A few minutes later, the remaining applicants returned, Nathaniel among them.
He headed straight to the infirmary, carrying the fox woman he had rescued.
Meanwhile, Xxv reappeared where Yuki awaited, ready to report on his return. Emerging beside Yuki in a swirl of red smoke, he recounted the events that had transpired on the island.
"Well done, Red Cloud," Kyros commended. "It would've been a waste of their talents if they'd died during the test."
"But did you see what happened in the fight?" Yuki asked, her tone sharp. "Particularly with the one I asked you to watch?"
"You mean Nathaniel?" Xxv replied. "I think he possesses some unusual power, but I can't quite pinpoint it. I didn't sense any strong energy emanating from him, so it's possible he wields crimson items with abilities we don't yet understand."
"That could be," Yuki mused. "It might also explain why the spider's attack didn't affect him earlier."
Pyun suddenly interjected, questioning how Nathaniel had passed the test. "He didn't even climb the tree or fight the beasts to retrieve the egg!"
Kyros quickly clarified, "There's no rule against collecting eggs that fall to the ground. What matters now is that he gathered over a hundred eggs."
Kyros viewed the young man's actions positively, noting that his efforts would bolster the force's supply of medicinal resources. "Thanks to him, we'll have plenty of materials to aid everyone."
Pyun, unconvinced, scoffed. "Whatever. I'm still not sold on how that guy passed."
Ruri, observing quietly, noticed Pyun's intense focus on Nathaniel—almost as if he couldn't let it go. Pyun admitted his concern, worried that for the first time, an ordinary person with little combat knowledge had passed the trial.
"Are you really going to let someone that weak become a soldier?" Pyun challenged.
He feared this would tarnish the selection process's integrity, suggesting that even the weakest could pass a test meant to filter out the unfit.
"It's a minor issue," Ruri said with a sly smile. "But if you're so eager to test him, I'll handle it myself."
Ruri stood from her seat and approached the screen, her grin brimming with excitement for the challenge she was about to unleash. "Let's make things more interesting."
A few minutes later, the applicants were given new instructions. They were granted three hours to rest and prepare for the next trial.
Many couldn't continue, their bodies battered from facing the spiders. Even though their wounds had closed, magic couldn't restore the trauma or replenish their depleted energy and strength.
From ten thousand, only three thousand applicants remained to face the fourth trial, designed by Ruri herself.
Hours later, they were summoned to the arena, where a portal materialized. It led to the site of the next test.
Upon entering, they found themselves before a colossal tower with over a hundred floors. This was the Tower of Doom, where each floor featured unique terrains suited for various battles. The games here were war games and battle royales, where players fought in a brutal last-man-standing contest.
As the applicants marveled at the towering structure, Ruri descended from above, clutching a crimson spear. Known as the Living Warhead, she wielded explosive powers in combat. As the leader of the Katsuki clan, which governed parts of the Great Forest, Ruri appeared as a ten-year-old child but was over twenty, her aging halted after acquiring her Crimson Eye. She was the youngest being in Endoryo's history to reach the ranks of Gamma, Beta, Alpha, and Columbus.
"Good day, everyone!" she greeted cheerfully. "The fourth trial is about to begin, so I hope you've rested well. You're going to sweat buckets for this one."
She explained the rules: applicants needed to collect points in a game-like challenge. Numbers appeared above their heads, representing their points.
"You need to gather one thousand points and hold onto them until time runs out," Ruri announced.
Points could be earned by defeating monsters in the tower, with the amount depending on the monster's class. The highest, a Class A monster, yielded fifty points.
"Only fifty points for a Class A?" one applicant muttered.
"Are they serious? Defeating twenty Class A monsters sounds impossible!" another complained.
The murmurs grew louder until Ruri gripped a nearby post, causing it to explode. The blast silenced the crowd, commanding their attention.
"I'm not done speaking," she said coolly. "Don't worry, monsters aren't the only way to earn points."
She explained that each player started with two hundred points, which could be taken by defeating other applicants. "Even if you win against another applicant, you still gain only two hundred points, while the loser loses two hundred," she clarified.
The crystals above their heads would indicate their status. If they took too much damage, the crystal would glow red, signaling their defeat and inability to protect themselves.
Ruri added that a defeated applicant couldn't collect or lose points for ten minutes. The trial would last three hours, and they could keep collecting points until the time expired.
"But since I'm feeling generous and the day's going well," Ruri said with a grin, "I'm giving you a bonus. One applicant here has one thousand points. If you take those points, all you need to do is hide until the time's up. Isn't that exciting?"
The crowd erupted, frantically searching for the applicant with a thousand points. One shouted, pointing at the glowing number above Nathaniel's head.
It was Nathaniel, stunned and bewildered by the revelation. "What kind of nonsense is this?" he stammered. "Why do I have a thousand points?"
The others were equally shocked. Nathaniel was just an ordinary person, seemingly easy to defeat in a fight.
"She did say it's a bonus," one applicant muttered.
"Great! I just need to find him first," another schemed.
Every applicant now planned to hunt Nathaniel to end the trial quickly. Only Nathaniel felt the unfairness of the decision.
As a second bonus, Ruri revealed another way to earn a thousand points: shattering her crystal. "Don't worry, I'll give you a fair shot," she said. "I won't use my Crimson Eye or Crimson Curse, and I'll lower my defenses so my crystal can be broken. I'll only attack those who try to take my thousand points."
The applicants groaned, knowing that even with a handicap, defeating a Columbus-rank like Ruri was nearly impossible.
Ruri clapped her hands, drawing everyone's attention. "This game will test your strategy and clever decisions. Be careful, and good luck!"
As she lowered her spear to the ground, the applicants vanished one by one, transported to different parts of the tower to prepare for the trial.
"Let the fun begin!" Ruri declared.
In an instant, Nathaniel found himself in an ancient city, surrounded by small, aggressive monsters. "Ugh, I hate this trial," he whispered.
His sudden appearance drew the monsters' attention, and they began to close in. Melon, his companion, warned that these creatures wouldn't hesitate to devour him.
"I know, but I can't fight them!" Nathaniel said, panicking. Using his crimson item, he bolted, searching for a hiding spot.
"With all these monsters, I can't stay hidden for long," he muttered.
Melon emerged from his hood, perching on Nathaniel's head. "Monsters aren't your only problem. I sense at least five other beings nearby."
"Really? You can sense them?" Nathaniel asked, surprised.
"I can do a lot," Melon replied. "It's a basic ability for someone like me, created to be your partner in this world. But my true power lies in the three abilities granted by the Great Creator."
Nathaniel sighed, wishing he had Melon's powers to make things easier. He still couldn't understand why Ruri had singled him out, as if she were testing him specifically.
"It's your fault, you know," Melon teased. "They're noticing your unusual methods for passing, and now they think you're special."
Nathaniel climbed an abandoned building, reaching the rooftop to survey the situation. Monsters still roamed below, and in the distance, he spotted a swirling white light—a portal for moving between floors.
"Do you think we can use that to escape and avoid the other applicants?" he asked Melon.
Melon cautioned, "There's no guarantee you'll avoid them if you leave. Your only options are to hide or fight."
"I already have a thousand points, so all I need to do is hide," Nathaniel said. "Besides, I can't exactly fight with just Ataparag's crimson item."
At that moment, Melon hopped onto his head. "There's another way to gain power."
"Huh? Really?" Nathaniel asked, intrigued.
"Have you forgotten?" Melon said. "I haven't used my other ability yet—the Last Wish."
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