Chapter 31: Dance With The Devil II
Chapter 31: Dance With The Devil II
Crystal Monoliths that would track the energy of Interstellar Beasts in real time to evaluate them!The moment Damian heard this, he turned to Kitsuul and communicated with her.
’Limit your output to 50% of your total energy and power for now, okay? Only go higher if I tell you to.’
...!
He gave her a simple command, and the little fox looked at him and nodded with bright, round eyes.
Kitsuul~!
She replied affirmatively as Anastasia continued in his ear.
"Oh, also- camouflaged within the trees and terrain are predator-class ZENTHRA Drones that emerge mid-battle to apply pressure and simulate multi-threat environments during Trials. And I don’t know how the fuck they achieved this inside a single floor of a massive building, but sections of the artificial forest can collapse, rise, or transform into other artificially created ecosystems—lava fissures, frozen tundra patches, or metallic clearings—to test adaptability."
...!
The level of technology described was absolutely insane, and Damian’s initial outlook on this place remained true—it really did seem like its own artificially created world.
The things that ZENTHRA managed to do were both terrifying and fantastical to think about.
"And what will be most important to you... are the people receiving all this information to evaluate you. If you look up, you’ll see a circular chamber above the treetops, floating via anti-gravity tech. That chamber allows ZENTHRA scientists and executives to observe, record, and manipulate the arena floor’s parameters. Its glass is one-way, polarized, and reinforced with hybrid plasma crystal for safety. They can see all of you, but you have no idea who is watching. I’ll see if I can pull up the parameters they’re looking for to successfully become a Trial Guardian."
Damian looked up above the artificial forest and saw the clear obsidian glass-like chamber floating above, a walkway connected to it leading to a corner of the floor. Evaluators and people he knew nothing about were watching from there!
A dynamic artificial environment below, Predator-class ZENTHRA Drones hidden within the trees, and possibly shifting ecosystems with scorching or freezing temperatures. One could already assume how the trials were going to go. As Damian entered, he was subjected to the gazes of the six Trial Guardians—well, five, as the sixth one, the Serpent Queen Serena, was absorbed in her own world.
The other five Trial Guardians spoke amongst themselves while the man riding the Winged Peacock Lion—whom Damian had seen on the elevator earlier—looked over and whistled.
"Such a tiny little fox, are you sure it’s an Interstellar Beast?"
...!
This guy—Alex, being his name—began with such useless talk as Damian kept his expression calm while looking around.
He glanced between the Trial Guardians and a group of Beast Masters who looked similar to him near the edge of the artificial forest. He entirely ignored the arrogant Beast Master’s question and asked instead:
"Are we supposed to just wait over there for the trial to begin?"
...!
His words were calm and filled with confidence, and Alex’s expression grew cold from being ignored.
Beside him, the young woman on an identical Beast laughed at his misfortune and nodded.
"Yeah, handsome. I think there’s one or two more of you coming, and the trial will get started. We’re cheering you on!"
In her white ZENTHRA Trial Guardian garments, she gave Damian a thumbs-up and a smile—which only made Trial Guardian Alex look at Damian with an even colder gaze.
The young woman clearly knew what she was doing by calling Damian "handsome," and she seemed thrilled by whatever chaos might come next.
Damian passed by the Trial Guardians sitting regally with their Interstellar Beasts, ignoring all of them but one—as inadvertently, the calm gaze of the Serpent Queen Serena locked with his.
She blinked as she noticed Kitsuul on Damian’s shoulder.
Kitsuul, who looked calmly and curiously at all the Beasts around her.
Whether it was the Winged Peacock Lions... or her Black Serpent!
Her Serpent carried a powerful bloodline—one that most couldn’t meet in the eyes. Yet right now, the little silver fox on Damian’s shoulder looked at it freely, with absolutely no sense of oppression or intimidation from lineage.
The scene caused the Serpent Queen to briefly glance Damian up and down—an action also caught by Trial Guardian Alex.
The woman who didn’t bother to spare a single glance at others had just looked at the new guy?
Alex snorted and muttered to the other Trial Guardians—just loud enough for Damian to hear.
"The Second Trial is the Combat Trial with current Trial Guardians, right? We get to choose which Trial Beast Masters we test? I think I’ve found the one to test—if they and their little fox don’t die in the First Trial, anyway."
...!
Animosity was always bred so easily.
He poked fun at first. He didn’t get the reaction he wanted. Then two women’s attention shifted toward Damian.
And ridiculously, that was enough for animosity to rise in the dull minds of some men!
Damian didn’t even bother to respond. He walked deeper into the artificial ecosystem, stepping over moss-covered ground and glass-reinforced areas as he neared a group of about a dozen Beast Masters.
Divided evenly between men and women, each of them had their own unique Beast.
A meter-long crow perched on top of a tree where a muscular, crimson-haired man lay back.
A jaguar with ferocious teeth and saliva that steamed on contact had its head stroked by a green-haired woman—her arms marked by injuries of corrosion.
A wide man with a big belly and a beaming smile sat atop a massive white panda.
There was a wide variety of them, each partnered with their own Interstellar Beast. Damian moved toward the group near the start of the tall-tree ecosystem. His eyes scanned the artificial forest depths for any hidden dangers as he chose a tree near the others to stand in front of...
And he waited.
No pleasantries.
No hellos.
He wasn’t here to make friends with Interstellar Beast Masters.
He was here to gain the power to kill!