Chapter 6

The race continues and they're still nowhere near half of the course.

Few of them have started to feel thirst and others are showing signs of exhaustion because of mana depletion and running out of strength.

"Looks like some of us are weaklings." Peter said while observing the others.

He saw some of the SS+ classes just relaxing and some were even reading books.

"As expected of the higher classes." He turns his sight up ahead.

(Weaklings shouldn't be even participating in this exam. As well as that orphan second year.) He said in his mind.

"Still aren't tired yet Lance?" Beatrice asks the running man while flying in a supine position (lying position facing up).

"Just don't expect me to carry you once you run-out of mana." He replied.

"Oooo. The two lovebirds are quarreling again." - Layla. 

"We are not lovebirds!" Lance and Beatrice said in unison.

"Please stop teasing them sis." Rhea pleaded to her sister. 

"What?" She asked.

"Don't worry about it." - Beatrice 

"We're used to getting teased by her." - Lance

While running a number board appeared up in the sky ahead of them showing 40,000, the number of participants. Knight may not be participating in the race but he's technically still in the examination.

The number dropped to 39,100. 900 participants were immediately eliminated from the race. Most of them were shocked because of the sudden drop in numbers.

The numbers kept dropping but they didn't see anyone stopping or falling behind.

Confusion began to occur among the participants.

Knight who's watching the monitor also got confused.

"What is happening? Why are the numbers falling but I can't see those who're being eliminated?" He asked.

"It has begun." Von replied. 

"What has started?" 

"Their minds are now being twisted. Making them believe that someone has been eliminated.

But the mind trick doesn't end there." He added.

"What do you mean?" 

"Just watch the race till the end."

The two continued to observe the first task and later on noticed someone suddenly stopping. Knight got curious to what just occurred to why he mysteriously stopped.

His eyes are wide open and he was just there. It's as if he realized something that drove him to his current state. He was teleported out of the dungeon to a medical facility to regain his mental stability.

"What just happened?" - Knight

"His mental capacity is weak and it resulted in driving him mad. The mind trick the participants are not just a simple mind trick.

What they see is what they think. If they think of something other than finishing the race, then they're on a hell of illusion. Unless they realize that it's an illusion they won't get out of there on their own." Von explained.

"He may have thought of something and it became the illusion he's seeing for him to suddenly stop.

The 89th floor was chosen not because it's large. It was chosen because it plays with the mind of whoever enters that floor." He added.

"Right now, the floor is in control."

The remaining runners continued not realizing the illusion the surrounding is giving them.

Peter is full of confidence that he'll finish the race in no time. He desires to become the greatest in the Starlian ranks and wants nothing more but to acquire the Starlight emblem. He'll do whatever it takes to achieve his goal.

"If one of us gives up he or she needs to treat us for lunch." Lance said to the others. 

"Is that supposed to be a motivational sentence or a threat?" Layla asked. 

"Both." Lance replied and grinned.

"I really hate that side of yours, you know." She said in an irritated tone. 

"What?" - Lance 

'Good thing you're handsome.' Rhea whispered to herself. 

"Did you say something?" Lance asked because he couldn't hear her because of the thousand footsteps around them.

"Nothing." She replied. 

'Sheesh, that was close.'

~ At Heavens Fall ~

War rages on and the flames of war at the front can be seen 3.000 kilometers away. It was like the sun on the horizon coming down because of the unending explosions in the air and on the ground.

The earth was burnt and craters from the bombings can be seen. Giant bones of sky whales were left on the ground, a grim reminder of the tragedy that this war has caused on the planet.

"You okay there C?" Onimura asked Canan who's looking at the direction of the front line.

"I hope this war will end one day." - Canan 

"Say that to the Nightmare Queen." Onimura stood beside Canan and took a sip of his coffee in a black mug that he's holding in his right hand.

"We need to hold them here and if possible. Defeat them here." - Onimura

Weak sounds of explosions can be heard and a falling battleship can be seen.

"We grew up fighting this war where we lost our parents and grandparents. I hope that our generation can end it so the next will live in peace and don't have to die in the flames of war." - Canan

As the race continues at the 89th floor of the east dungeon, there are only 32,000 participants remaining. The others have completely given up. It has been two hours since the race started and they still can't see any sign of the finish line.

"Will this race even gonna end?!" Peter's complaint.

Lance and the others from the Rose section are also feeling a bit of exhaustion but are surprisingly still capable of running. Their mana reserve is also quite plentiful and can be used for at least 15 more times for propelling themselves by using a low class technique.

"Don't give up guys. We can make it." - Lance 

"Who's giving up?" - Rhea 

"It's a good thing we realized the illusion this floor is giving us." - Layla

"Yeah, good thing Shó detected the illusion." - Beatrice 

"It was nothing really. I just noticed someone mysteriously going blank earlier and so I immediately cast my area scan and detected multiple mind manipulating waves entering the are." Shó humbly explained.

"How did you know that those are mind-thingy waves?" Layla asked. 

"Mind manipulating waves." He corrected her.

"Mind manipulating waves are black in color and take the form of an electric current that will enter your mind.

You won't be able to notice it because of how small it is." He explained.

"That's our magic library." - Rhea 

"Shut up Rhea." Shó jokingly said to her.

Their group is filled with laughter and they seem to not feel the exhaustion from the long running exam.

Knight noticed that they're enjoying themselves despite the never ending path that they're following to the finish line that they can't even see. He also noticed a man in a gray hoodie behind Lance's group and is currently reading a floating book.

He(Knight) can't see the mysterious man's face because of the hood that he's wearing. But he has this sinister dark aura.

"Don't judge a person by how you see their auras. Judge them by their personalities." The voice whispered to Knight.

He looked around to see if the voice's source was with them but no one was there.

"Is there something wrong?" Von asked. 

"Nothing." He politely replied.

Von knew that something's wrong but he'd rather not ask now, maybe after the third examination. For now he'll just observe Knight's performance on the third exam.

Von is not the only one waiting to see Knight doing some action. The mysterious girl is also looking forward to it.

While watching the race on the monitor, Knight felt a presence of someone watching him but he can't confirm where it's coming from because they're inside the school and the school itself is still isolated from the city by a large barrier.

He just ignored it and continued watching.

~ Stargem: Rewrite ~