Martian Archer

The final exam had begun.

Leon Ortez stood at the edge of the massive Horizon Academy Combat Field, scanning the competition.

Students gathered in small groups, adjusting their high-tech bows and whispering strategies.

The test rules were simple:

Teams of four.

Survive and eliminate rival teams.

Last team standing wins.

But even before the exam started, one thing was clear—this was a pay-to-win battlefield.

Leon's Team

Leon sighed as he looked at his teammates.

1. Felix - The Arrogant Genius

A tall boy with neatly styled hair and a smug expression. His uniform was spotless, and his bow looked custom-made, probably worth more than an entire Martian apartment.

He scoffed at Leon.

> "Great. Stuck with a Martian dropout. This is just fantastic."

Leon's eye twitched.

2. Tanya - The Rebellious Gal

A dark-skinned girl with a wild streak—golden earrings, a cropped uniform jacket, and a confident smirk.

She slung her bow over her shoulder lazily.

> "I don't even like archery, man. I only applied 'cause my mom made me."

Leon blinked. "Then why are you here?"

She grinned. "To piss off my mom."

Leon already had a headache.

3. Elise - The Quiet Underdog

The only one who didn't look like she wanted to kill him.

Elise had short silver hair and wore oversized glasses that slightly slipped down her nose.

She fidgeted nervously, her grip on her bow trembling.

"U-Um… I got the lowest score on the accuracy test," she admitted.

Leon blinked. "Wait. You too?"

She hesitated, then gave him a tiny nod.

"At least I'm not alone in this mess…"

The Harsh Reality

As they prepared, Felix sneered.

"Just so we're clear—I'm the only real archer here. The rest of you will just slow me down."

Leon crossed his arms. "Right. Because you're clearly a team player."

Felix rolled his eyes.

Meanwhile, Tanya leaned against a rock, picking at her nails. "Eh. Who cares? We're gonna lose anyway."

Elise stayed quiet, her gaze fixed on the other teams.

Leon followed her gaze.

His stomach dropped.

This whole exam is rigged.

Other teams had high-tech Smart Bows—ones that:

Auto-adjusted aim.

Tracked enemies with sensors.

Even had explosive arrows.

Meanwhile, Leon's team had basic training bows.

Felix was the only one with a decent weapon.

Felix smirked. "Pay attention, losers. This test isn't fair. It's a battle between the rich and the poor."

Leon clenched his fists.

"That's why Horizon Academy only accepts elites…"

Tanya sighed dramatically. "So, we're screwed?"

Felix adjusted his gloves. "No. I'm not screwed. You three are."

Leon scowled. "Then why don't you just leave?"

Felix smirked. "Because I want to see how fast you fail."

Leon took a deep breath, suppressing the urge to punch Felix in the face.

" Calm down. Focus."

Then, Elise spoke up.

"W-We can still try…" she mumbled.

Felix scoffed. "Try what? Dying slower?"

She bit her lip, eyes darting to Leon.

Leon felt a small spark of determination.

" At least Elise doesn't want to give up."

Tanya yawned. "Eh, whatever. If we're going down, might as well make it fun."

Felix smirked. "I'll enjoy watching you fail."

Leon turned toward the starting platform.

The countdown began.

" No matter what, I'm not going down without a fight."

"3…"

Felix adjusted his gloves.

"2…"

Tanya cracked her knuckles.

"1…"

Elise tightened her grip on her bow.

"BEGIN!"

The exam had started.