"Merlin Crown?" Shen Ling'er paused in surprise before a shy smile graced her lips. "What a beautiful name."
She lowered her head slightly, as if trying to hide the growing smile on her face.
Merlin responded with a faint smile but stayed silent. His gaze swept over the area, noticing the attention they were drawing from the people in the safe zone. Even Sherlin, standing tens of meters away, was watching them curiously.
"Ck! It seems like I've attracted too much attention this time," Merlin muttered with a quiet chuckle.
His daring act of saving Shen Ling'er had clearly caught everyone's eye.
However, the attention wasn't admiration or curiosity—it was caution.
After all, his courage in confronting the dog monster would surely make them see him as someone with exceptional attributes—a potential threat to those with lesser ones.
Still, he felt no fear. The rules prohibited participants from killing one another, and with his exceptionally high attributes, he was confident he could handle anyone—even five opponents at once.
Merlin averted his gaze from the people around him and glanced at the participant count displayed above. He noticed that the safety zone was now completely filled.
"So, we're just waiting for the first task to finish, huh?" he murmured to himself.
He then lowered his head slightly and whispered, "Status."
[Status]
[—Name—: Merlin Crown]
[—Age—: 25 years old]
[—Traits/Characteristics—: Cunning, Selfish, Calculating, Prioritizes personal gain above all, and Cowardice]
[—Title—: -]
[—Level/XP—: 1 (0/100)]
[—HP/Mana—: 900/950]
[—Class—: -]
[—Attributes/Talents—: 150 LCK (Mythic), 99 INT (Legendary), 150 CHA (Mythic), 50 AGT (Epic), 49 VIT (Epic), 33 END (Unique), 37 STA (Unique)]
[—Skills—: Eyes of Truth (God)]
[—Items—: -]
In an instant, his status panel appeared before him, and he skimmed over it. His eyebrows twitched when something surprising caught his eye.
"My HP dropped from 1200 to 900? Was that from the dog monster's attack?" Merlin wondered, narrowing his eyes.
The [HP] column showed the amount of life a person had. Once it hit zero, death was certain—just like in a game.
The dog monster's attack had been brutally effective, instantly lowering his HP by 300. If he'd been struck by the monster's relentless assault while saving Shen Ling'er, he would have been dead on the spot.
"Well, as long as there's still HP, there's no need to worry. After all, it'll recover slowly," he muttered with a casual smile.
His eyes returned to the [HP/Mana] column, where he noticed his [HP] had risen from 900 to 902. While the recovery was slow, it was better than nothing.
*Whoosh!*
Suddenly, a streak of white light shot across the sky, and a golden hourglass materialized from the glow, followed by a countdown panel appearing above it.
Everyone in Thaloria stood stunned. Before they could react, the countdown on the panel began ticking down.
[00:20]
[00:19]
[00:18]
...
[00:08]
[00:07]
[00:06]
...
[00:03]
[00:02]
[00:01]
[00:00]
*Dong! Dong! Dong!*
As the countdown reached zero, the sound of a massive bell rang out, reverberating through the world of Thaloria.
"What's happening? What was that sound? Has the task ended?" a person in the safe zone asked, his voice laced with concern.
"It seems like a signal that the first task or game is over," a man beside him replied casually.
Meanwhile, Shen Ling'er, upon hearing the sound of the massive bell, suddenly froze in fear. Her beautiful face turned pale, and her delicate body trembled softly.
Subconsciously, she moved closer to Merlin and gripped his sleeve tightly.
"Hmm?" Merlin was slightly startled and turned to look at Shen Ling'er, who appeared utterly terrified.
"What's happening with her? Why is she reacting so strongly, as if the sound of that bell terrified her?" Merlin wondered.
Before he could investigate further, a woman's excited voice suddenly rang out from above.
"Congratulations to all of you who successfully completed the first task! You're amazing! I'm so proud of you! Hehehe!" The voice, unmistakably Sophia's, echoed cheerfully.
Upon hearing that the first task had indeed been completed, everyone exhaled in relief. Some even shed tears of joy.
Only they truly understood how terrifying the task had been, being hunted by monstrous creatures. If given the chance to relive it, they would rather die alongside the hundred and one who had gone to the Golden Gate earlier than face being chased by those monsters.
Merlin and Shen Ling'er both felt a wave of relief at the announcement. They exchanged a glance before finally sharing a smile.
"Alright, enough of the pleasantries. Now, I'm going to reveal the sky board to show how many victims fell in the first test," Sophia continued in a playful tone. "I'm sure you'll be shocked when you see the numbers."
With that, the massive golden hourglass in the sky slowly vanished, replaced by an enormous, beautifully gilded board.
*Buzz!*
Moments later, the sequence numbers of all the participants appeared on the board. Suddenly, sequence number nine began to lose its color and shine, fading away entirely. Sequence numbers 11, 15, 19, and many others followed suit, fading and disappearing from the sky board.
As they watched, a deep sense of dread swept over everyone.
"Damn it! How many people died?" someone asked, his face filled with horror.
"One, two, three, four... twenty... fifty-one... sixty-five... eighty-two!" A woman counted the disappearing numbers, her face turning pale as she realized how many had fallen in the first test.
"What!? Eighty-two!? Damn, that's a lot!" A man shouted, his voice shaking with fear.
They exchanged nervous glances, gulping in panic. The thought of being among those who had died sent a chill down their spines. Fortunately, they were safe, and a wave of relief washed over them.
"Eighty-two, huh? That's quite a significant number," Merlin murmured as he studied the sky board intently, rubbing his chin.
Earlier, he had anticipated that the number of casualties would range from forty to sixty. But eighty-two had fallen, meaning about sixteen point four percent of the participants had lost their lives in just the first task. That was a staggering number.
They had only completed the first task, meaning six more awaited them. Given how challenging the first task had been, claiming so many lives, Merlin could only imagine how brutal and relentless the remaining tasks would be.
"This is really troublesome," he muttered, massaging his forehead.
Suddenly, he felt a gentle tug on his shirt sleeve. He turned quickly to find Shen Ling'er looking at him.
"What's wrong?" Merlin asked softly.
In front of Shen Ling'er, Merlin had to maintain the image of a gentle, caring, and kind man. Though the role was troublesome and tiring, he knew it was necessary to earn her trust.
Shen Ling'er bit her lower lip, gazing at Merlin with a shy and grateful expression.
She then lowered her head slightly, tightening her grip on his shirt sleeve, and said sincerely, "I want to thank you, Merlin. If it weren't for you, I would have already been one of the fallen. I'm truly grateful to have met you."
She lifted her head, a sweet, innocent smile spreading across her lips.
Merlin was momentarily captivated by her smile, and an unfamiliar feeling stirred in his chest. However, he quickly regained his composure and let out a soft chuckle.
"You don't need to thank me, Shen Ling'er," Merlin said lightly, patting her head. "I'm helping you for my own reasons. So, there's no need to worry about it."
He looked at his hand resting on top of Shen Ling'er's head and realized his mistake. Just as he moved to withdraw it, Shen Ling'er suddenly grasped it tightly.
Under Merlin's astonished gaze, Shen Ling'er looked at him earnestly and said, "Since you saved me for your own reasons, may I make a request?"
Merlin raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "A request?" he asked, his voice laced with curiosity.
Shen Ling'er nodded shyly, then lowered her head in embarrassment.
"May I call you 'brother'?"