The Training Grounds
The training grounds were enormous, a vast open space surrounded by steel walls and observation decks. Rows of participants—about 2,000—formed under the cold gaze of heavily armed instructors. Drones hovered overhead, recording everything.
A tall officer, her uniform crisp and voice sharp, stepped forward.
"Welcome to your first day of training. Over the next week, you will be tested—physically, mentally, and emotionally. The first trial demands survival. For two years, you will face conditions that will break most of you. Adaptability and strength are your only allies."
Her eyes swept the crowd.
To build up stamina, each contestant was required to run 10 kilometers. The last 100 to complete their goal would have to run an additional 2 kilometers as a penalty.
They all lined up and started their run. Oren finished in the top 1,000, with Aliyu placing in the top 500. Shockingly, Akira and Neil both finished in the top 100.
The officer's gaze analyzed all the contestants as they finished running, her hands swiftly noting down observations on a digital pad. After everyone had completed the run, she assigned additional exercises—push-ups, sit-ups, and other endurance drills—to test their resilience.
By the end of the physically grueling session, Oren's muscles ached. When the final whistle blew, signaling their temporary release, he nearly collapsed in exhaustion.
"Tomorrow, we begin basic combat training," the officer announced before dismissing them.
Oren barely had the energy to respond. He swallowed his lunch hurriedly, desperate to get a moment of rest before the next round of training.
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Survival Drills
"Today's focus: Survival Basics—shelter construction, fire-starting, water purification, and combat evaluation. Drones will monitor your progress. Underperformance will result in additional assignments. Dismissed."
The crowd dispersed, each group moving to assigned zones.
Oren found himself in a section focused on shelter building. Basic tools and limited resources were laid out.
Two years of this? On a planet designed to kill us? he thought, eyeing the materials.
Neil popped up beside him. "Hey! You think we'll get a jungle world? I bet I could build an awesome treehouse!"
"Don't count on it," Oren muttered. "You'll probably end up somewhere you can't breathe."
Neil laughed it off. "Nah, I'm built different."
Oren ignored him, focusing on the task at hand. The instructors patrolled like vultures, offering no advice, only silent judgment.
Hours passed. The sun climbed high. Oren's shelter stood—barely. Neil's, predictably, collapsed in spectacular fashion.
"Guess I need more practice," Neil chuckled, brushing dirt from his clothes.
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Debriefing & Strategy Session
As the last survival drills wrapped up, the participants were called back to the Orientation Hall for the final session of the day.
The same officer from earlier stood waiting for them, her expression unreadable. The screens behind her flickered to life, showing various landscapes: deserts, frozen wastelands, dense jungles, and vast oceans.
Beside her, an older man with graying hair and a hardened face stepped forward. His uniform bore a series of insignias, signaling his rank. "I am Commander Harlow, your lead survival strategist. The choices you make in the Trials will determine if you live or die. Tonight, I will outline the different survival strategies that have worked—and those that have failed. Pay close attention."
The screen shifted to display three main survival approaches:
Isolation Strategy – Surviving alone, avoiding unnecessary conflict, and relying on stealth.
"This is for those who are self-sufficient. If you are skilled in hunting, camouflage, and have a strong survival instinct, you might be able to last longer than most. However, you will have no allies. One mistake could mean instant death."
Tribal Strategy – Forming alliances and small groups to increase resource management and defense.
"Strength in numbers. A tribe can share skills, knowledge, and supplies. The downside? Internal conflict and betrayal. Many who follow this route end up dead by their own allies."
Dominance Strategy – Asserting authority through force, controlling resources, and eliminating threats early.
"If you are strong enough to lead and ruthless enough to maintain control, this method works. But it paints a target on your back. Enemies will gather against you. The moment you falter, you die."
The room fell silent as the weight of these words settled in. Oren's mind raced. What approach would work best for him?
Harlow continued, "Choosing your strategy isn't about preference—it's about what you are capable of and what type of map you are assigned too. Tomorrow, during combat training, your abilities will determine where you truly stand."
Now lets talk about World Maps, on the screen a water world is displayed.
"This was one of the first map humanity survived on, it is easy and quick to navigate and find resources, also on this map the tribal strategy worked best as humanity found themself and extended thier survival....."
The image change to another map a forested world, Oren took notes as the man explained strategies for each map.
"Rest while you can. Tomorrow, we move on to combat training. Dismissed."
The group broke apart, some talking excitedly, others walking in grim silence.
Oren stretched his aching limbs, already dreading the next day. Neil, however, was still beaming. "Man that was boring, but combat training? Now that's what I'm talking about!"
Oren shot him a tired glance. Unlike Neil, he wasn't looking forward to being beaten up or worse at combat training, he enjoyed the strategy session.
Without another word, he headed straight to the dining hall. He ate his meal quickly, knowing that every bit of rest would help. But instead of returning to his dorm, he took a detour to the library. If he was going to survive this, he needed to gather as much information as possible.
The library was vast, lined with holographic archives and physical texts that had survived over the centuries. The air smelled faintly of old paper and sterile technology. He browsed through survival manuals, past trial records, and planetary condition reports, absorbing every bit of information that could give him an edge.
While flipping through an old record detailing past successful participants, he felt someone watching him. Looking up, he saw a figure leaning against the opposite shelf—another participant, but one who carried a quiet intensity. Their eyes met briefly before the stranger smirked and went back to their own book.
Oren considered approaching but decided against it. Right now, his priority was survival.
After reading for an hour, exhaustion weighed on him. He closed the archive, stretched, and made his way back to his dorm. Tomorrow promised to be even harder, and he needed every bit of rest he could get.