As they walked, Ryota began to think :
“From everything I’ve seen so far, I’m becoming increasingly certain of that theory.
This arena isn’t perfectly circular.
It’s impossible for it to be.
It merely gives that impression.
And what makes that impossible, at least theoretically, is the presence of numerous logical fallacies.
To begin with, this arena really is like a gigantic maze, especially with this tense atmosphere and these deadly traps.
It is nearly impossible not to lose your way and remain lost among countless small pillars, simply trying to survive for a few more minutes.
In the end, you’ll either make a mistake and get crushed, or lose your mind before that…
And this is where the need for a guide comes in.
In our case, that guide is these massive pillars.
But not exactly…
Because these pillars themselves are another maze—or, more accurately, a puzzle…
For starters, there are more than twenty of them, and their distribution appears extremely random.
But not exactly…
Because if the distribution of the massive pillars truly were random, and on top of that, if the arena were completely circular…
then there really would be no hope of survival.
Even if someone somehow managed to reach all the massive pillars in search of the exit, their sense of direction would remain shattered, and they would continue wandering in complete disorientation…
And that in itself completely contradicts the logic of the Academy’s test, which is fundamentally designed to eliminate participants, not annihilate them, no matter how harsh its methods may be.
Likewise, it is impossible for the arena to be rectangular, otherwise things would be far clearer.
Therefore, the only solution that preserves the idea of a maze and the feeling of complete mystery, while at the same time maintaining even the slightest chance of survival through extremely precise calculations, must be for the arena to be oval…
Only then would there be a clear finish line, while eliminating the catastrophic possibility that the arena itself is merely a bend in the main path—something there would have been no way to confirm if the arena were circular.
And from this, it can be inferred that the pillar relatively far away from the other massive pillars is most likely the finish line…”
He smiled bitterly…
“And the only indication of that is that I have no other explanation for why it’s the farthest one!”
He gritted his teeth in frustration.
“It’s another desperate gamble…”
He continued thinking:
“Anyway, we’re separated from it by a distance of two other massive pillars. I just hope the others won’t be annihilated by then…”
Suddenly…
A mysterious black hand, stained with blood, grabbed Ryota’s shoulder!
Ryota looked at the bloodstained hand on his shoulder, his pupils contracting in shock.
A terrifying voice whispered into his ear :
…
“Ryota… Ryota…”
“Ryota!”
Ryota came to his senses at the sound of Evander calling him.
He looked toward his shoulder and saw Evander’s hand there.
It was completely unharmed, without even a single scratch.
Ryota looked at him, his expression still tense with shock…
Evander spoke in a worried tone:
“Ryota… are you all right? We can rest for a while if you’re feeling unwell.”
Ryota regained his serious expression and simply looked ahead as he said:
“No need. I’m fine…”
…..
They continued walking…
Suddenly!
A tremendous cracking sound pierced their ears!
Ryota immediately shouted :
“To the right!”
Everyone moved at once.
But…
One of them…
saw the scene of the three people who had frozen in place earlier flash through his mind.
He was half a second late, then followed them, but…
A small stone…
grazed his shoulder…
He froze for a moment, then continued running.
…
After surviving.
No one spoke.
That person looked at his trembling shoulder and thought :
“I would have died… just because I hesitated for a moment. Commander Ryota’s orders really are absolute! If I want to survive, I have to erase any other foolishness from my mind!”
Several minutes later, they had passed through numerous traps and successfully overcome them without any casualties.
The second massive pillar appeared on the horizon.
Just like before, the atmosphere suddenly became quiet.
Gradually, the second massive pillar became clearer.
Suddenly, Ryota stopped and looked toward the massive pillar.
His eyes narrowed slightly as he thought:
“The cracks…
More than last time…
But other than that, I don’t see any other differences from the previous time !
Even the falling of the distant pillars, as well as the pace and speed of the sequence of collapses, are almost the same.
…
The falling pillars drew closer…
Ryota clenched his fist tightly for a few moments, then relaxed it, turned toward the crowd, and spoke firmly:
“Nothing is different. The path is safe. We’re moving forward!”
Evander interrupted him:
“But, Ryota, there…”
Ryota immediately cut him off in an angry tone:
“Be quiet, Evander.”
He then turned his gaze toward the massive pillar and shouted to the crowd :
“We’re moving forward! Hurry!”
They all began running toward the massive pillar.
Suddenly!
The cracks on the massive pillar rapidly multiplied until they covered it completely!
A tremendous cracking sound pierced their ears!
A sound even louder than the previous time!
It was completely prepared to collapse!
Expressions of panic filled their faces, and some of them began looking upward.
Ryota immediately shouted at them:
“Don’t look up! It won’t fall! Just run!”
Most of them stopped looking upward and continued running, their eyes trembling with terror.
Meanwhile, Mizushi stared at Ryota with shocked eyes and thought:
“How… How can you lie with such confidence…”