10 minutes flew past.
Then, a horn blared. All Abyssal Knights, including the Abyssal Expedition Team, retreated to the top of the city wall.
Only Chen Gou and the rest of the assessors remained on the round platform, where the strange abyss churned below their feet.
Chen Gou remained calm. No one could know what he was thinking.
On the other hand, a small smile hung on the face of the golden-haired guy with the noble surname Arslan.
The other four individuals looked very serious, and one of them even looked fearful.
Evidently, not all of them had come willingly. Not everyone possessed the courage and awareness to fight for survival for a future unknown.
All of a sudden, one of the heads spoke again. "Abyssal Knights live and die for the abyss. We have that awareness since we hold onto our swords.
"In the past, millions of knights died guarding you and your families. Today is the day you will work to become a knight to guard yourselves and your families!
"I will wait here for you, my children.
"Survive, and I will personally help you wear the knight badge. Die, and I will personally pray that your soul will return to your hometown and will not remain alone in a strange world.
"Now, head to the Abyssal World. Use your courage and intelligence to gather information on the evil spirits and magical artifacts of that world. Come back alive.
"Regardless of whether you live or die, the covenant's majesty will be proud of you all!"
His voice reverberated in the air and in the minds of everyone present.
His speech was mostly made of empty words, but it did make people feel excited, as though the abyss below their feet was no longer so scary.
Chen Gou was not aware that that person had used a vocal magic skill to add an encouraging buff.
The almighty covenant's majesty did not even know their names. How could it be possible for him to feel proud of them?
The death rate of the people exploring the abyss was extremely high. No amount of flowery words could change this cruel fact.
A mechanical sound was emitted from the round platform. Chen Gou took a deep breath, waiting for the final moment to arrive.
Swish! Swish! Swish…
When the whole platform was completely retracted, there no longer was anything below their feet. Chen Gou and the rest directly dropped into the mist.
The moment they came into contact with the grayish-black mist, a foreboding and suffocating feeling instantly engulfed him.
The wind howling by his ear made it hard for one to think. The view before him changed at the speed of light.
An unknown period of time passed before all strange images disappeared. The six of them appeared inside a modernized bakery.
The bakery was situated at the corner of the street. There was no one else other than the six of them there.
Sky-high buildings surrounded them. Two rows of abandoned cars lined the street, and newspapers floated in the wind.
It was a classic modernized city view, but the air was filled with corrosion.
Everyone surveyed the surroundings of the Abyssal World they were in.
Buildings a few hundred meters tall, metal cars that can move on their own, street lamps that shine in the night…
A beautiful, tall girl in body-tight cloth armor fell in deep contemplation. Seems like this is another mechanical Abyssal World. One should be careful not to be killed by long-range weapons.
The oldest person among them was a sturdy-looking, square-faced, middle-aged man. He nodded and said, "That's right. The knights warned us that each bullet may only take away slightly over 100 HP at most. However, we might not be able to survive if our weak spot is hit or a couple of them hit us."
"This is not what's important. The biggest threat is the strange environment and unknown evil spirits. In truth, we are very unlucky."
A few skinny and pale-faced young men could not help but complain.
"Most Abyssal Assessments in the past were meant to deal with the invasion of evil spirits into our own world. Sending us to the Abyssal World to investigate is one of the most dangerous methods…"
The few of them looked serious.
The content of the Abyssal Assessment was not fixed. However, no matter what, this was the most dangerous of them all. Usually, only half of the assessors would pass.
In other words, 3 of them would most likely not survive!
At this thought, everyone's hearts sank further.
"Alright, stop talking. We should not speak ill of the arrangements of the knight team!"
A righteous-looking young man stepped forward and said slowly, "Hi, I am Cohan. Our priority now is to work together so we can survive this ordeal.
"Our environment is indeed dangerous, but there have been some cases when everyone passed. We might be lucky, and this is perhaps a minor abyss of the lowest level.
"I suggest that we introduce ourselves and state our name, Awakened Level, innate skills, and strengths.
"Then, we should pick a temporary leader. Until the end of the assessment, we must all listen to everything the leader says. This way, we will become one and get more powerful."
The pale-faced, skinny guy snorted in disdain. "So, you're saying that you are the person best suited to become the leader, right?"
The righteous-looking young man shook his head calmly. Then, he looked at the silent golden-haired Arslan descendant and said earnestly, "Brother Tony comes from the Arslan family and underwent the strictest elite training since a young age. He possesses the highest position and is the strongest one among us. Therefore, I suggest we choose him to be the leader."
Everyone looked surprised. They had not expected that he would not choose himself to become the leader.
"I second that!" The skinny man, who had been the first one to oppose him previously, was the first to agree now.
The cloth-armored female and square-faced, middle-aged man hastily raised their hands.
When it came to a mission with multiple participants like this one, having a leader was necessary. Additionally, the Arslan clan enjoyed a high standing in everyone's hearts.
Therefore, if an elite disciple cultivated by the Arslan family led the team, everyone would accept them.
Unfortunately, Tony Arslan's face darkened. He stood up, put on his outerwear, and pushed open the door of the bakery.
"I'm sorry, but I'm naturally a loner. I'm afraid of being backstabbed if I work with people I dislike or do not know."
He walked out resolutely and quickly disappeared into the darkness of the night.
"This…"
Everyone looked at each other. They had not expected Tony's personality to be so strange.
Before long, the square-faced man mused, "We can't force him since he is so unwilling. Let us choose another leader then."
"I believe that a leader needs a calm disposition and has to be meticulous and intelligent. Cohan is not bad in these aspects, so I suggest that he take on the role of a temporary leader."
"I agree," the cloth-armored girl said. The way Cohan had chosen Tony over himself for the role had earned her trust.
The skinny, pale-faced man fell silent this time. He nodded his head slightly in silent consent.
Cohan smiled and assented. "In that case, I shall accept the role. I hope that everyone will listen to me in the next few days. I will try my utmost to ensure everyone's safety until the end of the assessment. Now, let us all introduce ourselves. The beautiful lady may start."
He did not ask for Chen Gou's opinion, as he assumed that Chen Gou's silence implied his consent.
Furthermore, Tony possessed the qualifications to look down on them. However, no one would have thought that Chen Gou, whose attire was very common, possessed the qualifications to oppose them as well.