Chapter 117: The Second Phase of the Trial
The summit of the mountain had finally fallen silent.
The last simulated orcs disappeared in a shower of glowing particles, leaving behind a few weapons and the remnants of the battle. The wind continued to blow across the summit, slowly carrying away the cloud of dust that still hung in the air.
Liam looked over the group.
"Is everyone okay?"
Several hunters nodded.
"I’m fine."
"Nothing serious."
"I’m still standing."
Liam sighed in relief.
However, not everyone seemed satisfied.
One of the hunters who had hired Robert Hanks clenched his fists.
"That damn bastard escaped!"
Another hunter shook his head.
"We paid him to protect us and help us climb the ranking! He was supposed to stay with us until the end!"
Emily crossed her arms.
"That’s your fault."
The man looked at her.
"What?"
"You paid someone like Robert Hanks to help you,"
Emily replied.
"What did you expect? From the beginning, he made it pretty clear that he didn’t care about anyone but himself."
"He broke the deal!"
Emily rolled her eyes.
"You made a deal with someone who considers everyone around him trash. He was even willing to attack other candidates just to climb the ranking."
Before the man could respond, a sharp sound echoed across the summit.
SLAP!
The young woman Emily had rescued earlier had just slapped him.
The hunter stared at her in disbelief.
"You..."
"Don’t complain about Robert escaping,"
she said coldly.
"You’re no better than him."
Her companions nodded.
"I still don’t understand how people like you can exist, thinking you can climb by stepping on everyone else."
"Exactly. This is supposed to be a selection to form squads. What’s the point of belonging to one if you can’t trust the people standing beside you?"
The hunters who had hired Robert lowered their heads.
"We’re sorry..."
"We shouldn’t have attacked you."
"We were just trying to survive the trial."
Carol crossed her arms.
"Well, I’m not helping you anymore."
The hunters looked at her.
"What?"
"You heard me."
Carol turned around.
"I’m not interested in working with people who are willing to throw others off a mountain just because they think they’re weaker."
Lydia returned to her human form beside Liam.
"What do you think?"
Liam remained silent for a few seconds.
"The second trial isn’t over yet."
Lydia raised an eyebrow.
"We might need help later."
Liam looked at the other hunters.
"But that decision isn’t up to us."
The young woman in the green suit looked at Liam.
He continued:
"They were the ones who were attacked. If they don’t want to work with them anymore, that’s their decision."
Chuck popped a bubble of gum.
POP!
Then he looked at the young man who had been beside him during the battle.
"And?"
The boy blinked.
"And what?"
"Do you forgive them?"
The young man stared at Chuck.
He tried to imitate him and blew his own bubble.
The bubble grew.
And then immediately stuck to his lips.
Chuck stared at him.
"You’re terrible at that."
The young man let out a small laugh.
"I can forgive them."
Then he looked at the hunters.
"But I wouldn’t team up with them again. I can’t trust people who are capable of betraying us."
The woman in the green suit nodded.
"I feel the same way."
Jordan crossed his arms.
"Then it’s settled."
He looked at the hunters who had hired Robert.
"We’ll split up here."
No one argued.
The group slowly began to separate.
Liam watched them for a few seconds.
’This trial really is about unity.’
It wasn’t just about fighting.
Nor was it simply about surviving.
Trust mattered.
And sometimes, knowing who not to work with was just as important as finding good teammates.
◇◆◇
Far away from that simulated mountain, five people sat inside an enormous observation room.
Dozens of screens covered the walls.
Each one displayed a different section of the simulated dungeon.
At the center of the room floated a massive holographic map that constantly updated as the candidates moved through the scenario.
Don Rouch leaned forward in his chair.
"There are some really interesting candidates this year."
He smiled.
"I didn’t expect to find this level of talent."
Wayne remained seated with his arms crossed.
"Some of them don’t surprise me too much."
His eyes moved across several of the screens.
"Though I do have my eyes on a few."
One screen showed Archie.
Another showed Liam and Lydia.
Wayne narrowed his eyes.
"Those two could fit into my squad quite well."
Tim was practically reclining in his chair.
"Then we should make things a little harder for them."
Wayne looked at him.
Tim smiled.
"That way, we’ll find out what they’re really made of."
Amber nodded.
"I agree."
She watched the different screens.
"I also have a few favorites."
Tim sat up slightly.
"If they only have to fight monsters, we’ll never know how they’ll react under pressure."
Don Rouch smiled.
"Are you suggesting we speed up the second trial?"
Tim shrugged.
"Something like that."
The woman sitting at the other end of the table finally stood up.
She wore a blue trench coat that reached almost to her knees. Her long white hair fell over her shoulders, standing out against the dark screens of the room.
She looked at the holographic map.
"Then it’s settled."
She picked up the communication device.
"James."
The instructor’s voice immediately answered.
"Yes, Miss Armstrong?"
"Activate the second phase of the second trial."
There was a brief silence.
"As you say, Miss Armstrong."
The woman sighed.
"I already told you."
A small smile appeared on her face.
"Just call me Jane. You don’t need to be so formal."
"Understood... Miss Jane."
James sounded almost uncomfortable saying her name.
Jane smiled.
"Much better."
She looked at the other sub-captains.
"Let’s see how they respond."
◇◆◇
Liam had barely finished sitting down when the ground began to shake.
RUMBLE.
The hunters immediately stood up.
"What was that?"
Another tremor shook the mountain.
RUMBLE.
Lydia looked toward the forest.
"It came from the direction Robert went."
Liam’s eyes widened.
"From the forest?"
Chuck jumped to his feet.
"You guys have to see this."
Everyone headed toward the edge of the mountain.
The trees in the distance began to move.
At first, Liam thought it was the wind.
But no...
The trees were rising.
They weren’t swaying.
They were rising.
The entire forest seemed to stretch toward the sky.
"What the hell...?"
Jordan stared at the scene.
"Now that’s crazy."
Another tremor passed through the terrain.
This time, the entire mountain vibrated beneath their feet.
Liam instinctively reached for his pistol.
’’Something’s coming.’’
A deep vibration passed through the air.
Then, the speakers hidden throughout the dungeon came to life.
James’s voice echoed across the entire scenario.
"Candidates."
Everyone froze.
"The final boss of the simulated dungeon has appeared."
The trees in the forest began to bend and break.
Something enormous was moving through them.
James continued:
"Defeat it to complete the second trial."