Primordial Beast System

EPISODE 7: Survival 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 1 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 1 simulated extremovores and gain 5 stat points, while the third, to deal with Marcus and gain 2 strength points.