The tension in the air thickened as Class A prepared to enter the arena. But even before the first boot could touch the ground, murmurs began spreading like wildfire across the stands.
The crowd, already uneasy from the repeated failures of the previous classes, finally began to unravel.
Questions flared to life in hushed whispers, then grew bolder and louder as more voices joined in.
"Why did they all collapse like that?"
"Did you see how fast it happened?!"
"They didn't even fight anything! What sort of assessment is this?"
"Where's the creature? What is it?"
"I couldn't see anything! Could you? Did anyone see it?"
"Why are the Mana Knights wearing different colors?"
"Those aren't our city's guards. Who are they?"
One older man, cloaked in a fur-trimmed coat, stood up, veins visible in his neck.
"My son is in Class Four! What happened to him?! Why was he carried away?!"
