After a few minutes of waiting around, a loud noise resounded from the auditorium that emanated from the main stage.
"QUIET!!!!"
A man was standing on the stage, and he was successful in capturing all the participant's attention. After all the participants had their eyes focused on the stage, the man stepped off the podium and Brigadier Jones could be seen walking up the stage.
He reached the podium and, without delay, began debriefing the participants about the test.
"Good Morning, Everyone! I hope you all had a safe and secure journey coming here. Y..." The Brigadier addressed the crowd of participants but was rudely cut off before he could continue.
A boy from the crowd voiced his opinions about the unique method they used to transport them all here. The boy had multiple piercings on his face and a very thin layer of blonde hair on his head. He looked more like a street thug than a military participant, but there was no distinction here based on looks. The military only wanted soldiers and that's what they were getting.
"You guys knocked us out without our consent and you expect us to just play along when you say that we had a safe and secure journey!?" The boy said with a tone full of anger and hatred.
The Brigadier and the other military staff didn't react to the comment like everyone thought they would, instead they didn't react at all.
Brigadier Jones just sighed as if to show that he had dealt with this kind of response several times.
"Unfortunately for you, Mr. Wesley, there is nothing you can do about it. We have strict rules and regulations which are constantly updated and improved so that no mishaps can happen. Regarding your concern, there have been cases of rouge terrorists using their children to find our base's location which can not be allowed." Brigadier Jones gave a solid response to the boy's argument.
The boy himself was quite taken aback by how the Brigadier dealt with him and that he even knew his name which was not expected at all.
"Moving on... As I was saying, you have all been transported into one of our smaller air bases where you will board a plane that will take you to the test site. Please listen carefully from now on and avoid interrupting me while I am giving you this debrief. Keep your questions to yourself and you may ask them after the session is over." The Brigadier continued with his speech.
The participants didn't know whether the Brigadier just released his aura or what, but they suddenly got a very uneasy feeling and could instinctively tell that speaking out now could get them in big trouble. They all understood that it was for the best to just keep their mouth shut.
There was a big screen behind the Brigadier and it started to display the image of a lush and beautiful island. It seemed to be located in a tropical region with lush rainforests, and pristine white-sand beaches.
Deeper on the island, the terrain was filled with rugged mountains, deep valleys, and winding rivers. At the heart of the island, was a massive mountain that was so tall that it almost touched the clouds with several mountains with smaller heights surrounding it.
There were other small details that couldn't be made out quite well such as a few dark spots that looked like caves and a few areas where the light was being reflected which could mean a flowing source of water such as a river or waterfall.
"This is going to be your arena. This island is man-made by one of our Grandmaster rank officers and has many mysteries for you to discover. You will stay on this island for a total of 15 days and will have to survive in order to pass the test."
"In case, your life is endangered in any way or you receive life-threatening injuries, you will be removed from the arena by the patrolling officers who will remain out of sight until they deem it necessary to intervene."
"If you are prematurely removed from the test, you will be disqualified and won't receive a score at the end of the test. You can still join the military using the alternative route and the terms of mandatory service hours still apply."
"There are no rules in terms of forming alliances or making enemies. Remember, that we will keep track of all your battles and keep score of the ones you win and lose. These scores and many other factors such as your survival skills, problem-solving ability, and strategy will contribute toward your final score which will determine which class you will end up in."
After telling all the participants about the general rules, two men came up on stage carrying a table with a cloth over it so that nobody could peek at the content hidden underneath. The men placed the table on the stage and gave a small bow with their heads to the Brigadier before leaving.
Brigadier Jones lifted the piece of cloth to reveal three items that were placed on the table. The first one looked like a futuristic box that had a rectangular capsule-like shape.
"This is a loot crate. They will be hidden all over the map for you all to find. They can contain random items such as survival gadgets, healing pills, weapons, etc. Since we allowed you all to bring things such as weapons and armor, this will even out the playing field for others a bit as they will have a better chance at surviving the test."
Next, he moved on to what looked like a generic holographic tablet. It had the same metal casing and a glass body with the display being augmented into the glass.
"This is an information tablet. These tablets will also be attached all over the island in different places but they will be in plain sight and can be spotted easily. The tablets will display all the useful information about the events that are occurring on the island. Day and time, weather conditions, etc. Other than that, any announcements that have to be made by us during the test will be displayed on these tablets."
"Additionally, any fight that occurs between you all will be updated on the tablet like a battle log so everyone could know who is winning against who. There is also a dueling function integrated inside the tablet. One of the rarest things that you can find in the loot crate is a pin code."
"This pin code when entered into the tablet will allow you to set a duel against anyone available on the island and set the location of the fight as well. If your opponent fails to show up, you will be awarded heavily with points while points will be deducted from the opponent. Similarly, if you conduct any foul play during the duel, your points will suffer the same fate."
"And it goes without saying that purposefully damaging the tablets or the loot crates will be recorded and will cause a deduction in your points."
The tablets turned out to be quite useful as they had a variety of functions. Mako knew that he would always have to be around one of these tablets as they provided one of the greatest resources of all and that was information. Information that could come in handy in several different ways, either be it to avoid something disastrous or plan a trap for something else.
Lastly, the Brigadier moved on to a backpack that looked identical to what they were all carrying on their backs and that was exactly what it was. Brigadier Jones opened it up and took out everything one by one and explained the function of each and everything but this wasn't any rocket science as everything was easy to understand.
It was important to note that the participants did not receive any of the readily available gadgets such as a portable instant tent, water purifying tablets, fire starters, etc. They specifically made it so that the participants had to use their brains and abilities in such a way that they could cover all their basic needs such as shelter, water, and... food.
FOOD!
What were they going to eat!? It looked like the Brigadier had skipped over one of the biggest factors that were supposed to keep them alive.
As if the Brigadier could read minds, he transitioned his speech so that the next topic to talk about was provisions.
"As for basic survival needs, you all have to figure out these things yourself. There are plenty of freshwater sources on the island and wild plants and animals also inhabit the land. Some are okay to eat while others are not so much. The same goes for your shelter as well. You have to find or construct your own shelter."
After explaining to the participants that they were basically on their own to find food, water, and shelter and that they would be receiving no help in this as this was to test their survival and adaptability skills, the Brigadier's face changed expression very quickly as now he had a serious and intimidating expression on his face.
"Now that I have told you all about the basics and perks of the test, let me tell you all about the dangers as well."
