The gathering ended sooner, just as Sorath expected. Although the result was different from the past, it was still within Sorath's expectations.
When Sorath and the Seven Houses members announced they would take the trial as soon as possible, almost 70% of candidates followed suit.
Whereas in the past, only 30% decided to take the trial sooner.
Considering that only a few were passing the solo trial, it was easy to imagine why completing all the tests was difficult.
Sorath and his group were preparing a basic survival kit before entering the sixth floor.
'Since it's gonna take a while to find the objective, food and drink are essential.'
"Yo, we're back with the tents!"
Coming out from behind the door, Fred and Enri entered the medium, comfy room of the best inn in the city with bulging shopping bags in their hands.
Sorath looked at the shopping bags. 'Those things did ruin my image of the traditional medieval city I like.'
Shaking his head, he instructed them to put all the necessities in the magic bag.
"Oh, right. Atri, can you give this letter to a smithy owner? You'll find him in the location that I marked there."
Receiving the item from Sorath, Atri nodded and headed out immediately.
Ten minutes later... they finally finished their preparations, ready to challenge the fifth trial. At the same time, Atri returned without breaking a sweat.
"Ready to go?" Sorath asked, not particularly to a specific person but a group.
But since Sorath spoke that right after Atri's return, she mistook it as a question specifically for her.
Nodding eagerly, Atri smiled.
"You know me. I'm always ready."
...
Standing in front of the fifth door that connected with the sixth floor, Sorath's group had their eyes burned with determination.
Turning around, Sorath looked at his group members. Since the fifth trial only allowed a maximum of four people in the same group, Sorath picked out people he already knew: Atri, Enri, and Fred.
Moreover, they were very cooperative, making it easier for Sorath to lead this group. Well, actually, he was forced to be the group leader since the others voted for him.
"You all remember what you're supposed to do, right?"
They all nodded.
"Good."
With everything ready, Sorath's group entered the sixth gate. Right after he stepped in, his world turned white like a blank canvas. Soon, window interfaces filled his field of sight.
[Identifying candidate... Sorath Shedever. Checking registered group... Group 13: Leader - Sorath Shedever. Members - Atri Aquila, Enri Aquila, and Luke Shader.]
[Verification completed. Sorath Shedever, welcome to the fifth trial. Please choose your starting Trace.]
Three spheres of light materialized in front of him, revealing Trace's ability upon touching it.
'This is not something I remember existed in the past. But since it is a brand new timeline, I guess this kind of thing would happen whether I like it or not. I would have been in trouble if not for the seniors' heads up on the night before the Awakening Phase.'
'But I wonder... even with this free-to-use Trace that exists for the group trial, only a handful of people could complete until the seventh trial, which mostly was a Divergent. Meanwhile, no one could reach the eighth,' rubbing his chin, he continued. 'I think this is gonna be harder than I thought.'
Shaking the thought away, Sorath read the Trace details. There were three of them: [Competent Shooter], [Energy Blast], and [How To Cook 101].
Sorath, obviously, chose the Energy Blast.
'I am confident with my shooting skill, so it won't do much to choose Competent Shooter over Energy Blast. Not to mention it was an Inferior Trace.'
Then he looked at the third Trace [How To Cook 101].
'As for this one... this is what people consider a trash, useless Trace.'
The Inferior Traces, mostly, were something that could be achieved by normal means without depending on supernatural causes.
Someone without any shooting experience could become a good shooter with [Competent Shooter]. Someone who never cook in their lives could become a good cook with [How To Cook 101]. However, that feat was still within a human's boundary. Everyone could do that if they honed their competencies in said subjects.
But what about Energy Blast? Could a human do a fancy thing, a move they had only seen in movies, books, and comics. Something like Rasengan or Kamehameha? No, right?
Even if the world- or rather, the Tower, had magical energy mixed within its atmosphere. The already Awakened people, or simply the Awakened, couldn't even do anything with mana in their bodies, let alone harness the free real estate mana in the air, except for those with Trace related to manipulating magic, also called a Mage or Weaver.
So, it was only logical for Sorath to choose Energy Blast among the three.
'With this, I don't need to use the arcane in my right hand.'
After finalizing his option, like a curtain opening, signaling the start of theater, the blank world changed to a beautiful view- or was supposed to be a beautiful view if Sorath and friends were on the other side of the island they teleported into.
They were dumped on a small island in the middle of the sea, two hundred meters apart from the mainland. Swimming would be a challenge, not to mention the potential enemies lurking underwater.
Just... look at the fins swimming back and forth, becoming a clear signal for them to not cross the water.
Bewildered and speechless, the four teenagers could only sigh.
'Well... this is beyond what I'm capable of.'
...
In the end, the group decided to build a camp on that island, knowing that the sun would set soon. When night finally came, they lit the campfire and gathered, discussing their plans.
"Let's discuss our starting Trace first. We may or may not change the plan after that."
Clearing his throat, Sorath opened the discussion.
"My Trace is Energy Blast. It allows me to create an energy ball to cause damage depending on the charging time."
Sorath rose to his feet and extended his hand. Smiling, he said:
"Let me show you."