Alex and almost all first years had assumed that because the sieving stage was a battle royale, the students would be fighting in a large stadium that would cater for their large numbers, but what he was currently seeing was not what he expected.
Instead of a large stadium, what Alex and everyone saw was a forest with spread-out trees of different species, heights and forms. In the distance were also landscapes such as mountains, hills and bodies of water.
The environment created an interesting scenario where the students would have to play cat and mouse in order to thin their numbers. This introduced a degree of luck into the battle and if anyone was able to avoid being detected until the last 1000 students, they would qualify.
Looking around, Alex noticed that the number of students around him was very few. He made an estimate of the number of students around, 'A little over a thousand, huh? But looking at the environment we find ourselves in, the others should be in other areas.'
He was not the only one with such thoughts as most of the students were already understanding their situation. However, their thoughts were cut short when an instructor's voice was heard all around them.
[Good morning, dear students. Welcome to the sieving stage of the competitions. As you already know, this stage is a battle royale where you will have to duke it out with your fellow classmates.]
All the students stopped whatever they were doing and focused on the words of the instructor. As no rules or instructions were given as to how this battle royale would occur, they had to pay attention to not miss anything.
[Unlike typical battle royales where everyone is put in a huge coliseum, this one will require more than just fighting skills. It will test your intelligence, wits, strength and to an extent, luck.]
Alex had already figured out most of what this battle would require, so he was not surprised to hear it from the instructor. But with their huge numbers, how would they ensure the number they want would remain? Someone could simply find a good spot and wait out the fight. Or the students may not even engage in any fights at all.
'But I'm sure there's definitely something in place. It can't be that easy.' Alex thought and he was right.
[In this set-up, every competitor is required to have a certain number of eliminants under their belt. On your chest is a rectangular badge that represents your life. If a student is able to destroy that badge, that student will be eliminated. That would count as a kill for that student.]
[The battle royale is a 12-hour fight across this huge continent. Every hour, 500 students with the least eliminants will be eliminated from the fight until the last remaining 5000. This also means that the fight may not get to the 12-hour mark.]
'Bingo' Alex immediately knew it wasn't going to be a picnic. He also noticed how the instructor didn't explicitly say to kill but to eliminate. That meant killing isn't necessarily the only way to eliminate your competitor. If someone is eliminated every hour, the students would not be able to relax and must always have a high number of eliminants under their belt.
Indeed, while killing was not explicitly stated, the students were allowed to do as they pleased. After all, this was the VR world and almost all students saw it as a mere video game. While that line of thinking wasn't wrong, it wasn't good either. They were hunters, not killers, but no one knows what they may encounter when exploring the vast universe.
Of course, learning to cope with an actual kill is something the students would have to learn themselves once they stepped into the real world.
[But there is more…
[If you can eliminate someone with a high number of eliminants, their figures will be added to yours. Of course, the number of eliminations a student has will be displayed on their badges for everyone they encounter to see….]
'Hmm… So, you cannot remain in one place for long and must actively be on the move. That would not eliminate teamwork, but that can also quickly fall apart once time starts to catch with them.' Alex's mind raced with the implications of the instructions they were receiving. He looked around and noticed how the students were already eyeing their competitors.
'Shit! They already have eyes on me.' Alex also noticed how he was being eyed by many of the students with some already talking amongst themselves.
'Relax. The battle hasn't begun yet.'
Naturally, he had a way to escape this crowd. Right now, he needed to hear everything the instructor said.
[Oh… One more thing, your pain receptors will be set at 100%! And you cannot eliminate yourself either. That would attract a loss of points.]
This time, the expression on the faces of some of the students changed. Never had they ever trained under a full 100% pain reception before.
'Hehe… This is going to be painful.' Alex already dreaded what was to come. There was no way to escape. Of course, you can always ask nicely for someone to eliminate you. But that meant you didn't deserve to be in the academy. They were not in the business of raising cowards. All this combined made it difficult for one to simply hide and wait it out.
[Okay! With that out of the way, the battle royale will begin in two minutes. The countdown starts… now!]
Immediately the instructor declared, a timer appeared above them in bold red colours. All students spread out across the continent saw the countdown. Some students began running to leave the crowded areas. No one needn't tell them that once that time reaches zero, there is going to be an all-out war. It was best to make oneself scarce.
Alex on the other hand was already on everyone's radar. Looking around, he was surrounded with no way out. It seemed they wanted to eliminate him first.
He couldn't help but show a stiff smile, 'No one is going to get that satisfaction.'
He was prepared to break the encirclement once the timer hit zero.