The next morning, we decide to take our meal in CDC-4 rather than our private quarters. After two victories, it's important to maintain visibility in the facility, to remind other assets that Team Exodus isn't isolating itself from the independent community.

  The common dining center hums with unusual energy. Conversations pause as we enter, heads turning to track our movement across the room. The team victory board displays our 2-0 record alongside other active streaks, Team Exodus now among the top contenders in the facility.

  "People are talking," Ember murmurs as we collect our enhanced nutrition allocations. "More than usual."

  She's right. The ambient conversations have a different quality today, an undercurrent of excitement or perhaps anxiety. I catch fragments as we find a table near the center of the room:

  "—transferred out yesterday—"

  "—five wins and just disappeared—"

  "—Central Arena, that's what I heard—"

  I glance at Desta, whose expression remains neutral though her eyes flicker briefly with recognition of significant information. "Rumors circulating," she says quietly as we settle at our table. "Will verify through system access when secure."

  Eli leans forward, keeping his voice low. "Someone reached five wins and transferred out? For real?"

  "Apex," comes a voice from behind me. I turn to find Barrier, the force field generator who rejected our team invitation before our first match. His expression carries a mixture of respect and regret as he gestures to the empty seat at our table. "Mind if I join you?"

  I nod, curious about what he wants. After our dominant performance against Sentinel, several fighters who previously dismissed Team Exodus have attempted to establish connections. Too late for team recruitment, but the facility's social hierarchy shifts with each victory.

  "Apex reached five consecutive solo victories three days ago," Barrier continues once seated, his blue aura pulsing gently around his hands. "Transferred to Central Arena yesterday. Formal departure ceremony and everything. Administration made quite a show of it."

  "So it's really happening," Ember notes, flames dancing thoughtfully around her hair. "People are actually making it to five wins and advancing."

  Barrier nods, leaning closer. "Not just Apex. Word is at least twenty assets have qualified since they implemented the freedom pathway. Most don't go, though."

  "Don't go?" Eli repeats, gravity field wobbling slightly with his confusion. "Why the hell not? Isn't that the whole point?"

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  "Central Arena isn't just another facility," Barrier explains, his voice dropping further. "It's something else entirely. Multi-species competition, advanced environmental hazards, combat parameters beyond anything we face here. Most assets who qualify choose to reset their streak and stay where the challenges are... manageable."

  As the conversation continues, I notice Desta's eyes flickering with code patterns, she's accessing facility systems, verifying Barrier's claims against official records. Her expression remains neutral, but something in her posture suggests she's finding significant information.

  After Barrier leaves, we finish our meal in thoughtful silence before returning to our quarters. Once inside with security measures active, Desta finally shares what she discovered.

  "System records confirm partial accuracy of circulating rumors," she begins, eyes still occasionally flashing with code sequences. "Twenty-one assets have qualified for Central Arena advancement since Phase 2 implementation. Three have chosen to proceed, twelve remain undecided within decision timeframe, and six have formally declined advancement."

  "Six people actually said no to freedom?" Eli asks incredulously.

  "Not precisely," Desta clarifies. "Advancement refusal does not eliminate freedom pathway eligibility. Assets may restart victory progression within current facility parameters rather than facing enhanced challenges at Central Arena level."

  "They're afraid," Ember realizes, flames pulsing slowly around her fingers. "Central Arena must be seriously dangerous if people would rather start over here than continue there."

  "System records regarding Central Arena combat outcomes heavily restricted," Desta continues. "However, fragmentary data suggests those who advanced faced significant difficulty. No confirmation of victory achievement at Central Arena level by any transferred asset."

  "So nobody who's gone there has won yet," I translate, the implications sinking in. "And once you transfer, there's no coming back. You either win five more times there or you're stuck."

  "Correct. Central Arena transfer represents permanent facility reassignment regardless of combat outcome. Initial defeat does not trigger return protocol."

  The room falls silent as we process this information. The freedom pathway is tougher than we thought, if no one has reportedly succeeded yet.

  "Doesn't change anything," I say finally, meeting each teammate's eyes. "We still need three more victories here before Central Arena becomes our problem. Team Vanguard is our focus now."

  "And if—when, we get to five wins?" Ember asks, the flames around her hair intensifying slightly. "Do we advance together or stay here?"

  It's the question we're all thinking. The risk of Central Arena's unknown challenges against the certainty of restarting our progress here.

  "We cross that bridge when we come to it," I decide. "But I believe in what Team Exodus has become. If anyone can navigate Central Arena successfully, it's us."

  As we return to planning for our match against Vanguard, I can't help but wonder what really awaits at Central Arena. Just how difficult can it really be? How strong are those alien species.

  For now, Team Vanguard deserves our complete attention. An offensive specialist team with their own 2-0 record, they'll test our newly developed integration in ways Nova and Sentinel couldn't. If we can maintain our synchronization against their aggressive approach, maybe we'll be the first team to reach the advancement threshold since the freedom pathway was implemented.

  And after that? A decision that apparently even the most skilled individual fighters have struggled to make.