Chapter 5:
The match ended.
Heavy breathing. Tense silence.
The screen lit up again. The evaluator looked unimpressed.
"You have five minutes to recover. Then, elimination begins."
No one moved.
"Elimination?" someone finally said.
"Yes," the voice replied. "One of you will leave Room 109 today. And it won't be based on goals or assists."
The screen turned black again.
The atmosphere changed instantly. Eyes that had ignored each other now burned with suspicion.
---
They sat in silence.
Someone spoke. "That was just a warm-up, right? I mean, they won't cut anyone this early."
No one answered.
Haru leaned against the wall. He wasn't tired — but his mind was racing.
Who would they cut?
Who deserved to be cut?
And what exactly were they judging?
He replayed the match in his head. The chaos. The egos. The silence.
He remembered the player who didn't pass. The one who called for the ball nonstop. The one who never ran back.
Would they notice?
Would he?
---
The door unlocked.
The players stood. No one wanted to be the first to walk out — or the last.
They entered a different room. Ten seats. One big screen. The evaluator appeared again.
"One of you is already out," he said coldly. "Not tomorrow. Not next round. Now."
A red box appeared on the screen. It slowly revealed a name.
Noah Richter
Everyone turned. A boy near the back stood frozen.
"Wait— What?" he said.
"You broke spacing. Ignored three pass options. And lost the ball four times in dangerous zones," the evaluator listed. "You showed raw skill. But no awareness."
Silence.
"Pack your bag. You have sixty seconds."
The door opened behind Noah. No goodbyes. No final words.
He left.
Just like that.
---
The screen faded to black again.
"Next test begins tomorrow. Recover wisely."
The room stayed still.
That's when it sank in.
No one was safe. Not the flashy. Not the quiet. Not the confident.
This wasn't about being good.
It was about being undeniable.