The First Encounter
"Greetings, humans."
The voice echoed, cold as ice, as if it carried no emotion at all.
"The selection trial has ended."
"A total of 34,780 humans have survived the challenge. Based on your performance and the evaluation of your gene data, you have been ranked from A to E."
"The arena is divided into five levels, each matching to a rank. Rank E begins at level 1, and Rank A begins at level 5. You will automatically be transferred to the corresponding level as your rank increases. To move forward, you must prove your abilities and evolve."
The voice paused briefly, then continued, cold and indifferent.
"But remember, Hantra—the stone awarded to you in the qualifiers—is the key to your evolution. It holds the power to unlock your true potential. Seek it out, for it will determine your fate."
A faint laugh echoed, without warmth, only a touch of mocking disdain.
"Good luck, humans. You'll need it."
"Caw caw caw..."
Seraphine had that uneasy feeling again—this had to be a dream. Right?
She found herself trapped in a confined space, thick red mucus seeping into her nose and mouth. Yet, somehow, she could breathe, and she felt surprisingly at ease.
No—it was warm, soothing, almost like being back in the womb. It was as if she had found her peaceful haven.
Something brushed against the membrane surrounding her, making it tremble.
An earthquake?
The creature's cold announcement echoed in her mind, relentless and unyielding. At the same time, the ground beneath her trembled more violently with each passing second. Seraphine struggled like a fish, fighting to break free from an inescapable ocean. Still, no matter how hard she fought, the dizziness continued to smother her soul.
Light! There was light!
Crack!
What was that sound?
Crack! Crack!
It sounded like an eggshell breaking apart. Seraphine's heart leaped with hope as the light above grew brighter. She kicked her legs, trying to swim toward it.
Closer. Just a little closer. Just a little more, and she could escape this dizzying nightmare.
Then—
A hand gripped her fragile ankle and yanked her down. Seraphine's eyes widened in horror as the light grew more distant, slipping further away. Her slender legs thrashed, desperate to break free, but the grip remained firm, like an iron vice.
No!!!
Seraphine slowly opened her eyes. Before her stood a striking woman with sharp features and a closely cropped haircut, she looked so familiar. Where had she met her?
Strange! She couldn't remember. Just like the dream earlier. The memory slipped away, just out of reach.
Seraphine, still groggy from sleep, let out a sleepy smile.
"Well, lucky me—waking up to a woman's face instead of a man's. Nice to meet you."
"Nice to meet you, too." The woman gently bit the inside of her cheek. She smiled, revealing eight bright white teeth, as if she wasn't the one who had just shaken Seraphine so violently that she felt nauseous. A tanned hand skimmed over her chest, deliberate yet fleeting. Before Seraphine could react, that hand had slipped under her armpit, gently helping her sit up.
As if that touch was just accidental.
Seraphine used the pulling force to stand up. Ignoring the burning gaze overhead, she casually looked around. At the same time, her hands brushed away the dust sticking to her nightgown, gently gliding over her thigh.
The fruit knife had disappeared. No weapons were allowed.
A sprawling forest unfolded before her. Towering ferns, their spiral-veined leaves reaching over two meters high, stood as silent guardians of the wild, blocking out the sky. Beyond them, ancient trees stood like silent titans, their bases so massive that even a grown man couldn't wrap his arms around them. The air was heavy with the scent of damp earth and rotting leaves. She had been sprawled across the gnarled roots of one such giant, as if nature itself had cradled her in its grasp.
Within a 100-meter radius, there were 15 people, including her and the woman in front of her. Ten people had already woken up. Not far away, two men in military uniforms from country X and country Y had gathered together. The rest were more or less wearing comfortable sportswear. Or at least wearing sneakers. Like the woman in front of her, a full set of combat gear, equipped from head to toe with shirts, pants, shoes, and gloves.
Well, military boots—both waterproof and warm. Seraphine quickly glanced down. The soles of her feet could feel the dampness and the burning sensation of the humus seeping through her slippers.
Before the eyes of the men in the distance could glance over this way, a strong pull on Seraphine's arm from behind made her stagger and almost fall.
"What are you doing?" Seraphine looked up, giving a smile as radiant as a blooming flower, while frantically suppressing the urge to slap her.
First shaking her awake, then 'accidentally' brushing her chest, and now yanking her like a ragdoll…
Classic Queen Bee syndrome? Picking on the prettier girl just for fun?
"We're both women, aren't we? Just wanted to see if we'd make a good team to win the game."
The woman suddenly leaned in, lowering herself to the young girl's eye level. Her striking green eyes narrowed slightly, gleaming with unwavering calm despite facing a pair of mesmerizing, impossibly deep blue eyes. With a wistful sigh, she murmured, "What a shame. This breathtaking beauty seems to have… something else entirely up her sleeve."
She straightened up, stretched lazily, and ruffled the young girl's hair with a smirk. "And that? Doesn't fit my criteria for a teammate."
The young woman only smiled faintly without replying.
Here, including her, there were only two women. No children. No older people. And this thing before her, no matter how much she insulted her, the chance of her harming her was very low compared to those men.
Seraphine raised her head. Her light blue eyes met the green eyes without hesitation, her fair hand slightly raised.
"I'm Seraphine. May I know your name?"
"Raf."
The woman narrowed her eyes, looking at the delicate arm in front of her, then back at the young woman's friendly, smiling face. The corner of her lip that was curling up suddenly retracted, then she abruptly turned around, her back facing the young woman. Clearly, she had no intention of shaking hands with Seraphine.
No kindness.
No empathy.
It is similar to the usual style of those at the top of the pyramid or their hunting dogs. And most importantly, she didn't have the slightest pretense of nobility.
Seriously? Humanity's already tossing social norms aside?
It's too soon! The arena's just begun.
This person—was probably just inherently uncultured!
The young woman stepped to the right, standing behind the woman. Through the shadow of the back in front of her, she could see the other five people had also woken up. They were also observing each other. The two men in military uniforms gradually approached the others, saying something, occasionally looking in this direction. Then, one of the two continued to walk this way.
Seraphine had been more careful since she vaguely felt this wasn't an illusion. It wasn't that she hadn't thought of grabbing some mud to smear on her face from the moment she woke up. But what if there were any creatures or active substances in this damp, foul-smelling humus that could kill her instantly? The makeup on her face had also disappeared at some point. It was as if she had been put in a washing machine and washed clean from head to toe.
Intentionally covering up would only arouse curiosity. The best shield for her was her presence here—a place with only 34,780 elite individuals of humanity. Hopefully, it could make these people wary, giving her time to prepare.
Seraphine lowered her eyes, staring at the humus under her feet.
Experiencing two "deaths and resurrections" and various kinds of physical pain in a short period had exhausted her spirit. After a long sleep, the question of how the two stones could transform her "illusory" body, at the high speed of her cerebrum's activity, had presented all possible scenarios!
Everything was still only happening in her brain. Her real body had definitely been transformed.
Time and space couldn't have been distorted. The human body wasn't built for multi-dimensional existence. Even if those creatures could break the universe's balance, no human could withstand the collapse of reversing or freezing time.
Going crazy, losing memory, losing bones, and muscle atrophy were the consequences of an illusion. The body exploding or being destroyed at the molecular level was what would actually happen.
In other words, her real body and all of humanity had been kidnapped and submerged in an endless hypnosis.
Those creatures, they observed from above, silently evaluated and selected, like indifferent nobles watching miserable enslaved people fight, and then arbitrarily bestowed rewards or punishments. Seraphine coldly looked at the figure of the man approaching. How clear did her cerebrum have to be to regain control of this body?
"Hey ladies, come join us, we need to talk about the arena."
The sound of footsteps rustling over damp leaves. Each step was balanced and stable despite the slippery, wet ground, indicating that the visitor was trained. Accompanying it was a deep male voice. His words were direct commands, not requests for opinions. His somewhat thoughtful gaze quickly swept over the emotionless face of the woman in front, then moved to the slender figure behind. The corner of his eye caught the sight of a soft, jet-black head, making him feel an itch in his heart.
His eyes flashed, and he felt a slight stirring within.
The man tried to suppress his strange emotions, noticing that neither of them replied. He repeated once more.
"We should quickly—"
Raf nodded slightly and stepped forward, revealing the young woman behind her.
Half of an exquisite face suddenly struck his eyes. More beautiful than the most sparkling landscapes, more attractive than the spirits in the deep forest. In just a brief moment, all the innate dark desires of men suddenly surged, making him want to…
His pupils dilated. His breath hitched. His gaze ignited a fire as he reached out, eager to possess the beauty before him.
Thud! A heavy body hit the ground with a sickening finality.
"Aaaaah!"
The scream sliced through the air—raw, pained, and abruptly cut short.
Seraphine barely had time to process what had happened. One moment, the soldier stood tall, his eyes dark with intent. The next, he was on the ground, his arm twisted at an unnatural angle, his body curling inward as if trying to shield itself from the agony radiating through his nerves. He clutched his chest, gasping, veins bulging against his sweat-drenched skin.
Then—
Crunch.
A heavy boot found his face—not in rage, not in hesitation, but with the indifference of someone crushing a dying ember. A muffled, strangled groan escaped his lips before being swallowed by the damp earth.
The sickening crunch of bone. The man beneath the boot no longer made a sound. His feeble gasps had faded into nothingness.
Silence.
The others stood frozen. Some instinctively took a step back. Others stiffened, their muscles tensing as their eyes darted between Raf and the crumpled figure beneath her. No one rushed to help. No one even spoke.
Not fear. No, not just fear.
It was a calculation.
Raf stepped forward, her long legs moving with an unhurried grace. Her voice was a low murmur, more to herself than anyone else.
"Disgusting…"
Seraphine watched the woman's retreating figure, her heartbeat slow and steady. Then, a soft chuckle escaped her lips.
Fate never truly abandons anyone.
While she had been thinking of ways to minimize the trampling from these men—to survive with as minor damage as possible—fate had handed her an answer wrapped in leather combat boots. A force beyond reason, beyond human limits. And more importantly—
A woman.
This is... incredible! Talk about a stroke of luck!
"Doesn't fit my criteria for a teammate," she had said. But her actions contradicted her words. At that moment, Raf was a complete five steps away from her. Still, as soon as the man's hand moved even slightly, she immediately turned back and exuded an air of dominance, not as if she was trying to show off, but as if she were protecting.
A flash of realization struck Seraphine's eyes—this woman—she was extending a silent invitation, an invitation for her to become her teammate.
This is her golden opportunity! She had found her ultimate protector!
Though she was a ruthless mother, one who disregarded life and killed without hesitation or remorse...
Seraphine slowly ran after the hot figure in front. In this place, in this game, weakness was an open wound, and the strong? They were the predators circling, deciding whether to finish the job or move on.
And Raf was one such predator—a being of incredible strength and speed. The others, seeing this, chose to ignore the man writhing on the ground, as if he had never existed.
A middle-aged man with a refined appearance approached the woman, his smile calm but measured.
"If we want to survive, we have to work together." He paused, scanning the faces around him. "I'm Archibald Smith. Just call me Archibald."
The woman halted, ignoring Archibald's presence entirely. Her gaze flicked backward as though waiting for someone. For a brief moment, a faint tension hung in the air. Then, without a word, she turned away.
Archibald, undeterred, showed no sign of irritation. He merely let out a sigh and addressed the group.
"It'd be best if we knew who we're dealing with. Let's introduce ourselves."
He stopped briefly, as if weighing his following words before offering a measured smile. "Your name, occupation, strengths, weaknesses... and what you went through in the trial. If we're going to survive, honesty is key."
But no one responded to Archibald's smile or words. He quickly realized that everyone's gaze was directed in the same direction. For a second, a shiver of fear ran down his spine—the fear of becoming the next one lying motionless on the ground, doomed to die in this arena.