ACADEMY OF SURVIVAL

Arriving at his destination, number 10, Micheal found himself standing at the back of a long line of participants. It was now his turn. He stepped forward and found himself in front of an imposing, technologically advanced structure.

A tall wall, marked with the number "10," stretched as far as the eye could see, with parts of it partially covered by what looked like a building. The more he participated in these trials, the more he realized how much there was to the world beyond what he had known.

"This should be exciting," he muttered to himself.

Though Micheal was the only one from Team A in this stadium, and despite the nervousness gnawing at him, he couldn't deny the small thrill bubbling up inside. This was the next step, and he was determined to face it head-on.

As Micheal approached, he showed the nine guards his number from his watch. They allowed him to pass through a small door in the massive wall. Upon entering, the light was blinding at first, but as his eyes adjusted, he could finally take in his surroundings.

Suddenly, a voice interrupted his thoughts.

"Excuse me. You're in my way."

Micheal's eyes widened in surprise. The voice sounded familiar. Turning, he saw a boy about his age, with black hair and a single blue streak running through it. The boy wore a black shirt and a hat, and he stuck his tongue out playfully at Micheal.

"That voice…"

Micheal froze.

This boy looked exactly like the individual who had stared at him and Tohira at the final gate of the House of Crows, the same person whose voice had echoed as he sent the Sinder flying past them.

"Definitely sure that's him," Micheal thought, moving aside to let people pass as his gaze locked onto the boy.

Just then, he heard another voice calling to the boy.

"Hey, Hate! Who would have thought we'd meet here, my dawg!"

"Oh, Wasps. You too? Talk about fate," Hate replied teasingly.

Micheal turned, noticing the Wasps in their strange outfits. Their dynamic caught his attention—Hate's teasing personality reminded him of Tohira's playful side.

"Don't get carried away, Micheal. Few, if not more, of the people here might have hidden abilities," he reminded himself, recalling the fierce competition ahead.

Looking around, he noticed there were only a handful of people in this arena, a stark contrast to the massive number of participants during the House of Crows.

Suddenly, a sound caught his attention—party poppers erupted above, and he looked toward the chandelier.

Then a cheerful voice rang out.

"Hello, everyone. Now you're all mine!" Crown said with a wide smile on his face.

Everyone looked up toward Crown, who was sitting with his legs perched on a balcony railing indoors. A pale-skinned man with jet-black hair, his bangs swept across his forehead, and his hair reaching his nape, wore dark sunglasses looking ethereal.

"welcome to the Number 10 batch, where the real trial intensifies—the third form trial of this project!" Crown added, scanning the students.

"Only 50 participants?" Crown thought nonchalantly.

"What is he thinking?" he mused, faintly smiling.

"What a bummer. Anyway Before we get started, I'd like to know what makes you all so curious about the outside world," Crown began with his cheerful demeanor, smiling.

"I mean, living in this world of ours isn't perfect enough for your contentment?" he added, a hint of sarcasm in his tone.

A moment of silence passed as Crown looked at everyone, who exchanged glances.

"I guess this is the first time they're being asked about their curiosity, huh?" Crown thought, nonchalantly.

"That's because curiosity, if not most often, leads to good discoveries," Hate's voice cut through the crowd.

"Umm?" Crown replied, a faint smile still on his face, as he looked at Hate, who stared back with a confident expression, yet his smile hinted at something more.

"Indeed, though I agree with him, my reason is simple," Micheal's voice interrupted the murmurs of the crowd.

"I desire to see the outside world," he said, his gaze coldly fixed on Crown.

"Umm? Interesting answer. But aren't curiosity and desire the same thing?" Crown began, his attention now fully caught by Micheal's choice of words.

"Absolutely not. You see, despite the two words hinting at similar things, there's a difference," Micheal replied coldly.

"Curiosity is a strong interest or eagerness to learn, understand, or explore something unknown, while desire is a strong feeling of wanting something, often linked to personal satisfaction or fulfillment."

"Factual-wise, desire supersedes curiosity," he concluded.

"Impressive," Crown thought nonchalantly, with a faint smile, as he observed Micheal.

The intensity of Micheal's desire was evident in both his expression and tone.

"So, that means you won't stop at any length in wanting to see the outside world?" Crown added.

"Certainly," Micheal replied.

"Even if it means losing your life in the process?" Crown pressed.

"I promise to make it there without losing my life," Micheal said, faintly smiling despite the uncertainty of his fate.

"You sure are confident about your promise," Crown noted with a slight smile.

"But how can you be so sure about it?" Crown continued, his gaze fixed on Micheal. "It's not like you can just talk it into existence. So tell me, how sure are you?"

Micheal felt Crown's words cut through the unconscious uncertainty he'd been hiding.

"Because it would be ironic to see you lose your life in this trial before making it to the next one," Crown concluded, his expression cheerful yet cold.