It wasn’t long before I reached Arena 2. Unlike in all the various movies, most of the arenas were underground. In fact, they made up their own tower with only the top arena, Arena 1, seeing any outside light.

  Now, that isn't to say the place was without sufficient light. Multiple balls of light floated around the place, bathing everything in a warm glow. The multiple sources of light was a good thing because a swarm of holographic sheets blocked large chunks of the field, and the tests within, from view.

  While each of the sheets were large, the sections they hid were tiny. No more than a ten-by-ten square. My eyes tracked up as I tried to understand what I was seeing and what was expected. Hovering in the air was a single line of text.

  Find the nearest open section, enter, and follow the instructions provided.

  Something told me that each test was going to be like this. Blunt instructions with pieces missing. I mean, what marked a section as open or not?

  The moment I mentally asked that question, someone took the chance to step through the nearest wall. In an instant, the walls surrounding it turned from the cerulean blue to a deep black with flecks of gold. The way the sparkles twinkled and moved reminded me of stars on a screensaver. Random motion that made sure to catch the eye. Likely the way that the system that controlled this space indicated that a section was occupied.

  All around me, people rushed forward to find the nearest station and jumped in before someone else could. I, and a few others, hung back. While for me that was a choice, that wasn’t the case for the rest. Most of them looked disabled in some way. Not anything permanent, at least I hoped not, but from what looked like broken bones or some other injury.

  Instead of leaving them to try to navigate the dust and grass to find an open section, I stayed to help. I took a moment to look over each. To prioritize them based on how much effort it would take to get them to a spot.

  Of everyone, the two in wheelchairs would be the hardest, so they were first. Even as their chair slid into the first open section, I was already hurting. Not that I would stop. If I missed my test, so be it. I would take whatever punishment the academy decided to dole out.

  To my surprise, a few of those rushing into the place, having probably gotten lost at some point, didn’t just rush past. They stopped, checked out what I was doing and decided to take care of one person before jumping into their test.

  Still, even with the random help, I found myself late to the first test. A fact that was only compounded as I had to find an open section. At two minutes past nine, I stepped into an open testing space.

  A wisp of a woman sat on the only chair, tapping at her screen. She didn’t say a word to me. She didn’t even acknowledge my presence. And I didn’t say anything to get her attention. After all, the words said to follow the instructions provided. And given the distinct lack of instructions, I was going to do nothing.

  Out of the blue, the woman tossed a ball at my face. My mind froze as I tried to think about what to do. She didn’t say to catch it, but I couldn’t just let it hit my head, could I?

  My body made the decision for me as my hands leapt up to protect my face. They were a tad slow. This resulted in the ball bouncing off my nose to land somewhere to my left. “Mediocre reflexes. Maybe try to catch this next one.” Her first words were harsh but at least they had some form of instruction. One that allowed me to do something.

  With a flick, she tossed another ball, and this time I even managed to catch it. However, before I could toss it back, the ball vanished. Another ball appeared in her hand. “Good. Again.”

  When her hands released the ball, it multiplied. While one ball left her hand, two hit my chest while one landed in my left hand. “Again.”

  This process repeated time and time again with random numbers of projectiles. And they were not all straightforward like the first few. Others vanished between the two of us to appear on one side or the other. I more often tried to dodge those than catch them.

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  With one last throw that pelted me with five, she shook her head and gestured at the ground. “Push-ups.”

  A part of me wanted to ask how many, but I didn’t bother. She would either tell me to stop or let me go until I collapsed. I was ten push-ups in when my arms started to struggle to lift my weight. No, I was not weak. Well, not weak enough that ten was my limit. It felt like I had suddenly put on a few pounds.

  Still, I didn’t complain. It wouldn’t help me and might even cause me issues later on. Instead, I pushed on. I forced my arms to lift me again.

  My arms gave out after two more. Before I could so much as catch a breath, my proctor gave her next instruction. “Squats.” They were quickly followed by situps, pullups, and even burpees. There was even one test where a treadmill just appeared out of nowhere.

  Still, I did everything she told me to. I pushed my body time and time again as each test was a repeat of the first. They started off easy, only for something to make the exercise practically impossible to continue.

  Finally, she commanded me to stop. “The wall between this section and the one behind it will drop in two minutes. Incapacitate your opponent.” Instead of worrying about what I was about to face or taking time to plan, I interlocked my fingers behind my head and tried to catch my breath.

  All too soon, the black barrier that spanned the back of the space fell. A girl who looked half my age stood there, confused about something. That confusion lasted all of a moment as she caught sight of me. In that moment, her eyes hardened, and she charged at me.

  With a step to the side, I avoided her initial charge. While my foot lifted to kick her, she was already gone. Twisting to the left as she dropped into a stance I recognised from some movie.

  Her swift punches were enough to tell me she didn’t learn it from a movie. I tried to dodge each strike, but dodging really only works until you get hit. The moment one of her fists met flesh, I was done.

  Pain stabbed at me from my chest and face. Both places she managed to hit before I was able to put space between us. My need to dodge, to play defensively, wasn’t working. Either I needed to go down in the next flurry, or I needed to attack. And I knew which I preferred.

  With a shout, I charged right at her. I funnelled my pain into my fists. I didn’t care how my attack looked or really anything. I simply punched in her direction with wild abandon.

  A lucky swing caused one of my fists to catch the side of her face hard enough to knock her to the ground. She flailed and cried out, but I didn’t let up. I couldn’t let up. Not until she was incapacitated.

  Those were the instructions and I had a feeling everything we did was a part of the test. So I climbed on top of her and continued to rain punches into her. Aiming to knock her out.

  It was only as her body went limp that I stopped. “Step back. Your next match will begin shortly.” My next match? I barely managed to get through that match. And what about my current opponent? She needed medical attention.

  As I stood up to confront my proctor, a person I hadn't noticed sitting in the opposite corner from my proctor rose and moved to the girl at my feet. Energy poured from them and into a device they waved over the girls' injuries. Within a minute, the girl's eyes fluttered.

  Before I could say anything to her, the barrier between the two sections reasserted itself. “Your opponent will be in the section to the left. Your fight starts in a minute.”

  I barely had time to steady my breathing before the wall came down. The person on the other side didn’t bother to see where I was or anything else. They let out a cry and charged into my space.

  The only reason they missed was due to the fact that I was still near the back barrier. A subtle smack sound rang out as a ripple of black washed up the right wall. Which was odd, not that I had time to give it more than a single thought. Not if I was going to take advantage of this opening.

  With a roar of my own, I slammed my open hand into the back of their head, driving it back into the barrier. Whether my attack hit them just right or they were already close to going over didn’t matter.

  All that mattered was that their body went limp and their proctor came to heal them before returning them to their space so that the test could continue. The faster that happened, the faster this test would be finished.

  As the barrier reappeared, my proctor spoke once again. “Your next match will begin shortly.” My breathing was a bit ragged, but nothing like the last two times. Still, it wasn’t long before she spoke once again. “Your opponent will be in the section to the right. Your fight starts in one minute.”

  With those words, I tried to figure out what spot would be best. Unfortunately, before I could make a decision, the wall fell. As soon as I saw the sweat-slicked muscles of the guy who was my next opponent, I deflated. There was no way I could pose even a little challenge to him.

  I barely saw the fist that he launched at my head. Between one moment and the next, I went from standing to a subtle warmth pushing the pain in my head away. A moment later, the feeling disappeared, and I found myself being forced to my feet by a pair of vice grips.

  As soon as I was up, they shoved me forward. Pushing me out of the testing section and into the open aisle. Apparently that test was over, and given the trickle of people that were making their way out, I was not the first one done. With my luck, I was probably the last.

  A quick look at my pad had me rushing to make it to the fields for my next test. My muscles protested, but I couldn’t slow down. Not if I wanted to be there on time. I just had to hope that the second physical section wasn’t as physically demanding.

  Something told me I was completely fucked.