15 Welcome Party

The moment the melodious voice drifted into the ears of the youths who were still trying to adjust to their normal functionalities, they all had stunned expressions on their faces. Some of them also had an intoxicated look in their eyes.

Unlike the ringing sound from earlier, the feminine voice, instantly awakened them from their drowsy-like state. With their bodies rejuvenated, all the youths in the room had their eyes focused on the parted walls with a curious look on their faces. They wanted to know the identity of the mysterious person behind the wall.

Unlike the other youths, James had a somewhat frightened expression on his face. Because, the same moment he heard the feminine voice, something projected another voice into his mind. Saying, "Brat, this is my farewell gift to you. Don't forget about our bet. It will be a shame if you died here."

The reason James's demeanor changed after hearing the voice was because it was the same as the old man's. After his near death experience with the old bastard, he wanted nothing to do with him.

Just as the voice echoed in his mind, the system's notification followed.

<Ding>

Warning! Warning! Warning!

The user's Mana is undergoing subtle changes.

External Force detected in the user's subconscious!

Facial Modification has begun!

Effect; it is altering the facial features of the user!

I cannot detect any harmful side effect of his change!

The user's Level is too low to stop this change!

Estimated time until completion: 60 seconds!

<Ding>

'What?! Damn it! That Old bastard better pray I don't find him!' James cursed within his mind. While he cursed, his face slowly changed. With most of the youths focused on the opening between the walls, they did not notice this subtle change.

As the youths in the room waited, they could hear multiple footsteps from the dimly lit area behind the parted walls.

A few seconds later, everyone in the room had a stunned expression on their faces. Because, ten beautiful women made their way through the opening of the wall. Looking at these beauties, who had seductive bodies and a matching attractive face, it was easy for their natural beauty to mesmerize most people. They were all clad in an elegant pink dress which revealed a significant level of their milky white skin. They each looked identical to each other, it was as if the ten beautiful ladies were decuplets, and they packed their flowing blue hair into various hairdos. They had an oval face, with their eyes having the same color as the hair on their head. Even though they had a small and slightly raised nose, it perfectly complemented the smiles they had on their succulent looking lips, which were pink and a little red.

The only thing that would make one curious about them, was that all ten of them wore no footwear. Instead, different beautiful anklets decorated their ankles. It further made these beauties to have a mysterious and seductive appeal to the males within the room. While the young ladies in the room could not help but wonder how and why the ladies were so beautiful.

With everyone taken aback by the beauty of the ladies, they could hear the same melodious voice again. "Children, I welcome you to Kynar. My name is Noeny and these are my sisters. It's a pleasure to meet you all!"

The person who spoke, stood in front of the remaining nine beauties, as if she was their leader.

After hearing her voice, all the youths within the room had trance-like expressions on their faces, except James who had a somewhat stern and surprised expression on his face. The reason for this was because, right from the moment the voice of the young lady drifted into his years, the sound of the system's notification went off like an alarm in his mind.

<Ding>

Facial Modification Completed!

Scanning…

Scanning Completed!

Name: Noeny &???

Age: > 300 years.

Race: Sirens

Rank: No affinity for sorcery.

Path: Darkness.

Quantity: 10.

Warning! Warning! Waning!

Call of a Siren detected!

Name: A Siren's Call.

Effects: Ability to cause the user to lose all form of rational thinking.

The user's brain will become comprised if exposed to the Siren's Call for a prolonged period.

The user will enter a subjective trance-like state, while also losing control of all body functions.

System's recommendation: The user's hearing organ will be temporarily deactivate to counter the effects of the Siren's Call.

Will the user like to deactivate the hearing organ?

<Ding>

With a dumbfounded expression on his face, James read the system's notification. Although he had Blay De Tovar's memories in his head concerning some different races within the Continent of Skyhaven, he could not believe that the beauties who stood in front of him were the mythological creatures known as Sirens. Looking at his current face, it differed from his normal appearance. Apart from his eyes, hair, and ears; everything else looked different. With his facial bones somewhat rearranged, James had a rugged look which differed from his former innocent appearance.

Just like the other males within the room, the beauties of the ten young ladies also enthralled James. But, after reading the system's notification, he understood the reason for their beauty.

'System, deactivate it. Use Mana Manipulation to convert their words into letters. I want to read what they are saying,' James said via his mind. Seconds after he gave the order, he felt a ringing sound in his ears, and a deafening silence followed. But, just as his sense of sound vanished, there was a strange unnoticeable blue glow in his eyes. This blue glow resulted from the activation of the Skill - Mana Manipulation, and it converted any word spoken within the room into letters.

"Huh? Miss., where are we? Why are we all in this room? What and where is this Kynar?" a random youth asked. Like most of the youths, he had a confused and cautious expression on his face.

The moment the youth spoke out, it had a domino effect within the room, as several other people threw different questions to the ten beautiful ladies who maintained heart-warming smiles on their faces.

"Where are we? Where is my sister?"

"Father, Mother, where are you?!"

"Did you kidnap us? Who the hell are you people? Do you know who I am?!"

"Please, has anyone seen my sister?! Heather?! Where are you?!"

The room quickly descended into confusion as the youths asked various questions to the ten smiling beauties, while also being wary of one another. Since they wore different attires from various kingdoms and nations, the knowledgeable ones among them could spot the attires of those from the Black Lands and those from the Four Great Kingdoms. Even the youths from some smaller Kingdoms who neighbored each other or had conflicts, identified each other based on their clothing.

The moment the room was about to become too noisy, the ringing sound from earlier echoed for a second time. It caused all the youths within the room to hold their heads because they felt a painful headache from the sound. Unlike them, the ringing sound did not affect the ten beauties. The lady who stood in front of the other nine, motioned with her hand and the ringing sound in the room stopped. Before anyone within the room could react or say anything, the ten beautiful ladies spoke in unison, "Don't be afraid young ones, we mean you no harm. Please have your seat. We have Items to distribute to you all!"

With ten Sirens speaking together, their voice resonated within the room. Which caused the over two hundred youths to plummet to the floor like trained dogs as they each sat down without saying a word in response. Looking at the eyes of these youths at the moment, one would notice it looked cloudy.

The moment the youths sat on the floor, the young ladies who had radiant smiles on their faces step towards either side of the opening in the wall. On either side of the wall, five of them stared at the children with warm smiles on their faces. Seconds later, the sound of multiple footsteps echoed, and about thirty figures covered in black made their way into the room. The manner in which these figures walked was enough to send a soul inducing fear into the minds of these children if they were clear-headed. Just like the Sirens who all looked identical to each other, these figures who wore a skintight body suit had the same physique with each other and also walked the exact the same way. Their heads were bent in a strange forty-five degree position, as they tried to drag their awkwardly shaped legs. Their height of 6ft also contributed to their odd walking posture, and they strapped a small brown leather bag containing several black rings to their waist.

James who was sitting at a position that was facing the approaching figures, tried his best not to show any reaction on his face, because the system had already scanned their stats.

<Ding>

Scanning Completed!

Warning! Warning! Warning!

Man-Eating Trolls detected!

Rank: Unevolved.

Path: Darkness.

Quantity: 30.

<Ding>

As James read through the system's notification, the urge to kill the old man grew wilder and wilder in his heart. All he wanted was to find a way out of the Island, he wanted nothing to do with a monster's paradise. The moment these Trolls appeared into the room, they spread themselves out. Just like that, the trolls dipped their big hands into the bag hanging on their waist to retrieve a black ring. In the next moment, they placed these rings on the fingers of the youths closest to them, which caused the bodies of the youths to tremble slightly, before the ring magically disappeared into the fingers of these youths. Throughout the process, the youths still had smiling expressions on their faces as they stared at the ten beautiful Sirens.

'System, can those rings!' James said. Cold sweat was already forming on his forehead.

<Ding>

Scanning…

Scanning Completed!

Name: Odon Alloy Rings.

Effects: This is a metal gotten from bathing a mid-grade metal into the Odon Seas for an extended period.

It will place a parasitic Mana in the user's Mana Output - to be triggered at any point.

The user will become temporarily weakened if it's activated!

Prolonged exposure will lead to the user losing control over mental functions, enabling mental reformation.

Limitations: The user's level is too low to stop the effects of this Item.

<Ding>

With the system telling he could not prevent the inevitable, James heart thumped furious as he considered if he should make a run for it. From the system's notification, he already knew that the effects of the Odon Alloy Ring was not something he would like to experience. Especially the part that side he would lose control over his mental functions, making him vulnerable for brainwashing.

Although the thought of running entered his mind, James discarded it. Because, he was certain that the Trolls and Sirens were not the real mastermind. Instead of fleeing, he racked his brain to find a solution to his predicament. Because, the ring allocation was only ten heads away from reaching his turn. While all these was happening, James had to make sure he maintained the same ridiculous expression the other youths had on their faces.

By the time it was four heads away from his turn, the Troll handling his section of the room was about to give the ring to a fair skinned boy who looked as if he was only 16 years old.

He wore a traditional attire, which resembled a Kimono, and he also wore a pair of leather sandals. Observing his face, one would notice that he had a short blue hair on his head, which contrasted with the brown color of his eyes. Although he was not handsome, he was not ugly too. However, he had a sturdy physique, with a height of almost 5ft while seated. One could only imagine how tall he would be if he stood up on his feet. Just like everyone else within the room, he also had a ridiculous expression on his face, but if one were to look closely, they would notice that there was a tinge of clarity in his eyes.

Just like James, this young man was pretending to be under the call of the Sirens. The moment the troll appeared in front of the young man to place the ring on his fingers, an amazing happened within the room. In a ruthless and brutal manner, the young man launched a fierce punch towards the chest of the Troll which caused a loud wheezing sound to reverberate within the room. As it flew, it sprayed a greenish substance on the hypnotized youths in its path.

Surprised by the fist, it sent the Troll flying while its incoherent, loud, cries reverberated in the room. The punch from the sitting giant, was so vicious and powerful that it sent the Troll flying 40m away. The reason the troll only stopped at the 40m mark, was because the bodies of some youths broke its fall. As for the young man who assaulted the troll, he was already on his feet. Measuring his height, the young man stood at a staggering height of 12ft.

The moment he got on his feet, he made his way towards the parted walls of the room, staring at the beautiful Sirens with a fierce look in his eyes. As if he was saying, they would meet the same fate if they stopped him.

Because the other Trolls spread themselves within the room, none of them could react in time. Even the Sirens at the door, did nothing to stop the young man, allowing him to pass through the opening in the walls.

When the Trolls wanted to pursue the giant, the melodious voice of the siren named Noeny echoed, "Leave him alone and get back to work. We have little time left."

Although they hesitated, the Trolls heeded the command of the Siren as they went back to distribute the Odon Alloy Rings.

As for the beaten Troll, its haggard breathing and loud coughing echoed within the room. Ignoring its injuries, it tried to get back on its feet to continue distributing the rings. Meanwhile, James had a somewhat stunned expression on his face, because he did not expect that someone else within the room still had their sanity.

'That giant is an idiot. Does he really think they will let him go just like that? What an idiot!' James mused.

He was happy he did not escape too, because of the indifferent way in which the siren reacted after the attack.

James was sure that things would not end well for the giant. But, James was grateful towards the giant, because his act of stupidity bought him more time to figure out a way he could avoid the effects of the Odon Alloy Ring.

Just as James entered a pondering demeanor, a horrifying scream echoed from the parted wall. Accompanied with several sickening growls of what sounded like Monsters. James did not need to be a genius to know that the miserable scream came from the giant. Meanwhile, the faces of the Sirens were radiant the moment the screams of the young man drifted into their ears. Even the Troll the giant attacked became rejuvenated the moment the screams of the young man entered its ears, and in a limping manner, it made its way to its assigned section of the room.

A few minutes later, the Troll handling James's section was placing the ring on the fingers of a young girl who sat beside him. James had an unnoticeable gleam of anticipation within his eyes while he communicated with the system.

'System, once the Troll place the ring on my fingers, send it into my inventory. Use Mana Manipulation to mimic the reaction of the others,' James said.

Just as James gave the order, the Troll stood in front of him. Just like everyone else, the Troll placed the ring on James's middle finger on his right hand. Waiting a little to confirm the ring's merger with its host, the Troll stood in front of James and religiously watched the ring disappear into his finger. Only then, did the Troll move to the next person. Leaving James who had a smile that was not a smile on his face, as he stared in the same bamboozled manner as the others.

About twenty minutes, they placed the last ring on the finger of the last youth within the room, which caused the awkwardly walking Trolls to depart the room.

The moment they left, Noeny's melodious voice echoed again, "Children, please follow me."

The moment she finished speaking, all the youths who were sitting on the floor, got up on their feet as they made their way out of the room, with Noeny and her sisters leading them. With the call of the siren active, the sirens did not even bother to check the youths as they walked. If they had paid attention to all the youths, they would have noticed that over five of them were clear headed.

At the other side of the room, was a cave like structure that looked as if it had no end. The cave also had no source of lighting, but there were strange insects hanging on the ceiling of the cave which partially illuminated it with a red glow.

With no form of obstruction on their way, the youths and the sirens walked within the maze-like cave for over 10 minutes. Each time the effects of the Siren's Call was about to wane, Noeny or one of her sisters would say a random statement to make sure the youths did not awaken. When they were 15 minutes away from the room, James who had his night vision mode activated, had a slight smile on his face as he saw blood scattered on the walls of the path they were taking.

James did not need to guess who owned the blood, because he knew it belonged to the giant. The only thing that surprised him was how the giant could get that far away in a minute. James now understood why the giant did what he did. If he could cover a distance that took fifteen minutes worth of time in less than a minute, he too would also be confident of his chances of survival.

As James walked through the wet cave which had a damp air, the system's notification suddenly went off in his mind.

<Ding>

Warning! Warning! Warning!

Monster detected above the user!

Name: Mud Slime.

Rank: Evolved.

Level: 6

Path: Darkness.

Odd of the user eliminating the target: 0.00007%

<Ding>

Reading the system's notification, James's heart thumped while he tried to control his breathing. A level 6 monster was on the same rank with someone like Blay De Tovar he met back in the town of Boar. With such odds of victory, James was not stupid enough to give away any signs he was lucid. As long as the Sirens were not bringing them over to serve as snacks for the Monster, James was not prepared to take any actions. With the system's notification, James understood what killed the giant.

James did not even dare to stare at the ceiling of the cave. From his perspective, it was not his business if the monster was relaxing there. If the worst-case scenario should happen, he would use the body of the other youths as meat shields to preserve his own life. Was it cruel? Most definitely, did James care? Not at all.

While James did not stare at the ceiling of the cave, a young girl among the over 200 youths stared at the ceiling of the cave with a blank expression on her face. What she was staring at was unknown and whether she was lucid was also unknown, but hanging on the ceiling of the cave was a dirty brown gelatinous creature, who was amoebic. It had no form or facial features or body features, it was just a massive blob of what looked like mud. But within this mud, if one were to stare closely enough, they would notice a lifeless body, which was already decomposing a terrifying rate.

Most of the facial features of the corpse had already decomposed, but from the decomposing traditional attire the corpse wore, one could tell that the corpse belonged to the giant from earlier. Just like an antigen being devoured by Phagocytic cells, the body of the giant was also decomposing within the monster.

After making several twists and turns along the way, and walking for thirty minutes, James could see the light at the end of the cave which made him relived.

"Children, please go on. The Caretakers will handle the rest, it was a pleasure to meet you all," Noeny said with a radiant smile on her face, while she and her sisters made way for the youths to move ahead.

'System, can I take possession of the Sirens?' James asked.

<Ding>

Warning! Warning! Warning!

Item - Damned Soul, cannot leave the inventory right now. Because, several monsters will feed on them!

Will the user like to use the Item - Damned soul?

<Ding>

'Monster's who feed on souls? What the hell! System, forget about it! Can you detect any danger ahead?' James asked. However, he could not believe monsters who ate souls existed.

<Ding>

I cannot detect anything because of barrier!

The user's Level is too low to scan through the barrier!

<Ding>

James did not even bother to respond. Hearing about his low level was becoming boring to him, it was not his fault he was weak.

Meanwhile, the youths went ahead of Noeny and her sisters, with their destination, the other side of the cave.

The moment the last of the youths went pass the Sirens, they could hear a loud rumbling noise within the cave. Because, a large wall dropped from the ceiling of the cave to separate the youth and the Sirens. At that moment, all the youths regained their lucidity, while staring at each other with a stunned expression on their faces. The last thing they could remember was awakening in the room from earlier, they did not know how they got to the cave. The more fragile ones among them, cried. All of them were trying to find answers to what was going on which caused the cave to be rowdy.

However, the quick witted ones among them and those who were awake during the ordeal quietly moved towards the exit of the cave. Their actions naturally caused a domino effect within the room, which caused those who were crying and shouting to mimic their actions. No one wanted to remain within the darkness.

Because they had been walking in the darkness for over forty minutes, these youths could not help but squint their eyes when a radiant light assaulted it. Because of this, none of them could observe their new surroundings. A few breaths worth of time later, some youths opened their eyes to observe what was on the other side of the cave and what they saw left stunned and confused. The reason for this, was because they were standing in what looked like a massive gladiator arena. The only thing that differentiated it from that, was that there were no stands for a viewing audience. Apart from that, everything else was identical to a coliseum.

"Where are we?" a random youth said within the crowd.

"Hello! Why did you bring us here?" another random youth said.

"Who the hell do you people think you are? I'm the crown prince of Pavoa, I demand to see the person in charge!" a luxuriously clothed youth said, with a pompous look on his face.

"Heather! Heather! Where are you? It's me Tiana! Where are you?" a young lady said as she sobbed.

Just like that, the coliseum entered a somewhat frenzied state as all the youths were asking questions while also expecting to answers at the same time. There were also others who were searching for their loved ones within the crowd, but unfortunately for them, they were all disappointed. Unlike most of the youths, James stood in place drawing no attention to himself. With the Sirens departing, he told the system to reactive his hearing organs. But, he wished he hadn't done so. Because of the level of noise assaulting his ears. Although he was also curious about the identity of those behind the grand charade, he did not behave like the others.

With the level of the noise increasing by the second, some youths tried to attack the huge walls of the coliseum which had a staggering height of 20ft. But, before anyone of them could do anything, a ringing sound reverberated in their heads, which caused all the youths to plummet to their knees, with a pained expression on their faces.

At that same moment, they could see three figures clad in a white and black mage's robes standing at the place which usually belonged to the emperor when watching a match at a coliseum.

The moment they appeared, a thunderous voice reverberated into the ears of all the youths, "Welcome to Kynar! Today marks the end of your former lives as nobodies. Rejoice, because you have the choice to be reborn today. Forget about what and who you once were. Forget about what small kingdom or allied kingdom or great kingdom you came from, whether you're from the Black Lands has no meaning in Kynar. This is a paradise for everyone, in this place we will help all of you hone your precious talents. By the time you spend a year here, you will not even remember the miserable life you once had. My name is Bronwyn, Caretaker in Kynar. On behalf of everyone, I welcome you all to Kynar!"

Looking at the middle-aged man who had just spoken, one would notice that he had a somewhat handsome face, which had a long black goatee hanging on his chin. He had beady eyes which made him look like a typical shady businessman, while the hood of his mage's robes covered his hair. The two men beside him, were more handsome and younger than this man. Just like him, they also had long goatees hanging on their chins, but unlike Bronwyn, theirs were a mixture of white and black. Unlike Bronwyn, they had amiable and trustworthy looks on their faces as they smiled towards the confused youths.

"Kynar?! What nonsense are you saying?! I never asked to be here! Let me out!" a young man who looked as if he was only 18years old shouted.

"Where is my sister?! We don't want this! Please let us go! I beg of you, we have to see our parents!" the young lady who had been looking for her sister also shouted.

"Bastards! Who asked to be reborn in your Kynar?! Do you think you can get away with kidnapping the crown prince of the allied Kingdom of Pavoa?! When my father find out about this, you are all dead!" the luxuriously clothed young man said, while sporting a furious expression on his handsome face.

Just like that, other people in the crowd shouted towards the three figures who still maintained smiles on their faces, which further incensed the youths.

With tensions rising, they could hear the voice of the luxuriously clothed prince again, "Everyone, my name is Rowan! I'm sure you already know my status, so there is no need to beat around the bush! These men have kidnapped us, with unknown intentions. They have separated you from your families and friends, just to fulfill a useless fantasy of being reborn. From the words they have said so far, it is possible to determine that they are heretics. I know that there are people of the path of Darkness and that of the righteous Light here, but we must put aside all differences and work together. They are the common enemy, we must stand and fight together as one, if we want to escape this place!"

Speaking in a loud and intimidating voice, it drew the attention of the other youths within the coliseum. Many of them had pondering expressions on their faces, as they listened to the analyzed the content of his words. Meanwhile, James wanted to die of laughter, because he knew that there was no way any youth could take the men standing in the podium. When Bronwyn gave his speech earlier, James tasked the system to scan him and the other two men beside him. When James got the result of the system's scan, he had a wryly smile on his face. Because, the weakest among them was a Level 34 sorcerer, while the strongest was Bronwyn who was a level 37 sorcerer. They were all in the journeyman rank, yet some Apprentice and Student Ranked sorcerers wanted to take them on.

Just like James the three Journeyman ranked sorcerers were laughing in their minds at the thought of the youths fighting against them. From their perspective, it was like hundreds of new cubs teaming up together to fight the leader of a pride.

"Let's support him, I'm sure no one wants to remain in this Kynar," a young man said.

"I'll support you. I don't want them to initiate me into any cult," A young lady said, while sporting a determined expression on her face.

Just like that, some youths threw their support for Rowan, who had a slight smile on his face.

With over 190 of the youths supporting him, Rowan turned around to face Bronwyn. "You did not expect this, right? Enough of your useless games! If you don't let us leave. You can't blame us for being ruthless. As the crown prince of…" before Rowan could finish his statement, Bronwyn interrupted him. "Child, do you really want to leave?" he asked.

Rowan stared back at him with an expression on his face that suggested he was looking at a retard.

"Don't say stupid words, can't you see that none of us want to be here?! If..." Just like before, Bronwyn interjected again. "Hmmm... If you want to be a part of Kynar please step forward. If you have no interest in Kynar, please remain where you are. We will send you home after identifying those who want to be with us. Please you have 5 minutes to make your decision," he said.

Hearing his words, most of the youths had stunned expressions on their faces. Seconds later, they screamed with joy. They all crowded Rowan to thank him for speaking up for them, although rowan had a smile on his face, he became alert because of how easy Bronwyn conceded.

With a celebratory mood in the air, a lanky young man faced Bronwyn as he spoke in a mocking voice. "Do you think anybody in that right mind will choose to..." Before the young man could finish his statement, the next turn of events left him tongue tied. Because, he saw James walking towards the designated spot Bronwyn pointed out earlier. Just as he wanted to curse James, some other youths also followed in James's footsteps, which confused the others who remained on the same spot.

"What the hell are you guys doing? Were you guys Kynar moles?!" The lanky youth barked at James and the others. Forty youths already stood at the assigned spot, and none of them bothered to look at the lanky young man. They all focused their attention on Bronwyn.With the casual way they ignored the lanky youth, the remaining youths who remained on the same spot suspected that they were Kynar moles, which caused them to hurl insults towards them.

Meanwhile, Rowan who remained in the same position, had a dangerous sense of foreboding in his heart.

"You guys, don't let this people deceive you. Have you ever heard of a place called Kynar? Isn't it clear that these guys are members of a secret cult? Why do you want to waste your lives like this?" Rowan said as he walked towards the spot James and the others stood.

Seeing Rowan moving to the other side, they could hear the voice of the lanky youth, "Prince Rowan, the five minutes period will soon be up. Don't waste your time trying to convince these heretics. Leave them to their Kynar!"

"What kind of prince will I be, if I can't save these heretics?" Rowan retorted as he inched closer and closer to the others with a concerned look on his face.

Hearing his words, it touched the people on the people on the -Leaving Side, that Rowan would go that far for strangers.

Meanwhile, Bronwyn and the two other men just watched what was happening without saying a word.

"Please listen, don't lose hope yet. We can still leave this place. There is only 50 seconds left, if you have nowhere to return I'll take you to the Allied Kingdom of Pavoa. Don't waste your lives," Rowan said in a pleading voice. Meanwhile, the others on the Leaving side shouted to Rowan to leave the heretics alone since the time limit was almost up, but Rowan did not respond as he continued to try his best to convince the others.

When the 5 minutes limit exhausted, they could hear Bronwyn's voice again. "The five minutes time limit is up. I feel sad that only 41 people want to remain in Kynar. A promise is a promise, the rest of you will go home now," he said.

The moment he finished speaking, the three men made strange incantations in an inaudible voice while making strange handle symbols. Although most of the youths on the Leaving side felt bad for Rowan that he remained on the Staying side, they could not help but Jump in joy the moment they heard Bronwyn's words. Meanwhile, the youths on the Staying side focused their attention towards those who were jumping in joy at the Leaving side.

The moment the men on the podium finished their incantations, they could hear Bronwyn shouting, "Activate!"

While is voice echoed, all the youths on the Leaving side plummeted to their knees with a dazed expression on their faces, and a look of confusion followed. In that same instant, the body of a young girl who looked only 15 years of age, swelled to five times its normal size. Before anyone could react, a loud explosion echoed. Followed by blood, body fluids, human meat and bones splashing in different directions.

The eyes of some 41 youths on the Staying side nearly bulged out of the sockets, as they stared in disbelief. As for those who were kneeling on the Leaving side, mortal terror gripped their hearts. And, their faces distorted in terror. They wanted to talk, but they were too weak to do so. They did not know want happened to them. Seconds after the young girl exploded into a chunk of meat and blood, a young boy of almost 14 years of age was next to swell up to an inhuman size, and a terrifying explosion followed.

Doom and gloom replaced the former joyous mood in the Leaving side. The blood of the exploded young girl and boy bathed the bodies of the kneeling youths. Some of them had already soiled themselves, while the others vomited. Within seconds, the nauseating smell of fresh blood, human flesh, gut juice, vomit, urine, and excrement pervaded the air. Rowan who was watching the fear inducing scene, could not help but vomit while thanking his lucky stars he came to the Staying side. Just like him, most of the 41 youths on the Staying side puked out their livers.

Seconds after the young boy died, the lanky young man from earlier had a petrified expression on his face as his body swelled. Seconds later, the young man looked like someone who was suffering from a serious case of obesity. Just like the others, he exploded too, and the blood, meat, limbs and severed head of the young man rained down on the others.

The head of the young man rolled to the spot where Rowan stood, which caused him to have a pale expression on his face.

Tears mixed in with blood poured out of the eyes of those kneeling on the ground, because they all knew that they had made the biggest mistakes of their lives. From the manner in which the kneeling youths were being eliminated, James knew that Bronwyn and the other men wanted to set an example.

From the system's notification, James already knew the effects of the Odon Alloy Ring, he knew that it was possible to kill all of them at once, without resulting to such theatrics. The act of making the kneeling youths guess who would be next was a psychological torture on its own. From James's point of view, the men wanted him and the others to understand what will happen if they refused to cooperate.

A few minutes later, it was the turn of the last of the 189 kneeling youths, who was a young girl bathed in blood so thick she looked as if she was an existence made from blood. Just like the others, this young girl also swelled up, before exploding like a pricked balloon.

With the death of the young lady, the survivors could hear Bronwyn's voice again, "On behalf of the Caretakers Committee, I welcome you all to Kynar! I hope you all enjoyed the welcoming party? Since those lovely children have gone home, it is time to..." Before he could finish his statement, Rowan interjected. "Demons! How could you do this to children?! You promised to send them home, but you brutally murdered them! Demons!" Rowan said.

With no changes to his facial expression, Bronwyn looked at the enraged Rowan with a smile on his face, "Rowan, right? It seems you lost track of time earlier. Will you like to leave or stay? Consider this as an apology to you," Bronwyn said.

The moment Rowan heard Bronwyn's words, his reaction was akin to that of a deflated balloon which caused Bronwyn to chuckle. "Oh? You will stay with us then? Wonderful. Children please make your way to the reception. A feast awaits you," Bronwyn said while trying his best not to laugh.

The moment he finished his statement, a section of the walls of the coliseum rumbled violently, while revealing a small tunnel within the parted walls.

"How can you threaten a Prince... Do you.." Before Rowan could finish his statement, James tapped him slightly as he said "Give it a rest prince. If you shout from now till eternity, those people are not coming back. Hahahaha... You should not be playing the innocent act in front of us. Do you think we are all retarded? Hahahaha.." James said while shaking his head.

With a fierce look in his eyes, Rowan rebuked James as he said, "what do you mean? Do you think I'm a coward like you? I only came here to convince the rest of..." Just like before, someone interrupted Rowan again. But, this time it was by a young lady. "Why didn't you take up the caretakers offer then? Why did you have to walk all the way to this side to convince us, when you could have stood there and said all you wanted to say? It's not as if we can't hear or see you. Like the kid with the red hair said, we are not retarded. Go play your game of innocence with the people who are lying over there," she said while pointing towards the messy pool of blood.

After she pointed towards the pool of blood, this young lady walked towards the opening in the coliseum's walls, without bothering herself with Rowan. Just like her, most of the other youths still alive did not even bother to glance at Rowan.

They wondered why James and the young lady even bothered to talk to him, they all knew what he was. The caretakers knew what he did and Rowan, himself knew what he did. Hence, there was no need to waste words on the topic.

James did not even bother to face Rowan after he finished his statement, neither did he bother to listen to his reply or that of the young girl. The only reason he tapped Rowan earlier, was because he found a new Exp farm. Judging from the reaction of the other 40 youths, James knew that they must have faced different trials to have sharp senses. As for the welcoming feast, Bronwyn talked about, it already filled James's mind with expectations, because he knew people like Bronwyn very much.