Free Web NovelChapter 4: Awakening
Everyone of the newly recruited candidates were shown into their own rooms that were made beside each other, little rooms that had white-colored walls and a big bulb that shined all over the room not letting any spot of darkness roam free.
Leo’s eyes blinked repeatedly at the whole setting. Almost immediately a rough suspicious feeling coiled in his gut that everything that was going to happen inside the room was definitely getting watched by the officials, a proof that privacy was no longer respected in this new world.
If that wasn’t bad enough, the room reminded him of one of the sci-fi movies he saw when he was a kid where a certain organization was kidnapping children and experimenting on them like lab rats.
’I’m just overthinking this, I have to be.’
He tried to convince himself otherwise.
’Besides everyone knows me now, if by any chance I went missing the others would know that something is wrong.’
A small bed stood in the middle of it all, on top of it laid a white-colored uniform custom made for everyone. It looked like the other soldiers’ versions but toned down a little bit.
On the side was a little plate of steaming porridge that was supposed to be that night’s dinner.
Immediately after Leo’s glanced at the plate, he lost control. Hunger controlling every muscle in his body as he lunged at it like a hungry predator.
While seated on the bed, he held the plate and started swallowing the porridge whole, it had a salty aftertaste to it but that didn’t matter to a person who hadn’t eaten anything for only god knows how long.
"That hit the spot."
He spoke with relief as he held the empty plate in his hand. Some of the porridge still stuck at the sides of his mouth.
Suddenly a speaker at the corner of the room crackled to life as a mechanical voice came out into his room.
[All candidates be notified, curfew has been reached and the lights are about to turn off.]
"Wait that quick, I haven’t even gotten used to the place."
Leo whined as if whoever was speaking was going to hear him.
A second later as the voice predicted, bulbs started turning off in each one of the rooms shutting down as the officials forced curfew on them.
In one second the rooms were bright and shining, the next darkness flooded every corner of the room.
’Alright then gotta get some sleep if I want any chance of getting stronger.’
He thought as he crawled into the white blanket that was on top of the bed. Laying inside the warm embrace that seemed like he hadn’t felt for a long time.
Ring Ring
By 3 in the morning a loud siren erupted all over the hostels, waking up the candidates from their sleep.
The moment the sound reached Leo’s eardrums, he jumped off from his bed with amazing speed falling to the floor along with the white blanket. His heart thumping so loud that its sound bounced off the walls of the room.
"Wait, it’s morning already."
He whispered as he blinked repeatedly, a stinging feeling erupting in his red tired eyes.
As much as he tried, he didn’t really sleep much that night, thoughts about what would happen to him if he failed to awaken the next day never let him catch a breath even though he tried his best but nothing really seemed to help. It wasn’t until midnight that he got his sleep because he counted to a thousand.
The door to each room opened automatically, revealing a long corridor that was just outside the room.
[Everyone should go take a bath and wear the uniforms given to you.]
The voice directed them.
While pushing himself to the limits like every student on a Monday morning, he went to the male bathroom along with the other boys as well. The moment the cold water touched his body all the sleepiness disappeared from his body.
A minute later he went back to his room then wore the uniform that was given to them. It held his body with the utmost proportion that even someone would mistake that it was custom made for him.
After a few more directions from the system they got out of the building into a covered army truck that was going to show them where they were going to awaken that day.
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The engine hummed slightly as it passed through Argon City, the vibrations shaking the silent twenty riders up and down their seats. Everyone looked much more concentrated, since basically they didn’t know what was in store for them, many of them just stayed silent busy fighting their own psychological battles.
The city itself looked much like a modern city, skyscrapers stood up high reflecting the sun’s light. People had already flooded the streets doing various activities, it all just stood to show how fast human civilization grows in a new territory.
After a few more bumps the car finally came out of the city into a desert. The large army tires breaking the chunks of rocks it came across. fɾeeweɓnѳveɭ.com
The driver finally stopped the car after driving a kilometer later "We’ve arrived, everybody get a move on."
He shouted at them while still in the driver’s seat.
"Yes sir."
The teenagers began to get out, jumping off at the back of the army truck. Their feet hitting the dusty ground beneath them.
Immediately after they glanced at their sorrounding, their eyes widened as the fear they were harboring started to settle in even more.
When Leo jumped off the car his mind began to process where they were.
"We are in a freaking desert."
He whispered.
Miles and miles of stretched nothingness spread all over the terrain.
"Guys."
Someone came from the front side of the truck.
"You gotta see this."
He spoke with alarming haste that made everyone curious in an instant.
Everyone followed him to the front side of the car . And immediately what stood in front of them made the desert look like a walk in the park.
There was a large wide hole in front of them, one that stretched even far deeper and wider than everything they had ever seen in their short lives on Earth.
"That’s where you are going to take your awakening test."
The driver finally broke the tension as he jumped off the car. Every head turned to him in fear of what he just said and what the words actually meant.
"How is that even possible can’t we die if we jumped that high?"
Kendal, the pink-haired girl chipped in, fear weighing heavy in her voice.
"Trust me when I say you won’t die."
The driver replied, even though he was assuring her, you could feel the anger in his voice.
"When we came into this world we discovered this unfinished part of the world. And after a few more tests we found out that it’s a doorway."
"A doorway, to what exactly?"
"To a world realm where there are monsters. And each floor has its own challenge and beast, if by any chance we managed to defeat a floor’s beast, another floor appeared above going even deeper into the ground."
Tension tightened even longer in the air.
’ Just like a webnovel I once read . It means the deeper you go the stronger the enemies become.’
"For years we have tried and the strongest unit has managed to uncover 20 floors so far."
He stopped for a second letting the information settle in properly in their minds.
"And you kids today, are going to go through 3 floors."
