Leo gasped as reality returned around him. The chamber's darkness had disappeared, replaced by rocky walls lit up by rays of sunlight filtering through cracks in the ceiling.
He fought back another wave of nausea, recognizing the sensation from his shadow stepping experiences, the disorienting feeling of being unmade and remade in another place.
"Teleportation," he muttered, steadying himself against the cavern wall. The stone felt cool and damp beneath his fingers. "Should have seen that coming."
According to the reports Leo had read, teleportation worked differently than the shadow step. The reports stated that teleportation simply warped spacetime to create a rift leading to another location, although the former method of being "unmade" had been invented later. Leo had no idea which process he had just experienced.
His eyes adjusted quickly to the dim environment. Unlike the other recruits, who were likely struggling with the darkness, Leo's shadow abilities gave him enhanced vision in low light.
The cavern extended about twenty meters in each direction, with a narrow opening visible at the far end. Outside, he could hear the gentle rushing of water.
Leo's muscles tensed as another sound reached his ears, a low growl that seemed to come from multiple directions at once. It wasn't human. He'd heard similar sounds in news reports about beast attacks on space settlements.
His H-phone vibrated against his wrist. The screen materialized with an official Resistance message:
[SQUADRON FORMATION TRIAL INITIATED:
All recruits have been teleported to designated starting positions across the Testing Grounds. Your objective: reach the facility at the center. Speed, combat effectiveness, and survival strategy will be evaluated. Resources matching your documented capabilities have been provided. The arena contains various Lumina-evolved animals and beasts of increasing difficulty as you approach the center.
This is not a simulation. Threats are real. Lethal force is authorized in self-defense.
Good luck. The Resistance rewards resourcefulness and courage.]
Leo lowered his wrist, processing the implications. "So it's not just about forming teams," he murmured. "They're watching how we perform under pressure."
He noticed a small backpack resting against the cavern wall. Opening it revealed basic survival supplies: three days' worth of high-calorie ration bars, a canteen of water, a multi-tool, a map printed on waterproof material, and for some reason, five heavy-duty flashlights.
Leo turned one of the flashlights over in his hand, confused. "Why would I need five of these?"
Then understanding dawned on him. The flashlights weren't for light. They were power sources he could siphon from if his abilities became depleted or use to create shadows when needed. Somebody had thoughtfully considered his unique needs.
Spreading the map across a flat rock, Leo studied it carefully. The Testing Grounds formed a roughly circular area around ten kilometers in diameter, divided into six different terrains: forest, mountain area, desert, grasslands, a frozen wasteland and what seemed to be ruins of a city. At the center stood a large structure labeled simply as "Objective."
Leo calculated the most direct route from his position, the mountains, to the center, estimating at least a full day's journey if he maintained a steady pace. However, the straightest path wasn't necessarily the safest. Between his position and the objective lay increasingly dangerous areas.
The map's legend indicated danger zones with color coding: green for minimal threat, yellow for moderate, orange for high, and red for extreme. The area outside the center was colored in an ominous crimson red.
"Of course… it's not just about getting there. It's about who you trust. Who you leave behind." Leo realized.
His mind analyzed the situation carefully. The Resistance needed to evaluate not just combat prowess but decision-making under pressure. Would recruits prioritize speed or safety? Would they cooperate or compete? Every choice revealed character traits valuable to the organization.
Leo's thoughts turned to the beasts that undoubtedly populated the arena. During his days as a journalist, he researched the classification systems developed by the Monroe family, the GPA's closest allies.
The Monroe Scale classifies beasts according to their threat level and Lumina concentration, from least to most dangerous:
Fodder-tier beasts are barely evolved beyond normal animals, equivalent to F-ranks. Individually weak but dangerous in swarms or packs.
Awakened-tier beasts are common on most planets. They stake out territories in Lumina-rich areas and ambush travelers. Their cores provide basic materials for equipment, weapons and armor.
Hunter-tier beasts represent the first truly dangerous category. Unlike lower tiers that mostly scavenge or defend territory, these actively hunt Awakened individuals, drawn to their Lumina energy. With rudimentary intelligence, they can set ambushes and employ simple tactics.
The scale continued through increasingly nightmarish tiers, Demon, Titan and Legendary, each more powerful than the last.
At the apex were the mythical-tier beast, continent-sized leviathans capable of destroying entire continents. Most considered them myths, though the oldest GPA records documented encounters with beings that could only be described as gods.
Leo hoped the Resistance wasn't cruel enough to place anything above D-rank in a training exercise, though the red zone at the center caused him to pause.
Checking his supplies one final time, Leo secured the backpack and moved toward the cavern exit. Sunlight streamed through the opening, revealing a rocky slope that descended toward a wide river.
As Leo emerged from the cavern, the terrain spread before him, rocky and beautiful, everything around looked peaceful, although looks can sometimes be deceiving.
He was about to start his descent down the mountain when an unmistakable sound froze him in place.
A low growl came from the rocks just a few meters away. The sound reminded Leo of the Hunter he'd encountered in the Shadow Realm, that terrifying moment when death seemed inevitable.
Leo's muscles stiffened, sweat beading on his forehead as he began to hear footsteps. Despite weeks of training, despite his growing confidence in his abilities, his fear overtook him completely.
In that moment, he was once again powerless, facing something born to kill.