The Awakened Arcane Legacy

Death Coming

Two years later…

January 10, 2095

Immediately after Talon saw his stats, he was shocked to find that he had 150 points without having done anything. God was truly faithful to him. Talon and Small moved on to the next phase, which was the training. Two years had passed like a fleeting wind.

In a grand hall stood two boys who were approximately 5 feet tall. They were dressed in black leather outfits with a blue stripe at the corner. They wore black shiny combat boots. Maneuvering through androids positioned at every corner, they ran towards a red line that was 150 feet away from them.

They exchanged blows with the androids, their strikes barely visible to ordinary people.

“Small, you’re not as fast as me. You’re too slow. You need to do better,” Talon said as he backflipped, avoiding a strike aimed at his face. The sharp metallic blade extended from the android’s arm barely missed Talon’s leg as he spun backward, legs wide open in the air.

Small was running too, watching Talon’s moves as he narrowly evaded a blow with a flip. He wanted to laugh at Talon, unaware that another android was approaching him. Small was caught up in laughter, barely looking forward, so he didn’t notice the danger ahead. The android aimed its sharp blade at Small’s neck.

As Small looked ahead, he saw the strike and quickly bent to avoid it. He could clearly see the sharp edges of the blade as he dodged it with a bend. In that brief moment, another android went for Small’s leg. Small instantly rotated 360 degrees, avoiding both strikes as his body formed a straight line with blades passing above and below him.

“Hahaha! You can’t even watch where you’re going,” Talon laughed as he ran, looking at Small who had narrowly escaped death. Talon and Small ran in a swift manner like nimble ninjas. This was a feat they couldn’t achieve two years ago.

Although they knew that they could die here someday, they had somewhat forgotten about it. They underwent harsh training, and whenever they lost in their Android Simulation, they were flogged. The scars on their backs remained, but they were never deprived of food.

They were never starved; in fact, Talon and Small, who were once thin, had grown in size. They now looked like children of appropriate stature for their age. Brotherhood was the only thing they lacked in the Safe Zone. Talon and Small had become like brothers.

No matter how grueling the training was, they persevered. In each battle simulation, they narrowly escaped death. Many of the children who started with them had died in the process, but Small and Talon kept pushing forward.

“Oh! It’s funny, right? I hope this would be funny too,” Small said as he threw his katana from his back towards the leg of an android not far from Talon. The katana struck the android’s leg, slicing it in two, and it flew towards Talon. Both blades extended from the android’s arms, heading straight for Talon’s body, but they caught only a lock of his hair, impaling into the ground.

This demonstrated the precision of Small’s attack. Talon wasn’t expecting it, but he didn’t feel any resentment towards Small because it was their way of playing. They did this often in simulations, so it was fun for them.

“You almost got me!” Talon laughed, looking at Small who laughed in return.

“Now let’s finish this game so we can have our meal.”

“Yeah! I’m getting bored too.”

They both agreed, understanding their next move…

*Sssshhhhh*

*Psssssh!*

*Tartarrrrh!*

Various sounds echoed as Small and Talon annihilated all the androids, which numbered no more than a hundred.

Then, on a large screen, a display appeared.

[Simulation Results]

[★Test Rank: F Rank ★]

[★Names of Participants: Small and Talon ★]

[★Androids Killed: 100 out of 100★]

[★Previous Duration: 10 minutes★]

[★Duration: 5 minutes ★]

[★Talon’s Arcane Energy: 1100xxxxxxx★]

[★Talon’s Age: 12★]

[★Small’s Arcane Energy: 1020xxxxxxx★]

[★Small’s Age: 13 ★]

[Congratulations, Talon! World Record has been broken!]

[Talon has broken the record for the youngest person to reach 1100 Arcane Energy at the age of 12!]

Looking at the stats, both Talon and Small were amazed. They never expected that they would soon embark on the path of Awakening.

But that would depend on their captors. Yes, captors, because they were prisoners in the facility and had no choice of their own. The facility they were in was large enough to be considered a mini town. This meant that those who orchestrated this experiment held significant power.

“I believe they are the most promising subjects we have. The boy even broke the record. I think it’s time to proceed with the experiment,” a man said while observing Talon and Small through a glass they couldn’t see.

Talon and Small returned to their cells and enjoyed the rest of the day.

“Wow! I never expected to surpass everyone who has awakened. This is my greatest achievement,” Talon said happily.

“I’m happy for you, and I’m also excited to enter the Path of Awakening,” Small expressed, sharing in Talon’s joy.

However, their jubilation came to an abrupt halt when they suddenly heard a voice.

“Talon and Small, get ready for the second phase.”

Upon hearing those words, the joy in their hearts vanished instantly. All their colleagues who had completed their two years had perished during this phase. They feared what fate awaited them.