New Beginnings

Taizen's mother gently shook him awake. "Taizen, Taizen, wake up! Today is the day you make our family proud."

Taizen rubbed his eyes and sat up, groggily. "Today is the day of the annual Assassin organization entrance exam," his mother reminded him.

Taizen's father, a former assassin himself, entered the room. "You ready, son?" he asked.

Taizen nodded, a determined look on his face. He had been preparing for this moment his entire life. His older brother, Kaito, had passed the exam with flying colors and was now a respected member of the organization. Taizen knew he had big shoes to fill. After a quick breakfast, Taizen began his final preparations. Kaito had agreed to help him with close combat practice.

Kaito patted him on the back, "Good, let's head to the training grounds. We need to warm you up before you face the examiners."

The training ground was a short walk from their home, hidden away in a secluded forest. Kaito instructed Taizen to stretch, and then they began to spar. Kaito was skilled with a sword, but Taizen had always preferred the more acrobatic style of combat, using his agility to his advantage. They fought for hours until Taizen was exhausted and drenched in sweat.

As they walked back home, Kaito gave Taizen some last-minute advice. "Remember, the exam is not just about skill. It's about strategy, intelligence, and most importantly, keeping your cool under pressure. The examiners will try to provoke you, so stay focused and don't let your emotions get the best of you."

Taizen nodded, his mind racing with everything he had learned over the years. He felt prepared, but he knew that anything could happen in the exam. As they approached the gates of the exam, Taizen's heart began to race. His mother gave him a tight hug and whispered, "Make us proud, Taizen." His father placed a hand on his shoulder and said, "You're a Silver, and Silvers never give up."

Taizen took a deep breath and approached the exam gates. The adrenaline was pumping through his veins. This was it. His chance to prove himself.

As he stepped forward, he could hear the sound of blades clashing and screams of pain. The air was thick with the scent of sweat and blood.

"Name?" a gruff voice demanded.

"Taizen Silver," he replied, his voice steady.

The guard sneered. "Hmph. Another Silver. We'll see if you're worth anything."

Taizen's heart pounded as he entered the arena, his eyes scanning the surroundings for any potential threats. He could see other candidates fighting in various corners of the arena, their faces twisted in determination and pain.

This was his moment. His chance to prove himself worthy of following in his brother's footsteps. He had trained his whole life for this. And he was not going to let his family down.

The written exam was designed to test the limits of the applicants, their knowledge and critical thinking abilities, and above all, their moral compass. The questions ranged from simple multiple choice to complex ethical dilemmas, but all of them were designed to lead the applicants down a dark path.

One of the scenarios presented to Taizen was particularly gruesome. He was given a situation where he had to choose between saving a group of innocent civilians or completing the mission by assassinating a high-value target. The instructions were clear, he had to prioritize killing the target and sacrificing the lives of the innocent people.

As he read the question, a chill ran down Taizen's spine. He knew that the organization prioritized the completion of the mission above all else, but he had never considered a situation like this before. He took a deep breath and began to write his response. He knew that he had to choose the target over the civilians, but it went against every moral fiber of his being.

Another scenario presented a different kind of moral dilemma. Taizen was tasked with killing a corrupt politician who had been embezzling funds from the government. However, he discovered that the politician was actually using the funds to support a local orphanage that was on the brink of closure. The question posed to him was clear - should he prioritize the completion of the mission or risk letting the politician go to save the orphanage?

Taizen was torn between his duty to the organization and his sense of justice. He knew that he had to prioritize the mission, but the thought of the orphanage closing because of his actions made him feel sick. He eventually made his decision, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he had made the wrong choice.

Despite the dark and twisted scenarios, Taizen found the written exam surprisingly easy. He had heard countless stories from both of his older brothers on their missions, and the questions posed to him were not unlike the situations they had described. He finished the exam with time to spare and submitted his answers confidently. He was now ready for the next stage of the exam, the physical test.

Right before the sun rose, the teams were brought to the edge of the forest. Taizen's team stood amongst the other nine teams, all vying for a chance to pass this first physical test. The forest was dense and filled with all sorts of obstacles that would slow them down and test their endurance. The examiners called out the rules, "You have to reach the top of the mountain to collect your team's flag, the first to reach the top and grab the flag will earn their team the highest score. You can encounter ambushes, traps, and other obstacles in the forest, so be cautious and make sure you use your instincts."

As they waited for the exam to begin, Taizen gathered his team together to discuss their strategy.

"Okay guys, we need to stick together as much as possible," Taizen said, looking at his team members.

One of the boys, named Koji, nodded in agreement. "Yeah, we don't want to get separated and become easy targets for other teams."

The other boy, named Ryu, chimed in, "And we need to conserve our energy. Don't sprint too hard at the start or we'll be exhausted by the time we reach the mountain."

Taizen nodded in agreement. "Right. Let's start at a moderate pace and keep an eye out for any other teams. If we see anyone, we'll have to stay alert and be ready to defend ourselves."

The girls on the team, Yuna and Akari, both nodded in agreement. "We're ready, Taizen," Yuna said with a determined look on her face.

Taizen smiled at his team. "Alright, let's do this." And with that, they all took deep breaths and prepared themselves for the long distance run.

The air horn blared, and the teams dashed into the forest, each with their own strategy in mind. Taizen and his team were quick to make a plan. They decided that two of the girls would lead the pack, while Taizen and the other boy would stay behind to guard their rear. The third girl would stay in the middle of the group, to keep an eye out for any traps or ambushes.

The forest was dense and filled with hills, streams, and logs, which made it difficult to navigate. Taizen's team pushed through the first few obstacles with ease, keeping a steady pace and staying together as a group. They passed by other teams along the way, some of whom were struggling to keep up.

After a while, Taizen's team hit a rough patch. The terrain became steeper, and the pace slowed down. The two girls in the lead began to tire, and they started to fall behind. Taizen and the other boy tried to encourage them, but it was clear that they were slowing down the team.

Taizen made a quick decision to split up the team. He instructed the two girls to stay together and catch up with the rest of the team. Meanwhile, he and the other boy would take a shortcut through a narrow path in the woods, which would lead them to the mountain top faster.

As they made their way through the shortcut, they heard the sounds of another team closing in on them. Taizen quickly signaled to his teammate, and they both took cover behind some rocks. They waited for the other team to pass, then continued their ascent to the mountain top. As they reached the top, Taizen was the first to spot his team's flag. He quickly grabbed it and waved it in triumph. .

Taizen and his team continued their run through the forest, the sounds of their footsteps echoing through the trees. Suddenly, they heard rustling from behind, and turned around to see another team charging towards them. The team was made up of four burly men and two muscular women, all with cold, emotionless expressions on their faces.

Without hesitation, the two teams collided in a violent clash of fists and kicks. Taizen found himself locked in hand-to-hand combat with one of the men, who was easily twice his size. The man was quick and strong, and Taizen struggled to hold his own against him. They traded blows, each punch landing with a sickening thud. Blood sprayed from Taizen's nose as he took a particularly hard hit to the face, but he refused to back down.

As the fight wore on, it became clear that the other team was not playing by the rules. They resorted to dirty tactics, gouging eyes and biting fingers, and their strength seemed almost supernatural. Taizen could feel the weight of their bodies bearing down on him, threatening to crush him beneath their weight.

"Stay strong, Taizen!" his teammate shouted, as she hurled herself at one of the women. "We can do this!"

Taizen gritted his teeth and focused all his energy on his opponent. He knew he had to defeat him if they had any hope of winning. With a sudden burst of energy, Taizen delivered a powerful punch to the man's gut, causing him to stagger back. Taking advantage of the moment, Taizen lunged forward and delivered a swift kick to the man's temple, sending him tumbling to the ground.

The rest of the team was not so lucky. They were beaten down by the other team, and left lying in a bloody heap on the forest floor. Taizen was left standing alone, his body battered and bruised, but his spirit unbroken. He had proven himself to be a fearless warrior, and he knew that he would stop at nothing to achieve his goal.

As the other team walked away, laughing and jeering, Taizen silently vowed to come back stronger and more prepared than ever before. He knew that he had what it took to be a hitman, and he would not let anyone stand in his way.

After the physical test, Taizen's team quickly recovered and pushed themselves to finish strong, managing to secure third place overall. Taizen's individual rank, however, was not what he had hoped for, coming in at 17th out of 60. He was angry with himself and determined to push harder, now more serious and focused than ever before. The rest of his team, Koji, Ryu, Yuna, and Akari, also finished with respectable ranks of 20th, 23rd, 24th, and 19th, respectively. Despite their initial disappointment, they bonded over their shared determination to do better and formed a small friendship. They all knew that only the top 15 would pass the exam, but they hoped that they would all make it through together.

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