Chapter 54: Adaptation Is Everything!
"If Recruit A has one thousand points and you kill him, those one thousand points are now yours." When the murmurs finally died down, he spoke again, his tone as cold as ever.
"Firstly," Bale said, "as long as you do not provoke them, beasts in a pack will not attack you. But let me give you some advice..."
He leaned forward slightly, his eyes narrowing.
"Be smart. Act as though your life is truly on the line, because in here, it is. The pain of injury and death is as real as what you’d feel in the physical world. The AI monitors everything, every movement, every kill, and points will be automatically transferred to your bracelet when a beast falls by your hand."
He straightened again, his gaze sweeping over the group.
"As for your second question," he continued, his tone deepening, "I made the rule allowing you to hunt other recruits for a reason. That reason is trust, or rather, the lack of it."
"If Recruit A has one thousand points and you kill him, those one thousand points are now yours."
The crowd erupted.
"WHAT?!"
"Are you serious?!"
"This isn’t a test, it’s a slaughter!"
Bale ignored them.
"The wristbands you’re wearing," he continued, his eyes gleaming faintly, "are the latest model of Thorne Tech. With them, you can open a map."
He raised his hand, showing his own wrist. A faint light flickered as a holographic map unfolded briefly above it.
"Beast locations will not be displayed, but you will see yourselves represented as dots. Each dot marks a recruit. Whether you choose to avoid them or hunt them is entirely up to you."
He smiled again, faintly amused.
"The only rule is simple: one thousand points guarantees your license—but the top three will walk away with more than just that...Their point would be converted to money. One point to one gold coin."
A heavy silence blanketed the plains.
All their earlier hopes, their plans to beg Sophie or Ozai for protection, crumbled instantly. Every imagined alliance shattered in an instant.
Now, the only thing they saw when they looked around was threats.
Faces that, a moment ago, looked like comrades now felt like predators wearing human skin.
They slowly began to step back, scanning the people closest to them, memorizing faces, body builds, and potential weaknesses.
No one trusted anyone anymore.
It was pure survival instinct, cold, calculating, necessary.
Meanwhile, in the midst of the shifting crowd, Ozai clenched his fist, a twisted grin forming on his lips.
"Heh. That annoying prick should wait... I’m coming for him."
Unlike the others, Ozai didn’t feel fear—he felt anticipation.
Because unlike the rest, he wasn’t entering this trial blind. He knew the map and its intricacies.
He, or rather, his family, had struck a deal with the Adventurer’s Guild.
The terms were simple: teleport Ozai close to Bruce, and let him handle the rest.
The Guild, of course, had no moral objections. The Thorne Family’s influence and funding spoke louder than ethics. In exchange for this favor, they had promised Bale a rank upgrade, a tidy bonus for his cooperation.
The Guild would be recording and broadcasting everything that happened during the test.
The Thorne Family’s plan was straightforward.
They had been trying for years to form a connection with the Reign Family, and Sophie’s growing attachment to Bruce had become an obstacle.
If Ozai defeated Bruce publicly, it would humiliate him and open Sophie’s eyes. The Thornes believed that a show of overwhelming strength would be enough to change her heart, because in the world of the Reign Family, strength was everything.
If the two families united, their power would become unshakable.
That was the real purpose of this first-stage test.
And as far as the Guild and Bale were concerned, it was a mutually beneficial arrangement.
Meanwhile, among the recruits, the atmosphere was changing fast.
Everyone could tell Sophie and Ozai were the strongest. Their calm, confident auras made it obvious.
Which was exactly why no one wanted to be anywhere near them.
If they were predators, standing close to them was suicide.
Everyone subconsciously stepped back, treating both like the plague, untouchable and dangerous.
Meanwhile, Bruce smiled to himself. He wasn’t fully simulated in this world. He didn’t know how, but his class wasn’t nerfed like the others; only his physical stats, mana pool, and combat parameters were set the same as everyone else. But with such an OP class as his, did he really have to worry about that?
’Only the mana pool would prove to be a setback here...’
’It doesn’t matter.’ He smiled wider. ’I’ll terrorize them all.’
Meanwhile, Bale continued his speech.
"In summary all you need to do," Bale began, his tone as cold and steady as before, "is hunt and accumulate one thousand points before the end of five days. Achieve that, and your Adventurer’s license is guaranteed — even if you fail the remaining two stages."
A collective gasp spread through the crowd.
One thousand points.
They knew instantly that wasn’t going to be easy. For most of them, just surviving would be an achievement — but gathering that many points in five days? It was a mountain.
Some of the recruits exchanged uneasy glances, their expressions almost pleading. Their eyes silently begged Bale to show mercy, to reduce the number.
But Bale didn’t even look their way.
He simply continued, voice unwavering. "In your bracelet, you’ll also see two key displays: your current points and your ranking. Your name will appear on the leaderboard. The more points you earn, the higher your rank and the higher your rank, the better your rewards once these trials are over."
He paused, letting the words sink in. The silence that followed was thick enough to feel.
After a few seconds, Bale tilted his head slightly. "I believe that’s all for the explanation. So... any questions?"
The crowd immediately stirred. Voices overlapped as several recruits hurried to speak up at once.
"What if we clear out an entire pack, and the boss remains? What do we do then?"
The question came from a tall, muscular man with jet-black hair and a massive axe strapped to his back. His voice was deep and gravelly, the kind that carried easily across the field.
Another recruit, thinner and nervous-looking, called out next."Even though killing each other prematurely doesn’t give points, even with the risks, are we allowed to team up? Just temporary alliances, at least?"
***
A/N:
Guys let’s try to push this book to 200 powerstones before the end of this week. All your efforts I genuinely appreciate. Thanks