Void Evolution System

When the contestants saw the word "soul" on the test segments, they all had pretty much the same thought.

The power of the soul. Something that could be considered the quality of a Divinity.

Some people had extremely powerful souls since birth, like Damien, and those people had talent beyond talent. They could comprehend a hundred things for every one thing comprehended by an average genius.

These people were highly valued by any influence, and above all, if their soul had a specialized quality that leaned towards a specific law…

Nothing else needed to be said. All sects and influences tested people's souls to look for this exact quality, because it wasn't something that could be seen with the human eye.

However, they were wrong. Damien's eyes weren't like the usual person. He could see the things they couldn't, so he had no need to test for soul quality.

The purpose of his test was character.

No matter what kind of character one developed through their lifetime, the effect of ego wasn't as high as one would expect. The core qualities of an individual would be burned onto their soul, becoming something that absolutely wouldn't change no matter the circumstance.

For Damien, these were things like his desire for freedom.

Damien didn't care about their alignment. Good and evil hardly ever had enough severity to judge a person in this world.

Whether they were good or evil, whether they were motivated by justice or fame, what Damien wanted to know was how they'd act in the critical moment, what side they'd show when they were put in an unstable position.

Therefore, he allowed them to become acquainted with the people of the city. For some, they even built full lives among the people there.

And then, he gave them an ultimatum.

Fight.

Run.

Or dominate.

There was obviously only one right answer

The option to flee existed to weed out cowards.

The option to dominate existed to weed out those with self-destructive greed.

However, the option to fight didn't manifest the same for everybody.

For Hershel, it was the desire to save the innocent.

For Dominic, it was the desire to protect his family.

For others, it was the desire to gain fame, the desire to be a hero, and even the desire to earn a reward. The intent behind the decision changed from person to person.

It didn't matter what their intent was. They all answered correctly.

Because at the core of their soul, they chose protecting the city as the method to achieve their goals.

Even those who wanted money chose to earn it by saving the city, rather than plundering or conquering it.

The test of soul was to find people who wouldn't turn their backs on Void Palace even in the direst of circumstances, as well as those who could properly carry the palace's name without tarnishing it.

Character was an important determiner in decision-making that most people didn't judge, but Damien didn't care about talent that came at the expense of others' well-being.

The soul test eliminates tens of millions of participants. They did not have the option to lie. The decision Damien gave them was guided by their egoless souls that didn't have the ability to entertain complex thoughts.

They couldn't hide their true nature before Damien.

It culled roughly a third of the crowd that had gathered.

But it was only one of three tests.

***

Hershel never woke up in that strange body again. He never got to see the results of his choice.

The second he fell unconscious in the illusionary world, his soul was slingshotted back into his own body, his ego returned to its proper position.

He woke up 13 hours later, his mind in a state of confusion.

'I…where am I…?'

His soul remembered his brief stint in another life, but his mind held no memories of it.

'I…I am…'

He struggled for a moment, wrestling with the feeling of dissonance within him.

However, a few moments later, the land around him shone gold, and a soothing fluctuation enveloped him.

The dissonance slowly faded, allowing Hershel to regain stability.

"Haa…haa…haa…"

He breathed heavily, steadying himself. Standing up, he noticed that he was still in the same strange space, the field empty of people.

In front of him, the holographic screen only had two remaining options.

[Mind]

[Body]

"Did I…pass…?"

Hershel's eyes widened into saucers.

He fell on his rear, backing up as if he was being chased by something terrifying.

"I passed…? I actually passed…?!"

He didn't remember the trial, but he knew he'd taken it. He didn't know what he did there, but he was certain it was horrifying.

"Just…what happened?!"

He was baffled, to say the least.

He quite literally didn't know how to react, and in his clumsy attempt to stand back up…

"...ah."

He accidentally pressed forward and chose another test.

[Body]

The ground lit up again, and before he knew it, Hershel had been transported to a new realm.

He didn't even get to use the 10 minutes of rest allowed to him by the trial.

It was red in every direction. The earth below, the skies above, and even the clouds that drifted between. Everything was red, crimson like blood.

Hershel looked around to gain information about his surroundings before another holographic screen appeared in his eyes.

[Choose your weapon]

A sword, a shield, a spear, a bow, a dagger, a hammer, and several other weapons appeared in holographic form.

[Once you grab hold of a weapon, you will not be able to change your selection. Choose wisely.]

Hershel looked through his choices. He'd never used a weapon before, since they were too heavy for him to carry, but he felt like he had to choose something here.

Otherwise, he'd surely die.

"Strong people usually use swords, right…?"

He questioned himself. Most of those gathered in the field were using swords, so he had a misconception about weapons, but it didn't really matter.

Hershel chose a pair of twin daggers, because it was the only weapon he was confident in being able to carry.

[Your weapon has been chosen. The trial will begin now.]

A new message appeared, and along with it, all holograms present in the surroundings disappeared.

RUMBLE!

The ground rumbled. The thumping of a stampede appeared in the distance.

The ground wasn't flat. The environment was more mountainous. However, Hershel appeared somewhere near the peak of one of said mountains, so he could see it in the distance.

Hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of beasts charged in a massive horde, aimed straight in his direction.

They weren't all the same species. There were some as small as a dog and others as large as a dragon. However, they all ran with the same expression in their eyes, as if they'd found their shared worst enemy.

'That expression…'

Hershel felt a chill run down his spine.

'...it isn't aimed at me, is it?'

He was truly an unfortunate boy.

Because no matter how much he wanted to deny it, he knew.

It was.

All that hatred was meant for him.

And if he didn't face those beasts today, if he didn't win…

This would be his grave.

End of story.