Chapter 28: Intelligence Challenge (II)
The actual room was...
Silence.
Absolute and total silence, it seemed that no one inhabited the room because of the silence of the room, but quite the opposite of possible beliefs, the room was swarming with people.
The crowd was as pale as a sheet, while the masked men in front were smiling broadly, only hidden by their respective masks.
'Those bastards are making it big now, huh?' thought Nova as he saw the two masked men.
He knew their intentions, they were clear, they wanted to cause despair and destroy all determination of the current recruits.
Why, don't they need new members?
That was what they were saying at first, but Nova knew the darkness that lurked throughout the Eclipse organization and what it does with the dead bodies of its recruits.
Thinking about this, Nova couldn't help but feel a shiver run through her body, which he quickly controlled.
"Okay, since you know the rules, just go to any of these doors," the white-masked man commented, before snapping his fingers.
*snap*
The snap of fingers echoed in the silent room. Instantly, the walls behind the two masked men slid apart, to present several doors, which as before, their interior seemed to be darkness itself.
The crowd, upon seeing the door, felt a shiver and shudder in their bodies, but they could only walk and take a step toward their possible death.
It was either refuse to go and die for sure or go, have at least a chance to pass the challenge, and live for a few more minutes.
They all chose the second option, passing through the doors, which just as before, their figures disappeared as soon as they took three steps into the darkness.
Nova, on the other hand, stared at the door he was about to cross.
Taking a deep breath, he calmed his emotions.
Hidden by his nonchalant and serene face, Nova was not without nervousness either, but he had a confidence far greater than anyone else in the room. After all, he had the White Moon Earrings, which made him process information faster.
But before entering, for the third time today, Nova felt a tap on his shoulder.
Turning around, Nova saw Alex, who seemed to be a bit tired still and could barely support himself with his feet.
But still, he had a slight smile on his face.
"Thank you for saving me that time, also thank you for calling the masked men to help me out of the room, I owe you several now," Alex commented with a smile of thanks, but he wasn't done yet.
"Like I said, my name was Alex, Alex Gustav and I hope to be a good friend to you," Alex said widening his smile a little more.
Nova didn't find anything strange.
But he still considered Alex a stranger, and he, as someone who lived with practically no one, found himself in an awkward situation again.
But unlike before, this time Nova was a little interested in having a friendship with Alex. After all, it's a possible butterfly effect he believed in himself, plus in the game he is said to be incredibly talented.
Considering this, he had a slight smile on his face.
'That last name... sounds familiar,' Nova thought as he heard Alex's last name, the last name Gustav.
He remembered that he had heard that last name, but he didn't know where, which he considered odd, since he played many hours, the game, but he didn't remember that detail, it must not be important. right?
Nova, even so, mentally remembered to investigate this surname, at the same time extending his hand in front of Alex, in a way as if he could a handshake.
"Well, also as I said, I'm Nova Leiden, a pleasure and I hope we'll be friends," Nova formally introduced himself again, this time much friendlier than before.
To this, Alex shook his hand.
The shake only lasted a couple of seconds before they parted ways.
"By the way, you almost killed me back there," Alex commented jokingly, but Nova could sense a hint of anger.
But this he found normal, after all, he launched a fireball that generated a huge explosion that could have easily killed Alex. If it wasn't for a bit of luck and that Alex hadn't used 100% of all his mana, he would be dead now.
To this comment, Nova responded indifferently.
"Well, my main intention was not to save you, but now he's here alive, that's a relief, at least."
Alex, hearing these words, felt even angrier, but he relaxed a little.
He wasn't stupid, after calming his feeling of extreme gratitude for saving his life, Alex started to think more about the scenario and analyze it.
He concluded that Nova could have even killed him easily, in fact, the odds were more of him dying.
So... Why did he want to befriend Nova?
Easy, Alex could sense that he was strong, Alex wanted to be his friend because he was powerful, and he wanted strong people around him.
This was almost the same as Nova was doing, who wanted to be friends with Alex because he was so talented.
There was also still a feeling of gratitude and thanks, but not as deep as before, but he knows very well that he owes Nova his life.
With his intentions so clear, Alex was the first to leave, walking past Nova, and entering one of the doors, not before saying a few words.
"Good luck on the next challenge," Alex said, as he walked into the room.
Nova nodded silently, partly at his words of encouragement and his surprise at the situation.
'That boy... he's very smart, smarter than expected,' Nova concluded mentally, with a small smile on his face.
One to be very interesting, but he didn't want to think too much about that.
Shaking his head, he wiped all those thoughts away, concentrating on the door in front of her.
*He sighed.
Taking a deep breath and sighing deeply, Nova entered the room...
____________________