The two sat in the darkness in a make shift camp. Neither of the two really trusted each other and the both had trouble sleeping that night. Kinkarus arm was injured and he knew he couldn’t leave at this point, but he also was aware she could take him out in his sleep. After about two hours of inability to rest he spoke up “I promise not to attack you if you promise not to attack me”. Sarah was caught off guard by this blunt statement and laughed out loud. How foolish was this kid to just trust a stranger with the entirety of his future. As she laughed she decided that this foolish kid wasn’t a threat and was likely someone she could tolerate through the night. She couldn’t believe she spent the last few hours wondering what his motivation was. It was apparent that he’s just and idiot who didn’t have one.

The artificial sun rose at exactly 6am. The clock in the sky indicated that there 54 hours left. As the sun rose the score appeared and they indicated that Kinkaru and Sarah both have 100 points. Sarah actually had 150 points. That indicated the two they killed had more than enough points to pass and likely had hunted several other players previous to their encounter. The two made their way through the forest and it appeared neither were going to branch away. They both had the points they needed so it felt a lot less tense, they also knew there was no reason for them to hunt each other. After a few hours of mindless walking Sarah spoke up, “ how about we build a shelter and way out the contest? It would be easier to defend familiar territory and we could avoid further risk.” Kinkaru nodded in agreement. Earlier when he looked at the board there were a few players with over 100 points indicating they were actively player hunting. There were only 150 students left and there were more than enough points for everyone to pass at this point. The two made camp in a dense portion of the forest and set up the best make shift camouflage they could. As they gathered the resources for traps they discussed a little bit about their situation and agreed that it would be easier as a duo.

There was a few hours left of day time and Kinkaru decided he would like to practice his magic. As he sat down by his makeshift tent he stared at his shadow. He began using dark magic to manipulate it like a shadow puppet. He thought about his previous life and how he felt let down with his rebirth. He could have made any other magic more useful but his just doesn’t make sense. Maybe this was a big middle finger from death for circumventing the whole karma process and getting a new life regardless. Suddenly a branch behind him snapped as if something heavy stepped on it. Kinkaru darted to the side and crouched down scanning the area. He had no clue where Sarah was and didn’t want to attack her on accident. A creature towering at around 8ft walked through the trees towards their camp. It appeared to be a four armed ape wearing a crude wooden chest plate and a sharpened wooden spear. It’s hands were so big it could easily fit Kinkarus entire head in it and likely crush it with ease. The creature sniffed the air and it’s eyes almost instantly locked onto Kinkarus position. The creature threw its spear and hit the tree behind him with such force that the spear shattered and the tree tumbled over with a crash. This was by far the most terrifying feat that Kinkaru had physically witnessed in this world. The creature jumped forward advancing towards Kinkaru clearly ready to engage. Kinkaru launched an arrow of lighting copying the studen he had seems technique. The arrow struck the wood chest piece leaving no lasting damage. Then he remember that earth magic defeated lightning. All he had at his disposal was his machete at this point. Kinkaru decided that running was his only option. He turned around and sprinted full speed towards the thick tree line. He began weaving in and out trying to be unpredictable as he heard the apes giant steps behind him. The ape reached out attempting to grab him before he dodged to the right and behind a tree.

The cape followed him at a terrifying pace. Kinkaru kept his tactics up launched a few more arrows at the apes eyes. The ape raised its arms blocking the attack with ease. Kinkaru threw a rock to the left and darted to right. This confused the ape and it went the wrong way before realizing its mistake. Kinkaru had gained a good bit of distance but the ape was actively looking for him. Kinkaru took his jacket off and stuck it to a tree using his dagger. He then covered himself in mud to mask his scent and hid at the top of a tree. From the tree he saw the ape blindly attack where it thought Kinkaru was. It began to flail around as it realized he wasn’t in that spot. Kinkaru wondered if he should attempt a sneak attack and garner the expierence points that were sure to be massive. The Ape used a lot of energy in its rage and sat still momentarily. This meant Kinkaru could not leave the tree. Finally he decided he would defeat this creature somehow. He raised his hand and spoke the words “darkness rise and lead my foes astray.” His shadow stood as if it were a person. The shadow was dark but still slightly see through and was the rough shape of a human with no features. It walked directly in front of the apes vision luring it towards it. The ape blinded by its hunger fail for the bait and chased the shadow. The shadow turned around running straight back. It then laid on the floor under a tree. The ape saw this and crouched down grabbing a handful of dirt expecting it to be flesh. As it did the shadow extended and became part of the tree. Kinkaru lept from the tree bringing his machete down onto the neck of the ape. The ape didn’t have a chance to react as it was cut deeply by the blade. It swung its arm hitting Kinkaru in the chest and knocking him into a tree. The ape was bleeding heavily but was not dead and seemed stronger and angrier now. Kinkaru clutched his side and limply ran away.

The apes speed has slowed but it was still in pursuit. Kinkaru ran back towards camp leading the Ape on. As he ran he scanned the forests for the traps that they had set previously. Kinkaru saw a pile of leaves that they had placed purposefully on the ground and he leapt over them. As he did he raised his right hand forming his shadow into the shape of a knocked over tree right in front of it. The ape blinded by his rage thought this tree was real and kept over it landing on the leaves. The ground gave way and the ape fell into a pit of sharpened sticks with vigorous force and skewering itself on the sticks below. As the create laid there bleeding out Kinkaru walked to the edge and monitored it to ensure its death. The creature for a brief moment looked up with a bit of fear and let out its last breath. It quickly faded away and Kinkaru received 10 more points as well as a massive amount of experience. The exp from this and the player he killed gave him multiple level ups and brought him to level 10. This made all of his base stats at 10 and his wisdom at 20. Kinkaru could feel the physical change. He now was more muscular and almost had abs. He opened his menu and noticed he now had 25 skill points to spend. He decided to spend 10 on wisdom bringing it up to 30. He spent another 10 on strength making his muscles increase by a noticeable amount. His strength now was at 20. Kinkaru spent the remaining 5 on agility. He wanted to ensure he never came that close to being caught by a monster again. His agility was now 15. In comparison the fastest man in his old world may have a speed of around 20. The strongest man in the world may have a strength of 30. He was only 6 years old and was now stronger than most adult men.

(Status Menu)

Inventory

Quests

Settings

General Information

Name: Kinkaru

Level: 10

EXP: 15000/20000

Affinity

Dark/???

Skill Points:5

Class/Job

NA

HP: 1000

Mana: 600

Stamina: 1500

Status Information

Stats

Spells

Skills

Strength:20

Shock

Reading: 4/4

Agility: 15

Shadow Summon

Speech: 1/4

Wisdom: 30

Scan

Wisdom of Another Life?

Endurance: 10

Critical Thinking 4/4

Dark Manipulation

Blunt Weapon Mastery 1/10

Sword Mastery 1/10

Sneak 2/10

Shadow Memorize

He noticed a new skill had appeared called “memorize shadow” when he clicked on it the details said “scan a creature after death to memorize its shadow” Kinkaru decided to try this feature and scanned the shadow of the ape. A new skill subcategory appeared that said “summon Fraper shadow.” When he clicked this his mana dropped by 50% and his shadow transformed into the Fraper he had just slain. This didn’t excite Kinkaru as he had already learned to change shadow shapes, but then he noticed the Fraper shadow had its own shadow. There’s no way what he was seeing was real. Out of instinct he reached out and touched the shadow. His hand made contact and the Fraper responded by nudging it’s head into his hand. This shadow was occupying physical space. This move was a game changer, Kinkaru was no longer useless. He dismissed the shadow summoning and decided to keep it to himself. This was now his ace in the hole for future emergencies. Kinkaru headed back to camp where he found Sarah sitting at a fire with a stick roasting over it. She had been fishing and caught enough fish to feed them for the night. Kinkaru sat down at the fire covered in blood and sweat. His HP was sitting at fifty percent from the one hit the ape caught him with. He suddenly realized how close to dying he had just come. Sarah didn’t bother to ask what happened as she figured it was none of her business. After all the two aren’t actual friends and she never bothered to even ask his name.She handed him a fish however as if he was going to stay here she needed him to be reliable. He ate the fish with excitement and laid flat on his back, before he realized it he had fallen asleep. Sarah woke him up a few hours later and the two spent the night taking turns on watch.

The next morning as the sun rose the score screen appeared and there were only 130 students left but all had 100 points or more. An explosion could be heard in the distance and the familiar message of student defeated appeared in the sky. The student count dropped to 125 and all of the sudden the dean appeared on screen.

“Congratulations students, I know there is time still remaining however we have decided to cut this exam short. You guys have lowered the count enough that we can make an exception while simultaneously keeping our mages at the highest quality.”

As he spoke the message student defeated appeared on the screen again and the count dropped to 120 students. The deans face seemed as if it was almost concerned for a split second. The fake sky vanished and the pair could see the coliseum Cameras above them. Kinkaru turned and looked at Sarah but before he could speak she faded away. When he blinked and opened his eyes he was standing in the courtyard of the academy right beside the statue of the Demi human. He opened his menu and saw the quest had a check mark next to it now. When he clicked it a uniform appeared in his body and a school I.D was in his pocket. Kinkaru also gained enough experience to almost level up as well as all of the items the player he had killed had on him. He now had had 3 minor health potions and a mana potion. He was relieved that the test was over and he had earned his place. He overheard two students whispering beside him “they have never ended the exam early, there must be an emergency or something.”

“Yeah I’ve never seen that many monsters working together, what was up with that”

“I have never seen that many players really die. Something strange is happening. I bet the dean pulled them out because those weren’t their monsters”.

A shiver went down Kinkarus spine. Could the school have been secretly under attack?