gun-related."
"Hey, Cini" Alya asked, "Rapid Fire sounds like an ability you might have."
"Yeah, but I think they mean rapid fire like shooting a gun, not shooting fire," Cinister explained.
"Well, that makes sense, but why would we have guns?" Alya asked as she scratched her chin.
"I won-"
Cinister was cut off by a guy wearing some sort of uniform.
"Excuse me, sir, are you Cinister?" the formally dressed guy asked nervously.
"Yeah. Why do you ask?" Cinister replied while studying him carefully.
"Because my whole school watched your fight against Allen," he said excitedly. "And I was rooting for you!"
"My popular phase begins," Cinister thought to himself. "Wait… did he say school?"
"Hey, kid, are you from the Academy?" Ragna asked while slightly pushing Cinister aside.
"Yeah, NAYT - The Nexus Academy of the Young and Talented. Are you familiar with it?" the student asked excitedly.
"Yeah. Me, Cinister, and Alya are thinking about applying to NAYT," Ragna declared with a cocky grin.
"Wow, I can't wait to tell my friends I met the Cinister!" the student said.
"You're acting like he's all that," one of the student's classmates muttered.
"I mean, I don't think I'm all that, but you don't have to be rude about it," Cinister replied. "What's your name anyway?"
"My name is Xander, and I think you're a bum" he said confidently.
"Oh, I can't wait to beat you to a pulp in this test" Cinister replied as he cracked his knuckles.
"Okay, okay, calm down," one of the organizers said as she entered the cabin. "Everyone come outside and line up."
One by one, they left the cozy cabin and stepped onto the green grass. They stood shoulder to shoulder in a straight line.
"Alright. Each of you, step up to this box and take your weapon," the organizer instructed as she opened the container.
Each participant reached inside and pulled out a gun.
"Why are we using guns?!" one of the female contestants shouted.
"No, they aren't real guns," Allen's voice pierced through the crowd. "They're paintball guns."
"How do you know?" Alya asked while looking at him.
"I use real guns from time to time, but just to be sure, let me check them," Allen said as he inspected and touched everyone's weapon except Cinister's.
"No, I can tell mine is fake. You don't need to touch it, okay?" Cinister replied.
"Alright, suit yourself," Allen said as he returned to the line.
"Now that everyone is quiet, let me explain the rules," the organizer announced.
Official Test Rules Rule 1 - Objective
Participants will engage in a large-scale survival tag match against members of the Black Market.
At that moment, one hundred hooded figures emerged from the trees, making strange growling noises.
"Black Market people?!" Ragna said in confusion while looking at Cinister.
"I don't know anything about that," Cinister replied.
"You guys don't know about the Black Market?" Xander asked.
"No. Should we?" Ragna answered.
The organizer rolled her eyes.
"The Black Market is a secret underground network that changes floors every hour. Only individuals with powerful connections can access it."
"Inside the Black Market, illegal trades are conducted without fear of arrest. One of its most infamous locations is the Leaderboard, where bounties are posted on specific individuals."
"Kill?!" Alya exclaimed.
"Relax," the organizer said coldly. "We have a special arrangement with the Market. Bounties may be claimed if the target is captured and placed inside this containment cage."
She pointed toward a large steel cage nearby.
Everyone except Allen and Cinister sighed in relief.
Rule 2 - Paintball Weapons
The provided paintball guns are non-lethal training weapons.
If a Black Market pursuer is successfully hit with a paintball round, they will be stunned for thirty minutes.
Rule 3 - Team Assignments
All participants will be divided into four separate teams.
Rule 4 - Victory Condition
A team is declared victorious once every opposing teams has been fully captured and placed inside the containment cage.
Rule 5 - Elimination
If a participant is physically touched by a Black Market pursuer, they will be immediately eliminated and transferred to the cage.
Rule 6 - Friendly Fire Restrictions
Paintball weapons are incapable of affecting other participants.
Rule 7 - Lethal Force
Killing another participant is strictly prohibited unless it is done in clear self-defense.
"Those are the rules. Any questions?" the organizer asked.
"Is killing other players allowed?" one contestant asked while raising his hand.
"Killing is permitted only in cases of self-defense," the instructor replied in a cold tone. "Now grab a parachute and board the plane. We'll be transporting you across the continents."
One by one, the contestants grabbed parachutes and boarded the aircraft for the deadliest game of tag of their lives.
Editor's Note
The Black Market has many methods of staying hidden, including invisibility spells, tight security, and countless other precautions. It is filled with gambling dens, illegal trade stations, and bounty offices. Most of the gambling games are unfair… unless your name happens to be Allen.
The most infamous section of the Market is the bounty board. Below are the current bounty rankings from lowest to highest:
6. Scrappy - $25
5. Choi - $8,000
4. Alya - $10,000
3. Ragna - $50,000
2. Cinister - $100,000
1. Allen - $100,000,000,000