Chapter 166: Challenge! (1/2)

Roderick had given them an ultimatum. Either they succeeded in the challenge, or they would have to leave the battlefield. The man still couldn't understand why they wanted to risk their lives. Were they crazy?!

"What are we doing?" Josh asked expectantly.

"Oh, you'll see!" The commander looked mischievous. He then turned toward the army.

"Everyone! There will be a Trial of the Combatants! You know the drill, we need 20 volunteers. Everyone else keeps setting up the defense perimeter!" He quickly instructed, and tons of soldiers raised their hands excitedly.

Soon, a small platoon assembled before them. They instantly got to work. They began setting up some more metallic plates in a rectangular shape. What happened next surprised Josh.

It all got activated with a Psshhew sound as orange energy walls rose from the ground. It created a big flashy building that would have made the ultimate rave house. There was a small entrance, but the interior couldn't be seen as it directly turned.

"The rules are simple. Your goal is to go from one side to the other without using skills. There will be ten hunters trying to stop you, five allies held hostage and five bystanders that you shouldn't touch. Is that clear?" Roderick explained.

"I wanna go first! Should we bet— Actually, never mind!" Kasha happily went forward.

"Is there anything else to know?" Josh questioned.

"There is a point system based on the time used to go through it, the number of hostages rescued, and the number of enemies defeated. For now, just focus on winning. People usually fail the first time." Roderick said.

Josh couldn't help but chuckle. More enemies defeated meant more points? How discriminatory! Josh knew many people that would disagree with such a ruling. Take that one guy Sam Fischer for instance!

Kasha was given a special gun with only the stun mode unlocked. As it began, she rushed inside like a small tornado. Josh and the commander were left alone at the entrance. They could only wait from that point onward.

"How long does this usually take?" Josh inquired.

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"To go from one side to the other, it only takes about 15 minutes. But, of course, things aren't that easy. It's a labyrinth filled with obstacles and enemies lurking in the shadows. Turn a corner too quickly, and BAM!"

"I'm pretty sure that's not the sound a blaster makes. Well, maybe if they are using it as a club? These things are pretty light, though." Josh pointed out.

"You know what I meant! Anyway, the rule of thumb is 30 minutes at the earliest and an hour maximum. Longer than that, and it's usually a failure as people's nerves start to give out." Roderick explained.

That's how they both patiently waited for Kasha to be out. Josh was almost expecting her to complete it in a record time, given that she was a scout. But, she seemed to be struggling. To be fair, she was obviously out of her comfort zone:

1) Guns didn't work in the Tower. Given her job as a Ranker, it was a given that her training time would be spent elsewhere.

2) She had to save people. She was used to Climbing with members of Draconic. She had been with them enough to recognize them instantly. Now, she would have to be careful not to take down an ally.

"I'm pretty sure she'll fail." Roderick seemed confident in his analysis.

"Wanna bet on it?" Josh wouldn't miss such an opportunity for sure.

"Oh? What shall we bet?" He humored him casually.

Any Draconic member would have agreed: the ignorants were fearless.

"If you win, I'll help you with something. If I win, I want my own personal weapon that I can take home. Who knows, it would work wonder if I ever get invaded by rats." Josh said.

"Alright, that's a bet! But, why would you have vermin at your place? Aren't you loaded?" Roderick seemed confused.

"I live in a sewer," Josh admitted without explaining further.

The commander couldn't help but be shocked. A sewer?! Was it out of context? Perhaps it was some kind of secret base? Would he ever know? Actually, did he want to know?

A while later, Kasha appeared showing a despondent expression. She sighed: "It took me 45 minutes to clear it. This is so bad!" but then her face lit up as she showed fighting spirit. "Afterward, I want to try again!"

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"Well, you just won that bet. I'll get you your own personal gun. But, you still need to pass the Trial yourself if you want to use it on this battlefield. I wouldn't count on it that easily." Roderick remarked.

"Wanna bet on it? If I do clear it, you'll have to help me with something. If I lose, it's the same as before. Does that sound good?" Josh proposed.

"Alright, I agree." As soon as Roderick said it, Kasha placed her hand on his shoulder, seemingly to comfort him in advance.

"Well, see you guys soon." Josh stepped inside.

He felt like in another world, one that reminded him of laser tag. There were guns, the darkness, and the neon glowing colors. Weirdly, the glow of these walls barely affected the surroundings.

Josh slowly approached his hand toward it. It seemed to be a mass of raw energy, yet it was physical to the touch and opaque. He ran his fingers across its surface, and it felt like an actual wall. He took his sweet time enjoying these new sensations.

After a while, he decided to turn the corner before pressing the trigger lazily. He shot the man that had been lying there in wait all this time, without even looking. The man fell with Thud as his face showed confusion.

"How did you react so quickly?!" He asked.

"Please! It was so obvious you'd do that." Josh retorted. Well, the real reason was that he had felt it.

This meant that only 9 enemies were remaining. This would be so dam easy! He kept going at his slow pace, enjoying himself.

The place really was a labyrinth. There were low walls of many sizes that could provide cover or hide enemies. Then, there were so many pathways that it would require magical powers to navigate here easily, abilities that he clearly didn't possess.

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But, there was one thing that he was able to do, and that was sensing intent. The enemies were somehow looking in his general direction right at this moment and couldn't be more obvious.

The only question was how? Did they have cameras or trackers? No, otherwise, they would know his exact position. That's when he finally noticed something. For a little while, he kept alternating between walking forward and backward.

That's when he understood the trick. Somehow, the color of the walls themselves was changing based on his progress. The deeper he walked and the richer the orange was, but even that was very subtle.

If they knew the layout of the place, then they could guess his exact progress. Chances were, these guys had a ton of experience here. Well, it did seem like an amazing and fun training exercise.

Anyway, knowing the direction of the enemies or the color trick didn't really help. Well, not directly, but he could at least proceed at his normal walking pace. He was probably the most relaxed contestant to ever participate.

On his way, he kept encountering small rooms that all looked the same. They all had similar boring low walls and no enemy in it whatsoever. This was obviously to lower the target's vigilance and/or let them be on edge.

Oh yeah, he also soon saw a bystander. The guy was trying his best to look angry and aggressive but didn't even have a weapon. Someone really stressed could have easily mistaken him for an enemy.

Josh just smiled at him, going: "Hey there!" He didn't bother acting cautiously. The man was shocked at how unguarded Josh was.

Eventually, he did encounter another hunter. He was sneakily hiding behind one of the obstacles. The man was showing a grin as he couldn't wait for Josh to pass through so he could shoot him in the back.

Josh didn't even walk near him. He just peeked over his cover and shot him in the head. Meanwhile, the man never saw him coming, only realizing when it was too late. There remained only 8 enemies.

"How?!" The man asked bewildered.

"That's one bad hiding spot," Josh told him.

It had just started that they were already falling like flies. Poor soldiers trying their best...

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Creator's Thought

This whole challenge was really well-built. It's impressive how fast they could assemble it. Plot twist: all of them used to be professional labyrinth designers, but then the Tower appeared. How horrible must it be to lose one's job to the Tower?!

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