Chapter 90: The Trial Begins
“I said come out, you bastards!” The 51st participant’s frustrated shout echoed across the open clearing. “Do you know what I went through to get here? Huh? Do you think only your time matters? What about mine?” the man yelled at Delilah, who hadn’t even shown up yet.
His courage seemed to resonate with the other disqualified participants.
“That’s right! There’s no basic decency here! I’d understand if we were late, but we weren’t!”
“At least give us a proper explanation! Bringing us all this way just for this?”
“Just because you’re a ranker doesn’t mean you can act like this!”
Complaints erupted from those who missed the cut. Honestly, I understood their frustration. They had every reason to complain because if I were in their position, I’d be furious, too.
However, I had made it into the first 50, so I had no intention of standing up for them. They were supposed to be my competitors after all.
Tsk, this is why you should’ve gotten here earlier.
I silently clicked my tongue, grateful to the White Swine for arranging my transportation with more than an hour to spare.
“That’s right!”
“Come out! Face us and explain yourselves!”
“We’re not leaving without an answer!”
As the voices of the disqualified contestants grew louder, someone appeared out of thin air.
—Whoosh.
It was a robust man dressed sharply in black dress pants and a crisp white shirt. At his waist hung an unadorned sword, and his low, steady gaze burned with a red intensity.
—Murmur.
The moment he arrived, murmuring spread throughout the crowd.
“W-Wait, that’s...?”
“Red eyes? He has red eyes!”
“Could it be Lucas, the Red-Eyed Arcane Swordsman?”
“The Arcane Swordsman is here?”
I also widened my eyes at the sight.
The Red-Eyed Arcane Swordsman? Of course, I knew who he was. He was a world-renowned figure, after all, a ranker from France who ranked 25th globally. With classically handsome European looks, he was a hunter with a vast fan base.
“Silence.” Lucas glared at the disqualified participants, his voice icy. “Accept the results and leave.”
Wow. I was impressed.
I wondered if all high-rankers had skills like “Speaking Impressively” or “Making Everything Sound Cool.” His words were impactful, powerful, and commanding. It was natural for the disqualified non-rankers to shrink away.
A few spat on the ground and turned to leave.
Of course they have to.
If Lucas the Arcane Swordsman said scram, they had no other choice but to leave. Getting into a fight or resisting would only hurt them.
However, the 51st participant—the one who arrived a moment too late—refused to back down. “Ha, Lucas the Arcane Swordsman? Just because you’re a ranker, you think you can do whatever you want?”
“...Stop causing a scene and get lost.”
“So you’re just going to tell me to leave with no explanation? Do you know whose recommendation I came here on? Huh?”
Ah. He pulled out the magic phrase, “Do you know who I am?” This phrase was often used to force submission by flaunting one’s status or connections.
However, such things wouldn’t work on a ranker like Lucas.
“I don’t care who you are.” He didn’t flinch. “This is the final warning. If you don’t want to die, turn around. Return to your country.” His tone was flat but menacing. Lucas’ hand moved slightly to rest on his sword’s hilt.
The 51st participant flinched.
“Hah.” He let out a hollow laugh. “You’re no different from a gang of thugs, huh? Delilah from America? Just because her country’s a superpower, does she think she can act like this? These big shots with hidden schemes are all the same. Restricting information with some kind of system lock and inviting us to some curry-stinking place like this...”
“...”
—Shing!
Lucas drew his sword from its sheath. No more words. Was he really planning to cut him down without a second thought?
“Screw it, I’m leaving. I’m going! This is disgusting!” The 51st participant finally surrendered.
He made the right choice. No matter how mouthy he was, there was nothing he could do in the face of real power. This world was built on the survival of the fittest, and the strong made the rules. That was one of the reasons I wanted to become a ranker.
At least he’s not completely foolish.
To qualify for this trial, he must’ve been a fairly capable hunter. It seemed he had enough intelligence to back down.
As the rejected participant walked away in frustration, Lucas turned his gaze toward us and began to speak. “I understand you may have complaints about the trial.”
“...”
At that moment, a message appeared in the air, similar to those that popped up upon entering dungeons.
—Ring!
[Stage: Delilah’s Trial]
[Delilah is generating a dungeon.]
[The dungeon will be greatly compacted.]
[Time inside the dungeon will flow more slowly.]
[Accumulate ‘Trial Points’ by completing themed tasks prepared by Delilah.]
[Trial points are directly related to your eventual completion and rewards.]
[Current trial points: 0]
Trial points?
And on top of that, the dungeon would be greatly compacted? Time would flow more slowly?
As I hurriedly scanned the messages...
“Now then,” Lucas said, “good luck.”
—Flash!
My vision was consumed by a blinding light.
[Entering the Dungeon.]
“...”
That was amazing. How could someone capable of creating dungeons and projecting system messages really be just a mere hunter? This led me to think, Could Delilah be creating every dungeon in existence?
Anyway, the scene around me felt unfamiliar. The field was a tropical rainforest. Trees, dense foliage, and rocks filled the area.
I scanned my surroundings and realized that all fifty participants in the trial were here with me.
“...What is this? They said there would be a judge, but they just threw us into a dungeon.”
“We didn’t even get the mission of the dungeon. All it said was to collect trial points...”
“What could trial points be?”
Hunters around me murmured. Some were huddling in small groups, discussing the situation. Others stood alone, calmly observing.
“Hey, Hoon?”
It was Olena, the woman from Ukraine, who had spoken up next to me.
“We chatted a bit while waiting. How about teaming up?”
“Hey, Hoon! There you are.”
“Seems like we should stick together.”
James and Capu joined us, looking relieved at the chance to form a team.
Not surprising.
The Arcane Swordsman had said himself that killing each other was permitted. In an unfamiliar trial where anything could happen, being alone could mean becoming a target.
I also think going with a team is better than going solo.
So I nodded. “Sure, let’s stick together.”
That didn’t mean I fully trusted them. This was just a mutually beneficial relationship—using each other for our own gains.
Of course, if things go well, we might become real allies.
The Five Stars of Seoul had said they met their comrades here as well.
“By the way.” Olena frowned and spoke again. “What exactly are we supposed to do here? It’s just a forest around us.”
“Yeah. There don’t seem to be any threatening monsters nearby, either. And trial points? We need to figure out how to earn those first.”
As James was speaking...
—Ring!
[Establishing rules.]
[Kill your opponents.]
[Killing an opponent earns you 100 Trial Points.]
[You will also claim half of any Trial Points the deceased opponent possessed.]
“...?”
The message appeared with a ring—the sound that marked the true beginning of the dungeon.