Half an hour passed as Brandon laid out everything that had transpired from Day-6 to Day-9 of the Trial Program.
He detailed significant events like the Gathering of Earth's Alpha Chosen and the Three Assessments, where Jay had demonstrated overwhelming power. Brandon spared no details, emphasizing that even if every Alpha Chosen from Earth banded together, they wouldn't stand a chance against Jay.
When Brandon finally finished, the room was enveloped in a heavy silence. The weight of his words lingered, and the officials seemed to grapple with the gravity of what they had just learned.
Breaking the quiet, Brandon turned his attention to the CIA Director. His voice was firm but measured as he asked, "Director, in my years of service as a Secret Agent, have I ever made an error in my judgment or jeopardized a mission?"
The CIA Director, a composed and experienced man, didn't hesitate. "Not even once," he replied, understanding the relevance of the question.
Brandon's piercing gaze swept across the room, pausing briefly on each individual before finally resting on the President.
"I'm asking everyone here to trust my judgment. Do not, under any circumstances, seek trouble with that man. Everything I've told you about him is not exaggerated—in fact, it's likely that I've downplayed his true capabilities. There's a high probability he's even more powerful than I estimate."
The weight in his tone was unmistakable, and the message was clear: Jay wasn't just another Alpha Chosen. He was in a league of his own, far beyond what any of them could comprehend.
Brandon deliberately chose not to mention the satellite incident, knowing it would only tempt some of the officials to act rashly.
If they learned the truth, that the satellites were taken down effortlessly as a mere warning from Jay, they might foolishly attempt to retaliate in secret to prove themselves. Brandon knew such an act would only lead to disastrous consequences, and he couldn't risk it.
The officials in the room exchanged uneasy glances but ultimately nodded in agreement. Brandon's authority, combined with his reputation for sound judgment, was enough to dissuade any further suggestions of pursuing Jay.
The meeting continued for a short while longer, shifting to other matters of national concern before it finally came to an end.
꧁𓊈 𝔍𝔞𝕪 𓊉꧂
As the 18-hour rest period came to an end, the Alpha Chosen across the Milky Way Trial Program were teleported back to the Trial World, marking the start of Day-10.
However, this return deviated significantly from the usual pattern. Instead of being sent back to their respective trial zones, the Alpha Chosen found themselves in entirely new locations within the Trial World.
In the 7th Trial Continent's 35th Trial Region, the remaining 9,196 Alpha Chosen—survivors of the initial 11,000—were teleported to a stunning and surreal setting: a massive landmass floating high above the clouds.
The island was an awe-inspiring sight, even by the standards of the Trial World. Although its area was just one-tenth that of a standard Trial Zone, the floating island spanned an impressive 100 square kilometers.
But what was truly captivating was the island's layout. Instead of a typical natural terrain, it resembled a meticulously designed medieval city. Hundreds of four-story houses were arranged in perfect circular patterns, radiating out from the center of the island, where several monumental structures stood.
The most eye-catching of these structures was an enormous oval-shaped colosseum, towering 220 meters tall and spanning 800 meters in length and 650 meters in width. Its sheer scale and intricate architecture commanded immediate attention, dwarfing everything around it.
As the teleportation concluded, the thousands of Alpha Chosen—including those from Earth—were sent directly onto the ground of the colossal arena. The space quickly filled with a sea of individuals, their presence amplifying the magnitude of the event.
It didn't take long for the commotion to begin. Conversations buzzed through the crowd like wildfire as the Alpha Chosen tried to piece together where they were and why they had been brought here.
The air was charged with curiosity and unease, as most had no prior knowledge of the floating island or the looming Colosseum.
However, Earth's Alpha Chosen were notably calm amidst the chaos. They had been forewarned by Jay about this development.
The floating island was the designated location for the Trial Regional Tournament, where the Alpha Chosen from an entire Trial Region would compete against one another.
Instead of speculating about their surroundings, the Earth Alpha Chosen focused on observing the others in the colosseum.
Among the thousands gathered, their extraterrestrial appearances stood out starkly. Humanoid forms mixed with beings of entirely alien physiology, ranging from towering figures with crystalline skin to others that seemed to shift like living shadows.
For Earth's Alpha Chosen, this was their first time coming face-to-face with intelligent alien lifeforms, if they didn't count the monsters they had encountered during the first 10 days.
To the right of Earth's Alpha Chosen stood a group of nine Alpha Chosen with beetle-like appearances. Their shiny black exoskeletons, short horns, and stout builds gave them an insectoid yet oddly endearing look.
Noticing the calm demeanor of Earth's group amidst the chaos, the beetle-like beings decided to approach them.
The tallest of the group, standing just four feet tall, stepped forward and stopped in front of Kasim, who towered at 6 feet 5 inches.
The contrast was almost comical as the beetle-like midget craned its neck to look up at Kasim. After a brief and awkward silence, it spoke in a high-pitched voice using the Genonian Language, which all Alpha Chosen could understand.
"Hello there, fellow Alpha Chosen. You must be your Trial Zone's leader. Do you happen to know where this place is?"
Its diminutive stature and squeaky voice gave it an unexpectedly adorable appeal.
Kasim blinked in confusion and pointed at himself. "You're talking to me? You think I'm the leader?"
Another beetle-like midget stepped forward and nodded confidently. "Of course! You're the largest one among your group. Who else would be the leader if not you?"
The rest of the beetle-like beings nodded in agreement, their expressions earnest, as if this was the most logical conclusion in the world.
The Earth's Alpha Chosen couldn't help but chuckle at their innocence. The idea that leadership depended on size was both amusing and endearing. Kasim sighed and began to correct their misunderstanding, wanting to explain that Jay was their actual leader.
But before he could, Dante giggled mischievously and decided to play along. "Of course, of course! This is our leader. He'll answer all your questions."
Min-soo, Andrea, Henry, and Gabriel quickly joined in, echoing Dante's words with feigned seriousness. Kasim groaned in exasperation and turned to look at Jay for help, only to see Jay giving him a quick, approving nod, signaling him to go along with it.
Resigned, Kasim explained to the beetle-like group. "This is the location where the Regional Tournament will take place. After the tournament ends, we'll all be teleported back to our respective trial zones."
The leader of the beetle-like midgets rubbed its chin thoughtfully, its shiny black fingers tapping in contemplation. After a few seconds, its eyes lit up, and it exclaimed, "Oh! I get it now. So this is the Tournament location!"
It then turned around and began explaining the same thing to its group in exhaustive detail. The other beetle-like beings nodded along, but it was clear they needed the explanation broken down step by step to fully grasp it.
Watching how long it took for them to understand such a simple concept left most of Earth's Alpha Chosen speechless.
Noticing the bewildered expressions from Earth's group, the beetle leader coughed awkwardly. "Don't mind my subordinates. Unlike me, they're a little slow at grasping things. Anyway, thank you for sharing this information with us. In the future, if you need our assistance, don't hesitate to ask."
With that, the beetle-like group moved away, chattering animatedly among themselves in their native language. Kasim turned to his teammates with a helpless shrug, while Dante and the others burst out laughing, clearly enjoying the moment.
Andrea quietly muttered, "I can't believe they managed to survive this long."
Her words barely escaped her lips when Baby MJ appeared beside her, arms crossed and floating at eye level.
"Don't be deceived by their calm demeanor and seemingly low intelligence," MJ informed her, his voice immediately capturing the attention of the other Earth members.
"The Horned Beetle race possesses an innate strength-enhancing physique. Combined with their Strength-type Innate Talents, each of them can take on a Tier-3 Mid-Phase monster, even though they're only at Tier-2 High-Phase. As for their leader, he has the ability to temporarily unleash strength equal to a Tier-3 High-Phase combatant. Don't underestimate them—they could easily end up as one of the top 10 Trial Zones in this Tournament."
MJ's revelation left most of Earth's Alpha Chosen stunned. None of them, except Jay, could reconcile the image of the harmless-looking, beetle-like midgets with the immense strength MJ described. If anyone other than MJ had said this, they wouldn't have believed it.
Jay, however, remained unfazed. Although it was his first time hearing about the Horned Beetle race, he had long been briefed by MJ on the top races within the System-assimilated Universe. Compared to those pinnacle races, the Horned Beetles were strong but far from the top tier.
The group's perspective shifted as they began to see the Horned Beetles in a new light. Their earlier amusement was replaced with quiet respect for the midgets' potential.
Suddenly, a wave of Tier Suppression rippled through the air from the center of the Colosseum, silencing every voice on the Colosseum ground.
The suppression didn't apply pressure or harm; it merely announced the presence of someone commanding immense power. The crowd instinctively turned toward the center of the Colosseum.
A middle-aged man with pale-red skin and piercing green eyes descended from the sky, halting mid-air about 10 meters above the podium ground. His pointy ears and slim physique gave him an otherworldly appearance, but it was his attire that left Earth's Alpha Chosen particularly baffled.
He was wearing a green, flower-patterned beach shirt paired with brown shorts, as though he had stepped out of a tropical vacation. The only indication of his combat readiness was the dagger scabbard hanging lazily from his waist.
Hovering effortlessly above the crowd, the man cast a calm, almost bored glance at the thousands of Alpha Chosen below him. Then, in a casual tone that starkly contrasted with the gravity of the situation, he spoke.
"Welcome to the Floating Tournament Island. As the Tournament Manager, I will be overseeing the entire tournament process."
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Author Note:
The revamped version of Volume 1 is now live on Kindle. You can find it on Amazon by simply searching the book title. Thank you for your support, and I hope you enjoy the new edition!
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Volume 2 Revamped Chapter Release Schedule
📅 Daily Releases – A revamped chapter will be released every day until Chapter 130. (Jan 1st to 30th)
These revamped chapters won't interfere with the usual chapter updates.
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Exclusive artwork for every free chapter is now available on my PATRE0N page! You can find the link in my Discord server.
The first ten to comment for new chapter releases will get '1 ADVANCED CHAPTER' for free on Earth Alpha Prime's Discord server.
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Discord Link for 'Earth's Alpha Prime' :
https://discord.gg/maQC7xDBYZ
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