In the observation room, where all the officials had gathered to monitor the trials, the War Goddess and others stood watching one screen in particular. It showed a white-haired youth seated on what looked like an ice throne. His left hand rested on the arm of the chair, his fist supporting his chin, while his right hand lay casually on the other armrest.
His eyes were closed as if he had no care in the world.
Around him, thousands of monsters were charging forward. But as soon as they entered within 1 kilometer of him, something would flash, and the monsters would instantly dissolve into light particles, vanishing into the air.
"I've seen a lot of impossible things, but this... this is my first time witnessing something this bizarre," one of the officials muttered, shaking his head in disbelief. The others nodded, equally stunned, but the War Goddess stood silently, her expression unreadable.
It wasn't just the officials who found this hard to believe. Far from Hiroshi City, in a secluded location, three individuals sat around a table, also watching Klaus inside the Oracle with puzzled looks.
"Even though this is just a virtual realm, this kid is making it seem like we didn't put enough effort into making the Oracle feel as real as the outside world," one of them said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
"Well, it's a virtual world," another replied. "The terror people feel when facing real monsters is lessened here. They won't actually die inside the Oracle, so it's only natural."
"True, but still," the third person chimed in, frowning, "he's making this trial look far too easy. In reality, there's no way he could handle it like this. So, what's wrong with the Oracle that's allowing him to remain this calm?"
These three individuals are the creators of the Oracle. They have been developing it for the past five decades. Now, just as they were entering the final phase of their work, Klaus's performance had made them question whether they had indeed created something that could make a real difference.
"Why so gloomy? Isn't this the best thing that's ever happened to you three?" A voice suddenly broke the silence, causing the three individuals to turn toward the door.
"Big brother, you're here!" they all shouted in unison, despite their ages.
"Yes," the man replied calmly. Just by looking at him, it was clear he was powerful. The air around him seemed peaceful, yet there was an undeniable sense of danger lurking beneath the surface.
"Big brother, why do you say this kid is the best thing that's ever happened to us?" one of them asked, still puzzled.
"Just look at him. It's obvious he's not feeling the will imposed by true monsters. I know you three have been working on this for a long time, but you couldn't get that part right. So, why not add someone else to your team and see if he can help you with it?" the man suggested.
Ryan looked up, clearly enjoying the moment. "Well, you know Lucil and I follow each other on Xter. Turns out, she's pretty interested in Klaus Hanson. She is a huge fan. So, I sent her a quick message letting her know we'd be working with Klaus for a while, and guess what? She immediately replied, saying she's taking a vacation in two weeks and might just swing by."
Joon's jaw tightened. "And by 'swing by,' you mean she's coming for the whole month, right?"
Ryan smirked. "Sounds about right."
Joon sighed heavily, shaking his head. "Ah, looks like my peaceful days are over..."
Logan and Ryan exchanged knowing looks before glancing at their friend with sympathetic smiles. They knew it was true—Joon's peaceful days were long gone. Lucil is a wild one, and after what had happened between the boyfriend and girlfriend duo five years ago, they were certain Joon was done for.
The three had been inseparable since high school, their friendship growing stronger through college, and now into their professional lives. Together, they were working on building a Virtual World—a place where warriors could train, connect, and even hold competitions.
Their work had earned them respect worldwide. The system they were developing promised to make life easier for warriors everywhere. But they hadn't released it to the public just yet. There were still a few issues to resolve, but once those were ironed out, the entire world would gain access.
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Meanwhile, back in Oracle, Klaus continued his slaughter of monsters with his eyes closed, sitting as if he were relaxing on a park bench. The Void Piercing Arrow was doing all the killing with his mind controlling it. However, suddenly, the endless waves of monsters stopped. Not a single one appeared.
He opened his eyes and smirked.
"Looks like they're finally tired of me," he muttered to himself. Then, his vision went dark.
When his eyes opened again, he was back in the Game room. Klaus removed the helmet and stood up, stretching lazily before heading toward the door. It slid open, and as he stepped through, he found himself back in the massive hall filled with 999 youngsters. All were excited, clearly thrilled to have made it into the top 1000.
Klaus scanned the crowd, quickly spotting his friends gathered near a large projection of the Trial's leaderboard. He looked up, and there it was—his name in first place. A grin spread across his face when he glanced at the names in second, fourth, and beyond.
"Klaus!" a voice suddenly called out. He looked and saw Danny waving.