The hidden class Yuji was planning to make was never created nor heard about by anyone.
He never knew about it until his 99th regression.
Upon reaching the 90th floor, he discovered a concealed area, unlike anything he had encountered within the tower.
It was fairly huge; it had hundreds of thousands of statues of a singular person.
At the apex of a throne was a headless statue, featuring an ancient language inscribed behind the absent head, which Yuji struggled to comprehend.
Unexpectedly, the inscription transformed into words understandable to Yuji.
The inscription conveyed, "If you're perusing this, you are the bearer of the rune, the keys to my prison. Obtain these three materials, and only then will you possess the power to make them yield: an angel's feather, the essence of a fallen angel, and the ball from the God of Darkness."
While Yuji lacked precise knowledge of the outcomes tied to acquiring these items, he presumed it might result in a class. The text, after all, alluded to the power to make them bow.
That's why he asked Val for a feather of her wing.
While considering alternative possibilities, including the notion of it being a weapon, Yuji leaned towards the belief that it's a hidden class.
Yuji perceived the words as ominous, especially the mention of being the bearer of the rune, leading him to speculate that it might be associated with the regression rune.
The reference to keys to a prison prompted Yuji to believe that the regression rune might serve as the means to liberate the individual depicted on the statues from imprisonment.
To achieve this, he needed to obtain specific materials to create a class that could confront and overcome the guardian protecting the prison.
However, this decision posed a risk to Yuji. The class he possessed during his 99th regression, was known as Monarch of Time.
The Monarch of Time class granted him the ability to manipulate time to a significant extent, offering immense power. Sacrificing such a powerful class for another one about which he knew nothing seemed like an stupid decision.
However, an inexplicable feeling within him insisted that it was the correct decision.
Yuji's contemplation was interrupted when he heard Val's voice.
"For the second-floor event, you vermin will be killing each other," Val announced, accompanied by a sinister expression.
She deliberately paused her explanation, fostering an atmosphere of chaos among the participants.
"What!"
"Killing each other! That's crazy!"
"We will all be killed by r100 if we were to fight to the death! That isn't fair!"
The revelation of an event involving players killing one another left everyone astonished, particularly considering the presence of a player capable of effortlessly defeating thousands of monsters.
"Don't worry, not all of you will die —only fifty percent or more. The event is a formation of two teams, each bestowed with the duty to safeguard their designated crystal. Should a crystal fall, a ten-second window opens, allowing the affected team to annihilate the opposing team's crystal for a tie. If both crystals succumb, a penalty ensues—a formidable boss monster emerges, bringing destruction until one team stands alone. The penalty ceases only when every member of one team is eradicated." She paused, Her sinister laughter added a foreboding tone to the proceedings, "Two captains will be appointed, choosing participants in making evenly matched teams through the picks they choose. Those not chosen will be eliminated from the event."
A spotlight manifested two distinct rays of light—one red, the other blue—illuminating a man and a woman.
Upon learning they could form teams, all eyes turned towards Yuji, their expressions reflecting a mix of hope and desperation.
Yuji sighed, expressing his weariness as this scenario unfolded repeatedly, becoming a tiresome routine.
Everyone rushed over to Yuji and shouted.
"I'm on r100's team!"
"No, I am! You're a weak bastard!"
"Shut up! It's the captain's choice! They won't choose weaklings like you two!"
As the players fervently pleaded to join Yuji's team, one of the captains raised his hand.
"Excuse me," the man said, bowing to the angel.
"Speak," Val said.
The man nodded and inquired, "As a captain, how does the picking system work? Does one of the captains have the first pick?"
Val explained, "No, both captains get to choose their first player, but the chosen player has the option to decline. For instance, if you pick r100 first, he can either accept or decline. If he accepts, subsequent choices must join your team without a choice. This applies to both captains. Additionally, if one captain has their first pick and the other doesn't, the captain with the pick can continue selecting players until they reach the team limit. I'll inform the captains when they've reached that limit."
Yuji observed Val's menacing gaze fixed upon him.
Although Yuji was accustomed to this, he sensed that Val took pleasure in watching the captains and players fight for his help.
The reason behind the picking system was to ensure that one team would be significantly stronger than the other.
If the strongest player in the area is chosen for one team, everyone would decline to join the other captain's team, resulting in an imbalanced match.
This ensures that the team with the strongest player selects other powerful individuals until their roster is full, leaving the weaker players with no choice but to join the opposing captain, leading to an absolute massacre.
The two captains approached Yuji and requested that he join their team.
He declined both offers, leaving the captains in shock.
His decision was influenced by the realization that he had complete control over someone else.
He glanced at the nametags above their heads, searching for a specific one, and found it.
Tomo.
That was Tomoko's username, the girl kidnapper.
Approaching her, Yuji's presence elicited a visible tremor of fear from Tomoko. Despite her attempts to avoid him, it proved futile.
Observers speculated on the nature of their relationship as they witnessed Yuji's approach towards Tomoko.
He whispered in her ear, and suddenly, a system message materialized before Yuji.
| Red Team |
| You have been chosen to join the Red Team! |
| Members: | | 3 |
Yuji found it remarkable that they quickly grasped the situation, as typically it took them a few minutes to realize.
The best strategy to secure the strongest player involved recruiting someone to join your team before selecting the most powerful player.
The captain of the blue team, the individual who inquired about the selection system to Val, observed the transformation of Yuji's name tag color.
The man, contemplating the unexpected turn of events—'Red?! How did they…'—found clarity as he grasped the unfolding situation.
He cursed himself silently for not anticipating the situation earlier.
The captain of the red team approached Yuji, stating, "Hello r100, I have a lot I want to discuss with you," accompanied by a smile.
The captain of the red team was the girl who initiated player killings in the first event, realizing the stat benefits they provided.
The other member was the muscular man who initially believed r100 was Yuji but later dismissed that notion.
Yuji regarded them with a sigh, thinking, 'Ichirou, my high school bully, and Atsuko, a girl with an unsettling desire to kill me or make me her slave…'
As the participants noticed the red team's username, a wave of despair engulfed them, particularly affecting the weaker players.
"T-That's unfair! They have third place, Goddess.2.0, second place, EgoKiller, and first place, r100!"