I’ll be the Red Ranger
Chapter 103 – Failures

- Oliver -

| Second exam started

As soon as the announcement reverberated throughout the base, a wave of movement swept through the line of recruits. Oliver watched as the first participant passed through the enormous gate, disappearing into the depths of the challenge. The others leaned over their wrists, where holograms of the matches began to transmit, floating above their devices.

‘It doesn't seem like a good strategy to be the first to enter,’ Oliver pondered.

He craned his neck to assess the length of the line; there were at least twenty people ahead of him. ‘At least I'll have time to watch several matches,’ the boy reflected, trying to reassure himself.

Beside him, Isabela and Katherine were already absorbed in the transmissions of the recruits entering the arena. Oliver quickly followed suit.

The moment the image materialized, he was presented with an aerial view of the scenario. The recruit who had just entered had selected the standard entry, which began outside the walls.

‘How did they manage to create something this big?’ Oliver wondered, impressed by the monumental scale of the arena.

It was practically an entire farm inside an arena. The recruit moved along the imposing wall, searching for a passage. However, between the energized barbed wires and the reinforced metal walls, there didn't seem to be much room to advance.

The counter at the top of the arena continued its relentless march.

| 00:15

Finally, after a few seconds of running along the wall, the recruit found a section where the wall was lower and devoid of barbed wire. Without hesitation, he agilely climbed over it, launching himself to the other side and diving into the vegetation—a field covered by tall grasses that offered some cover.

"That was close," Oliver thought, seeing a robot with a yellow marking patrolling the path the recruit had taken just seconds before.

Although they were training robots, these were significantly different from those faced in the previous exam or even the ones presented in the General's videos. Their appearance was almost human-like, with fluid and precise movements. Only the metallic elbows and knees betrayed their mechanical nature.

The robot approached the wall, its sensors scanning the area beyond. For a moment, it seemed to hesitate as if it detected something out of the ordinary. Then, without issuing any alert, it turned and resumed its pre-programmed path.

As soon as the robot resumed its route, the recruit slowly emerged from the tall grass where he was hiding. With a swift movement, he ran toward the main street, keeping close to the shadows cast by the few houses.

"I wonder what his boon is?" Oliver asked himself.

When the recruit was about to reach the street, the cameras showed two robots approaching from the opposite side. Without wasting time, he jumped toward the wall of one of the houses, pressing himself against the surface to avoid detection.

With the robots still walking and scanning the path ahead, the recruit seemed confident. Pressed against the wall, he silently slid toward one of the windows.

| 01:31

Time was running relentlessly. The boy jumped into the first house, seeming to want to distance himself from the main street and minimize his chances of being found.

As soon as he entered, the cameras switched to show the house's interior. Oliver watched with growing tension, eager to understand the recruit's plan. Two sentinel robots were waiting inside the house, each sitting in a chair around the central table.

The moment the boy touched the floor, surprise was evident on his face. One of the robots turned abruptly, its eyes emitting a red glow as a sinister alarm echoed through the walls. Without warning, both robots advanced, their hands transforming into sharp claws.

The recruit reacted instinctively, activating his Ranger Armor and his Ranger Weapon. Wielding a sword, he tried to defend himself from the fierce attacks. However, the combined strength of the robots was overwhelming, violently throwing him out of the house, debris flying around.

Now exposed, despair was evident in his expression. The alarm had attracted more robots with yellow and red markings, converging on his position like predators drawn to the scent of blood.

No longer concerned with remaining silent, the recruit threw a glowing device into the house. Seconds later, a deafening explosion shook the structure, hurling flames and debris into the sky.

‘A boon capable of creating grenades, or did he acquire them before?’ Oliver pondered aloud, his eyes fixed on the chaotic scene.

But this would not be the last time the boy used explosive tactics. Desperately running through the streets, he tried to avoid the constant attacks, throwing grenades and improvised traps against the robots that pursued him. He tried to take refuge in other houses and even in the red barn, but with each new attempt, more robots appeared, relentlessly surrounding him.

| 03:15

Time was running out, and his situation was becoming increasingly desperate. Oliver felt a weight in his stomach. "He won't make it," he murmured, recognizing the certainty of the outcome.

"It's impossible that he didn't read the instructions," Oliver incredulously commented. "It was clear in the test description that the houses wouldn't indicate where the robots would be."

The recruit continued to run through the streets, pursued by an unrelenting horde of robots. Explosions echoed, spreading smoke and debris throughout the simulation's scenario.

Finally, after managing to distance himself from some of the robots that had been chasing him, the recruit reached the big house. But hope quickly faded upon seeing that all the black-marked robots were positioned in front of the entrance, waiting for him like predators encircling their prey.

In a last act of desperation, the boy threw his explosives toward the robots. To everyone's surprise, the machines deflected the projectiles with mechanical precision, returning them to the sender. The resulting detonation illuminated the arena's artificial sky, and the robots advanced relentlessly.

The ensuing fight was surreal. The coordinated movements of the robots made it clear that control was entirely in their metallic hands. In less than a minute, the recruit was subdued, falling unconscious to the ground.

| 04:30

| Test canceled

The bright notification appeared in the center of the arena. Immediately, the robots ceased their activities, and soldiers entered the facility to remove the recruit.

"That’s going to be challenging," whispered Oliver, his eyes still fixed on the scene. The reality of the challenge was becoming increasingly evident.

"No wonder they gave us more than one day," commented Katherine, thoughtfully crossing her arms. "Everyone will need to test different strategies and get used to using their boons efficiently to save time."

Oliver nodded, silently agreeing. Looking at Isabela, he realized she was immersed in her thoughts, possibly devising her plan.

That match wouldn't be the last to end before completing the five minutes. Several other recruits entered the arena, each trying a different approach.

Some opted for stealth, attempting to "assassinate" the robots silently to prevent the alarms from being triggered. However, there were moments when several sentinel robots were close to each other, making it almost impossible to eliminate all of them quickly without being detected. The tension was palpable; a single mistake could trigger a chain reaction of alarms and attacks.

Others decided on brute force, advancing and taking down all the robots that appeared in their path. This strategy allowed them slightly better performance, at least reaching the big house. However, this approach also announced their presence to the black robots, which were much stronger and operated in lethal synchrony. The ensuing battles were intense, but each time, they failed.

Oliver recognized some familiar faces from the first exam. One of the boys, who possessed a hacking boon, tried infiltrating the robots' systems. However, these models were different from the previous ones. They weren't connected to each other, preventing him from shutting them all down at once. After hacking only three robots, his Energy was low, and much of his time had run out.

Another recruit, who had been in the same arena as Oliver earlier, could grow in size. He tried to increase his stature and run directly to the big house. However, he was quickly stopped by the swarm of robots, who surrounded him and neutralized his physical advantage.

Up to that moment, the person who performed best was a girl who climbed one of the houses and began acting as a sniper. With surgical precision, she eliminated several robots patrolling the main street. She managed to reach the big house, but before she could retrieve the Orb, her time had run out. The frustration was evident on her face, but her strategy showed potential.

‘It's not just a matter of being good. You have to be good and fast,’ Oliver reflected, feeling the weight of the competition. The arena didn't test just individual abilities but also the capacity to think strategically under pressure. Every second counted, and the margin for errors was minimal.

Focused on watching the matches, Oliver didn't notice that he was quickly advancing in the line until he finally faced the enormous gate of the second exam.

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