This is a good day. My last pupil died just before Clarence’s one, meaning that I win our bet! She wasn’t really a fan of the whole “gambling on the newcomer's death” thing, but I managed to convince her anyway. The others never want to participate, instead, they are betting about who will survive the longest, boring.

I don’t dislike them, but despite with Clarance, I don’t talk much. And it’s not like it’s about to change. It’s been ages since someone new arrived, the last batch of newcomers just died, and they were in an easy session. It’s always the same in those cases, they get too confident, one or two get corrupted by some random evil, or want the cake for himself and they kill each other.

I went to the surveillance room, sat in my usual chair, and turned on the computer.

Hum? A new group has already started their quest apparently. Shit, how did I missed this? Oh, it’s been only a month since they got inside, that’s why.

Let’s check them out.

“Username: Vachakin

Mdp: **************************************”

What a stupid username. Anyway, I clicked on the STNL programme, and a window popped up on the screen.

There are multiple profiles available, I checked the 7 latest addition. 4 guys and 3 girls. I started with the girls. They seemed to have everything under control, their pace is kind of slow though.

I started to look at the boy's footage too and found something odd. It’s rare for newcomers to struggle in their first stage. Maybe it is a hard session? That would be exciting, those are rare, and more fun to watch.

The more I look at them, the more it makes sense, they are having too much hardship for a sub-10 struggle. And there is even one of the guy stuck into a jungle for his first trial!

He is the only one still in his first struggle, survival trial tends to be hard, but they often don’t last longer than a week. He spent way too much time in the tutorial stage, the others are already past their 3rd struggle.

Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

Wait? Is that a sabretooth tiger? Shit, they almost never appear so early, the newbie is in a bad spot. Fortunately for him, he seems to have a good control of the flux, and even though the tiger is fast, it is pretty dumb, so he might be able to do it. Yes! He won! Well, it’s more like the tiger impaled itself on the dagger, but it still impressive.

I like this guy, his name is… Samsy. He is definitely odd, at first glance I thought he was an albino, but his eyes are blue. Also, it’s just his first real trial, but he already have his way surviving into the wildness, surely he must have some experience from his life on Earth.

Finally, I caught up with the live. He has spent a few days exploring the jungle. Damn, his trial is taking forever! I remember my first survival game, it was hard for sure, but it only lasted a week. Hum? He stopped in the middle of the bridge. Why? Is he afraid? Of what? I don’t see anything.

I put my earphones on and turned up the volume. Holy shit! This is bad, this is not supposed to happen, the Black and Yellow death is a level 20 monster, how is it possible?!

However, it happened, the bee moves fast, so fast it’s almost instant. But Samsy dodge the first attack, he didn’t move fast, he moved before the attack came, and after that, he cut the bee in half.

“What the fuck!!!”

It is impossible. A noob killing the black and yellow death is unheard of. I just can’t believe it, he cut it just like that, with a silver dagger?

“What’s happening Val?”

I realized I was standing, and my chair was on the ground.

Shit, I overreacted.

“Nothing, nothing, Clar, a newbie surviving against the odds, as usual.”

“Maybe you should cheer for them, for a change.”

“Yeah, and maybe I should start a life of chastity and piety in a nunnery.”

Having said that, she does have a point, I want him to succeed. Opposite to most new guys, this one seems to have some backbone.

I put my chair back on its feet and resume my watching activity.

Sam was now lying down, unconscious, on the bridge. That makes sense, he must have used his title power. The first time tends to exhaust the user a lot. That’s a bit sad, dying like that...

Sad for him.

...

I stood up from my chair and headed towards the exit.

“You are leaving?”

Clarence called out to me, she was also in front of her screen and seemed to have chosen one of the girls as her protégé.

“Yeah, following your advice, I’m going to start an orphanage.”

She sighed.

“Sometimes, I really can’t read you.”