Chapter 947 947 Guard Victory

It was fifteen very long minutes before the first guard came back, looking embarrassed under the gaze of all the surrounding Nobles.

"Right, then. I'll just go back in there and get to work." He mumbled, then walked into the portal as if it were a closed door, giving himself a bloody nose in the process.

"Once you have been defeated in the trial, you're done for the day. I'm not certain how long it takes to reset, but teamwork is essential because you can't rejoin the group." Wolfe explained.

The Nobles made both mental and physical notes of that, as it ruled out sacrifice tactics in questionable situations. If the members were sent back to be healed and return, that would have become a valid tactic for them.

"How long does the trial usually take?" One of the Nobles asked as the time passed and no more of their members were ejected.

"Usually around two hours. I can make us some chairs if we're tired of waiting." Wolfe offered.

The Nobles chuckled. They had been sitting all day for weeks, it was good to get up and stretch their legs for a little while as they waited. They were also planning to add some charge to the crystals to keep the portal open, but they weren't certain if they had to close it between groups, and they didn't want to accidentally force it open for days or weeks while being unable to use it.

"What happens if we send them reinforcements?" One of the Nobles asked, curious about the rules of the trial.

"It's been more than a minute or two, so they'll be sent to a separate time loop from the ones that are already in there. One of the invasion armies tried that already, and sent their whole force in waves five minutes apart." Wolfe explained.

Wolfe wouldn't tell that to the others here, but when the guards came out with dejected looks on their faces, it was clear that they could not overcome all the trials.

Petros smiled at them. "Well, how was it? Did you learn anything? Perhaps gain a reward?"

That brightened a few faces. "Some of the monsters we defeated left us with rewards, especially in the deeper caves, where it changed from fighting Fae tribesmen to fighting human cultists. They were insane, but at least three of us got Rank Two or higher magical items."

That was impressive for a group that had gone in at Rank One.

Some of them had advanced in the trials, but most of them remained as slightly better Rank One guardsmen. That was enough for Petros.

They had proven that some of them could have a breakthrough in a single trip, and for that reason, he was willing to make sure that the portal was kept supplied with mana while they sent everyone willing to enter and test their luck.

Petros looked around the room. "We will make a schedule to start sending training groups through the portal once we have a bit more data. First, we need to know why they failed? Is it intentional, in order to encourage them to improve? Were they simply not worthy?

Saint Noxus hasn't deemed us worthy to know the details behind the selection process, so I suggest that we have three different groups go. One of the weakest, the maids and servants of the Nobles who have limited mana training, one of line soldiers, and one of senior officers.

Once all three groups have gone, we will have more data. Saint Noxus, is there a recommended group size?"