Apollo's Gift.

Alex was rushing up the mountain to find the cave he had seen in the simulation. It wasn't hard to spot since...

"Here..." Alex noticed a diamond-shaped rock sticking out from the mountain, shining in the light.

"Let's see." Alex pushed the rock, and...

BSHHHHHHHHH!!!

"AAGHGHH!!!" The rocks below him expanded, and he fell into the cave.

"Shit... that was painful." Alex looked around. He was in a cave bathed in a deep yellow light. The cave was about 3 meters in diameter and 5 meters long. No, it was more like the material the cave was made of had a deep yellow color.

"Could this be some kind of sunstone?" Alex wiped his hand over the walls, feeling how cool they were. Inside, there was a table with papers and ink, a bed, and a weapon.

"Cool, this sword..." The sword was about a meter long, unusually long for a normal sword, but it was light as wind. Its hilt was carved with an image of a man flying in the sun. On the blade, except for the cutting edge, there were carvings of a writing Alex couldn't understand, with the sunlight reflecting off it.

"So I spent years here, huh..." Alex smiled and looked around. He then moved the rocks he had dislodged to cover the entrance.

"I need to make sure nobody notices this place..." He understood that the material this cave was made of was special.

"Now, we need to wait for night..." Alex said as he sat on the bed.

"Leon... can we rest for a moment?" A woman with blonde hair and blue eyes, clad in leather armor, followed a strong-looking young man with black hair and eyes. He had an imposing presence, his muscles defined, and a cold look in his eyes as he scanned their surroundings.

"You've trained at the university, Alicia. Are you so weak that you can't go this distance without faltering?" Leon asked as he sat down.

"Oh, shut up. You musclehead might not know, but..." Alicia dropped her backpack to the ground. "This thing is very heavy!!!" She yelled, collapsing onto the backpack.

"I'm going to catch some prey. Be careful not to get eaten." Leon leaped up and disappeared into the trees.

"You... damn..." Alicia grunted and started rummaging through her large backpack. "So, the way to the exam is that way..." She checked a bubble-like device resembling a compass, pointing upwards.

She built a fireplace, lighting it with a touch of her hand.

"You're back..." Leon returned with three rabbits in hand.

"Here, skin them." He tossed the rabbits to Alicia.

"You're stronger with a knife than I am. You skin them." Alicia threw them back.

"Then you can set the traps to protect us from the ferocious beasts gathering around..." Leon pointed to a nearby tree. In a few seconds, he pulled out his knife.

NBSSSSSSTTT!!!

He threw the knife.

KAAAAKKKKK!!!

A wild elk rushed out as it was hit by his knife and, within seconds, collapsed.

Alicia shuddered. "HAHAhahahahaha, alright, I'll do everything. Just go set the traps, strong man!!! LEON!!!" She playfully punched Leon's muscles at lightning speed before starting to prepare the food.

Leon snorted and began setting traps around the camp. He first took out thin wires and pulled them between trees, creating a system that would cause the trees to fall, triggering spears and knives to shoot out if disturbed.

"Alright, let's wait." Leon sat down and made a makeshift camp with leaves and ropes fashioned from branches.

"We'll continue in a few moments." He said this and immediately fell asleep.

"A few moments? You always say that, and it lasts for days... gah..." Alicia also sat down, beginning to eat.

She looked up at the stars shining brightly in the sky. This place was so remote, free from human interference, that she could see galaxies twinkling above.

A few minutes later...

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

Leon sprang up instantly.

"AGHHLL!!!" Alicia jumped back in fear.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

Leon drew his sword and, like the wind, disappeared.

CLANG!!!!

The sound of metal clashing echoed just a few meters away.

"Oho? Fascinating, you're quite strong for a youngster..." A figure emerged from the winds.

He wore a dark green cloak with leather armor dyed green as well.

"Who are you?" Leon asked, his voice serious.

"WHAT WAS THAT???" Alicia stood up, clutching her head, still feeling the pain from her fall.

Leon didn't respond, his focus entirely on the newcomer.

"Greetings to both of you. I am Astious. It's a pleasure to meet the person most likely to pass this exam..." Astious smiled, though his appearance was unsettling. He had a handsome face, mostly hidden by his Greek-style cloak. However, his teeth were hideous, each one carved into a fang, all 32 of them.

"Ugh..." Alicia groaned. This man looked as if he had eaten animals raw, with some kind of green ooze dripping from his mouth.

"Are you a participant?" Leon asked, his eyes scanning the area.

"(This guy is way above my level. That attack took 30% of my strength to block, and he looked like he barely tried.)" Leon thought, stepping back slightly.

"I'm not a participant. I'm here to catch good prey, like you..." Astious grinned, straightening his posture.

Leon jumped back.

BANG!!!!

The ground where he had just stood exploded into pieces.

Leon didn't spare a glance at Alicia.

"AGHHGH!!!" She jumped up into a tree, shocked that Leon hadn't protected her. This didn't seem like him at all.

BANGGGGGGGG!!!

"Wind's Stour," Leon muttered.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

A powerful slash shot towards Astious.

CLANG!!!

Astious held two daggers dripping with purple goo, so sharp they seemed to cut the air itself.

With a casual swing, he deflected Leon's attack, sending the blade off course.

"GAGH!!!" Leon grunted, glancing back.

For a moment, but then...

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

Another slash rushed towards him, forcing him to dodge swiftly.

"Now, now... let's start the game..." Astious ensured that Leon wouldn't attract the supervisors' attention.

But could he really do that?

At the university...

BANG!!!

Demetrious stood up abruptly.

"Something... is wrong..." he muttered.

BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!

End of Chapter.