"The real test had begun," I whispered as I dashed alongside others into the thickest path of the forest. It looked gory, but the outcome might be convincingly good.

Suddenly, I heard a loud scream that echoed from the thick forest. I stopped running, using my legs as breaks, as I and some people came to a halt.

Almost immediately, the forest flipped over, it looked like I was falling.......

"Damn!" I shouted in my heart, I felt a pinch of fear, my heart started beating like it was the drums of rock musicians.

Still struggling to avoid falling, I tried to swerve my body in the process, but it was to late. Sequentially, everything went back to normal.

At our front, I saw a desolate land it that had little bushes, but still it was so silent, wait! Don't tell me...........

"It's an illusion" someone whispered to one of his fellas

"Damn! It seems like we are missing something." I thought to myself.

--------------------------------------------------------

*General Hiroshi's (POV).

Huff! I Wonder how fushi's coping.

"Hinata, you think he's really gonna make it?" I asked.

"Yeah but, I'm only sure about the practical aspect, I'm sure he is at least intelligent enough to scale through". she replied.

"Yeah, but the second batch trials would be eight times tougher than the first" I said

"So? That doesn't mean everyone's gonna fail because of that, so have faith in your son for once!" She retorted.

"Well then, let's hope for the best"

"Now you're talking" she smiled as she says this.

"Give me a minute, I'll be back" she says

"Yeah whatevs." I replied her with a boring look.

I let out a deep sigh as I tried to encourage myself that he'll scale through.

I never thought that a situation that'll make him to enlist in the army would be as gruesome as that.

Teresa, I've missed you so much.

Son, Hikaru, why did you guys have to make fushi pass through the middle of the sun, it isn't easy for me to play all the roles of the family but, I know it wasn't your fault, it was those damned bandits, why did i even have to be a soldier in the first place, I said with clenched fists.

Oh! That's because I attended army schools, because it was my ambition.

I let out another sigh, then I smiled, muttering to myself, saying:

"Nothing comes easy in life".

I pointed at the sky and said,

"Don't go down without a fight son".

----------------------------------------------

MC's POV(point of view)

***

"I can't go down without a fight." I told myself, trying to I calm myself for a moment, then a broad smile can be seen glaringly on my face.

"As if a mere illusion can stop me" I said loudly as I dashed into the forest that was so silent and desolate.

"He has gone bananas"

"He's lost it"_People whispered to themselves as they saw me running hopelessly.

They we're right, who the hell will tread into this forest But I couldn't stay looking,

could I?

As I looked back, I noticed that some people followed me. They also believed that it was the best and only option left.

I faced my front, not tending to care, then I smiled & shouted "let's go!",

"Yeah!!!" They echoed in unison, which boosted the morale of everyone that followed me, including myself, then we moved at a faster pace, entering right into danger.

***

"Make sure you're on guard!" I shouted as I called their attention.

It's been twenty minutes since we scrambled, it's now getting annoying.

And luckily I have to lead this guys pfft!

They be looking up to me, I don't have the slightest clue.

"But, that doesn't mean we are backing down" I echoed.

"Oooohh!!!" The others echoed also in synchronization.

Urrrgh! Must they reply every single thing I say, so dumb!

"This is surely interesting."

I was now grinning in excitement.

Suddenly,.........

Thick roots emerges from the ground and sweeps at us, it grabs few of us, but I didn't seem to care because, there were a lot of people so how would I save them all?

"Well I just need to survive" I muttered to myself.

"Yes!!!". They all echoed.

Wait! How the hell are they hearing me?

Ah ha!, it's because this forest is very desolate.

"Well then, save yourselves."

I dashed through the forest with a higher pace than before, as I & others kept running, it was like another veil was placed or removed but, I couldn't tell.

I turned back in awe, and everyone that I was indirectly leading were gone, it seemed that the game was over for me, as I swerved my head in different directions.

--------------------------------------------

"Hey", I heard a voice, that almost made me trip.

He was sitting on a log of wood,

"Welcome." He said coldly.

"It seems like you've been placed under the namizagi." He nods in disappointment

"What? And what the hell is a nami..."

_He interrupts_"Namizagi is a top tier spell that causes illusion or in other words misapprehension. It causes the victim to have a misconception or misunderstanding, which leads to seeing things that seems to be but, it's not."

I was so clueless of the situation, so I had to exercise patience but time was running out, so I asked.

"How do you know, and who told you that?".

"I know because, I'm also a participant,

It was gramps that told me"_He said frenziedly.

"My name is Shinsui kyonotaro." He said

"Oh!" I said blankly.

I keep entering sh*tty situations.

"And we are both at a point of no return." He said in a scary manner,

I removed his hands away from my body and asked,

"What do you mean?"

He begins to explain,

"When the test started, everyone was running towards the same direction, as I ran further, I looked back & saw ten people, who didn't move a morsel.

Oh yeah!, that's true, I also looked back, and there were ten individuals standing firm, they weren't even flinching, where did I get it wrong?_I thought.

When we dashed towards the Forest, some set of people paused on hearing a loud scream emanating from the thick forest, approximately, nine hundred people are in the thick forest.

The thing is, there were only two options at the beginning, either you wait or you tread into danger. Anyone that doesn't do one of the two options, is one step away from failing".

Crap! I guess this is all I can offer. This is not good.

"But!,

There's also another way to pass the test, to those who halted & got flipped into namizagi must walk as a synchronized group, if they encounter any disaster they mustn't get caught in it or else, they will fail.

"What?! So those ones that the root caught had already lost?" I inquired.

He nods in affirmation, then explains the reasons. It seemed like he was well informed.

"The reason behind them failing will be the second occurrence of flipped dimensions, to those who escaped that scene, they would be granted a new permit to enter the thick forest with the other nine hundred individuals, it's like a risky shortcut but those ten who waited have already passed the test".

Damn! Here I was, thinking that getting into sync was a drag but now it looks like I'm the one losing.

"How did they pass the test"_I asked.

"Well, they we're careful enough to wait and observe, then they witnessed the flipping of dimensions with their eyes, while they we're thinking of what to do, they we're awarded the top ten positions in the tests which gives them the opportunity to be ranked in the lowest unit of the military, which is the 'private class', the two things they're testing us for is calmness & bravery.

The first ten passed through the easiest and most technical way which is; Calmness, and observation.

While the rest of us have to pass through bravery and the nine hundred people that entered into the forest despite the loud screams and goriness, have the edge over the rest at the moment.

I let out a depressed sigh after hearing this.

"so what's our status?"

I asked while holding my forehead with my palm.

"Our status? I thought I said we were at a point of no return." He said. "We've failed, we are the only two with no chances of passing, apart from the ones who got flipped twice."

No! This can't be possible, man!

I was so full of myself, think! think! think!

"How come you have much Intel on this test?". I asked to test if he was lying or saying the truth.

"Well I was already aware of some because gramps told me, the rest was with my IQ.

I mean, don't you know the same also?"

I chuckled and replied,

"I'm not that intelligent".

"Well what are we going to do now?"

He asked, placing his hand on my shoulder

I removed his hands off me

"I'll just keep running till I enter right into the competition"_I said with a glimpse of hope.

"You'll keep running? What about me?" He sulked.

"I don't care, do what you want to do, off I go!". I said audibly.

"Please! Let me follow you, this place is so gory!". He was now holding my legs,

As I removed his hands from my body, he clings to my leg even harder

I let out a deep sigh. "Alright! Just follow me"

"I'm to scared!" He says as he begins to forge crocodile tears

"As if that'll will fool me." I whispered. "Well please yourself". I said, before dashing into the depths of the field but then, I felt a little extra weight on my ankles, then I noticed...........

"How the hell, did you?..." I mumbled, not completing the statement.

He was clinging to my leg this whole time! His cloth was torn in some places as he was unknowingly dragged by me.

"Please, I'm so scared!" He says comically.

Jeez! Is this guy really scared or he's just a coward? Well, I'll go with he is a lazy coward.

"Fine! I'll walk with you but, you must walk fast."

"No problem, thank you you're a lifesaver!" He cried.

"Whatever!" I said blankly as I tried to remove his hands from my legs.