"This place is really like what they showed in the anime," Indrah thought, taking in the vast wheat fields and rugged terrain. He had been teleported here over ten minutes ago, yet he still found himself pausing to admire the natural beauty. It felt surreal—like walking inside a world he used to only watch through a screen.
Above, a colossal ship floated in the sky, clearly marked with the name Evankhell. Just below it, a buzzing cube-like object moved unpredictably through the air. Indrah remembered this part. From what he'd seen in Tower of God, the tests on this floor were dangerous, weird, and designed to thin out the herd. If he wanted to climb higher, he had no choice but to survive.
Suddenly, a loud voice echoed across the fields.
"Mic test! Mic test! One, two, three!" a girl shouted. "Hello everyone! All the Regulars who have made it to the Tower, we sincerely welcome all of you to the 2nd Floor—Evankhell's Floor. It's also called 'The Floor of Test' because here we carry out the final test to see whether you're qualified to go up the Tower."
Indrah stood still, listening carefully.
"There are 400 regulars here. Narrow it down to 200. Try every means possible. The test ends when the number of Regulars reaches 200. Begin!"
Immediately, chaos erupted. Screams. Shinsu bursts. The smell of blood. Sounds of weapons clashing in all directions.
Indrah remained calm.
He closed his eyes and activated his Eternal Mangekyo Sharingan—his Rinnegan already active by default. With them, he scanned a 500-meter radius, clearly seeing the flow of Shinsu through everything—people, objects, even the air. Everything had a pattern. He just had to learn what made the living different from the non-living.
Suddenly, he picked up a disturbance in the Shinsu behind him. Something was coming fast—launched from a hill nearly 400 meters away.
He tilted his head slightly.
*Whoosh*
An arrow zipped past him and embedded itself in the dirt.
He turned to spot the attacker—a green-skinned man in a black cape, armed with a bow. His sharp teeth were exposed in a wicked grin.
"Hehehe, let's see how you dodge this one!" the man shouted and raised another arrow.
*Whiz*
Before it even left the bowstring, a blue lightning spear pierced the man's skull.
"Chidori Sharp Spear," Indrah muttered as he watched the number on his Pocket drop from 370 to 369.
He'd taken a life. And yet… he didn't feel much of anything.
It wasn't the first time he had killed, but this was different. Maybe it was the body. Or maybe it was because everything felt scripted—like part of someone else's story. Either way, he knew his old-world ideas about morality and life wouldn't work here.
"I'll build my morals and principles myself—by living them," he thought, then began searching for teammates for the next phase.
As he moved, he passed familiar figures—characters he remembered from the anime. A humanoid crocodile chasing someone, a lizard-like girl locked in combat, a swordsman with a heavy blade.
Then four Regulars lunged at him from behind cover.
Indrah didn't hesitate. He used Genjutsu to trap them in illusion and confusion. Chaos erupted in their minds. They ended up killing each other without ever touching him.
Thirteen kills total.
The timer ran out soon after.
"Everyone stay where you are! The first test is over now. Any Regulars fighting from now on will be eliminated!"
"To the 200 Regulars who passed the test—congratulations."
"It may seem a bit rushed, but a short second test will be carried out right away," the voice continued. "Your second test is simple: find two Regulars to be your teammates."
"You have a five-minute time limit. If you don't form a team in five minutes, you're eliminated!"
"To be considered a team, you must be touching your teammates when the time limit ends. Good luck!"
Indrah wasted no time. He sprinted across the field, scanning with his Rinnegan.
Three minutes in, he spotted a boy with green hair sleeping on the ground under a blanket. Next to him was another boy with brown skin, blonde hair, and a red-trimmed kimono. Most noticeable was a horn protruding from the right side of his head.
Indrah deactivated his EMS and approached quickly.
"Can I join you guys? I'm Indrah Otsutsuki," he said, introducing himself. He had already spotted a girl running toward them from 300 meters away. No time to hesitate.
"My name is Ho," said the horned boy, smiling wryly. "I came with the same idea. But as you can see… he's asleep."
"Oh. Let's look for someone else then," Indrah replied casually. He knew exactly what would happen next.
Just as expected, the sleeping boy opened one eye and sat up.
"I'm in. Don't disturb me while I'm sleeping," he said bluntly, his eyes locked on Indrah.
"You can call me Laure," he added with a yawn.
Indrah and Ho sat beside Laure and, slightly annoyed, grabbed onto his hair. Laure immediately laid back down and resumed napping.
Two minutes passed.
Snoring filled the silence.
Then the announcement came.
"The second test is over!"
"The three people holding onto each other at this moment are considered a team. You will be sent to the next test spot."
"You damn turtles!"
That last shout echoed right before Indrah and his teammates were teleported—straight into Evankhell's Mothership