CHAPTER 15: ENDURANCE

The exam grounds looked different at 5 AM.

Rin stood with two thousand other participants in a massive staging area, the sky still dark, floodlights illuminating the starting line where officials checked IDs and handed out numbered bibs.

His said 2847, pinned to his chest like a target.

Joy found him in the crowd, she’d arrived early too, her pink hair pulled back in a ponytail, wearing running gear that probably cost more than his old car.

"You ready for this?" she asked.

"As ready as I’ll ever be after two years in a coma."

"That’s the spirit, embrace the suffering." She stretched her hamstrings. "My strategy is to start slow, conserve energy, finish strong."

"My strategy is to not die."

"Also valid."

An official with a megaphone climbed onto a platform. "Attention all participants, Stage 1 of the Hunter Licensing Examination will commence in ten minutes, the course is exactly one hundred miles, marked with flags every five miles, water stations every ten, medical tents every twenty."

He paused, letting that sink in.

"You have twenty-four hours to complete the distance, any means of body enhancement using mana is strictly prohibited, we have sensors along the route that will detect and disqualify anyone who cheats, if you cannot finish within the time limit, you are eliminated, if you require medical extraction, you are eliminated, if you quit, you are eliminated, are there any questions?"

Nobody spoke, everyone knew the deal.

"Participants, take your positions."

The crowd moved toward the starting line, two thousand people trying to find space, Rin ended up somewhere in the middle, could barely see the front.

Joy was a few rows ahead, Tayo somewhere to his left, he’d met the sound manipulator yesterday during registration.

"One minute!" the official called.

Rin took a breath, tried to calm his racing heart, his legs already felt tired just thinking about a hundred miles.

[Physical assessment: Suboptimal but functional]

[Recommendation: Maintain pace between 6-8 minute miles for first 50 miles]

[Switch to walk/jog intervals for remaining distance]

’That’s optimistic.’

[It is realistic given current physical condition]

[Attempting faster pace will result in early exhaustion]

"Thirty seconds!"

The crowd tensed, people adjusting their shoes, doing last-minute stretches, psyching themselves up.

"Ten, nine, eight..."

Rin’s hands clenched into fists.

"Three, two, one, begin!"

A horn blared, the crowd surged forward, people immediately sprinting like this was a hundred-meter dash instead of a hundred-mile marathon.

’They’re all going to burn out in the first hour.’

[Correct assessment]

[Maintain your pace]

[Let them exhaust themselves]

Rin kept to a steady jog, not fast but sustainable, watched hundreds of people blow past him running full speed.

Joy appeared at his side, matching his pace. "Everyone’s going way too hard."

"They’ll learn."

The first mile passed, the crowd already spreading out, the sprinters far ahead, the more cautious runners settling into groups.

Mile two, some people were already slowing down, breathing hard, realizing they’d made a mistake.

Mile three, the first person dropped out, collapsed on the side of the path, medics rushing over.

Mile five, a flag marked the checkpoint, officials with tablets scanning bibs as people passed, probably tracking who was still in it.

Rin checked his watch, forty-two minutes for five miles, decent pace, sustainable.

Joy was still with him, her breathing steady. "How you feeling?"

"Legs are okay, lungs are protesting but functional."

"Same, my feet are already starting to hurt though."

Mile ten, the first water station, Rin grabbed a cup, drank while jogging, barely slowed down.

The sun was rising now, heat starting to build, people shedding layers, some already looking destroyed.

Mile fifteen, Rin’s pace slowed slightly, his legs beginning to feel it, the long-dormant muscles remembering they’d been useless for two years.

[Warning: Muscle fatigue increasing]

[Recommend walk interval]

He slowed to a walk, Joy did the same.

"Smart," she said. "Pushing through the pain just makes it worse later."

They walked for half a mile, then jogged again, establishing a rhythm.

Mile twenty, the first medical tent, several people were inside getting treated for blisters, cramps, heat exhaustion.

The crowd had thinned considerably, maybe half the original participants were still moving.

Mile twenty-five, quarter of the way done, Rin’s legs were screaming now, every step hurt, his feet felt like they were on fire.

But he kept moving, one foot in front of the other, that’s all it was, just keep going.

Joy had pulled ahead slightly, her pace stronger than his, she looked back, seemed to debate waiting.

"Go," Rin called. "I’ll catch up."

She hesitated then nodded, picked up her speed.

Mile thirty, halfway through, six hours elapsed, Rin’s body was a mess, blisters on both heels, his calves cramping, his back aching from the constant motion.

People were dropping like flies now, some just sitting down on the path, giving up, others being carried to medical tents.

The sun was brutal, heat radiating off the pavement, no shade anywhere.

Mile forty, Rin switched to mostly walking, jogging only when his legs allowed it, his watch showed twelve hours elapsed.

’I’m not going to make it.’

[Incorrect]

[Current pace will result in completion at approximately 18 hours]

[Well within the 24-hour limit]

’My legs feel like they’re going to fall off.’

[Irrelevant]

[Pain is temporary]

[Failure is permanent]

Mile fifty, halfway done in terms of checkpoints but it felt like he’d run a thousand miles, everything hurt, his body was shutting down, telling him to stop.

He ignored it, kept walking, one step, another step, that’s all that mattered.

The sun started setting, temperature dropping, people who’d shed layers earlier were now shivering in tank tops and shorts.

Mile sixty, Rin’s vision was starting to blur from exhaustion, his feet barely lifted off the ground anymore, more shuffle than walk.

Someone passed him, a girl using ice manipulation to cool herself down, wait, that was mana usage, that was cheating.

Sensors beeped, officials appeared, disqualified her on the spot.

She argued, they didn’t care, elimination was elimination.

Mile seventy, full dark now, glow sticks marked the path, Rin’s watch showed sixteen hours, still on pace but barely.

His stomach was empty, he’d thrown up everything at mile forty-five, now just running on fumes and stubbornness.

Mile eighty, someone collapsed in front of him, Rin almost tripped over them, medics rushed in, another elimination.

The field had narrowed to maybe a hundred people still moving, everyone else quit, injured, or disqualified.

Mile ninety, Rin could see the finish area in the distance, lights, tents, people waiting.

His legs found some reserve of energy he didn’t know existed, started moving faster.

Mile ninety-five, so close, five miles left, less than an hour if he could maintain pace.

People around him were doing the same, pushing through the pain, knowing the end was near.

Mile ninety-eight, two to go, Rin was jogging now, his body screaming but he didn’t care.

Mile ninety-nine, one mile left, he could see the finish line, could hear the officials calling out numbers as people crossed.

Final stretch, Rin pushed everything into his legs, full sprint for the last quarter mile, his feet barely touching the ground.

He crossed the finish line, someone scanned his bib, his time flashed on a screen.

18:03:47

He immediately collapsed, legs giving out completely, medics were there catching him before he face-planted.

"Easy, easy, you’re done, you made it." They guided him to a chair, checked his vitals.

His heart was hammering, his breathing ragged, sweat pouring off him despite the cold night air.

But he’d finished.

Actually finished.

[Stage 1 Complete]

[Qualification: Confirmed]

[Status: Extreme exhaustion but no critical damage]

’I can’t feel my legs.’

[That is normal]

[Sensation will return after rest and hydration]

More people crossed the finish line, Joy came through at 19:12, saw Rin, limped over.

"We did it," she said, collapsing into the chair next to him.

"Barely."

"Counts."

A medic handed them both electrolyte drinks. "Get these down, you’re both severely dehydrated."

Rin drank, the taste was horrible but he didn’t care.

The finish line kept registering completions, the timer showed twenty-two hours now, people were cutting it close.

At twenty-three hours and forty-seven minutes, the last person crossed, some guy who’d apparently walked the entire distance.

At twenty-four hours exactly, the horn blared, anyone still on the course was eliminated.

Officials started posting results on screens.

STAGE 1 FINAL RESULTS - 72 QUALIFIED PARTICIPANTS

Seventy-two out of two thousand, 3.6% pass rate.

Rin found his name on the list.

Participant 2847: Rin Matsuda - Time: 18:03:47 - QUALIFIED

Below that, another notification appeared.

STAGE 2 COMBAT EVALUATION - BEGINS 0800 TOMORROW QUALIFIED PARTICIPANTS REPORT TO STAGING AREA BRACKET ASSIGNMENTS TO BE POSTED AT 0600

Tomorrow, in less than ten hours, they’d be fighting each other.

Rin’s legs still didn’t work, his body was destroyed, but he’d qualified.

That’s what mattered.

He pulled out his phone, checked the preliminary bracket information that was already circulating.

His eyes caught on a name.

Match 47: Rin Matsuda vs Onma Kave

"Who’s Onma Kave?" Joy asked, looking over his shoulder.

Rin pulled up the participant registry.

Male, twenty-three, fire manipulation specialist, finished Stage 1 in fourteen hours, combat style rated as aggressive, high damage output, poor defense.

[Analysis: Onma Kave is a glass cannon]

[High offensive capability]

[Minimal defensive instincts]

[Weakness: Overcommits to attacks, leaves openings]

’So if I can survive his initial assault, I can counter.’

[Correct strategy]

"He’s a fire guy," Rin said.

"And you can absorb energy," Joy grinned despite looking half-dead. "He’s going to have a bad time."

Maybe, or maybe Rin would get burned alive on live television, either way it was going to be interesting.

Medical staff helped him to the recovery tent where they’d treat his blisters, give him actual food, let him rest for a few hours before Stage 2 started.

Seventy-two qualified participants.

One hundred mile endurance test completed.

Next up: Combat elimination tournament to narrow the field to ten.

Rin lay back on the medical cot, let the exhaustion take him.

Tomorrow he’d fight.

Tonight he’d rest.

One stage down, two to go.