The sky growled with thunder as rain poured down on the desolate terrain, littered with human skulls. In this eerie setting, the candidates found themselves in an improbable quest for a coveted gem. Startled, a girl, her face drained of color, stumbled and collided with someone.

"Sorry, I'm really sorry," she stammered, sinking to the ground, her hands covering her face, trembling with fear.

The person she bumped into knelt beside her, offering a reassuring touch on her shoulder. Peering out from under his black cloak that veiled his features, he gently smiled and uttered words that brought solace to the trembling girl.

"It'll all be okay," he assured her.

"Thank you. I'm fine now," she replied, mustering a smile as they both stood up.

Observing from a distance, Ayumi rolled her eyes at the scene. "Drama queen," Ayumi scoffed in her thoughts, watching their exchange.

"What's your name? I'm Risa," the girl inquired.

"Levin," he answered before walking away.
Perhaps he sought to console the frightened soul out of a sense of duty or empathy, or maybe it was an attempt to ease his own conscience. Uncertain of his motives, he couldn't help but offer comfort in the face of fear.

The scene unfolded in a haze of pain and desperation. Levin, lay on the ground, his body ravaged by grievous wounds, pleaded, "Kill me."

Facing away but attentive, the other person responded softly, "Who am I to take your precious life?"

"I shouldn't be alive," Levin groaned. "I've already taken so many lives. I deserve punishment. End me."

"Stop blaming yourself," the masked figure urged with determination. "Your life holds value. If you believe it's meaningless, then take action to make it meaningful."

With a subtle shift, the figure turned to face Levin, the concealed features suggesting a comforting smile beneath the mask, offering solace in the midst of despair.

The resonant thunder abruptly pulled Levin from his thoughts. Surveying the scene, he realized only five remained: Ayumi, Dan, Alice, Risa, and himself. The rest had embarked on their quest despite the adverse conditions.

"See this, Alice? It's stunning," Dan presented the skull, catching Alice off guard, prompting a shrill shriek. Dan grinned mischievously as Alice's furrowed brow hinted at her anger.

A voice reverberated in Levin's ear, "Here I sleep along with the dead." Glancing around, he sought its source.

"Did you say something?" Levin questioned Risa, who stood closest to him. Risa shook her head in denial, leaving Levin puzzled.

"Hey, can't any of you hear this voice?" Levin called out loudly, prompting everyone to fix their gazes on him.

"What's going on?" Daniel inquired.

"Listen carefully. Someone's trying to speak," Levin urged.

"Ghost!" Alice and Risa exclaimed simultaneously.

Ferid relished the live show, the various parts of the so-called forest unfolding on the screen, facilitating his observation of all the candidates.

"Do you think the boy will figure out this riddle?" inquired the person beside Ferid.

"He has to. It's crucial to validate our statement," Ferid responded. The other person nodded in agreement.

"Quit fooling around, Mr. Black," Ayumi remarked to Levin, who had claimed he could hear a voice.

"Excuse me! I do have a name, and I'm not playing the fool," he retorted, sounding a bit annoyed.

"Ah, I see," Ayumi smirked.

"What's your name?" Dan inquired.

"Levin."

"Last name?"

"Levin Black," Ayumi replied instead.

"Oh, how did you know?" Levin raised a brow, although the others couldn't see it due to the cloak covering his upper face.

"Isn't it obvious? You're my cousin, after all," Ayumi said playfully. Levin was about to respond, but Alice interrupted.

""Hey everyone, we're in the midst of phase II," she reminded them, prompting them to set aside their quarrel for later.

"Levin, what did the voice say?" Risa inquired.

"Here i sleep along with the dead."

"It could be a clue," Ayumi mused, resting her chin on her hand.

"Seems like it," Levin replied with a shrug.

The drizzle persisted, but no one paid it any mind. They were all quietly attempting to decipher the riddle.

"Now I understand," Ayumi broke the silence, drawing everyone's attention. "The gems are buried underground. Oh man, it's so simple," she exclaimed to the group.

"What's so straightforward about that? It implies we have to dig up all the land," Dan voiced his dissatisfaction with the idea.

"Hey, why don't you ask your ghost partner what to do?" Ayumi teased Levin.

"He told me to bury you here along with him," Levin responded through gritted teeth.

"Guys!" Alice intervened once more.

"Let's detonate the entire area," Levin suggested, turning to reveal a blackish-purple sphere in his hand.

"Don't," Risa pleaded, placing her hand on his shoulder. "Your attack would destroy the gem too."

The ring vanished, sparking curiosity in Ayumi. "What could his nature be? Maybe dark," she pondered.

"I think these skulls might be useful," Alice proposed.

"I was thinking the same thing," Ayumi commented.

"Liar," Levin mumbled.

"Did you say something?" Ayumi raised a brow.

Levin shrugged and knelt down to inspect the skull. Upon attempting to remove it from the ground, the vault disconnected from the cranial cavity, revealing a violet gem nestled within the foramen magnum.

""Look, here it is," Levin revealed to them.

"What a perfect place to hide them," Dan remarked.

"Do you realize how many skulls there are? It's almost impossible to check all of them," Alice remarked.

"But we have to," Ayumi shrugged. "Besides, it's a matter of luck. Twenty candidates, one gem. Let's see."

And so, they began meticulously examining the insides of each skull. Gems were indeed present in the cranial cavities, but the quest was for the real black one.

Levin once again heard the voice and made a choice to pursue it. Ayumi noticed and decided to trail him, with the other three following suit, knowing Levin must have heard something once more.

Stopping abruptly, Levin sensed the voice emanating from directly beneath his feet. He took a step back, summoning a blackish-purple sphere in his hand and directing it downward. A blast ensued, impacting an area within a 4-meter radius.

As the debris settled, Levin knelt and moved several large rocks aside. Silently, they all watched him. Beneath the rubble lay a coffin. With ease, he lifted the coffin and gently set it down again, confident the gem lay within. Removing the lid, they discovered a human skeleton inside. The other four drew nearer.

"Look, it's here," Risa pointed to the black gem wedged between the fourth and fifth rib.

Levin touched the gem, but nothing particular happened.

"The gem didn't glow at all. We might have been mistaken," the person beside Ferid remarked.

"It can't be," Ferid frowned in surprise.

"Perhaps another candidate-"

"No, Advin isn't here. Someone's toying with us," Ferid gritted his teeth in frustration.

"Who?"

"Only one person could do this. Well, let's set this aside for now. The exam is still ongoing," Ferid said, fixing his gaze firmly on the screen, his surprise evident.

Levin reached for the gem when a hand suddenly seized his arm.

"Levin, look out!" Risa and Alice shouted in unison.

Levin's gaze darted to his arm, only to meet a hand entirely made of bones. "What...?" Levin wrenched his arm free from the skeleton's grasp and leaped backward. The skeleton rose to its feet as well.

"Run!" Dan yelled, prompting everyone to sprint. Along the way, other candidates joined their frantic escape.

"Why are we running? It's just a skeleton!" Ayumi exclaimed as she ran alongside them.

"Let's take it down!" Levin abruptly halted, and the others followed suit.

"How do you kill someone who's already dead?" Risa asked innocently.

"Then let's shatter its bones to pieces," Levin declared, rushing forward and delivering a glowing punch to the skeletal face. "Ouch!" Levin winced, ending up only hurting himself.
"Alright, then," he muttered, summoning the same sphere as before and launching an attack with all his might. Once again, a massive blast erupted.

"He's surprisingly good," Ayumi thought to herself.

As the smoke dissipated, they discovered the shattered bones scattered across the ground.

"I did it!" Levin sounded pleased.

"Yeah, you did it alright," Ayumi stepped forward, her tone annoyed. "Just look at what you've done," she pointed at the broken pieces of the gem.

"Oh no!" The others exclaimed.

"I didn't mean to," Levin shrugged, feeling a tad embarrassed deep down.

"Do you even realize what this means? We've all failed the exam," she said with clenched teeth.

"I know," Levin admitted, looking away.

"What on earth is with this guy?" Ayumi thought to herself, feeling the urge to punch him.

"There's nothing we can do about it now. Let's try to cheer up," Alice's words surprised Ayumi even more.

"They're all quite odd," she thought to herself.
She truly desired to pass the exam and join the organization, just like the rest of them. However, nothing could be done at this point. Alice's words were, after all, right.
Sometimes, despite the best intentions, failure becomes inevitable.

☆☆☆