I waved goodbye halfheartedly before separating from the duo. There was no use in staying with them other than for the meager information that they had.
But from what I had seen of both their combat and mentality they would have been more of a liability than a help to me.
It was why I didn't even bother with their names before leaving. I doubted they would make it far and even if they did it would have been a miracle.
It was while I was walking away that I found myself stilled by a feeling of foreboding as if something was going to happen.
Yet still I kept walking, though instead of my relaxed posture that showed of my comfort I found myself tensed.
My hand was on my sword and mana ran through my veins. It was a bit wasteful but I didn't know what was going to happen.
[Announcement: Half the allotted time has passed]
[Initializing stage two]
[Objective: Survive/Subjugate]
[Ranking will begin. Each monster is worth 1, 2, or 3 points.]
With that I felt myself be consumed by light, the surroundings around me fading into a black nothingness.
For a moment I found myself standing there but just as that moment passed I fell to the ground.
I picked myself up as fast as I could and looked to my surroundings. It was nothing like the first stage had been. It was a large arena.
It had enough space to fit at least a town in it, even with my vision I could barely even see the edge.
Though that was not the most unique thing about it, what really caught my eye was the environment.
It was not some primal forest filled with animals and bugs but a cityscape. Filled with high rise buildings and streets.
Abandoned cars sat destroyed by some sort of force.
It was then that I found that I was not alone, my eyes narrowing as I looked to the three people surrounding me.
If they could even be called people. They looked humanoid but they had these features that called out to me. Telling me that they were not human.
All three of them seemed to be of the same race with ears that seemed to be a bit sharper and features that seemed a bit inhuman.
As if to complete the stereotype they had this sneer and perpetual glare upon sizing me up.
"You." One of them yelled, presumably the leader as the other two stood behind him.
"Stay out of our way"
With that one sentence he turned his head, his nose held high as he walked off with purpose as if he had already known what was going to happen.
It made sense though. Seeing as we, the humans, had only just been entered, then the other species had probably been here before us meaning that they had access to info that we wouldn't have.
Information such as the first floors trial. A head start that would allow them to take the opportunities that this place allowed them.
I sighed as I walked in their direction, tailing them.
After I had come to this conclusion I found myself wondering if they were going to a target rich environment or if they were going to some easy place.
…
"Knife eared fuckers…" I muttered under my breath, watching as they moved about the second stage area.
I held with me a bag, one made by our guilds alchemists. It had been specifically tailored to gather the second stage monsters in order to garner more points and potentially break the record.
If I was able to do that I would rise in the ranks and potentially become a captain if I was so inclined.
But that didn't matter right now. I saw red the moment that those bastards came into my vision. So much so that I could barely stop myself from growling.
They thought they could get away with taking power over my tribe. They would not live to regret that.
Idly I noticed that there was one of those new species, one that had just popped up today. It was a bit of a surprise.
Usually those that just ascended into the tower would be taken by the guilds and educated or used. And the ones that aren't or didn't get enough points in the impromptu welcome were thrown aside and never really seen.
Though now that I was thinking of it those people most probably went into the tower and died almost immediately.
I snorted thinking of it, if this human had a death wish then I would grant it to him. It was nothing personal, he was just in the way of my goal.
With those thoughts in mind I prepared to move. My knife was dipped in poison, the bag of monster bait was held in my hand and an extra tied to my waist just in case.
I leaped from the building that I was using for cover and found purchase in the window of another.
I crouched with the impact to lessen the damage and then did so again and again.
Minutes passed by as I grew closer and closer to the group. Though they suddenly stopped.
For what reason, I didn't know but I could take a guess.
It wasn't me as I made sure that I was hidden and it wasn't the human as he was doing a surprisingly good job at staying hidden.
So that meant that they must have reached their destination.
'Hm… so I was right.'
It was moments after I came to that conclusion that I watched them take something from the packs around them.
It seemed to be some sort of device. They threw it to the ground and it sparked creating a barrier of sorts.
I clicked my tongue at the sight of that and continued to spread the powder around the place as discreetly as possible. The creatures of this floor might not be able to pierce the barrier but if I sabotaged it a bit they would be dead within minutes.
I smiled to myself as I watched them, those smug smiles… I couldn't wait to watch them die off.