Chapter 32 - 32

coincidence…" he thought coldly "…this is a filtering system" his thoughts began organizing into structured possibilities "first possibility… they kill each other" this was natural in a competitive system where each summoned individual might possess unique and dangerous abilities capable of eliminating others "but…" he paused briefly "…that alone is not enough" mutual conflict could not realistically account for such an overwhelming number of deaths within a relatively short period of time especially when considering the potential strength of those individuals "second possibility…" his thoughts moved deeper "…there are other entities" entities that are not summoned but exist as part of the system itself or as part of the missions beings created or placed for a single purpose testing hunting eliminating or forcing adaptation "perhaps…" he continued "…every mission is not a challenge… but an organized massacre" a new image formed in his mind not of trials but of systematic reduction each stage removing large numbers until only a handful remained "thirteen…" he repeated again "…this system is not searching for the strongest… it is searching for those who survive" his analysis narrowed further "less than one hundred years…" he thought "…and more than ten summoned individuals have already died" this detail alone created another contradiction because this world despite its harshness did not appear capable of eliminating that many abnormal existences in such a short time "low probability…" he concluded "…that they all died here" which led to a more logical direction "…other worlds" if missions existed across different worlds then the real danger was not this place but those environments places that did not follow the same rules places where survival itself might be nearly impossible "the fifth mission…" he recalled "…collecting stars" that simple phrase now carried a completely different meaning "collecting stars…" he repeated "…this is not a test of strength… this is survival inside a controlled hell"