The Phantom Riser

CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN - HUNTED

It wasn’t long after Kiro had divided them into teams that the system updated the test’s details. That meant that the test would be starting any time soon. Kiro hoped he would have a bit more time before the test started. Partly because he needed to rest and partly because he thought he needed to speak with Noah. Since the last test ended, it looked like Noah had been avoiding him. Had he changed his mind about working together because of the trouble that was always looming above him? But there was no way he wouldn’t have known. Anyone with as much experience as a Test Administrator should know that much. So, why was he not saying anything? He seemed keen to speak with him all the time before.

***

System Update

Kiro Ner

Test Information

The Hunter and the Hunted

All the top ten Risers (5 teams) from all districts will be divided into teams of a hunter and hunted. The aim of the hunter is to catch the hunted and the hunter must avoid being caught. There is no specific target. The hunter simply needs to catch any member of a hunted team. Beware of traps!

Conditions: Hunted teams cannot attack or will be lose points. Only evasion skills and defensive skills are allowed. Hunter teams cannot defend, even when they are faced with traps. Only attacking and bluff skills are allowed or will lose points. All participants are granted immunity from death. If a Riser dies, he will be respawned after some time but will lose all points gained. Repetitive disregard for the rules will lead to instant disqualification. To pass, you need a minimum of twenty points

Rewards: Winners level up by 20 levels. Losers level up by 5 levels. There are rewards for other accomplishments as well. The highest scorer levels up by 50 levels.

Consequence of failure: None.

***

Everyone was left stunned by the test details. It looked like fun. Compared to what they had gone through, this test looked a lot easier. But Kiro felt otherwise. Tests like these were usually the hardest. It was too easy to get distracted and slip up. It looked easy, so it was easy to relax like everything was alright. But they had to always be alert. “Don’t get carried away. These types of tests can be dangerous,” Kiro said. He was the only one in the group that felt that way, however.

“Relax Kiro. This test looks quite fun. And there’s absolutely no risk. We get special treatment for getting tops. It’s only normal that they would want to preserve their most promising Risers,” Victor said. And he had a point. Everyone thought so as well. Everyone but Kiro. Tests like these were the easiest to fail. The moment when you feel you have nothing to lose, that’s when it’s easiest for everything to come crashing down. And that was what the test was about. To catch them off guard. No matter how it might seem, they would never be a fun time during a test. You had to be always switched on. But because he was the only one with experience, he was also the only one who understood that fact well. How quickly the tests could change and how easy it was to slip up.

“Do you have any idea why they lumped in the best of the best? Do you know why they are trying to make sure that we all get through this stage? What if this test is only one stage? What if there are more? There are a lot of things to think about. Every test has its objective. Nothing is for fun. The first one was a weeding process to eliminate the weakest. What if this test is to find the strongest well?” Kiro asked. He hadn’t noticed how shocked they were during his ramblings but even Karenia and Victor looked worried. The only difference was they knew he was talking from experience and not just a hypothesis. The others, however, were oblivious to that fact.

“Kiro, I think you need to calm down. We don’t know enough to make a concrete plan and neither do you, unfortunately. At best, we just have to keep our guard up and improvise if need be,” Karenia said. It was the best she could do at that moment. Everyone else was looking at Kiro like he was overthinking things.

“I guess you’re right,” Kiro said. But not just because he agreed with Karenia, but because he realized something else as well. No one would be able to fully understand the gravity of the tests if they hadn’t experienced it firsthand. Up until then, he had been a guiding hand. With his knowledge and their powers, they had had little to worry about from most Risers. Although they also attracted the worst kinds of trouble. But still, they were able to pull through every time. And the thought that they would be able to pull it off every time too was grossly misleading. What Kiro knew was the past. His past was now the future. A future that was created based on his actions. In other words, Kiro doesn’t know the future. He is only aware of the rules that govern this new world and how to work his way around them. But because of how effective he has been, they all believed that the future was still the same. But it was different to a very large extent.

Kiro realized one thing; he would have to do a lot of things on his own. Pressuring the group all the time wouldn’t help. They also needed to think for themselves. So, at best, he would give them as much leeway as possible while still doing the things that had to be done. It would be tough, but it was doable. He looked up to the worried but to see their hesitant smiles. They were genuinely trying to get rid of the awkward tension that was building up. “So, it’s decided. We have a general idea of what to do. The most important thing is to win. If we are lucky enough to be close to each other at the start, we should be able to pair up. We should be lucky enough to land a hunter and a hunted team at least. From there, we can figure the rest out. Don’t let your guard down. And don’t you dare lose to anybody,” Kiro said emphatically.