Simulation.

About a day ago, during the combat evaluation, Marcus, one of the Ascendants from Adam's class had lost a fight against Adam, an Outcast.

Later that night during dinner, Bryan and his lackeys had gone out of their way to make Marcus the laughing stock of their class. Bryan had bragged of how he used to beat Adam to the brink of death, how any ascendant in their class could beat a miserable outcast like Adam.

Marcus was greatly humiliated, and Bryan used this opportunity to convince him that the only way to regain his dignity as an Ascendant was to get rid of Adam during the simulation test.

Once commander Darius asked the students to team up, he figured that if he joined the same team as Adam, he could attack him during the exercise and report it as an accident.

Marcus's cold gaze locked onto Adam as he approached their group, his lips curling into a smirk. Eve's expression darkened when she saw him, but she held her tongue. The golden-haired boy with green eyes, Alec, shifted uncomfortably. He hadn't expected to be grouped with such tension, he was only interested in Eve.

"I will be joining this team," Marcus declared with a confidence that left no room for argument.

Adam clenched his fists. He could sense the malice in Marcus's tone. But he wasn't the same boy who had always backed down. Not anymore.

"Fine," Adam said calmly. "Let's get this over with."

Eve glanced at her brother, silently questioning his decision to accept Marcus. Adam gave her a reassuring nod. He couldn't afford to make enemies out in the open. Not yet.

Each of the students was given the choice to choose a single weapon designed for the simulation training, the weapons included ranged weapons such as bows and arrows, daggers, short and long swords, Axes, hammers, and shields.

Adam picked a sword, Eve picked a bow with 12 arrows, Alec grabbed a large shield and Marcus picked an axe.

The simulation was set in a massive chamber designed to mimic the surface environment. The terrain was a blend of dense forests, rocky plains, and ruined structures from a time long past. Holographic projections added a layer of realism, creating the illusion of a sunlit sky.

Commander Darius's voice echoed through the chamber's speaker system.

"Listen up! Your mission is simple: survive for the next twelve hours. This simulation is designed to test your adaptability, teamwork, and resourcefulness. You'll face various challenges, including hostile creatures and environmental hazards."

"Each group will be monitored. Now that you are all linked to the neural network, the pain scale is 50 per cent of reality, if you get injured, it will surely hurt as hell so don't go out there being reckless. Although I earlier stated that we will evaluate your performance individually if you fail to work together, and you fail the test as well."

With that, the chamber doors slid open, revealing the simulated world before them.

Adam's team stepped inside, the heavy doors sealing shut behind them. The air was cool and carried the scent of pine trees. Birds chirped from holographic trees, and the sound of rustling leaves created an unsettling sense of realism.

"We need to find shelter, a place we can defend if we get overrun," Eve suggested, scanning the terrain. "That should be our priority," she added.

Alec, the boy who followed Eve to join the team nodded in agreement. "And we should gather supplies along the way. There's bound to be hidden caches."

Marcus, however, had other plans.

"Shelter can wait. We need to prove ourselves in combat. Let's hunt down some of those simulated beasts." He stated.

Adam shook his head in disagreement. "We should focus on survival. This isn't about showing off." He objected.

Marcus sneered. "And what would an Outcast know about survival? You've lived your whole life in the shadows. Let the real men take charge."

Eve stepped between them. "Enough. We don't have time for petty arguments. We'll follow my plan."

Reluctantly, Marcus fell in line, though his eyes burned with resentment.

As the team navigated the simulated terrain, they stumbled upon a derelict building. The structure appeared stable enough to serve as a temporary shelter. Inside, they found basic supplies: water canisters, medical kits, and some rations.

While Eve and Alec secured the perimeter, Adam explored the building's interior. He couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.

At that moment, the system interface flickered before his eyes, displaying a window.

New mission available: Defeat 2 simulated extremovores.

Reward: 5 stat points.

Before Adam could finish making sense of what was happening, a larger system window appeared in red.

Danger detected: Hostile entity approaching.

"Eve! Alec!" Adam called out. "Something's coming!

Before they could react, something massive burst through the trees and broke through the wall. It was a gigantic insectoid with two large arms covered in sharp spikes, bending backwards. It's body was covered in a greenish material that shimmered in the sunlight. It was Twice as large as a regular human.

"Get back! That's a praying mantis." Alec shouted, pulling his shield. He walked forward and stood in front of Eve, ready to defend her.

The beast turned its head scanning them one after another. It raised its two front arms charged towards them.

The group scattered. Adam moved with surprising agility, dodging the creature's attacks. Marcus, however, saw an opportunity.

"Now is my chance," Marcus muttered under his breath. He timed his attack and swung his axe at Adam, swinging with full force.

Adam barely dodged in time thanks to his new-found agility, Marcus' axe barely grazing his shoulder. He stumbled, looking up in shock.

"What the hell are you doing?" Adam demanded.

Marcus smirked. "Oops. Guess I got carried away."

Eve's eyes narrowed. "You attacked him on purpose!" She lamented, worried.

The mantis shrieked, charging towards them again. Eve and Alec moved to intercept it while Adam kept his focus on Marcus.

"I know what you're trying to do," Adam said, his voice low. "But you'll regret it."

Marcus laughed. "You think you can threaten me? You're nothing but an Outcast. You'll always be beneath me."

Adam's system interface flared to life.

New mission: Neutralize the threat posed by Marcus.

Reward: +2 Strength points.

Adam's heart raced. He didn't want to resort to violence, but the system's guidance was clear. He now had three missions active.

The first one to survive the Arc Inferna military base exercise and qualify to move to Arc Aegis, which will reward him 5 per cent genetic purification, the second being to defeat one simulated extremovores and gain 5 stat points, while the third, to deal with Marcus and gain 2 strength points.

Adam now had enough motivation, and his hesitation vanished and a serious expression appeared on his face.

The mantis let out a loud shriek and charged again. It targeted Eve and swung hard.

Alec used his shield to block the attack. The sound of the mantis' arm hitting the shield gave out a large bang, setting off sparks and sending Alec crashing backwards.

While keeping Marcus at bay, Adam had analyzed the mantis. Its exoskeleton was tougher than the weapons they were using and it was relatively fast, especially when it is attacking.

With the aid of the system, Adam had identified the mantis' weakness.

"Draw its attention Alec, I want to try something." He shouted.

Eve drew her bow, aiming at the eye of the mantis, she shot an arrow.

Before the arrow could pierce its eyes, the two large arms moved with incredible speed, catching the arrow mid-air.

Adam had observed that the mantis's strength lies in its tough outer shell and how incredibly fast it can attack with its large front grappling legs.

From the impact and the movement of its body, its abdomen does not seem to be covered with the same consistency of tough material as the front legs.

"Only one way to find out!" Adam murmured.

With a gentle leap, he dashed behind the mantis as it threw a barrage of attacks towards Eve and Alec.

As Alec blocks the attacks, his hands start to get numb and the shield he was using has a large crack on it. Eve had shot eight more arrows at the beast. Some were deflected and others simply bounced off its tough exoskeleton.

With her last three arrows, she loaded them all at once and drew her bow, firing them rapidly in a manner that made them look as though they were fired all at once.

The beast deflected two of them and attacked Alec at the same time. As his shield broke in half, the final arrow zoomed through the crack and went right past the two large arms, piercing through one of the large eyes of the mantis.

Using this distraction, Adam stepped on nearby obstacles and jumped high in the air. With all of his remaining strength, he aimed at the beast's midsection and swung his blade as hard as his strength allowed.

Swirling through the air, for a brief moment, the sound of his sword slicing through the air could be heard, in an instant, the mantis was split in half.

But the mantis was not dead. With green liquid oozing out of its body, it turned and swung its arm at Eve.

Alec pushed her out of the way on time, but he was hit on the arm, sending him wailing in pain.

If this was not a simulation, his hand would have been sliced off. It was understandable to Adam that the pain was unbearable, even if the simulation only inflicted haft of the actual pain.

With that, Adam had set his target, the mantis neck. If he cut through the joint in the neck, it was possible to win.

He drew a deep breath, and held the sword, light in his hand, allowing him to maximize his speed.

With a single leap, he lunged forward towards the mantis which had its back turned to him.

With a single strike, he sliced the head off and instantly, the mantis turned to pixels and scattered.

Congratulations,

You have been rewarded 5 stat points for defeating a simulated extremovore.

Adam was happy with this result, but as he raised his eye to see what was about to happen, his demeanor suddenly changed and he immediately put all of the five stat points he had earned into speed.

A few meters in front of him, across where the body of the giant mantis has disappeared, Marcus had snuck behind Eve who was helping Alec after he was injured.

He had raised his axe and was about to strike Eve from behind.

With a sudden gust of wind, Adam's body shimmered a bit, right before he vanished.

As he ran across, targeting Marcus' axe, for a brief moment, everything seemed to have slowed down a bit. Like the gust of wind, his figure shimmered again as he stopped and right in front and blocked the attack.

From Marcus' perspective, it was as it Adam had disappeared and appeared right in front of him. After being unable to hurt Adam earlier, he resolved to attack his sister.

Even if she were to be injured now, unlike before, the Kennedy family would not be involved, they were no longer the twin outcasts' guardians. Marcus thought.

Right now, he had been sent falling backwards, his hand numb from the force of Adam's counter attack.

"Enough!" Eve snapped, turning to Marcus. "If you try that again, you'll regret it." She threatened her eyes slightly gleaming blue, which was uncommon for an outcast. Blue eyes are a feature only Pures possessed.

Marcus glared at her but said nothing. He wasn't ready to back down, but he knew better than to challenge Eve further, whatever power she just slightly displayed, wouldn't end well for him.

He, hissed and spat on the floor, showing that he was no longer going to keep attacking, but also indicating that his resentment towards Adam was not over.

The group continued their journey through the simulation, tensions running high. They encountered more challenges, treacherous terrain, simulated traps, and hostile creatures, but they managed to push through, avoiding fights and focusing on survival.

As night fell, they set up camp in a clearing. Eve and Alec took the first watch while Adam sat by the fire, lost in thought.

What is the Primordial Beast system?

who made it, and why did it choose him? He wondered.

He also had to confront Marcus, but he needed to be smart about it.

When it was Adam's turn to keep watch, he found Marcus sitting on a log, sharpening his axe with a piece of metal he had scavenged.

"You don't trust me, do you?" Marcus asked without looking up.

Adam crossed his arms and answered. "Why would I? You attempted to strike me, and when you failed, you attacked my sister."

Marcus chuckled. "Smart. But your smartness can't save you."

"I will eventually crush you. To remind everyone of their place."

Adam stepped closer, his voice steady. "And what if I don't let you?" he asked menacingly.

Marcus finally looked up, his eyes gleaming with malice. "Then I'll make sure you regret it being born."

Adam's system flared again.

Congratulations, you have successfully overcome the threat that Marcus poses.

You have been granted two strength stat points.

Suddenly, Adam's perception sharpened. He could hear the faint rustle of leaves, the distant chirping of insects, and the subtle shifts in Marcus's posture. The increase in his strength seems to be accompanied by a versatile increase in his perception as well.

"You've already lost," Adam said, his voice calm. "You just don't know it yet."

Marcus threw his fist towards Adam, but Adam sidestepped effortlessly, grabbing Marcus's arm and twisting it behind his back.

"Enough games," Adam said. "If you want to survive, we do this together. Otherwise, you won't make it out of this simulation."

Marcus growled but didn't resist. Adam released him and stepped back.

"This isn't over," Marcus warned.

Adam smirked. "I'm counting on it."

As dawn broke, the group reached the simulation's endpoint. Commander Darius awaited them, a satisfied expression on his face.

"Congratulations. Two hundred and fifty-two of you have survived the test," Darius announced. "But remember, this was just the beginning. The real challenges await you on Arc Aegis."

Adam glanced at Marcus, who avoided his gaze. Eve stood by his side, her confidence unwavering.

For the first time, Adam felt like he belonged. He wasn't just an Outcast anymore. He was someone to be reckoned with.