Deep within Root-Veil Mountain, beyond corridors known only to the Missionary Order, another great chamber had been carved into the ancient stone.
Like the Induction Vault below, the room was immense.
Long rows of sturdy pine tables stretched across the cavern floor, each occupied by a Missionary quietly recording observations with ink and parchment. Set into the surrounding stone walls were large viewing panels through which every sector of the Dead Forest could be observed.
Hidden throughout the examination grounds, unseen by the recruits themselves, countless observation devices watched over the seven-day Survival test.
Nothing escaped the eyes of the Missionary Order.
Every confrontation.
Every alliance.
Every mistake.
Every decision.
Each viewing panel had its own assigned observer, whose sole responsibility was to monitor a designated sector of the Dead Forest and document the recruits' actions as the examination unfolded.
To those risking their lives within the forest, the wilderness seemed vast, isolated, and unforgiving.
But they were never truly alone.
From the moment the survival test began...
The Missionary Order had been watching.
Only the faint crackle of the monitors and the quiet voices of observers filled the chamber.
Then...
Footsteps echoed through the cave.
Several missionaries instinctively straightened.
A woman entered the room.
She walked with composed elegance, one hand resting lightly against her waist, her expression calm yet authoritative.
Adaora Noboshi.
The woman responsible for overseeing this year's Survival Examination.
Without announcing herself, she slowly made her way between the rows of observers.
Her sharp eyes drifted across monitor after monitor.
Northern Territory.
Eastern Territory.
Southern Territory.
Nothing unusual.
Then she stopped before one particular station.
The screen displayed the Western Territory.
A shattered clearing.
Broken trees.
Blood-soaked earth.
Two boys standing amidst the destruction.
A third had only just arrived.
Adaora folded one arm beneath the other as she studied the scene in silence.
"...Status?"
The missionary assigned to the station glanced up briefly before returning his attention to the monitor.
A faint smile appeared on his face.
"You came at the right time."
He adjusted a pair of round spectacles.
"Things are beginning to get interesting."
His eyes remained fixed upon the screen.
"The recruit named Kairo has already engaged one of Harumachi's subordinates."
The monitor flickered as the image shifted slightly.
"And now..."
He leaned forward with visible interest.
"...another participant has entered the scene."
Adaora quietly watched the screen.
The camera settled upon the newcomer.
A boy of roughly the same age as the others.
Hands tucked inside his pockets.
If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Completely at ease.
Even from the monitor...
His calm presence stood apart.
"...Hmm..."
Adaora narrowed her eyes ever so slightly.
"Let's see where this goes."
The room returned to silence.
Every pair of eyes remained fixed upon the monitor.
.....
Back in Dead Forest....
The clearing stood unnaturally still.
Toka's quiet gaze rested upon Kairo.
Blood covered the boy's face.
His breathing was ragged.
Yet somehow...
He remained standing.
Several meters away, Kairo stared back through blurred vision.
Neither spoke.
Then—
"...Who are you?"
Danzeki's voice broke the silence.
His narrowed eyes shifted toward the newcomer.
Toka looked at him.
His expression remained unchanged.
"...Just another participant."
He shrugged lightly.
"I was passing through."
His gaze drifted away again.
Returning to Kairo.
For a brief moment...
Silence settled once more.
Then Danzeki asked again.
"...You."
Toka's eyes slowly shifted toward him.
"I said… What's your name?"
"...Toka."
He hesitated before answering
Danzeki studied him for a second before giving a dismissive wave of his hand.
"...Toka."
"Then keep walking."
His voice grew colder.
"This doesn't concern you."
He slowly pointed toward the forest behind him.
"So, unless you want to die..."
"...move along."
Silence.
Toka looked at him.
"...Is that a threat?"
The question hung calmly in the air.
Danzeki's eyebrow twitched.
"...Would you like to find out?"
For the first time...
A faint smile appeared on Toka's face.
He gave a small shrug.
"...Do whatever you want."
"I don't really care."
Without another glance...
He turned.
His footsteps carried him away from the clearing.
Crunch...
Crunch...
Crunch...
Danzeki watched him leave for only a moment before dismissing him entirely.
His attention shifted back toward Kairo.
Red and emerald Seikon began flowing beneath the veins of both arms once again.
The surrounding air trembled.
The wind slowly gathered around him.
Then—
"...On second thought."
Toka's voice echoed from behind.
The wind stopped.
Danzeki's eyes widened slightly.
He turned.
Toka had stopped walking.
Without looking back immediately, he let out a quiet sigh before slowly turning to face him once again.
The distance between them was short.
"...I'd rather see for myself..."
"...whether your threat..."
"...was actually worth making."
Silence.
The words lingered in the air.
Then...
Danzeki smiled.
It wasn't amusement.
It was the smile of someone whose patience had finally run out.
"...You really don't know when to stop."
A quiet laugh escaped him.
He slowly rolled his shoulders, the tension in his body loosening as though welcoming what was about to happen.
"Do you see him?"
Danzeki gestured lazily toward Kairo.
"I've spent this entire fight trying not to kill him."
He sighed.
"And honestly..."
"...It's exhausting."
The wind around him stirred.
Leaves began lifting from the forest floor.
"So, if you're volunteering..."
"...I'll gladly vent the rest of that frustration on you."
His smile sharpened.
"...Just don't blame me when you realize..."
"...I warned you."
Several meters away—
"...Wait."
Kairo's weakened voice cut through the tension.
Blood dripped from his chin as he slowly lifted his head.
His breathing remained uneven.
Toka looked toward him.
Kairo struggled to straighten himself despite every wound screaming in protest.
"...Don't interfere."
He forced another breath.
"I can still fight."
Danzeki sighed.
"...You're still talking?"
A trace of pity crossed his face.
"You've had enough."
His Seikon Flow surged once again.
"...Stay down."
The wind immediately answered.
Leaves rose from the forest floor.
The air began spiraling around him once more.
Toka quietly observed the glowing currents beneath Danzeki's veins.
His eyes lingered there.
"He's ...Stage two?"
He spoke almost to himself.
A gentle breeze brushed across his hair.
His expression remained thoughtful.
His calm eyes never left Danzeki.
"...Why don't you show me?"
He tilted his head slightly.
"I'd like to see..."
"...what you're capable of."
Toka's words were spoken so casually...
They sounded less like a challenge...
...and more like an invitation.
Danzeki slowly turned toward him.
The spiraling wind surrounding his body accelerated.
Faster.
Stronger.
Dust rose into the air.
The pressure pressing against the forest intensified.
Branches bent beneath the gathering current.
Across from him...
Toka didn't move.
He simply watched.
Calm.
Unbothered.
The corners of his lips curved upward into the faintest smile.
As though...
He had finally found something worth looking at.
........
Danzeki's smile slowly faded.
The wind surrounding him began to scream.
One after another, streams of compressed air gathered beside him, twisting violently before taking shape.
A blade.
Then another.
Then another.
Within moments...
Hundreds of long swords forged entirely from compressed wind floated motionless around him, their razor-sharp edges shimmering beneath the fading afternoon light.
The forest itself seemed to recoil.
Leaves were ripped from the branches, circling through the violent currents that surrounded the young warrior.
Danzeki slowly raised one hand.
His fingers spread.
Then...
They closed.
"Go."
WHOOSH!!
The countless swords shot forward at once.
The air shrieked beneath their speed.
They tore through the forest like a storm of executioner's blades, converging upon the lone figure standing only a few meters away.
Toka never moved.
His hands remained tucked inside his pockets.
His expression was as calm as ever.
Then, almost lazily...
He spoke.
"Matsukaze.... Shihai."
A gentle breath escaped his lips.
At once...
A translucent current of spiritual pressure flowed quietly around his body, causing the surrounding air to shimmer as though the wind itself had come alive.
It did not explode.
It did not roar.
It simply flowed around him like invisible wind made visible, its currents quietly circling his frame like a mist.
The charging blades entered its reach.
And vanished.
One after another...
They dissolved into nothing.
Not shattered.
Not deflected.
Simply erased, as though the wind that formed them had forgotten it had ever existed.
The forest fell silent.
Danzeki's eyes widened.
"...What?"
The last of the swords disappeared only a few steps before reaching Toka.
Nothing remained.
Only the gentle stream of mist-like spiritual pressure drifting around him.
For the first time...
Disbelief crossed Danzeki's face.
He stared at the boy standing before him.
Hands still in his pockets.
Untouched.
The faint current surrounding Toka continued to flow effortlessly around his body.
Beneath his skin... Gradient streams of crimson and emerald Seikon flowed through his veins, glowing softly with every heartbeat.
Danzeki's expression slowly steadied.
"...I see."
His eyes narrowed.
"So..."
"...you possess Stage Two Seikon Flow as well."
Toka slowly lifted his head.
A faint, mischievous smile tugged at the corner of his lips.
"...That's it?"
His eyes remained calm.
"...How disappointing."
...............................