We were led outside. When we went out…
my eyes widened a little.
The place looked like a huge barn, rather in fact…
it was literally a barn. The only difference was that it was built underground.
But I did not have time to think about that, because while we were walking, I began to see from afar people coming out from different directions.
If they could be described as "people"...
they were in fact beings from other races.
My eyes fell on a creature about one and a half meters tall, its body was green, and its fangs protruded forward in a frightening way.
In fact, it was not just one…
there were several individuals like him, in a number equal to ours or perhaps more.
But what really caught my attention was that huge creature leading them. His height was about two meters, and his green body was muscular, like a moving mass of flesh.
And he was holding a giant sword with one hand, as if it weighed nothing. While I swallowed my saliva without noticing.
It is an orc… how huge it is when you see it in reality, and this close, but how can it even go to the bathroom at this size?
Damn… why am I thinking about stupid things in a situation like this?
I quickly looked to the right side, and saw other creatures coming from there.
They were dwarves… but their appearance was somewhat strange. Where did their beards go?
Isn't every dwarf supposed to have a thick beard and a long mustache?
No… I don't think so. It seems they are still young.
But even so, they were very fat.
"Damn… I must escape from this place, if I can even do that in the first place. I do not want to become a tool in someone else's hand."
" Haaaaaah, hmm… let me think calmly. " I took a deep breath as I remembered the events of the novel.
The Heart of the Devil in the story contained thirty barns, or more than that, as far as I remember, and each barn was designated for a different race.
So… how will I escape from here?
First, I must stay alive until I become awakened.
Only then will I have a real chance to escape.
I will survive until tomorrow… if that person is right.
Even though I know very well that I might die at any moment, almost, but I have to be a little optimistic, even if I survive until tomorrow I might die because of the awakening.
Why? Because they will force me into forced awakening, which may lead to certain death.
In this world, any person whose powers awaken is usually at the age of seventeen.
As for me… I was not sure of my age at this moment, but I was most likely between thirteen or fourteen only.
It is true that forced awakening may be useful in some aspects, but in the future it becomes a deadly flaw, limiting the development of power and leaving permanent effects on the body and the mind.
But this does not matter to me now, because I… am not sure if I will have a future in the first place.
But the only thing I am sure of is that I have no choice. Whether I like it or not… they will force me to awaken.
Jack, who was at the front, suddenly stopped, which made me swallow my saliva, and stop thinking while I looked forward.
But as soon as I cast a glance forward… my eyes opened wide, as I stared at the scene in real astonishment.
We were standing in a wide space, in front of us extended a long path, polished with glowing black stones, as if they had just come out of the heart of fire.
Above, giant axes were moving up and down without stopping, cutting the air with a sharp sound.
From my place, I could feel strong winds coming from the front, and it did not stop at that.
There were huge rocks falling from above and then rising again continuously, and at the front, there stood a gelatinous creature, resembling a slime, stretching and shrinking slowly, blocking the path, and behind it…
Lightning was striking the ground randomly, white flashes splitting the darkness, and at the end, there was a platform floating in the air, and beneath it extended a bottomless abyss, endless darkness, as if the ground itself had disappeared.
I swallowed my saliva with difficulty, and muttered in a low voice:
"Path of death..."
It was truly a path of death. Everything I looked at made me feel that I would die… without even having a chance to scream, and there was not only one path of death, but about twenty paths of death, as I am not focused in these moments, and after a second I heard Jack's voice echoing from the front.
"You will divide into groups, as usual.
Each group consists of five people… they must cross the path and reach the floating platform. After that, what used to happen every time will happen. You will fight the dwarves and the orcs. The duration is only five minutes.
After that it ends… and we will move to the normal training."
What is this nonsense, damn it?
Isn't there supposed to be training first?
All of this is because of that damned writer… he throws logic into the trash without hesitation.
Or is this the "logic" in the first place?
I shook my head regretfully as I thought about somewhat stupid things.
Is it supposed to be like those ridiculous plots… saving the world and so on?
But which world would I save? There are hundreds of planets in this stupid novel.
Jack's voice cut off my thoughts as he called out strange names:
"Mud Worm, Sleeping Deer, Filthy Pig, Giant Bear, Weak Insect… you are the first to go. Take your positions immediately."
"Ah…"
Does he mean me? No… not necessarily.
But it might actually be me. They were calling me "insect" only, but the title "weak" I did not hear them say, and suddenly, someone hit me from behind and when I turned, it was Mud Worm, and he said enthusiastically:
"Finally we are on the same team, my friend! Will you show me that move, what was its name, hmm ah family in this battle? It made me feel very curious."
So… it is me after all. But wait, did I do something in the past that made him think I am his friend?
Maybe that was before I reincarnated into this body.
I moved forward slowly, walking beside Mud Worm, before three other people joined us.
"Who are these? Do you know their names?"
"Yes, yes! Do you see that one who looks like he will fall asleep at any moment? His name is Sleeping Deer."
He pointed his hand toward him, so I looked at the boy he meant.
He was about our age, with messy black hair, dark eyes, and calm features that suggested constant fatigue.
Then he continued while pointing at another person:
"As for that one who emits a bad smell… he is the Pig."
I looked at him. His appearance was somewhat ugly;
his face was full of pimples, some of his teeth were broken or decayed, and he was completely bald, which increased his harshness and strange aura, if he even had one.
"Ah, you should be careful of the Bear… he does not like joking much."
The Bear? I looked at him. He was an extremely fat boy, his belly large and clearly protruding from under his clothes, and his cheeks noticeably swollen.
His body looked like a heavy mass of flesh, but his eyes were sharp in an uncomfortable way.
"Am I in a zoo or what? But… honestly, their names seem better than mine."
What is this? I thought that as I looked at the masked figures walking toward us.
Then, without any warning, the chains that were restraining our hands suddenly disappeared, as if they evaporated into the air.
I felt that I had become free. But that feeling did not last long.
"Let the group move toward the floating platform… quickly."
I sighed slowly, as I was about to take the first step on the path of death. I did not know whether I would stay alive… or that I would die, the death of insects.