Soren looked at the notice board and felt the familiar confusion that had plagued him since coming to this world "Can you tell if our names are on here?" he asked Noelle
She studied the board carefully, her green eyes scanning the rows and columns of information with methodical precision
Since first arriving in this world, Soren had noticed something peculiar about language. There seemed to be only one language that everyone spoke. They referred to it as the direct words of what the goddess spoke of. Any other attempts at using anything other than the main language were called blasphemous, which seemed to carry serious social weight. Yet despite this, everything seemed to be instantaneously translated into phrases that Soren would understand. Concepts, words, ideas that shouldn't have meaning to him were somehow converted into thoughts he could grasp
His previous friends who had been transported to this world experienced the same phenomenon. It was as if the world itself was translating for them
Looking at the notice board now, Soren could see numerous amounts of numbers attached under certain days of the week. From his point of view, these days were the same as the ones back on Earth. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday. The naming conventions were different, but the structure was identical. He had no trouble understanding this
But then all of these numbers were adjacent to either a name or another number
The numbers that were not adjacent to a name were adjacent to pictures of what seemed to be various beasts and monsters. The names of said monsters were written against them
From this, Soren could decipher the pattern
The numbers on the notice board must correspond to each of the four hundred prisoners here. When a number appeared next to a prisoner's name or number, it meant they had a scheduled fight. When a number appeared next to a monster's name and image, it meant a creature had been selected as an opponent
But now the only problem was finding out which number was assigned to himself
Soren scanned the board, searching for any identifier that might give him a clue. A name perhaps. Some kind of marking or symbol that would indicate the new arrival
"Do you see anything that might be us?" he asked Noelle quietly
She continued studying the board, her expression thoughtful
Noelle continued to look at the board, scanning the numbers and names with careful attention
If she was being honest with herself, she had no clue at all
Thinking this, she turned around to Soren slowly
"It seems the goddess wishes to test us," she said, her voice carrying that serene certainty despite her confusion. "Putting us through this trial of the mind"
She paused for a moment, considering their options
"It would be best to ask one of the fellow prisoners here," she continued. "But seeing your stunt earlier, it seems that it would be difficult for either of us to approach anyone here for now anyway"
Her inner thoughts, however, were far more focused than her words suggested
This man is supposed to help me complete my mission. Help me accomplish what was destined to me by the goddess Gaia. So for now, what should I do? I wonder
Noelle had been searching across each of the four regions. She had even dared to attempt to enter the central region in an attempt to find an answer to her mission. But here she had finally found something. Finally found the signal she had been seeking for so long
But this person, if Noelle had to summarize him in a single word, was weird
When they first arrived in that holding cell before the fight against that big fox, whilst she was praying, he had all of a sudden ripped his face apart. Then he seemed to fight like someone trained and their use of magic seemed to display the knowledge of someone who had decades of experience and research. But then, later, when they were in the cell, he suddenly had what seemed to be like a mental breakdown
Yet now, here in the cafeteria, it was like he was a different person entirely. Crazy one second. Acting like a psycho murderer the next. However, he remained completely calm when doing so. Very interesting indeed
Now she started to smile
The light vanished from her eyes again, replaced by something deeper. Something more fervent
Even if this person is quite bizarre, I have finally, finally, finally, finally, finally received the signal. I can finally be on the path where I can truly become closer with god and fulfil my purpose. So I will walk this road that this person is creating no matter how crazy he makes it
For he will be the key. The key that allows me to be truly a devout believer
Hearing Noelle, Soren noticed a change in her demeanour
But in his mind, he had already written her off as crazy. So he remained tense around her, watching for any sign of hostile intent. Yet he still didn't think she would outright attack him. Not yet anyway
Soren moved closer to the board
When he did so, he noticed the metal collar around his neck start to glow yellow again
But this time it seemed different. The glow took on a shape. Numbers began forming around the collar itself, glowing with that same yellow light. The numbers appeared slowly, distinctly, impossible to ignore
Soren stared at the number encircling his neck
The number was 666.....
What kind of ominous foreshadowing is this? Of course I get a number with this kind of connotation. But I wonder if here, this number still had the same meaning as it did back home
He filed the thought away and looked up at the notice board
He assumed that today was Wednesday. On the board, this day had a large star next to it, marking it as the current day. The numbers were now seemingly easier to navigate through as they were arranged in descending order depending on which numbers were corresponding to which fights. The board displayed the fight schedule for the next two weeks. The top section showed the current week's fights. The bottom section showed the week after
Soren scanned through the numbers carefully
Luckily, he did not have a fight for the remaining week. Good. That meant he had time to prepare, to understand the prison better, to position himself strategically
He looked further into the next week's schedule, which was displayed below the current week's section
There. On next week's Friday, his number appeared. But it wasn't paired with a name. It was paired with another number, a prisoner. The numbers read 217
He was fighting someone else. Another prisoner
Whilst Soren was looking through the notice board, Noelle also noticed that he had found a way to see his number. She followed in his footsteps, moving closer to the glowing collar and waiting for her own number to manifest
The yellow light formed around her neck, spelling out: 667
She then scanned the board for her name. Her eyes moved across the numbers until she found her entry. Next week. Saturday. Against a monster called the Cindercoil
The picture beneath the name was difficult to make out clearly. But what she could see was that it had a red and black exterior. It kind of looked like a serpent
She turned to Soren
"Did you find out when your fight is?" she asked
"Next Friday," Soren said. "Against another prisoner. Number 217"
"I see," Noelle said. "I have a fight on Saturday against a monster. The Cindercoil"
"What does it look like?" Soren asked, glancing at the board
"A serpent of some kind," Noelle said. "Red and black. It's difficult to tell exactly what we're facing"
They stood there for a moment, absorbing the information
"So we both have fights next week," Soren said. "You on Saturday, me on Friday. That means we have time to prepare"
"Yes," Noelle agreed, her green eyes still fixed on the board. "Time to ready ourselves for what comes"
Soren looked at her, then back at the board. One week. That was how long they had before the fights began. One week to understand this place better. One week to figure out who prisoner 217 was. One week to plan
One week to survive