Let's Play a Game!

Including me there were a total of 4 people.

They were all the same age as me, wearing the same combat suits.

From the left side of the room was a boy with blonde hair, blue eyes a lean build wielding a spear. He didn't have a gun on him but had strapped on a few throwing axes to his waist.

On my right was a red-haired boy with a broad build wielding what seemed to be a battle-axe, he had a few rifles strapped across his back.

Directly opposite me was an African-American girl who was wielding an UZI in each hand.

At the centre of the room was a black sphere resting on top of the table.

By the looks of it, I was the last one to enter the room.

That and the fact that all of them were pointing their weapons at me meant that I was already at a disadvantage.

However, who was I?

Nathair Venenon, aka the venomous snake of the business world.

Something like this was far from being able to shake my composure.

I raised my hands up and gave them a calm and reassuring smile.

"I take it that nobody here knows what's going on either?"

The red-haired man snorted before lowering his axe.

"He's just another stowaway."

"Did you think I was one of the organizers?"

"You were the last one to enter after all."

Just as I thought.

"Well, now that we are all here, let us take some time to compare stories to see if we can figure out what's going on."

The blonde-haired man lowered his spear and took the initiative to introduce himself.

"You guys can call me Steve. The last thing I remember was opening a letter and BOOM, I was here."

He splayed his hands while mimicking an explosion.

The girl also holstered her guns back in before replying.

"Same here. Woke up in this white room all buck naked. Scared the shit outta me. The name's Mary by the way."

"I am Jake. Anyways after the first room, I just suited up in the second, dismantled the dummies in the third and then here I am."

I nodded in response before introducing myself with an obviously fake name as well.

"Looks like I am the last once again. My name is Shawn. My story pretty much adds up to what you guys experienced so far. Can you guys tell me more about your third room? Did the dummies not move for you guys too?"

Mary tilted her head in confusion before replying "They didn't move? I turned them all into Swiss cheese the second I saw them. The door to the next door opened right then."

I scratched my chin before replying.

"I see. So, the mannequins never reappeared for you?"

"Nope. Clean sweep."

The girl is dangerous. Mentally noted.

"Ah, that was probably because she isn't carrying any other weapons. I had destroyed them about 3 times with the axe before I tried to use my rifles. They all disappeared for good after that."

I nodded at Jake's response.

"Same here, I spent a few rounds unloading my pistol before I used the longsword. The door opened right after."

"Dang! You guys got it done pretty quickly. The room didn't let me move on until I was able to accurately 'kill' a dummy in one hit while using the throwing axes. Took a lot of time to improve my aim."

I stared deeply at Steve before clapping my hands in realization.

"It seems that the purpose of the third room was to ensure that we knew how to use the weapons we had picked up. The fact that the mannequins didn't move or try to attack also means that they probably do not expect us to have an extremely high combat ability and won't be forced to fight any enemies beyond our capabilities."

The others nodded in agreement at my conclusion.

What I didn't share with them was that while we may not be asked to fight some monsters, there is a high chance we might have to fight other people.

The reason I say this is because there is an uncanny resemblance between our combat suits and the mannequins I fought.

The purpose of the previous activity might as well have been to check how lethal our weapons would be against the bodies of other 'stowaways' as Jake put it.

I observed the 3 in front of me once again.

Steve, the blond-haired spear wielder's strongest weapon was probably his throwing axes. While he may or may not be lying about having a poor aim. In this crowded room, a spear would be much harder to wield accurately. Judging from his body language and choice of words, his actual age was probably pretty young too. Early twenties perhaps?

Mary on the other hand was the biggest threat, her weapons were the strongest at the current range. Of course, the fact that she didn't have any other weapons means that staying in close melee range to her would be the most advantageous. It was hard to get a read on her actual age, but she was probably a little older than me, in her 30s give or take.

Jake on the other hand would be easier to deal with at a distance. Based on his account of using his axe at first and then the rifles and the fact that they are placed behind his back would mean that when put in a tight spot he would be more likely to swing his axe rather than switch weapons.

Based on what I read from his personality he is likely to be middle-aged. An ex-mercenary or bodyguard, perhaps.

After getting a read on the others I decided to analyze the black sphere in the centre of the room.

"Since the black sphere hasn't turned into any sort of terminator robot for us to fight, it's safe to assume that it will tell us what to do next"

"Like, are you sure dude, it could still be dangerous."

I gave Steve a reassuring smile before approaching the sphere myself.

"Don't worry. I will try it out myself first."

Since the ball wasn't a threat, there was no way I would give up the initiative to anyone else in the room.

Considering the fact that we might have to fight other 'students' next or maybe even each other, the first one to act will be the most likely to survive.

This is something that I have learnt from my time in the business world.

Whether it is a threat or an opportunity. It's only the first ones to act that get the maximum benefits.

Being passive and adopting a wait-and-see attitude won't get you far in life.

I put my hand on the black sphere.

*Ding*

A piece of paper was ejected by the sphere and landed in my hand.

(Welcome Hero Candidates.

Before you can formally enter the Yggdrasil Hero Academy you need to successfully complete a minor test.

Within this room, there are 3 real candidates and 1 impostor.

Kill the impostor to exit the room and win.

Wishing you the best of luck

'Heros victor evadet')

Looks like things were going to get a little more fun.