Chapter 124: The Trial of Judgment [2]
"The third test begins..."
James’s words still seemed to echo through the air.
The wind continued to blow across the dirt, kicking up small clouds of dust that made it difficult to see. The sky remained covered in dark clouds, and every now and then, a distant rumble made the air tremble slightly.
But that wasn’t what kept all the aspirants frozen in place.
It was the civilians.
Men and women were scattered around the different groups. Some had visible injuries. Others were lying on the ground, unable to even stand.
And they all looked far too real.
Emily looked at the others with a frown.
"What are we supposed to do?"
Chuck brought a hand to his mouth and continued chewing his gum.
"Didn’t you hear him? We have to find the dungeon core. Once someone destroys it, the test ends."
Emily shook her head.
"I already know that."
Then she pointed toward the civilians.
"I mean them."
Chuck stopped chewing for a moment.
He looked at the injured people, then back at Emily.
"Oh..."
It seemed like he’d only just realized the problem.
One of the men was sitting on the ground, clutching his abdomen as he struggled to breathe.
A woman, meanwhile, was leaning against a rock. She had a massive open wound on one of her arms. Blood covered part of her clothes and slowly dripped onto the ground.
Carol looked at the wound with a serious expression.
"Should we protect them?"
Liam looked at the woman.
At first glance, the wound looked real.
He could even see her breathing becoming heavier by the second.
But he knew perfectly well that it wasn’t.
Those people had been created by the simulation.
They weren’t real civilians. They couldn’t actually die.
So why did everything feel so real?
[Call.]
The system chat appeared before his eyes.
[Lydia: Liam...]
’Yes?’
[Lydia: Do you want me to use Healing’s Growth to heal them?]
Liam remained silent as he looked at the woman again.
She gritted her teeth, trying to endure the pain.
Maybe Lydia could heal them.
But...
Did it make sense to do so?
They were simulations.
If they spent energy and time healing every civilian, they might be wasting resources they would need later.
However...
James had been quite clear.
The third test would judge the decisions they made.
Both as a team...
And individually.
Liam narrowed his eyes.
’Is this exactly what they want us to decide?’
Before he could answer Lydia, a mocking voice interrupted his thoughts.
"What a waste of time."
Robert Hanks was standing several yards away.
The famous lone hunter adjusted his rifle over his shoulder as he looked at the civilians with an expression of disdain.
"Are you seriously going to waste your time worrying about simple holograms?"
Robert let out a small laugh.
"I’m not going to."
Without waiting for a response, he turned around and started running.
Straight toward the horizon.
"Hey!"
Emily looked at him in surprise.
Robert didn’t even bother responding.
Duncan Steel watched him disappear into the distance, his brow slightly furrowed.
"I don’t understand why that guy took off like that."
Ivy didn’t seem to understand either.
"He didn’t even stop to think."
From another side, Carl, who had already recovered a good portion of his energy, let out a laugh.
"Because he doesn’t care about anyone else."
Carl crossed his arms.
"That guy is incredibly strong, there’s no denying that."
His smile turned mocking.
"But he’s an idiot."
Chuck gave him a thumbs-up.
"I agree."
Then he popped another piece of gum into his mouth.
"That guy is an idiot."
Liam couldn’t help but smile slightly.
It was hard to argue with them.
However, before he could say anything...
"Aaaah!"
A scream came from a few yards away.
Everyone immediately turned around.
Another scream echoed.
Then another.
The sounds seemed to be coming from different directions.
Jordan stopped eating his chips for a moment.
"Uh..."
He looked around.
"It doesn’t look like we’re alone with these civilians."
Liam’s expression hardened.
The screams continued.
Some of the civilians began crying, while others desperately tried to stand.
One of them crawled toward the group and extended a trembling hand.
"Please..."
His voice was filled with fear.
"Don’t leave us alone."
Liam stared at him.
The man had dirt on his face, his clothes were torn, and his body was trembling.
"Please... be careful."
He pointed toward the distance.
"Those creatures are very dangerous."
A chill ran down Liam’s spine.
’This is too real.’
It wasn’t just their appearance.
It was their gestures.
Their voices.
Their fear.
Their pain.
Everything had been recreated perfectly.
James had said the civilians weren’t real, but that didn’t mean they were irrelevant.
Liam looked up at the cloudy sky and remembered James’s words.
The sub-captains would be watching their decisions.
Not just who found the core.
Not just who defeated the boss.
Their decisions.
’These civilians aren’t here by chance.’
Liam clenched his fists.
There was something he couldn’t get out of his head.
If James wanted to put them in a difficult situation...
Then he had surely placed the civilians there specifically to force them to choose.
Search for the core.
Or protect them.
Perhaps both were possible.
But someone had to make a decision.
Liam took a deep breath.
’Lydia.’
[Lydia: Yes?]
’Don’t use Healing’s Growth yet.’
[Lydia: Understood, honey.]
Liam looked at everyone in his group.
"Listen."
Everyone turned their attention toward him.
"Don’t worry about finding the dungeon core."
Emily’s eyes widened.
"What?"
Liam smiled.
"Leave that to the other groups."
He pointed toward the civilians.
"We’re going to do something just as important."
His expression became serious.
"Or maybe even more important."
Liam took a step toward the wounded.
"We’re going to protect the civilians."
Chuck let out a laugh.
"Ha."
Liam looked at him.
Chuck smiled.
"I’m not surprised you made that decision."
Some of the hunters Liam had helped during the second test exchanged glances.
One of them looked like he wanted to say something, but ultimately remained silent.
Duncan Steel, however, spoke directly.
"It’s interesting that you decided to do that."
Duncan looked at Liam with interest.
"Why?"
Liam shrugged.
"I think this is part of the third test."
Duncan raised an eyebrow slightly.
"The civilians?"
"Yes."
Liam pointed toward the wounded woman.
"James said our decisions would be judged. And these civilians were placed here for a reason."
He looked at the others.
"I think we need to protect them. Try to keep them out of harm’s way until we can help them get out of the dungeon."
Ivy crossed her arms.
"That sounds pretty reasonable."
Then she looked toward the horizon.
"But if we don’t go after the core, how are we supposed to complete the dungeon?"
Liam smiled.
"I think we’re thinking too much about who has to complete the dungeon."
Ivy fell silent.
Liam continued.
"This is about teamwork."
He pointed toward the other groups, which were beginning to move away in different directions.
"Not about being the one who lands the final blow on the boss and completes the dungeon."
Chuck smiled.
Liam knew perfectly well that they weren’t the only aspirants in this mission.
"If we know we’re not the only ones in this mission..."
He looked toward the other groups.
"And we trust the other hunters and their abilities..."
His smile grew slightly wider.
"At some point, someone else will find the core and complete the dungeon."
Liam looked back at the civilians.
"In the meantime, it’s also important to protect them."
Duncan remained silent.
Ivy watched Liam for a few seconds.
Finally, a small smile appeared on her face.
"I understand."
Emily lightly tapped her fist against her palm.
"Then we’re staying."
Jordan pulled out another bag of chips.
"Sounds good to me."
Chuck straightened up.
"Guess we’ve got work to do."
Liam looked at Lydia.
She was still holding his hand.
"I’m with you."
Liam smiled.
But then...
BOOOOM.
A thunderous roar shook the sky.
Everyone looked up.
The wind began to blow harder.
Dust rose from the ground, partially covering the horizon.
Liam narrowed his eyes.
There was something out there in the distance.
Through the clouds of dust.
Shadows.
One.
Two.
Three...
No.
There were many more.
They were moving quickly.
And they were getting closer.
The hunters took combat stances.
Emily prepared her hands.
Carol grabbed one of the materials from her belt.
Chuck stopped chewing.
Jordan put his bag of chips away.
And Liam slowly reached for his pistol.
The civilians began screaming.
One of them desperately pointed toward the shadows.
"Here they come!"
His face was completely pale.
"Those are the monsters that attacked us!"
The shadows continued approaching.