"What sort of easy test is this?" Ethan muttered, his eyes scanning the vast, empty space around him.
For a brief moment, nothing happened.
Silence stretched.
Then he regretted those words instantly.
All around him, faceless clones began to appear, their forms materializing one after another until they filled the space in every direction.
Ethan's brows furrowed as he looked at them, confusion flickering across his face. He couldn't immediately grasp their purpose.
But he didn't have to wait long.
One of the clones suddenly dashed forward, gripping a sword tightly in its hand.
Its appearance shifted slightly, armor forming over its body, taking on the look of a knight.
Clang!
The blade struck the ground with force.
Ethan barely dodged in time, rolling to the side as the impact sent a sharp vibration through the floor.
He quickly regained his footing, his breathing steady but tense. As his eyes swept across the battlefield, he noticed more details.
Behind a heavily built tanker-like figure, a mage stood at a distance, calmly casting a spell.
"Damn it," Ethan muttered under his breath as he turned and bolted.
But he didn't get far.
An arrow shot through the air and pierced straight into his ankle.
The sharp pain made him stumble, his movement immediately crippled.
"Damn it," he hissed again, dragging his injured leg as he tried to escape.
Before he could create any distance, a blazing wave of fire crashed into him.
The explosion consumed his lower body instantly, obliterating his legs in a flash of heat and destruction.
Ethan barely had time to process the pain before shadows closed in around him.
Undead figures emerged from the darkness, surrounding him completely.
"Great," Ethan muttered dryly.
The next moment, they lunged.
Cold weapons pierced into him from all sides, ending his life in seconds.
[You have failed!]
[Transferring you to the waiting room...]
A flash of white.
Ethan reappeared in a pristine, empty room, its blank walls stretching endlessly in every direction.
He stood there in silence, still processing what had just happened.
Less than a minute.
That was all it took for him to fail.
"I can't believe I lost so easily," he muttered, his voice filled with disbelief.
His gaze shifted upward, noticing a countdown displayed at the top of the room.
Five minutes.
It didn't take much thought to figure out what it meant, it was the time he had before being sent back.
Ethan exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair as frustration crept in.
"This isn't going to end well for me," he said under his breath.
Still, he forced himself to think.
From what he observed, the clones weren't stronger than him.
They felt like… him.
His base self.
But there was one crucial difference.
They had classes.
And that difference created a gap so wide it felt impossible to cross.
"What now…" he murmured, deep in thought as he tried to piece together a strategy.
Time passed quicker than expected.
Before long, the countdown reached zero.
In an instant, the white room vanished, and Ethan found himself back in the testing ground.
This time, he didn't hesitate.
The moment he appeared, he moved.
The environment around him resembled the ruins of a fallen civilization, broken structures, crumbling walls, and scattered debris that created natural hiding spots.
Ethan darted behind cover, pressing himself against the cold surface as he steadied his breathing.
Moments later, the clones appeared again.
Hundreds of them.
They spread out across the ruins, moving methodically as they searched for him.
Ethan narrowed his eyes, observing them carefully.
"What class would be able to track my location?" he whispered to himself, analyzing their movements.
Identifying their roles wasn't difficult, their appearances made it obvious.
His gaze shifted, locking onto a familiar figure.
The archer.
It was moving closer to his position, scanning the area with sharp, calculated steps.
Ethan's expression hardened.
He remembered clearly how that same class had pinned him down earlier.
If there was one immediate threat he could eliminate, it was that.
Silently, he moved.
Careful. Controlled.
Each step deliberate as he closed the distance without making a sound.
The archer paused, as if sensing something.
Too late.
Ethan lunged forward, grabbing the clone from behind. His hand clamped tightly around its neck.
With a sharp twist—Crack.
The body went limp.
"Hmm?" Ethan muttered as something unexpected happened.
A bow and a set of arrows materialized in his hands.
He stared at them for a second, realization dawning on him.
So that was it.
A hidden mechanic.
He could assimilate the class of whatever he killed.
A small smile formed on his face.
"At least with this… my chances of survival just went up a notch," he said quietly.
Without wasting time, he retreated back into hiding, his senses sharper than before.
This time, he observed more carefully.
Watching.
Learning.
Adapting.
Then, his eyes caught something else.
A priest.
The clone stood at a distance, its hands glowing faintly as it cast a spell that seemed to ripple through the surroundings.
Ethan's gaze sharpened.
A searching ability.
Now he knew.
That one was a problem.
"No, you don't," Ethan muttered, drawing his bow with steady precision.
Without hesitation, he released the string.
The arrow sliced cleanly through the air, striking the priest directly in the throat. The figure collapsed instantly, its spell cut short before it could fully manifest.
A faint glow flickered around Ethan.
Moments later, he felt it.
The priest class had been assimilated.
For a brief second, hope surged within him.
Victory no longer felt impossible.
But that feeling didn't last.
A berserker had already found him.
Before Ethan could react, before he could even create distance, the berserker lunged forward with explosive speed, its blade tearing across his abdomen.
"Huh—" Ethan let out a strained breath, instinctively stepping back as pain flared through his body.
Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to act.
In one swift motion, he nocked an arrow and fired.
The shot was clean.
The berserker dropped.
But it was already too late.
The brief clash had exposed his location.
From all directions, spells came raining down.
Flashes of light, bursts of flame, and waves of destructive energy converged toward him, leaving no room to escape.
Before he could recover, a massive silver ape, summoned from thin air, descended upon him.
Its overwhelming force crushed any chance he had left.
Darkness followed.
"Great… I was so close," Ethan muttered, staring at the timer.
Ten minutes.
He exhaled slowly, then narrowed his eyes.
"Maybe not."