Running for his life, Sora darted toward the [Snake Pit], hoping he’d run into an ally—or even better, a group of Fox players who could fend off or distract his pursuers.
He knew that the moment he stopped or even slowed down, he’d be dead. Sprinting hard for a solid ten seconds and covering a long distance, he suddenly felt something catch him, lifting him off the ground.
Trapped mid-air like a captured animal, Sora glared at the rope binding him, frustration and anger building up. He looked up to meet the faces of his captors, determined to engrave their appearances and names in his memory.
[Maxwell Phelps - Level 155][Clémence Berger - Level 165][Pedro Luiz - Level 161][Asia Sanogo - Level 156][Rachel Claude - Level 149]
His heart sank as he saw their levels. Seeing Rachel among the group, Sora thought bitterly, ’A group of high level human players.That backstabber sure knows how to pick her party members...’
Clémence Berger, the highest-level player, was a woman with golden hair tied back in a ponytail, and her pink armor sparkled as if designed by her inner child.
Pedro Luiz stood quietly, his dark eyes visible under a hooded cloak. He carried a massive hammer that seemed almost as big as he was.
Asia Sanogo had short-cropped hair, dark skin, and a mischievous smile. She held a glowing book in her hand. Maxwell Phelps, tall and muscular, had spiky red hair and a mean look in his eyes. He wore heavy armor that hinted at his role as the group’s tank.
The rope binding Sora led to the highest-level player, Clémence, who looked at him with an amused smile.
"So you’re the one who raised that monster phoenix on the 4th floor... We’re lucky to find a gem like you so early in the trial," she said, her tone strangely praising.
Suspecting the group’s intention, Sora asked, "Do you hunt other human players?"
Before she could respond, the woman paused, seemingly focusing on something else, then replied, "The friend here says you’re guildmates. Nice to meet you! And no, you’re mistaken—we don’t hunt humans. We save the human players we find, and are focused on tracking down the invading races that threaten humanity. We can’t let them grow powerful under our noses. Would you consider joining us? We’re recruiting humans from all groups to handle any threats we might face."
Sora was surprised by her words. It seemed they weren’t planning to kill him and were even open to including him—a Viper—in their Chicken team.
’Maybe this is the safest way to avoid leaving my fate to luck... But it means trusting people from a different group... And entrusting my back to Rachel again? How ironic...’ He thought.
Sighing in relief, he said, "Sure. I’ll do my best to contribute."
Clémence laughed at his serious tone. "Don’t be so formal! We’re neighbors. I left Belgium years ago, but we can already be considered friends. And don’t worry, we’ll keep an eye out for you if things get rough."
Sora was caught off guard by her friendliness, not expecting Rachel’s teammate to be so easygoing. Despite the apparent goodwill, he kept his guard up, prepared to react at the first sign of trouble.
Pedro, one of the two men in the group, tossed him a pair of boots. "Wear these, they’ll help you keep up with us. You’re surprisingly fast, but without proper gear, you won’t survive for long."
While his team seemed unbeatable, Sora noticed that their opponents’ losses originated mostly from a lack of levels and coordination. The Elemental Golems had impressive abilities—enough to impress Sora—but they couldn’t capitalize on them.
Recalling the three Dwarves he’d defeated instantly, Sora sighed in relief. ’I think I know the path I need to take... I’ll focus on killing my enemies before they even get the chance to use their abilities. Learning how to counter all these strange powers would be a waste of time.’
When they later encountered a team of Vipers, Sora decided to hide, unwilling to risk the system penalizing him for attacking—or even assisting in an attack on—his own faction.
After dozens of battles, the team had grown to 35 players, including Emily, Kim, Kara, and other high-level humans.
When Sora reunited with his guildmates and Kara, he and Kara exchanged polite smiles, still hiding their relationship from Rachel.
"Yo, Min and Oni are nowhere to be seen. I doubt they managed to pass the trials from the 5th to the 7th floor. But five out of nine members of Aram made it to the 8th floor. This is incredible!" Emily said, clearly pleased with her recruits’ performance. "Good job on the 4th floor, Ralph—you surprised us in the final battle."
"Humans grouping together was a brilliant idea. Was it Clémence’s plan?" Kim asked, impressed by the group’s power and efficiency. "We kept seeing your names pop up on the kill feed every few minutes... You’ve taken down so many players. Clémence’s reputation is well deserved, it seems."
Sora pointed at Pedro. "We just kept going wherever that guy pointed, and it was always the right direction."
As the group’s attention moved to Pedro, his expression stiffened, especially when Clémence glanced his way. Her gaze sharpened, and she quickly addressed the team. "Break time’s over. Latecomers, equip your boots and follow me."
By now, Sora was unfazed at seeing Pedro handing out Ultimate-level gear like candy, even giving extra items to weaker players. ’This guy is a walking goldmine... I would love to get more items from him. Should we kidnap him?’
Checking the event panel, Sora sighed when he saw how many players were left.
[Remaining players : 722]
They soon resumed their movement, following Pedro’s guidance. They changed directions repeatedly, often just as they stopped in an area, trusting in Pedro’s ability to lead them toward a better spot.
This pattern continued until Pedro finally stopped giving directions. He muttered something under his breath before turning to Clémence. After a brief but tense exchange, Clémence sighed and addressed the group.
"Prepare for battle," she commanded, her voice loud. "Form three groups. Chickens on one side, Foxes on another, and Vipers on the last. We’ll fight back to back, covering all weaknesses."
The team quickly positioned themselves, forming three tightly coordinated groups, each facing a different direction. With everyone’s back covered, they braced for whatever was coming. Sora stole a glance at Clémence, catching the focus in her eyes, and the hundreds of axes she was summoning.
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