He thought he was outside; to his surprise, it was still a cave, but one filled with glowing bright moss mimicking sunlight. He was surprised to find out that the cave was massive, and in the middle stood a pillar of rock three feet tall with a ruby orb on top.
Hayato looked around and found a stream of water and a green bush with berries on it. Hayato hesitated to eat the berries.
'It might be poison. Nope ain't trying that.' Hayato thought in his mind, but he was already hungry, like he hadn't eaten for three whole days.
"Oh, whatever." Hayato started picking the berries. He began eating them and closed his eyes.
He swallowed and said, "Wow, this is delicious," smiling.
But then his vision started to fade, and his head began to lose consciousness. He passed out.
Then suddenly, someone shook him.
"Hey, dude, wake up. Dude, wake up!"
Hayato started to wake up.
"Ah—what? What happened?" Hayato said, touching his arms and holding his aching head.
"Dude, we just saw you lying there beside this bush," the guy replied.
"Yo! Who are you?!" Hayato shouted with a surprised face.
"Oh, I'm Riku Hanekawa, and this is my twin sister, Yuna Hanekawa," Riku replied.
"What happened to you, dude?" Riku asked Hayato.
"Ugh… I started eating those berries, and then I fainted, I guess," Hayato replied, his head still throbbing.
"You mean these berries?" Yuna said casually as she ate a handful.
"W-What are you doing?! Don't eat that! Those things are poisonous!" Hayato screamed, panicking.
"It's okay," Riku answered. "We already know how to detoxify the poison in the berries."
Huh?!" Hayato was completely dumbfounded. "How did you know?"
"HAHAHA! Your face looks hilarious!" Yuna laughed.
Riku replied. "After we enter this part of the cave we thought we were outside, then we saw your body lying in front of that bush. We already suspected that you eat the berries and they were poisonous were poisonous. So, we look around, then..."
"Then I touched that orb thingy over there, and it started to glow!" Yuna interrupted excitedly. "A screen popped up in front of my face saying Unavailable. I was startled, so I asked my brother if he could see it, but he couldn't. Then when I looked at the stream, another screen appeared identifying it."
"Huh?" Hayato looked confused again. "What did the screen say?"
"It said the stream was a Healing Spring," Yuna replied. "And the bush was called a Bloodberry Bush. It's really poisonous."
"Then how am I alive?" Hayato asked.
"We kept you drinking that water," Riku replied.
"You were asleep for a whole day," Yuna added with a smile. "When you finally started moving, my brother woke you up."
Hayato stood up and bowed deeply in front of them.
"Thank you for saving my life. I'm in your debt."
"No big deal, dude," Riku replied, while Yuna smiled.
"Hanekawa, Yuna-sama, how were you able to eat the berries safely?" Hayato asked.
"Oh, I soaked the berries in the water," Yuna replied.
"The water detoxified them, so they're edible now." She smiled. "Oh yeah, stop calling me sama. You don't need to be so formal. Just call me Yuna and my brother, Riku."
Riku nodded with a smile.
"O-Okay. Thanks," Hayato replied.
Hayato started walking toward the orb, thinking, 'Just touch it. Maybe you'll get some awesome superpower.' His face showed fear mixed with excitement.
He was halfway there when...
He fell.
Inside the cave, there were five holes. Four were lined up on the right, and one large hole was on the left. From one of the four holes, Hayato came out, while Riku and Yuna emerged together from the hole beside his. Sounds then came from the two remaining holes.
Riku and Yuna were on guard, and Hayato quickly stood up and went on guard as well. Then people came out from the caves beside the one they had emerged from. From one hole, two girls came out whom Hayato was familiar with; they were holding each other and looked scared. From the other hole, two boys came out. One looked frightened and was grabbing the boy beside him, who looked calm and collected with a cool aura.
Hayato, Riku, and Yuna calmed down.
The two girls were shocked to find Hayato. It was Reina Tsukishiro and her friend.
"What are you doing here, and how did you get here as well?" Reina asked Hayato. "I don't know.
When I woke up, I was in a dimly lit cave," Hayato replied. "You know each other?" Riku asked
Hayato. "Sort of. We're in the same school," Hayato replied. "What about you two? How did you end up here?" Hayato then asked Reina and her friend.
"Last I remember, we were running to the comfort room. That's it. Then we woke up in a dimly lit cave as well," Reina replied, while her friend nodded.
Then Reina introduced her friend. "Oh, yeah, this is Miyu Hanabira. She's my classmate. Sorry about her, she's quiet and timid, but once you get to know her, she's a good friend."
Miyu spoke shyly, "Just call me Miyu. Nice to meet you all." Then she bowed.
Yuna then spoke, "Then what about you two? Who are you?" She asked the two boys who came out of the other hole beside Reina and Miyu.
The scared boys said, "Oh, I'm Takumi Sera. I'm from Yamato High."
All of them were shocked because everyone was from the same school. They were all wearing school uniforms, but each design was different each class, department, and year had a unique style. Yamato High was categorized into four departments: Academic, Athletics, Creative Arts, and Science Technology.
"Looking at everyone, I presume you are all from the same school," the calm, quiet guy said. "I'm Souta Minazuki, also from Yamato High, Section 1D of the Technology & Science department. Takumi and I are classmates."
Hayato spoke, "Well, the three of us are from...."
Hayato was interrupted by a loud sound that occurred in the giant hole, marching toward them really fast. Everyone panicked.
Then Riku shouted, "Everyone, follow me! Touch that orb now!"
Everyone sprinted toward the orb. Then they all touched it simultaneously. The orb glowed, and then…
Everyone saw this pop up in front of them. A window screen only visible to each of them.
[Welcome to the Trial Grounds]
Objective: SURVIVE. Reach the exit to proceed.
Say 'Status' to view your personal data. Your information is visible only to you.
The seven of them spoke together, saying Status. Then the display changed.
In Hayato's Perspective
[Hayato Shinozaki]
Personality: Brave, Energetic, Adventurous
Traits: Impulsive, Determined, Quick-thinking, Resilient
Level: 1
Class: Aura Swordsman
Strength: S
Agility: A
Intelligence: A+
Skill: Aura Infuse E – Fuse aura into objects, enhancing their durability and sharpness.
Affinity: Aura Energy
In Reina's Perspective
[Reina Tsukishiro]
Level: 1
Personality: Intelligent, Composed, Aloof
Traits: Analytical, Perfectionist
Class: Elemental Mage
Strength: D
Agility: C
Intelligence: S
Mana: 1000
Skills: Elemental Spell D - All cost 100 mana
(Flare: Small fire ball/Burn.) (Bubble: Orb of water/Drinkable.) (Blow: Gust of wind/Deflect.) (Stone Bullet: Rock Projectile/5x shot.) (Shock: Electric shock/stun.) (Icicle shot: Small ice spear/freeze.) (Grow: Enhance plant growth/healing)
Affinity: Spirit Mana (Fire Magic, Water Magic, Wind Magic, Earth Magic, Lightning Magic, Ice Magic, Plant Magic)
In Riku's Perspective
[Riku Hanekawa]
Level: 1
Personality: Loyal, Honest, Dependable
Traits: Courageous, Trustworthy
Class: Guardian Tank
Strength: A+
Agility: C+
Intelligence: B
Skill: Reinforce D – Temporarily hardens body or objects
Affinity: Aura Energy
In Miyu's Perspective
[Miyu Hanabira]
Level: 1
Personality: Shy, Sweet, Sincere
Traits: Diligent, Empathetic
Class: Divine Support
Strength: D
Agility: C
Intelligence: A
Mana: 1000
Skills (All E-rank): Holy Spells D - All Cost 100
(Light: Bright orb, illuminates dark areas) (Protect: Small magical shield) (Heal: Repairs physical injuries like cuts, bruises, wounds) (Cure: Fixes internal problems like poison, illness, toxins) (Purify: Removes curses, evil, darkness, toxins) (Bless: Boosts ally stats, morale, and minor resistances)
Affinity: Holy Mana (Light Magic)
In Takumi's Perspective
[Takumi Sera]
Level: 1
Personality: Clever, Energetic, Observant
Traits: Adaptive, Witty
Class: Sharp-Eyed Marksman
Strength: B-
Agility: A
Intelligence: C+
Skill: Precise Shot E – A focused, accurate ranged attack and enhances eyesight
Affinity: Aura Energy
In Yuna's Perspective
[Yuna Hanekawa]
Level: 1
Personality: Bold, Hot-headed, Just
Traits: Fierce, Passionate
Class: Fierce Fighter
Strength: S
Agility: B+
Intelligence: C+
Skill: Power Surge D– slightly enhances physical strength
Affinity: Aura Energy
In Souta's Perspective
[Souta Minazuki]
Level: 1
Personality: Reserved, Quiet, Analytical
Traits: Mysterious, Strategic
Clubs: Gymnastics, Kendo
Class: Shadow Assassin
Strength: B-
Agility: S
Intelligence: B+
Skills: Swift Edge E – Slightly enhance speed and agility, Shadow Cloak E– Hides presences
Affinity: Aura Energy
The loud noise approached quickly. All of them gathered together.