The Samurai Examinations Begin

The announcement spread through the land like wildfire.

By sunrise, the Samurai Academy’s eastern training fields usually quiet except for the rhythmic clash of wooden swords had transformed into a restless sea of young warriors.

S

tudents from distant villages filled every corner of the grounds. Some wore polished armor that reflected the early morning light. Others arrived in worn clothes patched too many times. Some carried strange regional weapons Ryouma had never seen before.

Excitement, fear, and ambition mixed into a single thick tension in the air.

Ryouma Kisaragi stood in the middle of it all, fingers tightly holding the wooden name tag given to him earlier. His heart thumped so loudly he wondered if the others could hear it.

He had waited for this moment since childhood.And now… it was finally here.

A sudden hush rolled across the field.

Head Captain Jinzo Takasugi walked onto the raised platform at the center of the training grounds. His presence was heavy—like a blade pressing against the spirit. His eyes, sharp and unblinking, swept across hundreds of anxious candidates.

When Jinzo spoke, even the wind stilled.

“The Samurai Examinations are not merely a test of strength,” he said, his voice echoing through the open courtyard.

Ryouma swallowed.

“They are a test of heart. Of survival. Of spirit.”

A chill spread through the crowd.

“Only the worthy will rise.”
He raised his hand.

“Move out.”

Just like that, the journey began.

The instructors led the candidates northward, leaving the academy behind. The path narrowed as they entered the Darkwood Forest, a region known for its unusually tall trees and suffocating shade.

Sunlight vanished beneath the layered canopy. Damp earth muffled footsteps. Most candidates walked in silence, breaths uneven, hearts uncertain.

After nearly an hour, the forest opened.
What waited ahead was not a village—it was a corpse of one.

Houses tilted at broken angles, as if exhausted from the burden of staying upright. Crushed tiles lay scattered across the dirt paths. Window frames swung in the wind, producing low creaks that sounded too human for comfort. Every breath carried a scent of old dust and forgotten time.

No human voices.No animal tracks.Not even insects.
Just lifeless silence.

“It’s cursed…” someone whispered.

“This place smells like death…” another muttered.

Ryouma felt his pulse quicken. Even he who often trained alone in deep forests had never felt a silence this unnatural.

One of the instructors stepped forward, pulling out a curled scroll.
“Listen carefully.”
Every candidate froze.
He unrolled the parchment.

- Rule One

“You must remain alive until the end of the exam.”

A nervous laugh slipped from a boy behind Ryouma. “Alive? What’s in this place…?”

No one else laughed.

- Rule Two

“No killing each other. Anyone who does will be disqualified and forbidden from taking the exam again for ten years.”

Gasps spread quickly. Ten years was a lifetime for some.

- Rule Three

“You may form teams or alliances. Whether temporary or long-term is your decision.”

Strong candidates exchanged glances.Weaker ones shifted nervously, unsure whom to trust.

- Rule Four

“You may give up at any time. The exit bell is located at the far southern gate of this village. Ring it, and you will be escorted out.”

Some candidates sighed, relieved to know there was a way out.
But then the instructor’s tone changed.

- Rule Five: The Final Warning

“If you encounter a skull-faced man riding a black horse…”
The air seemed to freeze.

“…run. Run as fast as you can. Do not fight him. Do not speak. Do not stare. Run."

A collective shiver passed through the crowd.

“Just run,” the instructor said softly. “That is all.”

He raised his arm.

“YOUR TIME STARTS NOW!”

A bell clanged.

Chaos exploded.

Hundreds of candidates sprinted—into the forest, into the ruins, into any direction that wasn’t standing still.

Ryouma tightened his grip on his wooden sword.

“This is it,” he whispered.

And ran.

The forest surrounding the dead village was split naturally by terrain.To the west, the trees grew further apart shadows deeper, ground uneven.To the east, the woods thickened, branches low and visibility poor.To the north lay a narrow path lined with old stone lanterns.To the south stretched marshy grounds and abandoned huts.

Monsters emerged almost immediately twisted creatures with unnatural joints and hollow black eyes.

Screams echoed everywhere.

A young boy tripped on a root.A creature lunged for him

A flash of steel sliced the creature in two.

Standing over the boy was a tall man with long black hair, dressed in a black kimono.

Masaru Aizawa.

His katana dripped dark monster blood.

“Are you hurt?” he asked quietly.

“N-No… thank you…” the boy murmured.

Masaru nodded.

“Then stand. Fear will not keep you alive.”

He vanished between the trees like a ghost.

Not far away in the deeper western woods, Tetsuya Inabe walked lazily, swinging his giant hammer over his shoulder.

“Come out, come out,” he called playfully. “Show me something fun.”
Two monsters crept behind him.

He didn’t turn.

“Oh good,” he chuckled. “Found you.”
The ground shook with the impact.

In the eastern woods, Kaede Fushimi sat beneath a towering cedar tree, her white kimono startlingly clean amidst the chaos. Her white hair fluttered gently.

Someone screamed in the distance—then abruptly fell silent.

Kaede didn’t move.
“Too much noise,” she murmured. “But all predictable.”

At the northern path, Haruto Kanzaki sprinted toward every sound of struggle. He slid between trees, cutting down monsters with swift strokes. He saved two young candidates trapped between broken branches and a snarling beast.

“Th-Thank you, Haruto!” one of them cried.

“Stay together,” he said, breathing hard. “No one survives alone here.”
He ran off again.

In a quiet corner of the southern woods, Souta Hoshigaki slept against a tree, arms folded. His breathing was peaceful, almost calm.

A monster crept toward him.

Without opening his eyes, Souta flicked a small dagger.
The monster’s head hit the ground before its body realized it was dead.
“So noisy…” he muttered, already drifting back to sleep.

Ryouma moved through the abandoned houses near the village’s eastern edge, where the forest pressed close against crumbling walls. A sudden growl broke the silence.

A massive creature stepped from an alleyway—its limbs long, its breath heavy, its black eyes fixed on him.

Ryouma exhaled slowly.

“So… it begins.”
The monster charged.
Ryouma tightened his grip on his wooden sword.

A faint breath of wind circled the blade.

He dashed forward. 

To be continue...