Chapter 15 – The Trial of Chaos Begins
The stadium roared with excitement.
Banners flapped under the bright sky, and the scent of fried food lingered in the air from the nearby stalls. Students from every year had gathered for the sports festival's highlight: the Chaos Obstacle Trial.
But Rei stood still, staring ahead at what could only be described as… a mistake.
"…What the hell is this?" he muttered.
The field had transformed. Not into a simple running track. Not a basketball court. But into a warped, shifting terrain of spikes, collapsing tiles, swinging pendulums, and pools of muddy water.
"I thought this was a sports festival, not a dungeon raid."
Jun, his new class rival, smirked from the opposite side of the field. "Still planning to run away, Kurohara?"
Rei sighed. "I'm starting to think I should."
Ding!
[System Task Activated]
Chaos Obstacle Trial – Survive the Entire Course
Rewards: +200 CC, +1 Agility, +1 Strength
Bonus: Place in the Top 3 for additional rewards.
"…You're just having fun now, aren't you?" Rei whispered.
[System Notification]
Would you like a new pair of knees, Host?
The announcer's voice boomed through the stadium.
"Welcome, everyone, to this year's Chaos Obstacle Trial! For those unfamiliar, this event is a newly added trial where students will face challenges not just of speed, but of strategy, endurance, and survival instincts!"
The crowd buzzed in anticipation. Rumors of the event's intensity had spread since yesterday. Some believed it was inspired by international obstacle course tournaments. Others suspected it came from an ex-military PE teacher who wanted to "test real grit."
Rei just wanted to survive.
The whistle blew.
He ran.
Tiles flipped beneath his feet, revealing slippery moss and sudden gaps. Rei leapt, slipped, scrambled, and barely caught the edge of a platform as it dipped into a pool of sand.
Behind him, Jun was gaining fast, his steps practiced and confident.
"Out of shape already, Mr. Hidden Talent?" Jun taunted mid-jump.
"You're not even breathing hard. How are you, human?"
Jun grinned. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
Rei kept moving. Ahead, rotating pillars spun like meat grinders. He ducked and rolled beneath one, earning a sharp graze across his arm.
Ding!
[+0.3 Agility – Evade bonus triggered]
Further ahead, he spotted it—one of the final obstacles. A tilted slope coated with something slippery. Oil?
"Who designed this?!"
Students slipped and tumbled down it like penguins on ice. Rei took a breath and ran up, channeling every bit of his growing strength.
He slipped once, caught himself. Slipped again—pushed forward.
Behind him, Jun was catching up. The silver-haired girl—his sister, Reina—watched from the stands, gripping the edge of her seat. Her eyes narrowed as she saw another girl cheering for Rei.
"...Why is she smiling at him like that?" she muttered under her breath.
A friend beside her raised an eyebrow. "You okay?"
Reina looked away. "I'm fine."
Rei cleared the slope. The final obstacle appeared—a gap between two pillars and a rope to swing across.
He glanced at the rope. It frayed slightly.
"...You better hold."
He jumped.
Mid-swing, the rope snapped.
Gasps echoed across the stadium.
But Rei twisted midair, grabbing the ledge with one hand.
His other hand slipped.
For a second, it looked like he'd fall.
Then—
A strange glint flickered in his eyes.
He pulled himself up with a burst of strength that didn't belong to an average high schooler.
He landed on the final platform, gasping for breath.
Jun arrived moments later, having taken a longer—but—safer route.
Rei was third.
Cheers erupted across the stadium.
"Third place?! That guy?!""Isn't that Kurohara from Class 3?""He's seriously built differently!"
Ding!
[Chaos Crown System Update]
Task Complete: +200 CC
Bonus Achieved: +150 CC, +1 Strength
Hidden Bonus: "Near-Fall Recovery" +0.3 Willpower
After the event, Rei lay on the grass behind the gym, letting the sun hit his face.
"I'm alive," he whispered.
[System Response]
Barely. Want a sticker?
"...I hate you."
[Random Box Unlocked]
You received: Phase breaker Patch – Temporarily bypass physical fatigue for 15 minutes.
Rei sat up. "Now that's useful."
As he stood to leave, he heard a few voices nearby.
"He just came out of nowhere…""Wasn't he invisible last week?""He's acting all mysterious on purpose."
Whispers. Doubt. Envy.
He didn't care.
But someone else did.
Reina, watching from behind a tree, clenched her jaw.
"They don't know anything about him."
Meanwhile…
Far beneath the school, in a sealed observation room…
A cloaked woman stood before a glowing screen, watching the footage of the trial. A man in a janitor's uniform—far too clean for a real janitor—stood beside her.
"His reflexes are adapting," the woman said.
The man nodded. "And he heard it again."
The woman narrowed her eyes. "The whisper?"
"Yes."
They exchanged a glance.
"But still," she added softly, "he shows no memory. No trace of the original seal breaking. For now… we continue observing."
That night…
Rei stood on the rooftop alone, looking out at the moon.
He had changed.
But something deeper stirred within him now. That whisper again.
"Child of Chaos… You're walking the path again."
He frowned.
"What does that mean?"
No answer.
Just the wind.
The End - Chapter 15
Chaos Crown System – Status Panel
Name: Rei KuroharaCC Balance: 3,205Evolution Progress: 17.6%
Stat Total:
Strength: 5.3 + 2.7 = 8.0
Agility: 4.4 + 2.3 = 6.7
Endurance: 4.5
Intelligence: 15.2
Charm: 30.5 (Brand Aura applied)
Willpower: 5.5 + 0.3 = 5.8
Business Sense: Tier 1.5