As the spider ran toward Harden with its jaws open, Harden, who lay on the floor helpless and unconscious, did not move.
"Harden!" Raizo shouted as he started running toward him.
Just as the spider was upon Harden, a participant who had been sitting on the floor with his legs crossed, as if meditating, suddenly stood up.
"That Harden kid is an interesting one. I can't let him die just yet," the participant muttered.
"I guess it's time to end this charade."
The spider quickened its speed and snapped its jaws shut.
"Nooooooo!" Amy shouted.
But to everyone's surprise, Harden wasn't there. As the dust settled, a man could be seen holding Harden in his arms.
As Raizo looked up to see who had saved Harden, his eyes met a man who wore a black hoodie and a pair of black jeans, with a katana sword strapped around his waist.
"I didn't notice there was someone this impressive," Raizo thought to himself. And of the Samurai class, no less.
The man unsheathed his sword, revealing a long, black katana.
"I wanted to wait the battle out, but you were about to kill an interesting one, and I just can't have that," the man said, walking toward the spider.
The spider rushed at the man, but the man didn't flinch. Instead, he tightened his grip on his sword, took his stance, and held his blade at his right side with both hands. Then, in one swift motion, he ran toward the spider and performed a horizontal slash, splitting the creature in half.
The participants couldn't believe what they had just witnessed. They were in shock. Some thought it was a dream; others cried. Many were simply speechless. The hellish situation, their horrors, it was all gone in a flash.
The participants were in tears—some shedding tears of joy for being alive, while others mourned their friends who had passed.
The man in the black hoodie began to walk away.
"Wait! Who are you?" Kyle shouted, mustering the strength to stand. "If you had that power, why didn't you interfere from the beginning? Why did you let people die? Why did you do nothing until now?"
As Kyle asked these questions, the participants began to chastise and criticize the man.
"Yeah, why didn't you do anything?"
"Why did you let our comrades die? They had families, people waiting for them!"
"Why didn't you just stop the spider if you had the strength to?"
The man in the black hoodie turned slightly and said, "Because I didn't feel like it. Or rather, I didn't see the need to. If you guys had somehow managed to fight it until the berserk mode wore off, I'm sure you would have beaten it with ease."
He didn't say anything else and simply walked away.
"You're an interesting one, Harden, so don't die and get stronger, okay?" the man thought to himself.
The man left without waiting for a response. As he disappeared, the ground began to vibrate, and the cave-like scenery started to fade. In its place, a building emerged.
"Now that we've conquered this abyss, it's reverted back to its normal form," Ling said, walking toward Harden, who lay on the ground unconscious.
Amy, Kyle, and Raizo made their way toward Harden as well. They all helped carry him out of the building.
The participants left the building, not with smiles on their faces but with confused expressions. Some eyes were lifeless; some were still, unmoving; and others were shaking.
Here's the punctuated text:
"Judging from your expressions, I see you've experienced the horror of an abyss," Ray Clove the examiner said. "He then continued, 'Some who entered thinking it was a walk in the park didn't make it. However, here you are, alive. Be proud. In this battle, you were the victors.'"