The Barong Division's massive lift ground to a halt 50 meters underground. The sliding doors hissed open, revealing a colossal simulation chamber terraformed into a damp, primordial cave ecosystem. Sharp stalactites hung from the concrete ceiling, and neon-green bioluminescent moss served as the only source of light. In front of the dark cave mouth, two leaders stood with opposing auras.
On the right, Sekar Sari Rahmawati stood with grace. Her hair was adorned with a small frangipani flower clip emitting a therapeutic aroma, contrasting with her tactical combat uniform. Beside her, Julius Beltrame stood like a jagged reef. His massive arm muscles were clearly visible under a tight sleeveless shirt; faint wisps of cold vapor occasionally drifted from his left palm while his right hand sparked with heat.
Drrrtt... Drrrtt...
(The vibration of communication devices on the students' wrists).
"Good morning, my sweet juniors!" Sekar greeted them with a soft yet powerful voice, her smile melting the tension on the faces of Adam Sebastian and the others.
"I am Sekar Sari, your Barong Division Head. And this grumpy polar bear beside me is Julius, my deputy. Don't be afraid; he's just too lazy to talk, he won't bite."
Julius merely snorted, his eyes—cold as Moscow ice—staring sharply at the ranks. "Focus," he muttered briefly.
Sekar snapped her fingers, and a holographic map of the cave appeared in the air.
"Okay...your task is simple yet challenging. Inside this cave, we have hidden two Atma Point Cards. The catch? This cave is a nesting ground for a Tier D mutation: Shadow Crawlers. They are fast, hungry, and ... Theyre bit strongs."
"The rules," Sekar continued while walking slowly in front of the line.
"You must bring back at least one card to pass to the next stage. If both cards are taken by other groups before your time is up... well, you know the drill. A card isn't considered yours until you step out of this door."
Sekar then divided the 16 students into four small groups.
Group 1 (Alpha Team): Adam Sebastian (A-1), Dimas Mahendra (B-1), and two B-2 students named Raka (Earth Element) and Siti (Wind Element).
Group 2 (Beta Team): Melisa Yu (C-1), Bram (C-2), and two support students, Kevin (Wood Element) and Laras (Light Element).
Groups 3 & 4: Filled by the remaining 8 mixed students who looked quite ambitious.
Julius stepped forward, pressing a large button on the control console. A giant digital screen above the cave mouth began counting down from 60:00.
"Time is your enemy. Starting... NOW!" Julius shouted with his booming, heavy voice.
WEEEEEEENNNNNGGGGGG!
(The selection siren pierced the silence).
The four groups immediately bolted. Adam Sebastian led Group 1 with calculated strides, while Gibran, far off in another division, might have been jealous seeing their action. Dust flew as their military boots struck the wet cave floor.
The Control Room: Secret Fan-Girling
Once the last student vanished into the darkness, the entrance area fell silent. Sekar took a long breath, her shoulders sagging slightly from her stiff, authoritative posture.
"Hah... acting like a dignified senior is exhausting," Sekar said, fanning her face with her hands. Her eyes flicked to the monitors displaying her students' movements.
"You're too soft, Sekar," Julius replied, crossing his arms. He leaned his back against the cave wall, eyes closed.
"If they can't face Tier D, they'll just be a burden to the council. Isn't that what Vasky said during the meeting last night?"
At the mention of Vasky's name, Sekar's face suddenly flushed pink. She busied herself tidying her ponytail, which was already perfect.
"Ih, Julius! Why do you keep bringing up Vasky? But... what do you think Vasky is doing in his division? Is he being mean to the new kids too?"
Julius opened one eye, giving Sekar a flat look.
"He's definitely looking for a way to ditch work or eat someone else's lunch. You know yourself he's 'odd'."
"But he's so cool when he uses that black sword..." Sekar murmured softly, her sweet smile returning but this time it wasn't for her students, it was for the image of the cheeky youth she secretly liked.
Julius simply shook his head.
"Women are weird. Hurry up and watch the monitor. That glasses kid—he's already entering the Shadow Crawler's heat sensor range."
Sekar immediately refocused on the hologram screens.
"O-okay! Let's see how 'brave' they are today!"
Sreeeeek... Kreeek...
(The sound of monster footsteps from inside the cave captured by the sensor microphones).
The monitor showed green dots (students) closing in on large red dots (monsters) within the cave labyrinth.
Deep in the belly of the cave, sunlight pierced through a crack in the stalactites above, falling exactly onto a shimmering flat stone. There, an Atma Point Card lay, reflecting a tempting silver light. However, the atmosphere around the stone was too quiet. No growls, no footsteps, only the echo of dripping water.
Tik... Tik... Tik...
Adam Sebastian halted, signaling Alpha Team to close in. His sharp eyes behind his glasses scanned every shadow created by the overhead light.
"Theres the card " Raka muttered,meanwhile Adam using his brain working like a high-end computer processor.
"Shadows, huh?" he continued.
He turned to Raka, the B-2 student who looked visibly tense.
"Raka, you can manipulate earth, right? I need you to seal that light hole above right now. Tight—don't leave a single gap."
"Hah? Close the light?" Raka gaped in confusion.
"Don't we need light to see the monster when it attacks?"
"No time for debate. Do it now or we all become ornaments here!" Adam commanded in a tone that allowed no argument.
Raka grumbled, but he immediately stomped his foot on the ground. His Vur concentration flowed into the cave floor.
"[Level 2 Magic: Earth Roof!]"
GRRRRRRRR—BLAM!
The cave floor vibrated violently as earth pillars rose rapidly, forming a solid dome that sealed the ceiling gap. Sand and dust tumbled down, slowly swallowing the last remnants of light in the room.
In the monitoring room, Sekar Sari's eyes widened. Her cute face turned tense, her fingers gripping the edge of the control desk.
"Could it be..." Sekar whispered, her breath hitched. She realized what the glasses boy was planning.
"Julius, he..."
Julius merely snorted, his eyes never leaving the monitor, which had now switched to night-vision mode.
"A dangerous mindset for a newcomer. He's betting on absolute logic."
Back in the pitch-black cave: as the light crack above narrowed to the size of a fingernail, a jet-black silhouette darted from the cave wall. The monster didn't look organic; it appeared like solidified liquid shadow, with claws reaching a meter in length.
SHREEEEEEKKK!
The Shadow Crawler pounced with bullet-like speed toward Raka, who was still focused on maintaining his spell. Raka froze, his eyes catching the glint of the monster's claws right in front of his face.
"Focus, Raka! Close the hole!!!" Adam yelled.
KLAK!
The light was sealed shut. The room became blacker than ink.
Instantly, the Shadow Crawler's intimidating roar turned into a heart-wrenching shriek of agony.
"REEEEEEAAAAAAAGGGHHH—!!!"
(The sound slowly faded into the hiss of hot steam).
Without light, there is no shadow. And for a creature whose existence is tied to shadows, the absence of light is an immediate death sentence. The monster's body evaporated into black Vur particles that merged with the darkness of the cave.
"Dimas, now! Light!" Adam instructed calmly.
Dimas Mahendra quickly chanted his brief incantation.
"[Basic Mantra: Light Ball!]"
Hummm—Zapp!
A sphere of white light appeared in the center of the room, illuminating a cave now devoid of threats. The Shadow Crawler was truly gone, leaving only the Atma Point Card sitting peacefully on the stone.
Raka slumped down, cold sweat pouring down his temples. "Crazy... so if there's no shadow, it has nowhere to stand?"
"It's not just having nowhere to stand," Adam walked casually toward the stone and picked up the first card.
"Shadows without light , its molecular structure collapses. It needs contrast to live. Since it's a shadow and not darkness, it's just a shadow living behind the light—not a darkness that grows stronger without it."
On the monitor, Sekar Sari gave a small clap, her face full of admiration.
"Incredible! Julius, look at that! He won without even breaking a sweat in a fight! His strategy...!"
Julius just stared at Adam on the screen with his cold gaze starting to soften.
"One card obtained. But the other groups won't stay quiet if they meet at the exit intersection later."
Adam held the Atma Point Card up to the sensor camera, giving a thin, confident smile to the examiners in the control room.
In another corner of the narrow cave labyrinth, the atmosphere was far from peaceful. Light from hanging crystals on the ceiling created thousands of sharp shadow angles. This was where Group 2 was trapped. It wasn't them hunting the card; it seemed they were being hunted by something merged with the darkness.
SHREEEEEEKKKKKK!
A Shadow Crawler crawled along the wall with abnormal speed. Every time it passed a bright area, its shadow elongated and solidified, turning into a black claw that snatched at the air.
"Bram! Above you!" Melisa Yu shouted. Her cold voice trembled slightly, but her hands remained steady as she formed an energy seal.
Bram leapt backward, performing a quite acrobatic mid-air flip.
ZZZZT—BOOM!
Yellow lightning struck from his fist, hitting the wall where the monster had been, but the Shadow Crawler vanished into the shadow of a rock crevice before the attack landed.
"Sh*t ! He's as slippery as an electric eel!" Bram landed with a superhero landing, wiping sweat from his forehead while still flashing his characteristic optimistic smile.
"But relax, Mel! The dream warrior won't lose on the first day!"
Melisa ignored Bram's joke. She closed her eyes, letting Yin-Yang energy flow around her body. A Taiji diagram circle appeared beneath her feet, glowing black and white alternately.
"[Level 2 Magic: Yin-Yang Barrier!]"
Melisa slammed her palm into the air. A wave of black-white energy exploded, forcing the Shadow Crawler that was about to pounce from behind to reveal its form. The monster was thrown back, groaning in pain as it was hit by Melisa's balancing energy.
"Bram, now! Use high voltage!" Melisa called out curtly.
"On it, Princess!" Bram lunged. His body was enveloped in a blinding electrical aura.
"["Lightning Rush: 50,000 VOLT!"]"
CRACK-A-BOOM!
Bram slammed his fist right into the monster's chest. An explosion of electricity illuminated the entire room for several seconds. However, as the light slowly dimmed, the Shadow Crawler—instead of being destroyed—looked even larger and more aggressive. Its shadow, created by Bram's lightning flashes, had given it extra strength to regenerate.
In the monitoring room, Julius Beltrame narrowed his eyes at Group 2's screen.
"Stupid. They are literally feeding the monster with the light from the lightning element."
Sekar Sari bit her lower lip, looking worried.
"Bram is too excited to show off his power; he doesn't realize that every flash of his lightning just makes the monster's shadow sharper!"
Back in the arena, Melisa realized something as she watched the monster's movement patterns.
"Bram, stop attacking with lightning! Look at its feet!"
Bram panted, his smile starting to fade slightly.
"What do you mean? I have to stop being cool?"
"Your light... that's what makes it strong!" Melisa pointed toward the glowing crystals on the ceiling and the remains of Bram's electrical sparks.
"We have to make this area neutral. Use my Yin element to absorb the light, and you... focus on one attack without any excess light flashes!"
Melisa took a deep breath, turning her palm over.
"["Void of Yin: Dark Devour."]"
Instantly, pitch-black energy surged from Melisa's body, swallowing all light sources around them until the room turned dramatically dim. The Shadow Crawler began to slow down, its body appearing unstable.
Bram understood now. He no longer released sparking bolts. He concentrated all his electricity inside his arm muscles until his hand glowed red with heat, without emitting light.
"Okay, if this is the style you want..." Bram charged in silence.
"[Level 2 Magic: THUNDER CLAP!]"
Without a blinding flash of light, Bram slammed his palm into the ground beneath the monster. Pure electrical vibrations shattered the Shadow Crawler's molecular structure from within.
KRA-KRA-KRA-BOOM!
(A blunt yet massive internal explosion).
The Shadow Crawler shattered into black dust exactly as Melisa released her spell.
Bram stood in the middle of the smoke, catching his heavy breath but flashing a wide grin at the monitor camera again.
"How's that? Still the dream, right?"
Melisa Yu let out a long sigh, crossing her arms over her chest, hiding her hands which were trembling slightly from Vur exhaustion. She bowed slightly toward where the monster had vanished, murmuring a prayer of thanks in soft Mandarin.
"Xie xie... Luckily your brain worked a little, Bram."
"Just a little?" Bram protested with a goofy laugh.
In the control room, Sekar Sari cheered softly while hugging her tablet.
"Yess! They did it! Julius, look! Their teamwork is so cool!"
Julius only snorted, but this time there was a tiny line of a smile at the corner of his cold lips.
"Dramatic and inefficient. But... at least they aren't dead. One card remains, and now... Group 1 and Group 2 will meet at the exit intersection."
WEEEEEEENNNNNGGGGGG!
(Siren for 15 minutes remaining).