"When will we begin this testing? I haven't slept for days."
"Haven't slept for days, my ass! We all know you just want to have a little fun with yourself, Zha Po. Your right hand is bulkier than your left!"
"I heard there's a brothel in Red Dragon City, and those fine men are just waiting to satisfy my every desire!"
"YEAH!!! Even Miss Feng, the Throat Queen, is getting impatient... I'm here for you, Miss Feng!,"
A riot erupted among the 2,570 participants. Aetheris, who had been silent, felt awkward and uncomfortable under Miss Feng's intense gaze. Her scent enveloped him, a potent mix of lust and desire that he recognized all too well. He could sense her tangled web of intimate connections, involving many partners at once. Although he didn't judge her choices, the overwhelming aura of her escapades made him feel like prey before a predator.
In response, Aetheris quickly used [Menacing Gaze], his cold and intimidating aura instantly putting Miss Feng in her place.
"Tsk."
Suddenly, a calm voice echoed above the crowd: "Dear participants, you will now be divided into groups... so don't be alarmed by what happens next."
Without warning, everything vanished.
It wasn't simply darkness—everything disappeared. The world seemed to have ceased to exist. There was no sky, no ground, no sense of time or space. The participants stood in what felt like a void, unable to see, hear, or feel anything beyond their own existence.
Then, in a flash, light burst forth.
Aetheris blinked as his vision returned, and he found himself inside a strange, glowing cube. He was no longer in the massive crowd; instead, about ten other participants surrounded him, all looking around in confusion.
'I guess this scenario applies to other participants, huh? That really pisses me off...the inability to surprise emotions in this body of mine is becoming a liability,' sighed Aetheris as he looked at Cain; his cold demeanor pissed him off so much that he felt a sudden urge to slap him.
He glanced down and noticed his attire had changed—where once he'd worn his usual traveling clothes, he now found himself dressed in sleek combat gear that radiated an unfamiliar energy. Aetheris examined the others in his cube and quickly realized they, too, had been equipped with similar attire, customized to their liking.
As he scanned the group, his eyes landed on Cain, an imposing figure with a commanding presence, and the Jotanrim, a towering warrior from a distant land. Cain and the Jotanrim looked just as bewildered as the rest of them, but their instincts quickly sharpened as they adjusted to the sudden change in environment.
Aetheris could feel the palpable tension building within his group, everyone sizing each other up, unsure of what this strange arena held for them next.
Suddenly, a voice boomed once more, but this time it echoed from within the cube itself.
"Your trial begins now."Echoed a voice surprising the participants, within the white Cube a small black cubic pillar rose from the ground
"D-666 Approach the pillar and destroy it using any means"
"Hmmm, of course, the main character is always called first," said D-666 as she smirked
D-666 slowly approached the pillar and took out a sword, with a single swing countless slashes began to pierce the pillar but nothing
"*Cough* That was just a demonstration it's time to get serious," said D-666 as she took a battle stance
"[Yin sword Art: Slashes of the moon]"
The temperature around them began to drop as D-666 grabbed her sword, she quickly released a single slash and...
*BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOM*
Although the pillar was unaffected, the space around it was surrounded by a frosty slash, D-666 was disappointed by the sight in front of her
'What is the point of this exercise, it defe... what the fuc' Aetheris was disturbed from his thoughts as suddenly felt something pinching his butt, and as he looked aside he felt... disgust and rage coursing through his veins
Miss Feng, the Throat queen, was the cause of the issue; seeing the perverted smile on her face Aetheris was disturbed from his thoughts as he suddenly felt something squeeze his ass.
His mind accelerated instantly to the point where time began to slow down from his perspective. Within the blink of an eye, countless brutal possibilities flashed through his mind.
He envisioned ways to make Miss Feng suffer—shattering her spine with a flick of his finger, crushing her windpipe in a single, precise movement, or dislocating every joint in her body, leaving her writhing in agony. He could tear her apart in more ways than she could imagine.
But then, as quickly as the thoughts had come, Aetheris let them go, the cold rage in his eyes dissipating. He exhaled, calming himself. In a single fluid motion, he appeared near the Jotanrim, his presence now distant from the commotion.
"...." implied Aetheris as he noticed the stare of the Jotanrim. Her curiosity was piqued, but she decided to mind her own business.
"As you noticed during D-666's demonstration, you should have an idea of what is happening... This is the final phase of the first trial for all participants, so do your best. Don't hold back—unlike D-666, there will be no redos."
As the voice echoed through the arena, the cube began to expand in both width and height. It shifted and grew until it was divided into equal sections, one for each participant.
Pillars similar to the one D-666 faced began to manifest in each lobby. The participants approached the lobbies they were directed to without hesitation. Inside the cubes, they saw reflections of themselves staring back.
'So they protect the privacy of techniques huh... Even though I am in my suppressed state I shouldn't hold back
D-666 didn't notice but these pillars nullify techniques by absorbing the Mana they contain thus rendering them useless... to break this pillar... one needs to overload its Mana Capacity ' Concluded Aetheris as he analyzed the box, he wasn't sure whether this test depended on one's Mana capacity, output or control but it fascinated him greatly
"C-137,D-165,D-678 and the rest begin"
...
Thank you for reading 🙏 😊