When Alex opened his eyes, he was met with darkness, a darkness so deep that he could not see anything at all. His pupils widened as much as possible, desperate to catch any trace of light that might help him understand his surroundings. He reached out with his hand, searching for clues about where he might be. At least he could tell he was standing on solid ground, because when he tried to take a step forward he nearly stumbled on the uneven surface under his feet. Bit by bit, his eyes adjusted, and the darkness began to lift as a faint, small light appeared from one corner of whatever place he was trapped in.
As his vision slowly returned, he realized where he was. He was inside some kind of cave, and when he looked around, all he could see were jagged walls and a ceiling above him, while beneath his feet the floor was rough and muddy with unexpected bumps. The light was coming from one side, most likely from an exit.
Alex sighed in relief, grateful that he was not trapped in a collapsed cave and that there was at least an exit.
The light was dim, and for a while he stood there wondering what he should do. Finally, he decided he needed to look around the cave, to see if there were any branching paths that might lead him somewhere else, maybe to a place where weapons could be hidden.
He needed to find weapons, since the principal had said they would find everything they needed in this domain where Alex was supposed to survive for five days. He searched the cave, venturing further inside in the hope that something might be hidden in a corner, but all he found was a dead end. The place was completely empty, just rocky walls closing him in from three sides, and a ceiling above. The only way forward was the path from which the light was coming.
A wave of dread passed through him. What if there was no real exit, and the cave was actually collapsed on all sides, with the light coming only from some cracks or a hole in the ceiling that he would have to climb out of?
Alex turned toward the light and hurried forward, not wanting to be trapped in this cave, especially not for five whole days. The principal had mentioned that the space would shrink, and he couldn't help but imagine what would happen if the cave started collapsing around him. Getting eliminated by being crushed in a shrinking cave would be the worst possible way to go.
Alex still did not understand how this domain of the principal worked, or how it could shrink, or what would happen if he were at the very edge when the space was shrinking. Would he be crushed between the walls? How would the space decide to shrink, and would it contract toward the center? If his cave happened to be at the center, could he just hide there and pass the test?
"No, I can't just stay in the cave for five days. I don't have anything to eat except for the potion the principal gave me," Alex muttered, his mind swirling with all kinds of emotions. He glanced at the back of his right hand and saw a small white wing, and underneath it was the number zero. "And I still have zero kills," he added quietly.
The fear of being trapped here and dying with zero kills pushed him forward, and as the cave grew brighter ahead, he found himself moving faster, his heart beating harder with every step. He stayed on edge, prepared to dodge if anyone might leap out from the front, because he could not shake the feeling that some examinees could be waiting for him just outside, ready to attack.
He hoped he was only being paranoid, since he had nothing to defend himself with, and his level was far too low to stand a chance if it came to a fight. If someone really was out there, he would have to run, and he knew he could not go back since the cave was a dead end, so his only hope was to dash forward into whatever was beyond the entrance, no matter what dangers waited. There were no side tunnels or hidden corners he could use to escape, just a single narrow corridor twisting and turning in long curves like an 'S' shape at every few dozen meters.
Fortunately, he had not come across any traps or hidden dangers so far.
The light grew so bright that he had to squint, and he slowed down, moving cautiously as he took cover behind a bend in the cave. Pressing his body close to the wall, he carefully leaned forward just enough to see the entrance. The first thing he noticed was a pile of weapons and armor lying in the corner, half-hidden behind several clusters of stones.
The armor glistened and reflected bright rays of light, forcing him to pull back his head because his eyes, still accustomed to the darkness, were overwhelmed by the sudden glare. He stayed alert for any sign of attack, because he was not naïve enough to think someone would simply leave weapons right at the entrance. In fact, he would have felt less suspicious if the weapons had been hidden deeper inside the cave instead of right at the front.
What puzzled him was that the weapons were hidden in such a way that only someone coming out of the cave could spot them, not someone standing outside looking in.
Alex lifted his head again to check if anyone was waiting at the entrance, but he saw no one. Beyond the cave, enormous trees stood so close together that their trunks alone were as thick as his waist. The trees shielded the cave's entrance, standing at least five or ten feet away, and the grass growing around them was so tall it could reach his knees. It seemed that the cave, or at least its entrance, was surrounded by forest, because all he could see were trees and tall grass and nothing else.
When he saw how vast the forest was, he thought it might be better to wait a little longer, in case someone was hiding behind the trees or beneath the grass. If anyone was out there, they would reveal themselves soon enough. It would be a war of patience.
He hoped no one had seen his head peeking out, since he had only peeked his head out for a second or two before ducking back behind the cave wall. He was grateful that the cave was curvy, not a straight tunnel like a city street.
***
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