As thin man Cam and short man Ashton walked toward the camp entrance, they silently recalled their earlier plan. Everything they had discussed had gone as expected, except for one crucial change—after the trio had initially split up, Cam and Ashton met again, this time without the fat man. It was during this secret meeting that they decided to eliminate him.

Cam's words from that moment echoed in Ashton's mind.

"Why did you call me here alone, without the fat man?" Ashton had asked, suspicion in his voice.

Cam had smirked. "Do you realize where we rank? The fat man is ranked above both of us, and I rank above you. That means you're just one step away from the bottom, slightly above one or two girls. You know what that means? If you want to survive this exam, you need to kill at least three people. If we only manage to kill two, then we'll have to kill the fat man to make up the difference."

Ashton hesitated. "Why him? Why not you?"

"Good question," Cam admitted. "But think about it logically. If you kill me, the fat man will see you as an easy target and take you down next. But if we take him out together, we secure our place. Besides, you and I are nearly equal in strength. Killing you wouldn't benefit me, but eliminating the fat man would ensure our survival."

The plan was simple—if they didn't meet their kill quota, they would turn on the fat man. If they only managed to kill one person, then Ashton would be the next sacrifice. Cam suspected Ashton might become wary after hearing the plan, but he had already accounted for that.

Additionally, if all three of them returned alive while many others had died, suspicion would inevitably fall on them. But if one of them "disappeared," the doubts would vanish along with him.

As they reached the camp, they split up, arriving at different times to avoid drawing attention.

---

Ryan had already reached the camp entrance, where he noticed many students had arrived before him. He quickly submitted his badge and stood quietly, waiting for the exam to conclude.

Time passed. More students emerged from the forest, battered and exhausted.

At the two-hour mark, Instructor Oliver raised his hand, signaling the end of the exam. He performed a headcount—out of sixty students, six were missing. Without hesitation, he gestured to five instructors, ordering them to search the forest and recover either the missing students or their bodies.

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Minutes later, the instructors returned, carrying six lifeless bodies.

The wounds told the story: five had died from combat, and one had succumbed to poisoning.

A heavy silence fell over the camp. The students had expected injuries—perhaps even one or two deaths—but the sheer number of casualties left them horrified. Mistrust filled the air.

Even the instructors seemed surprised by the brutality of the students. However, since the rules had been set beforehand, they couldn't intervene or punish anyone for the killings.

Ryan, too, was taken aback.

"We can't treat each other as ordinary teenagers," he thought grimly. "Most of these people grew up in the slums, fighting for food, shelter, and survival. They'll do anything to stay alive."

His mind drifted back to the ambush he had narrowly avoided. He silently thanked his instincts for steering him away from unnecessary danger.

Instructor Oliver dismissed the students, announcing that they had until 4:00 PM to rest and eat before the next exam—sparring—began. It was currently 12:30 PM.

---

An Uneasy Atmosphere

Ryan headed to the cafeteria with the others, but he quickly noticed a change in the camp's atmosphere.

Previously, students had formed groups, chatting and laughing. Now, those groups had grown smaller, their members wary of one another.

The top-ranked students were dangerous because of their superior combat skills. But the lower-ranked students were just as dangerous—they had the strongest motive to kill.

Even Bill, once loud and confident, had fallen silent. His group, once lively, had lost a few members.

After lunch, the students retreated to their bunks to rest. As time passed, they gathered again at the sparring grounds.

All the instructors were present, standing in the center of the field.

Instructor Oliver, who specialized in sparring and weapon skills, stood alongside Instructors Thomas and Avery. Stepping forward, Oliver addressed the students.

"The rules for the sparring exam are simple," he began. "With 54 students remaining, we will begin with 16 matches of 1 vs 1. The 16 winners will then fight in 8 matches, while the 16 losers will also have their own 8 matches. From there, we'll proceed to 4 vs 4 battles, then 2 vs 2, and finally, a last round of 1 vs 1. Your ranking will be determined by the number of matches you win."

He paused, scanning the students.

"All matches will be fought using wooden weapons. A fight will end if a student lands a fatal blow or dominates their opponent with continuous attacks. Those are the rules."

Just as the sparring exam was about to begin, an unexpected voice rang out.

"Sir, I challenge Ryan to a death match!"

The crowd turned in shock.

Bill had stepped forward, encouraged by an instructor. His gaze was fixed on Ryan.

"He promised to fight me to the death," Bill declared.

Oliver frowned. He already knew about this challenge but wasn't sure if he should allow it. Too many students had already died, and he didn't want another unnecessary death.

But before he could refuse, several other instructors voiced their approval.

"Let them fight," one of them said. "Both have agreed to it. There's no reason to stop them."

Ryan narrowed his eyes. Is it really necessary to risk your life just to impress others?

But then, he realized something.

For someone like Bill, who came from the slums, this was about survival.

The poor didn't lack courage—they lacked opportunities.

Unbeknownst to Ryan, earlier that afternoon, Morning Instructor Stane—the same instructor who had repeatedly struck Ryan during training—had met with Bill. He had made a tempting offer:

"Kill Ryan, and I'll personally teach you knight skills. I'll help you advance to knighthood."

Bill had originally been hesitant. He had seen the bodies pile up in the exam and, despite his bravado, had been shaken by the reality of death.

But when the chance for power dangled in front of him, he couldn't resist.

Ryan exhaled slowly.

So that's how it is…

Oliver, sensing the pressure from his fellow instructors, hesitated for a moment.

Then, he made his decision.

"Very well," he said, his voice firm. "The death match will proceed."

Ryan clenched his fists.

Bill, standing across from him, tightened his grip on his weapon.

The fight for survival had just begun.