Zevrad saw the blue-haired maid who guided him in Area 1. But she wasn't the only maid. A total of seven maids all wearing the same outfit stood there, their hands neatly folded and resting in front of their stomachs.
A bright light flashed as the once darkened stage illuminated a lone Shivarra, sitting in the middle of them all. She wasn't wearing a grandiose outfit like the rest, but an alluring attire that showed more skin than necessary. This naturally drew everyone's attention towards her. It was unknown whether the lighting was to blame, but her silky hair reaching the arms of her chair had a bit of a sanguine hue.
"What? What is a demon doing here?"
A thick and metal armor of elegant yet demonic design hung loosely from her shoulders; her eyes were closed and her six arms crossed in front of her chest as if she was in a state of deep contemplation.
A short while later, all nine maids began clapping their hands in unison.
– Congratulations~ and celebrations~.
– When I tell everyone that you're in love with me~.
They even started singing a famous song from Azeroth.
"What are they doing now?"
Someone from the back asked, sounding somewhat flabbergasted. Other people's reactions weren't all that different, either. They were all dumbfounded at this unexpected 'celebration' featuring a singing routine.
Eventually, the song came to an end. The eyes of the woman sitting in the middle half-opened. She slightly jutted her chin out, and as if she was appraising high-end luxury goods in a store, her eyes slowly swept across those sitting in the audience seats.
The inside of the theatre remained deathly silent. The reactions of those meeting her gaze were similar to one another – either they got nervous and lowered their heads, or sneakily averted their gazes. The sounds of saliva being swallowed could be heard here and there as well.
Her heated gaze that reminded one of a predator surveying its potential prey, caused subtle fear to rise up in the hearts of those meeting it. She unfurled her crossed legs before she elegantly stood up from her chair and walked leisurely towards the front. Zevrad got rather surprised by how tall she was – she was tall enough to tower most sentient creatures on Azeroth.
The woman suddenly halted her steps and directed her gaze towards Zevrad's general direction. Or, to be more specific, towards where the survivors from Area 3 were seated. There, the girl who shared wordless greetings with Zevrad was raising her hand up in the air.
"Are you also a guide?"
'She can still ask a question even under such an atmosphere?' thought Zevrad. He couldn't help but be impressed, and at the same time, slightly worried. Even he was feeling a certain unexplainable sense of danger from this woman. If he were to put it in words, she reminded him of a wild, untamed beast.
The Shivarra didn't reply, simply standing there in utter silence and staring back. If the girl was sensible enough to pick up on the awkward atmosphere, she would have lowered her hand already. But maybe she was either exceedingly brave or simply daring as she threw another question out instead.
"Or... what should I call you? Who are you?"
The young girl spoke in a different language and this caused the Shivarra's head to tilt slightly towards her back. A maid standing two spots to the left of Zevrad's blue-haired maid stepped forward.
"Area 3, Odelette Priam."
The same language was being spoken as the girl and upon hearing that name, the half-closed eyes of the Shivarra opened up fully, and she shifted her gaze back to the girl, Odelette, and replied "just call me Mother Malevolence."
The girl lowered her hand then.
"What have they been talking about?"
"I'm not too keen on what they're saying but I am familiar with some words. It sounded like the chants that a Warlock would say and I think that Shivarra said that her name is Mother Malevolence. And the person who asked the question must be named Odelette Priam from Area 3."
Kor'vas grumbled softly in a low voice, and Allari proceeded to whisper back.
"Mother Malevolence? Othello Priam? What kind of names are those?!"
"I think Odelette Priam is a noble name in Silvermoon City. And, um, it's not Othello, but Odelette..."
Allari smiled awkwardly and tried to explain. However...
[System Message: The synchronization will now commence.]
Suddenly, a sharp and grating pain assaulted the brains of everyone sitting in the audience section without warning. Zevrad was in the midst of concentrating on Allari's explanations and was caught off-guard. A heavy frown formed on his face as the pain attacked him relentlessly. Whimpers and moans came from pretty much everywhere as people began grasping their own heads.
Thankfully, the assault didn't last for long.
[System Message: The synchronization has been completed.]
As soon as that announcement was made, the pain washed away as if it was all a lie. Now suddenly freed from the brain-melting pain, the crowd fell into a state of chaotic confusion.
"I guess the synchronization was delayed somewhat. Oh well, I'm sure you can all understand me now."
The tall woman who introduced herself as Mother Malevolence was looking on as if she found this whole affair quite entertaining. She spoke so fluently the common language on Azeroth that even native speakers would have been impressed. Or were they now able to understand and speak the demonic tongue? Whatever the case, her way of speaking sounded normal to Zevrad's ears.
Perhaps finding the stunned silence to her liking, the corners of Mother Malevolence's mouth rose up.
"It sure is much more preferable to filter them out at least once, right? If they started to continuously yap on and on, I'd have been really upset by now."
Her steps rang around loudly as she started walking again.
"As a show of respect for you all not raising a fuss regarding the synchronization, let me inform you of something important before we start. I don't like beating around the bush. Also, you should have a general idea of what this place is by now. So, I'll get straight to the point."
Mother Malevolence took a couple more steps forward and spoke up in a low but powerful voice.
"This place is the sanctuary created through the combined powers of Lords of the Illidari, called the Basic Realm. And in this place, all of you shall be given the chance to prove that you are capable of surviving as a demon hunter. You've all received your silver coins, right?"
Zevrad's total coins were 72,500. Kayne confidently declared that it was the highest in history.
"Long story short, you must increase your coins to over 1000. That is the only way to leave this Basic Realm. Although we've prepared various methods to increase your income, we are not going to mind other methods of accumulating it yourselves. However, you only have one month to do so."
A small commotion began rising up. After all, most of them present here heard that, as soon as they cleared the Trials, they would be allowed to fill in the ranks and start fighting as a demon hunter. So, this was contrary to what they were promised.
Of course, there were few here that displayed a relaxed demeanor as well. These were the people who got to hear a more in-depth explanation beforehand, so they knew what was going on already.
"If you fail to gather the coins in a month's time..."
"What is the meaning of this?"
The loud voice of dissent came from Area 3. A man with an imposing physique and a beard stood up from his seat. However, Mother Malevolence only spared him a cursory glance.
"Hmph! If you don't want to regurgitate the 'intake' you shoved down your throat before you got here, you'd better sit back down. I hate being asked a question in the middle of my sentence."
The bearded man blinked his eyes in surprise for a few seconds before his expression crumpled in anger.
"The hell did you say? Watch your mouth, you demonic b*tch!"
Mother Malevolence threw her head back in a loud fit of laughter.
"Certainly a rude man, aren't you? You must've grown up with the silver spoon in your mouth, right?"
"What? What are yo-"
"It's obvious. Out of those with the authority to recruit, the only one who can mass mobilize the invitations is found from 'that' place."
Mother Malevolence's laughter abruptly came to halt and she beckoned with her index finger. The third maid from the left stepped forward and handed over a piece of paper to her.
"Let's see. I'm getting curious here if your results match that mouth of yours."
Mother Malevolence took a look at the paper handed to her by a maid, and a mocking smile formed on her lips.
"0 coins? What? Is this real?"
The maid quietly nodded her head.
"You're not even a contracted. Getting a 0 as an invited?"
Mother Malevolence threw away the paper and coldly looked at the burly man.
"I can't bother to talk to you again. Sit back down, you trash."
"You…!"
"Sit. Otherwise, I'm going to make the ones who invited you to regret it."
The abrupt change in the tone of her voice was so eerie and terrifying that it roused goosebumps on all who heard it. The man shrunk back in an instant and collapsed back down to his seats unsteadily.
"I think you're all misunderstanding something here."
Mother Malevolence continued to stand in silence as her gaze swept across the room without saying anything for while with eyes belonging to a wild beast.
"The official title of this land is The Black Temple at 'Outland'. Got that?"
She emphasized the last part of her words. Specifically, the name.
"Did you all think that because you'd come to a new world called 'Outland' that you'd get to ride in roller coasters and have a jolly good time? You all better wake up. If I were to compare this place to Azeroth, then the land you're about to step into is a battlefield full of ruin and death happening every single day. This is a warzone, where you will be permitted to survive only after your enemies are all dead."
She crossed her six arms again across her chest.
"Just because you managed to somehow escape from a weakling monster, you think you got the right to bark at me? Don't you get the meaning behind the word 'trial'? Don't get cocky. You better not fool yourselves into thinking that things you'll encounter in Outland are around the same level as what you experienced in the trials."
The reality of the situation must have sunk in as the small commotion died down almost immediately.
"That's right. If you understood, then keep your mouths shut, you useless bunch of dogs."
It was at this moment that a giggle escaped out from Zevrad's lips. He was seriously concentrating on the Shivarra's words but couldn't help himself when she blared out the woodpecker bit. He realized he made a mistake right away and tried to cover his mouth – but he had already become the center of attention by then.
"You're…"
A strange glimmer flickered in Mother Malevolence's eyes.
"Oh, I see. Indeed, you may find all of this rather… adorable."
"?"
"But, you should try to understand too. No matter how careful the selection process was, there will always be some dirt that manages to escape the filtering."
Zevrad was expecting to hear an earful, but upon hearing her voice that seemingly asked for his understanding, he could only feel confusion.
"Well, this place will be the end of that anyways."
The Shivarra shifted her gaze back to Area 3's direction and giggled.
"You are going to go through a lot of hardship, that's for sure. To get to 1000 coins from 0, now that isn't going to be a walk in the park."
Hearing this, several people began to flinch noticeably.
"This is the consequence of your own actions. Who told you to get a free pass through the trial?"
Even Belath's lackey's complexions weren't so good. Their coins only amounted in the 40s.
"Now that we're here, we might as well get the awards ceremony done and dusted too. If there's someone deserving of punishment, then there should be others deserving of rewards..."
Mother Malevolence let off a lengthy groan and reached into her inner pocket.
"From now, if I call out your name, stand up. Area 3, Van Chain?"
A thin Night Elf man wearing a white turban stood up.
"You already meet the requirements. If you want, you can enter the inner sanctum of the Black Temple right away."
"I choose to remain."
"Then, take this."
Mother Malevolence threw something at Van Chain. He easily snatched it off the air and asked her, full of curiosity.
"What's this?"
"What, a member of the assassination squad is asking for info?"
An unreadable smile formed on Van Chain's face as he sat back down.
"If you're really curious, then ask your maid standing behind me later. Area 3, Salvatore Leorda."
This time, a Blood Elf man with a buzz-cut stood up.
Mother Malevolence didn't bother to say anything and simply threw something towards his way. The unexpectedly-youthful man caught it, bowed slightly, and sat back down on his seat.
"Area 6, Mao Windfury."
Out of the identically-kitted Blood Elf men, a man with a striking physique and looking somewhere around in the mid-thirties of Elven age stood up.
"Seeing how you carry yourself, I can easily guess where you're from. So, will you be staying?"
"That is a foolish question. I will be staying, of course."
The man named Mao Kingmaker smiled refreshingly.
"Okay. And then... Area 2, Odelette Priam."
"I'm also staying."
The girl answered right away. She quickly caught the thrown item that drew a long arc in the air. She checked it and then, promptly raised her hand up high again.
"Excuse me for a second!"
"Mm?"
"I think you gave me the wrong one because it says No.2 on the plate."
"Nope. I know full well that you earned 7500 silver coins."
Shocked and impressed gasps came from the various parts of the audience. Most of the crowd here stared at the girl with the white hairband with disbelieving eyes.
"If I deduct the 1000 silver coins you got as your starting bonus, then your original sum of coins is 15500. And your invited status got you with the 10 times multiplier. So, you earned around 1550 coins during the Trial. Am I right?"
"Y-yes, you are right..."
"How regretful. That amount would have been enough to get you to the top of the rankings. But this time, it's only enough for the second place."
The girl's jaw dropped. Quite likely, she hadn't thought of the possibility that someone else could've surpassed her.
'Wait a minute? Didn't I also receive some silver coins as the starting bonus?'
Now that he thought about it, Zevrad did receive 5000 coins in the auditorium as starting bonus. It seemed that the coins he got back then were not subjected to the multiplier effect as an invited. In any case, that meant the actual total of Zevrad's silver coins was not 72,500, but 77,500.
"Area 1…"
"I'm staying."
Zevrad quickly got up from his seat. The back of his head was getting really itchy right about now.
"How many coins did that guy receive, then?"
"You shouldn't even ask. Just tallying up the silver coins alone, it's 7250. It's higher than yours by 5700."
"W-wow…"
'Doesn't she know any shame?!'
Zevrad inwardly complained while catching the incoming object. It was a key with a golden label No.1 engraved on the attached plate.
"You know, I find it really amazing."
Mother Malevolence unexpectedly displayed a certain amount of admiration.
"It's already impressive that your tiny world had come this far to form a faction to combat against the demons, and now, another Irregular has appeared from your world."
Thanks to her declaration, the eyes that fell on Odelette were now firmly fixed on Zevrad. He really wanted to decline all this attention.
Finally, Mother Malevolence gave out a signal, prompting the maids to hurriedly descend from the stage and move to either side of the audience area.
"What are you all doing? Stand up!"
Zevrad was about halfway down to his chair, but he had to stand back up again.
"The countdown to the month's deadline has begun already. What, you want me to spoon feed you everything you need before you'll think for your own?"
Hearing this, Zevrad quickly picked up his bag.
The blue-haired maid was waiting for him in a different doorway than the one he used to enter the theatre. It was as if she was telling him to use this one now.
***
Everyone formed the same sort of surprised expressions once they exited from the theater and took in the sights unfolding before their eyes.
The so-called Basic Realm reminded one of a massive elven city with its spectacular interior. The ground floor was shaped in a huge circle, and wherever they looked, they could find lounges and shops as well as other facilities. And none here could even start figuring out just how many floors, interconnected with spiraling staircases, there were above their heads.
They couldn't exit from the Basic Realm yet, but it wasn't hard to imagine how this place might've looked from the outside – like the legendary Karazhan, a tall and round tower embued with magic that contains mysteries.
Zevrad found an empty chair inside one of the ground floor's lounges and settled down to survey the area around him. The most eye-catching object within this courtyard was a giant noticeboard set up next to a fountain in the middle of the floor. On this board, there were countless pieces of paper that resembled wanted posters stuck to it. And a healthy crowd of people had gathered in front.
Zevrad decided to go and check out that later, once things had calmed down a little bit. So, he sat here and organized his thoughts.
He was initially thinking of leaving the Basic Realm right away and honing his abilities as a demon hunter. Since he already possessed the qualifications, he believed that there was no real need to waste his time here. However, the other four people who had amassed over 1000 coins all chose to remain. They didn't even show a hint of hesitation, either.
And also, didn't that man Mao Kingmaker say it out loud, too? He said that was a 'foolish question'.
'Okay, then. What did I dream about this place?'
He couldn't remember anything about this place at all.
There must be a reason why all four of them said they'd rather remain here. In times like this, Zevrad couldn't help but think about his past.
Zevrad remained sitting there while rubbing his face, unsure of what to do next. He felt someone approaching him and raised his head.
"..."
"It's an exciting time in the world, isn't it? Exciting time."
"..."
'Odd, I didn't notice him before.'
An unfamiliar middle-aged Night Elf man greeted him with dignified elegance as soon as their eyes met, and was decked out in a rather familiar attire similar to the hosts of this event. Seeing his neatly tied hair, Zevrad held suspicions on why he approached him.
"Is there anything I can help you with?"
"Greetings, if it's okay with you, I'd like the honor of guiding you around this facility."
Now that was a wonderful thing to hear. But it also raised a question in Zevrad's head.
"I thought we were supposed to find the necessary info by ourselves?"
"Indeed that is the case. However, we are tasked with providing basic information. And also, providing more information on our own volition isn't against the rules."
Zevrad figured that this nice treatment had something to do with his invitation status or recent performance. He nodded his head in acceptance. Being guided around, instead of stumbling around by himself, certainly saved him a lot of time.
"Thank you for your help. I'll be in your care, then."
"In that case..."
Just as the Night Elf man complexions brightened, he began glancing behind Zevrad with a stiffened face. He looked behind and found the blue-haired maid from the previous trial standing there. Not only that, there was a... refreshing smile on her face too. The man did his best to reciprocate a smile of his own but was found ignored by the woman.
"Hello, I am Ariana. I know that Area 1 was previously my jurisdiction but the Trial has ended already. Isn't it fine to yield this little thing to me this time?"
The blue-haired maid, Ariana, continued to smile radiantly.
Taking the hint, the man silently bowed towards Zevrad before leaving without saying anything else.
Zevrad couldn't help but doubt his senses. He had already confirmed that the blue-haired maid could speak just fine, but to see such a demeanor of a passive-aggressive yet adorable and radiant face of hers was just...
"Well, then. Allow me to guide you."
"You are pretty good. With your demeanor, I mean."
"Ahh, that. I am currently practicing my etiquette, you know."
"Etiquette?"
"Yes. I'm trying to fix this bad habit of mine. You see, how I presented myself with my body language and way of speaking was considered uncultured in today's elven society."
Ariana was implying that she acted without thinking. Somehow, Zevrad could see that.
"Well, uh... I'll be in your care, then."
When Zevrad stood up from his seat, Ariana began tugging at the corners of his clothes. Then, she pointed towards the inside of the lounge area. The facilities there resembled a cafe.
"Before we get started... would you like to buy me something to drink from there first?"
"..."
Zevrad turned around to call the distance and disappearing man. Ariana jumped up and down in alarm.
"Wait, wait!! Okay, fine. Fine! But, what's wrong with buying me something to drink?!"
"But, why should I...?"
"You have a lot of silver coins, don't you?"
Zevrad blinked his eyes a couple of times. While she was begging him to buy her something, she mentioned the silver coins. Why?
"Does that mean you have to use silver coins to use the facilities in this place?"
"Yes. Within the Basic Realm, the silver coins act as a special currency. In order to eat, sleep, and buy things to wear, you need these special silver coins to utilize those services."
Zevrad furrowed his brows. Not just needing to amass lots of coins but also needing to spend them – now that would spike the difficulty upwards rather steeply.
"How do you gather more silver coins?"
Rather than a verbal answer, Ariana pointed at the noticeboard, instead. There was still a healthy and massive crowd of people in front of it.
"By taking on the missions and completing the goals placed on that noticeboard, you'll be eligible to receive coins as rewards. That's the normal way of earning them."
"The 'normal way', huh..."
"The silver coins can also be loaned out or transferred to others."
A bitter smile formed on Zevrad's face. By connecting what Ariana said to Mother Malevolence's words of 'we are not going to mind other ways you cook up yourselves', Zevrad could make a pretty good guess here. Most would go about solving their problems by getting a loan or, more likely, resorting to robbery.
"Since I told you, you'll buy me something, right?"
"I refuse."
"Ehhh- but, why?"
"I'll have to conserve my coins. It's not like they fall down from the sky or something."
"But, why so stingy?! You know you will get free accommodation and food, so how come?"
Zevrad tilted his head, wondering what she was on about now.
Ariana sneakily looked around her and began whispering to his ear.
"Even here, you'll see lots of discrimination, you know. The contracted has to pay the full amount when using the facilities found here, but that's not the case for the invited like you, right? The people who performed with at least 50 coins get a 10% discount, those with at least 100 coins get over a 20% discount, and..."
"If that's the case..."
"As a person who achieved more than 1000 coins, you get 30% off on every available facility here. On top of that, you were the highest-ranked survivor. So, not only are you given an exclusive residence, but you also receive a 70% discount when utilizing the services of certain shops and restaurants."
When Zevrad stared at her in disbelief, Ariana nodded her head quite animatedly.
And as it turned out, she was telling the truth.
The cheapest drink available cost one silver coin. Ariana chose a drink that normally cost 10 silver coins, but as soon as he showed off his identity and the plate attached to his key, he didn't even have to pay a single coin.
It was a 100% discount!
"You really made a wise decision to stay behind, you know."
As they were headed off to his residence located on the upper floors, Ariana suddenly told him this. Her expression was one full of happiness as she sucked in the drink through the straw.
"You see, it's really difficult to return to the Basic Realm once you leave. Since you already have secured your right to leave, you might as well suck out every little benefit you can from here, right?"
"And what benefits are there that can make my stay worthwhile?"
"The VIP store."
Ariana answered him right away and pulled out a pamphlet from seemingly out of nowhere.
"This here is the list of some of the things you can buy from the VIP store."
Zevrad's eyes grew wider and wider in surprise as he scanned the contents of the list.