The sunny morning breeze carried the scent of damp earth as birds called from somewhere high above the ancient trees.
A short distance from the bound recruits...
Kairo and the others stood beneath the shade of a towering oak.
Nearby, the bespectacled boy and the girl they had rescued slowly approached.
"...Thank you."
Then the boy lowered his head.
His voice was quiet yet filled with genuine gratitude.
"If you hadn't stepped in..."
He hesitated, adjusting his glasses with trembling fingers.
"...I don't know what would've happened to us."
Beside him, the girl bowed as well.
"...Thank you."
A warm smile spread across her face.
"You really saved us."
Tera smiled softly and raised a hand, gently waving away their thanks.
"...Don't mention it."
"...Besides..."
A small sigh escaped her lips.
"...We ended up having to deal with a few important things first."
Her eyes lingered on the bound Harumachi boys tied to the tree before returning to the pair.
"...So, we never really had the chance to introduce ourselves properly."
The bespectacled boy quickly shook his head.
"...Oh, no."
"It's alright."
He offered an awkward smile.
"I completely understand."
He straightened his glasses once more before placing a hand against his chest.
"...My name's Benji."
His smile grew a little more confident.
"...It's nice to meet all of you."
The girl stepped forward beside him.
She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear before giving a small, polite bow.
"...And I'm Cindy."
Her gentle smile carried a warmth that eased the lingering tension in the air.
"...Thank you again."
"It's nice to finally meet the people who rescued us."
One by one, the others followed.
Finally...
For a brief while, no one spoke.
The forest seemed almost peaceful.
Then... Morri folded his arms and looked around at the group.
"...Alright."
His gaze settled on Kairo before sweeping across everyone else.
"...So, what's the plan now?"
A quiet silence followed, before anyone could answer...
Toka suddenly spoke.
"...Simple."
He slipped both hands into his pockets.
"We don't march into enemy territory blind."
Everyone turned toward him.
His relaxed expression hadn't changed.
"...First..."
"...we need to understand the powerhouse we're dealing with."
He looked toward the endless stretch of forest lying ahead.
"If Harumachi really controls the West Territory..."
"...then charging in without knowing his strength would just be suicide."
No one argued.
Tera glanced over her shoulder.
"...I guess that's what he's here for."
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Her eyes settled on the recruit before them
"...Right, Izuno?"
"...Huh?!"
Izuno practically jumped.
He blinked several times before looking behind himself, as though hoping someone else was standing there.
"...M-Me?"
His shoulders immediately slumped.
"...Ah..."
He lowered his head with a defeated sigh.
"Alright, fine."
"...I'll tell you whatever I kn—"
"...Wait."
Kairo's voice interrupted him.
Everyone turned toward him.
He wasn't looking at Izuno.
Instead...
His eyes rested on Benji and Cindy.
"...Before that..."
"...What about you two?"
The pair blinked in surprise.
"... Do you plan on finding your group?"
Silence.
Benji adjusted his glasses, avoiding everyone's eyes.
"...Actually..."
He hesitated.
"...We..."
His voice grew quieter.
"...We don't actually have a team."
The group froze.
Benji let out an awkward chuckle.
"...It's just been the two of us."
Beside him, Cindy gave a small nod.
"...We've been together since the Survival Test began."
She added, "Our food..."
She glanced toward the forest surrounding them.
"...Mostly came from whatever we could forage."
"Berries..."
"Mushrooms..."
"...Fruit."
Benji rubbed the back of his neck.
"...We just... kept surviving one day at a time."
A brief silence settled over the group.
Then...
Toka sighed dramatically.
"...Well...isn't that disappointing."
Tera immediately looked at him.
"...You're one to talk."
Yomi looked between Benji and Cindy before turning back toward the others.
"...So..."
"...what do we do now?"
Toka's expression became thoughtful.
"...For starters..."
He looked directly at the pair.
"...I'm not interested in dragging the two of you into something you're not prepared for."
His voice remained calm.
"If you can't protect yourselves..."
"...then following us into the West Territory would only make things harder."
Neither Benji nor Cindy responded.
Tera slowly nodded.
"...He's right."
She crossed her arms.
"...Whatever we decide, we need a proper plan first."
Silence returned once more.
The morning breeze whispered through the towering canopy above.
Kairo looked at Benji and Cindy.
"...What do you two want to do?"
The question caught them both off guard.
The duo looked at each other.
Neither spoke immediately.
The hesitation lingered.
Finally...
Benji drew a slow breath.
"...We're not fighters."
He admitted it without shame.
"...Not like you guys."
He adjusted his glasses once again.
"...But..."
His fingers slowly curled into a fist.
"...If there's anything we can do... Anything at all then We'll help."
Cindy nodded firmly beside him.
"...We don't want to spend this entire Survival Test hiding."
Though her voice was soft... the determination within it was unmistakable.
"He's right ...If there's a way we can be useful..."
"...Please let us."
........................
A thoughtful silence settled over the group.
The determination in Benji and Cindy's eyes lingered in the morning air, earning quiet nods from those around them.
Kairo let out a slow breath before turning toward the towering tree.
His gaze settled on the bound recruit.
"...Alright, you've heard everything."
"So now .... it's your turn."
Izuno looked up.
"...Tell us everything you know."
The forest fell quiet once more.
Izuno lowered his eyes, gathering his thoughts.
For a long moment... He simply stood there, saying nothing.
"...Where do I even begin..." He muttered to himself, his brow furrowed as he searched for the right words.
Then...
"...The West Territory..."
He slowly lifted his head.
"...is a cave centered around a historic monument."
Everyone listened carefully.
His voice remained steady...
"But beneath it... lies an enormous underground network."
His expression grew more serious.
"Not even many recruits under Harumachi have explored all of it."
Morri frowned.
"...Not even his own people?"
Izuno nodded.
"...Most of us only know the areas we've been assigned to."
"The deeper sections..."
He shook his head, "...are off-limits, at least for ordinary recruits."
A thoughtful silence followed.
Izuno continued, "...As far as I know..."
"...there's the main entrance."
He glanced toward the western horizon beyond the trees.
"...And beneath the monument... Are countless underground tunnels."
Before he could continue—
"...How many?" Toka interrupted calmly.
Everyone looked toward him.
"...How many tunnels, exactly?"
Izuno scratched the side of his head awkwardly.
"...I... Honestly don't know." He let out a nervous laugh.
"I've never counted them."
"But..."
His expression slowly became solemn again "...There are far too many."
He swallowed.
"Every tunnel branch into another."
"And another, until eventually..."
"...they connect to caves scattered all across the West Region."
Silence.
The weight of those words settled heavily over the group.
Yomi's eyes widened.
"...Wait..."
She looked from Izuno to Kairo.
"...If that's true..."
Her voice trailed off as the realization formed, "...Then every cave throughout the West Region is connected"
Kairo let out a quiet sigh.
"...Unfortunately..."
He looked toward the distant forest stretching westward.
"...That's exactly how it is."
A historic monument connected to a vast web of underground tunnels, stretching beneath the West Region and linking countless caves together.
........................
A heavy silence settled over the group.
Morri suddenly looked up, as though remembering something.
"...Wait."
His eyes fixed on Izuno.
"Earlier... you said Harumachi was practically untouchable."
"...What exactly did you mean by that?"
Izuno's expression stiffened.
For the briefest moment... A chill ran down his spine.
He swallowed, "...Because..."
"...Harumachi isn't alone."
He lowered his gaze before continuing.
"He has six people he keeps close."
"The ones he trusts more than anyone."
The forest grew still.
"The first...they call her Susie."
"A girl with frighteningly sharp animal instincts."
He shook his head.
"...She's dangerous even when she's not trying to be."
His voice became quieter.
"The second..."
"...is Danzeki."
Kairo's eyes narrowed.
Izuno glanced toward him, "I'm guessing you've already met him."
His gaze shifted again, "And then..."
"...there's Hikari."
Morri instinctively touched the bandages around his knee.
"...Yeah..."
Izuno continued, "Harumachi also has another pair."
"Chico and Pico... They're twins"
"And together.... they're a serious problem."
Toka finally spoke.
"...How dangerous?"
Izuno hesitated.
"...Unpredictable."
He answered honestly, "No one really understands what they're capable of."
"...Even among Harumachi's own recruits."
"They're still mysterious."
Silence lingered.
Kairo broke it, "...And the last one?"
Izuno's face visibly tightened.
He looked genuinely unsettled.
"...He's..."
A slow breath escaped him.
"...the one I fear the most."
"He always carries this enormous mechanical backpack strapped to his back."
"...I've never seen him without it."
Kairo blinked.
"...Sounds like a freak."
Izuno nodded almost immediately.
"...He is."
"They call him..."
"...Poofy."
Kairo hesitate,"...Poofy?"
A puzzled look spread across his face.
"...What kind of silly name is that?"
His shoulders sank
"...he's quite the problem."
Another silence followed.
Morri slowly exhaled, "...Looks like Harumachi's put together one hell of a team."
No one disagreed.
From the back of the group, Benji finally spoke "...So..."
He adjusted his glasses nervously "...What do we do now?"
Tera stepped forward, her calm eyes swept across everyone gathered beneath the towering trees.
"...Now..."
A quiet determination settled over her voice, "...we make a plan."
"...At least now we know... what we're dealing with."