Chapter 3: Chapter 3
"So, what were you talking about with that kid?" Bolt asks Edward, as they wait in line for the next test. They had been lucky enough to be at the beginning of the line, number 8, to be exact. Hachi had been surprisingly insistent on them going in eight.
"Oh, nothing much." Edward says, his mind more focused on the next test, or to be accurate, the person in charge of the test. Yu Han Sung, a undercover FUG member and High-Ranker, and he has a pet Shinheuh bigger than the WS Eel. If Edward's guess is correct, his job there is to scout potential assets to F.U.G, so Edward would have to think carefully about revealing his own status as a Irregular.
"We're up." Hachi says, as the door opens. Entering the room, the first thing to notice was that it was pitch black, save for the 12 red doors, and the person sitting before them. You could easily mistake Yu Han Sung for a woman, what with the feminine appearance, the kimono and his attitude
[Observation]
/F.U.G High-Ranker\
Yu Han Sung LV: ?
/Tech\
|Wave Controller&Anima|
HP: ?
MP: ?
[Your level is too low to obtain anymore information]
"Nice to meet you Regulars. My name is Yu Han Sung, your next test administrator." he introduces himself with a bow. Hachi bows back, in respect, and out of simple courtesy. Bolt looks at Han Sung in confusion, not sure whether or not the administrator is boy or a girl?
"Could you just give us the test, I'd rather not waste time." Edward asks, wanting to get away from the cross-dressing F.U.G member as soon as possible. It's creepy how he looks at them like a predator waiting to pounce and devour them.'And I didn't mean that as innuendo.'
"Very well then, I'll explain the rules. There are 12 doors here, and you must go through the correct one. If you guess correctly, you pass in to the next test. If you guess incorrectly however..." Han Sung drops the sentence short, sipping her coffee.
[Story Quest: Pick a door, any door.]
- Pick the door that leads to the next test, or perish, whether from picking the wrong door, or from waiting for too long-
Time Limit: 5 Minutes
Rewards:
Victory:
- 500 EXP
- the right to participate in the next test
Failure:
-Death
"What happens if we guess incorrectly? C'mon Ms. Han Sung, please tell us what happens." Bolt begs, wanting to know the consequences of picking the wrong door.
"First off, I believe that the test administrator is a man, and I think it's quite obvious that if we don't pick the right door, well..." Edward explains, making a motion of his hand cutting across his neck while making a croaking sound.
"We die." Hachi finishes, realizing what's at stake. Bolt gulps in fear.
"Exactly. Thankfully, I'm 98% sure that I know which door is the real one." Edward says, walking over to one of the doors, knowing that it doesn't matter which one they open, because this is a test of courage.
"98?" Bolt questions.
"Well, there's a 2% percent chance that I'm wrong" Edward says, pushing the door open, before his teammates can stop him.
[Quest Complete!]
Results
- 500 EXP
- The right to enter the next test
"Congratulations, you pass the test." Han Sung congratulates them. The youth with the hammer didn't even hesitate in opening a door, despite what he said. Could he be a Guide? Or was he simply not afraid of the consequences of failing?
"What?" Bolt and Hachi gasp. They passed? Was the test so easy, or could Edward predict the future? He seemed so calm during all the previous tests, as if it was a game to him. Even now as Han Sung congratulates them, Edward has that know-it-all smug smile on his face, but as Hachi looks at her teammate's eyes, she can see that they hold fear in them. Following his line of sight, she can see that said fear is directed at Yu Han Sung.
"I'm impressed, how did you know which door to pick?" Bolt asks, as he and Hachi walk over to their teammate. "I'll tell you guys later, but we really should move on." Edward says, stepping through the door, his teammates following soon after.
"So c'mon man, how'd you know what door to pick, and that our Shinsoo resistance would be tested?" Bolt asks as they enter a yellow room with 5 teams waiting for them.
"Well, it was really simple, since the first test, the one where we had to take out other Regulars tested both our strength, and our ability to survive." Edward starts explaining.
"Uh-huh." Bolt nods, understanding Edward so far.
"And the next one tested our willingness to trust others, and the Shinsoo Veil was there to weed out the weak." Edward continues.
"So, the only category left untested was our ability to make a snap decision." Edward finishes as he observes the other teams who passed the test.
"Yeah, but if we picked the wrong door, we'd be dead." Bolt points out.
"They were all right ones, we just had to open the door in 5 minutes, or they'd all become the wrong door." Edward explains as they sit on one of the benches on the sides of the room.
After a bit of waiting, Baam's team appears from another door. "Oi, Baam, good to see that you guys passed." Edward greets his fellow Irregular, who waves back, before joining them on the bench. "So, did you guys figure out the solution of the test?" Edward asks, as more teams start coming through the doors.
"Well, Mr. Rak just went with his instincts." Bam answers, as Koon's eyebrow twitches in frustration, angry at himself not being able to figure out the test.
"Well, Edward was able to figure out, that there wasn't a wrong door, and just went for it." Bolt chips in. At this point, Koon heads for the bathroom, to release the people inside his Manbarondenna(1).
"Eh, it wasn't that hard." Edward shrugs, noticing that Ship is approaching them.
[Observation]
/Regular\
Ship Leesoo LV: 12
/Tech\
HP: 120
MP: 226
STR: 28
INT: 43
VIT: 32
WIS: 44
DEX: 34
AGI: 45
Perks/Buffs/Debuffs:
Low Shinsoo Resistance Lv9: the ability to resist low amounts of Shinsoo.{-26% damage taken from MP attacks. Ignore AGI Debuffs in areas with Low amounts of Shinsoo.}
"Hey lucky duo, you guys passed this too!" Ship notes with a smile. "Yeah, wasn't too hard. I had already figured out the test" Edward says. Although, it can't really be called 'figuring it out', if you know the answers before the test begins, but the others don't know that.
"Ah, I guess I wasn't the only one. The names Ship Leesoo by the way." Ship introduces himself. "Edward Smith." Edward says, introducing himself in return.
"I-I'm Baam." Baam replies.
"Hi, my names Bolt!"
"Hachi."
"What's the name of the big guy?" Ship asks, looking at Rak.
"I'm Leader Rak." Rak introduces himself.
"Leader Rak?" Ship questions.
"I'm the true leader of this Era." Rak clarifies, as Edward bites back a laughter.
"Haha, You've got a funny guy on your team, Baam." Ship chuckles as he sits next to Baam.
"But man, you two are awesome! You two look completely ordinary, but you guys still made it up here. And he way you guys weren't even affected by the Ranker's Shinsoo veil." Ship notes, a little bit jealous, but still glad for them. A lot of people who managed to get chosen to enter the Tower used to be ruthless people.
"No... Not really, it's mostly thanks to my teammates that I even managed to get this far." Baam dejects.
"Those are the scariest ones later on. By the way, there aren't many teams left. Which means that the test is almost over, the tests will become much more difficult..." Ship notes sadly.
"But I'll pass all the tests. I made a promise to my friend to would make it up the Tower." Ship smiles fondly as he reminisces of the times he spent with his friend.
"So, why did you guys come into the Tower?" he asks. "I must find someone in the Tower." Baam answers. "Ooh, so you came to the Tower for a girl did ya, you casanova."Edward teases, if only to keep his anger out of view. He really hated Rachel for what she will do to Baam.
"But please do keep in mind, that it's the prettiest flowers that have the deadliest thorns." Edward says, deciding to give a subtle warning to Baam. He just hopes that Baam will be more prepared when the time comes. "It's not like that Edward, she's just a friend." Baam replies.
"That's how it always for why I came to the Tower: it was not because of a promise, nor because of a friend, but as a result of me being bored." Edward admits, earning confused looks from the people around him, save for Rak, who nods understanding where the 'turtle' is coming from. He also had left his hunting grounds in search of worthy prey.
"Well, I guess I should be going now, the breaks about to end. And Baam..." Ship puts his hand upon Baam's shoulder. "I'm sure you'll find her, don't worry." Ship says, joining his team as Koon walks back from the bathroom, feeling a lot lighter.
The electric door slides open as Lero Ro enters, the attendant flanking him."Did you have enough rest, Regulars?" he asks, smiling. "I came here with very good news." he announces.
"Let me guess, another test?" Edward says, although he knows what Lero Ro's talking about. "Not quite. Before I came here, I talked with the top administrator, and he told us to hold a bonus game." Lero Ro announces.
"I'm sorry, but I don't think it's in our best interest to take more tests than necessary" Ship interjects.
"I'm sorry to hear that you think so, but the bonus game has nothing to do with the tests." Lero Ro explains, as the Regulars start listening to what he has to say. "It is up to each team to choose whether to play the bonus game or not. There is no penalty if you decide not to." he clarifies, managing to calm some of the more cautious teams.
"But the winner of the bonus game, gets to pass the final test of this floor, they get the right to go straight to the next floor." This sparks a flame of competition to the hearts of the Regulars.
[Optional Quest: Crown Game]
- Steal and maintain the possession of the crown for 5 rounds
- Kill Rachel.{Optional}
Rewards:
Victory:
- 1500 EXP
- The right to enter the next floor
- 5500 EXP if you complete the optional condition.
Failure:
- nothing
[Accept?]
Yes?/No?
'Well, what do you know, a quest that I won't die from if I fail it.' Edward thinks to himself, looking at the quest. Even if they don't compete, he'll get a free level up. Although that optional reward is sooooo tempting... it's way too tough. Edward would have to get through Rak, Koon, Androssi, Baam and Rachel's pet monster.
"So what do you guys think, should we compete?" Edward asks his teammates, hoping that they'll say yes.
"Of course, we'll ace this game!" Bolt gloats, raring to go.
"..." Hachi simply shrugs her shoulders, not caring whether they play the bonus game or not.
"This game is called 'the Crown Game'. I will explain the details to you when we get to the game spot." Lero Ro says, as all the teams get teleported to a big arena with 23(AN:Trust me, I counted them) rooms leading to a big center room, a throne standing in the middle of it, a golden crown situated on one of the armrests of the throne.
"Now that you've been transmitted to this spot, I will explain the rules to you." Lero Ro says, leaning on the throne.
"The crown game is in short, a crown-stealing game. The team that holds this crown at the last moment, wins the game." Lero Ro explains, but starts clarifying before any upstarts start thinking that the game is so simple.
"It looks simple, but the rules are a bit complicated." Of course they are, it's never so simple.
"First is the time limit. A game consists of 5 rounds, each of them are 10 minutes long. only 5 teams may participate in each round, and the team that possesses the crown at the end of each round becomes the winning team to proceed to the next round." So the first team to win the round are forced into a battle of attrition.
"In the next round, 4 new teams and the winning team from the previous round will compete for the crown. The true winner will be the team that holds the crown at the end of round 5." Lero Ro clarifies as some of the teams start planning ahead.
"So that you know, if you want to participate in the game, press the red buzzer at the entrance of each of your rooms." Looking at said, buzzer, Edward chickles at the phrases telling them to press the button, a helpful sheet detailing the rules attached near the buzzer.
"Only 5 teams may participate, and it will be done in a first-come-first-serve basis. if several teams press the buzzer simultaneously, the team that participated the most will get the chance."
"But there is a way to finish the game early." Lero Ro mentions, piquing the interest of the teams.
"That is to sit on the throne while you're wearing the crown in 5 minutes or less. The moment someone sits on the throne, the round automatically ends. And the sitting team becomes the winner of the round." he explains.
"However, some movement will be restricted. If there was a winning team at the end of the previous round, that team may keep the crown, but at least one team member must stay seated on the throne, wearing the crown."
"If the crown wearer comes off the throne or loses the crown, that team will be eliminated from the test. And if another team takes the crown and sits on the throne, that team wins the round." It's sort of symbolic if one thinks about. Once someone becomes king, people in high positions will start planning to overthrow the king. If they succeed, then they have to worry about people going after their head.
"Correct! The winner of the previous round carries a big risk in the next round." Lero Ro replies, hearing Koon pointing out how disadvantageous it is to participate early on.
"But, if you postpone participating because of the risk... you may not be able to get into the game at the end!" Lero Ro chrips, putting on the crown.
"Well, although there are a lot of rules and limitations, the point is that the team with the crown at the end of the final round is the winner, don't think too much. You just have to steal the crown."
"Oh, and one more thing. Another team another test spot will be participating. It's a long story." Edward grips Haensing tightly at those words, knowing who the mystery team has. A princess of Zahard, an Irregular and a monster.
If Hwa Ryun will distract Androssi like she did, or will do in canon, and if Akryung will be distracted with something else, then Edward might have a clear shot at killing Rachel. A clear shot at ending her, which in turn makes it so that Baam won't be pushed to F.U.G and that demon Hoaqin won't be awakened.
"Oi, Ed, you ok buddy?" Bolt asks, snapping Edward out of his internal ramblings.
"Uh, yeah. I guess I'm a bit nervous. But I think that we should go in during the 2nd or 3rd round." Edward explains, not wanting to go up against Anak or Hatsu, just yet.
"C'mon, if we go now, we might be able to score a quick win!" Bolt argues.
"And if we lose the crown, we'll be out of the whole game!" Edward fires back.
"I don't care either way." Hachi deadpans, reloading her needle gun.
#Now, the Crown Game begins! I will count to 5! So the teams that want to participate, must press the buzzer during the count!# Lero Ro announces from his Lighthouse.
#Starting now, I will count for the first round participants!#
#1!#
"There's no way that we'll lose the crown! Hachi can wear it and shoot anyone who gets too close."
#2!#
"Please don't involve me into this."
#3!#
"I'm telling you, some of them are stronger then us." Edward's warning falls to deaf ears as Bolt walks towards the buzzer. Seeing no other option, Edward tackles Bolt to the ground, keeping him in a bear hold, thanks to the strength boost from all of his equipment
#4!#
"Hey let me go damn it!" Bolt shouts, struggling against Edward's bear hold. "Not until the bell rings." Edward replies, thanking the Gaia or whatever being is in charge of his Gamer power.
#5!#
#Well, the count is over! The first round of the Crown Game begins now!# Edward let's go of Bolt as the time runs out, locking everyone in their rooms, save for those that entered the first round, those being Ship's team and Dédé's team.
"Hey, why'd you stop me from entering us into the first round? We could've taken them!" Bolt rants, pointing an accusing finger at Edward, who's rubbing his temples in exasperation. While watching a happy-go lucky person like Bolt stumbling through obstacles in their path is amusing, actually being in a team with one is so... irritating, having to constantly stop them from trying to poke a dragon with rusty fork.
"Oh really, how about you look before you start gloating too much." Edward says, pointing to the beginning 'battle'. Anak calmly walks up to the trio in front of her, intent on defeating them by herself. The kid with 2 swords on his back seems to be offended by that and decides to face her on his own.
This proves to be a horrible idea as Anak sends the swordsman flying across the arena, crashing against the wall. "Kon! Wake up Kon! Hey, Kon!" Dédé shouts to his teammate, who's got blood flowing down his face[-79].
"See that Bolt? That could've been you if you went to fight against her." Edward explains his point, as Bolt looks at Kon's unconscious body. Things start going downhill for Dédé's team, Anak keeping him at a distance with her Green April, the power boost from Shopin's 'god' proving ineffective as Anak doesn't even budge from the punch straight to her temple. Shopin is sent flying as Anak throws him like a rag doll[-69 HP].
Dédé gives out a battle-cry as he charges at Anak, only for her to throw him like she did to his teammates[-89 HP]. As his teammates get back up, Dédé realizes what they must do in order to win. "What, you want more?" Anak questions as Dédé runs at her again. Anak easily dodges the sloppy attack, only for Dédé to keep running towards the throne.
"Kon, Mr. Shopin! RUN!" he shouts, as his teammates run past Hatsu and Ship, who do nothing to stop them, confident in Anak to take care of them. "Well, they're done." Edward notes with dis-interest, formulating a plan to survive Anak's Green April, at least until Baam's Black March piques her interest. As Dédé and his teammates manage to get three feet or so from the throne, Anak appears on top of it in a burst of speed, too fast for Team Dédé to follow. Team Dédé give out screams of pain as Anak takes them out.
Picking up the crown, Anak puts it on, winning her team the round. "That's right, the time wasn't up yet. 5 minutes" she notes, sitting on top of the throne's back rail. "We're on the same team, but she's too strong." Ship sighs, turning to speak to Anak, ordering her to hand over the crown. A sound strategy. With Anak and Hatsu capable of keeping most, if not all teams at bay, they'd be sure to win, except for one little thing...
"I won't." Anak says, keeping the crown as she lays lazily on the throne seat, which is easily big enough for somebody like Rak to sit in and still have some room.
"Huh?" Ship questions, not quite sure that he heard right. It almost sounded like his super strong teammate was going to laze around on the throne while he and Hatsu would have to protect her, something that she can do with no sweat, from other teams, which might also have super-strong guys!
"I don't want to." Anak clarifies, quite content laying on the throne. After processing that yes, this is happening, Ship makes his displeasure known with a shout of frustration and despair. "WHAT CAN WE DO WITH YOU IN THE CHAIR!? YOU DUMBASS!"
#As Ms. Anak sat on the chair before 5 minutes elapsed, this round's winner is the team consisting of Anak, Ship, and Hatsu.# Lero Ro announces, as the knocked out Team Dédé is hauled away from the arena.
"Aaarrgghh What's wrong with you Anak! What are you going to do with the crown! The one in the chair can't move!" Ship tries to reason with his teammate, to no avail.
"So, do we go now?" Bolt asks, as they watch Ship trying to drag Anak out of the chair.
"Yeah, since greenie over there is sitting on the throne, she'll have to rely on her Ignition weapon. Bolt, you deal with the swordsman, he's got a habit of throwing his red sword up high, attacking you down low with his other one. Hachi, you deal with track suit, be careful though, he's a crafty bastard." Edward orders, pressing the buzzer.
"Don't tell me that you're going to just sit back." Bolt asks, getting ready to run at Hatsu, who's approached by the First Emperor's team.
"You don't have to worry about that, Speedy, I'll be going after greenie." Edward answers with a grin on his face.
"Heh, you're crazy you know that? But then again, I'm following your plan." Bolt banters, taking off in a sprint towards Hatsu.
"..."Cracking a smile, Hachi runs towards Ship, who's currently fighting against Serena and Ho.
=Heh, so you got yourself a couple of minions, interesting.= Haensing speaks up.
"Well, look who finally woke up." Edward chides, extending Haensing to the size of a war hammer.
=Yeah, well there wasn't anything interesting going on. But now, that we have a chance at fighting one of those 13 month weapons...= The eagerness to fight is quite evident in Haensing's tone.
"Yeah, we're going up against the Green April, think you can beat it?" Edward questions, using his Bomb Dash to take flight.
=As if that two-bit hook can withstand my bulk.= Haensing brags
"I'll hold you to that." Edward replies, heading towards the throne, taking a stealthier approach by pseudo-flying.
Things aren't going great for Ship. He was sure that he could take on Serena and her other teammate, their third member sleeping soundly, wrapped in a blanket, like a caterpillar in a cocoon. His plan was to aggravate either one of them to throw off their teamwork. That didn't work out well, as Ho managed to get him in a full nelson hold.
'Sorry my friend! She said it, I'm just an ordinary...' Ship is broken out of his inner thoughts, as the sound of a projectile traveling hitting flesh, a surprised gasp and the sound of a woman stumbling to the ground. Noticing the absence of a fist colliding with his face, Ship opens his eyes. Looking at Serena, Ship can see that she's lying on the ground, a couple needles sticking out of her exposed calf[- 48 HP. Paralysis. AGI drops to 1].
Looking towards the person who saved him, he sees a girl wearing a black and yellow striped Yukata, giving her the appearance of a bee, especially with that rifle, with ammo belt of needles leading into the gun.
"Why the hell did you do that? They're the ones who have the crown!" Ho shouts, trying to convince Hachi to work with his team. Ship takes advantage of Ho's distracted state and delivers a headbutt to Ho's face, causing the androgynous boy to lose his hold[-23 HP]. Hachi quickly shoots Ho with needles, paralyzing her as well[- 36 HP. Paralysis. AGI drops to 1].
"Oi, you're one of Ed's teammates, thanks for the save." Ship, expressing his gratitude is caught by surprise as Hachi sprays him with needles, knocking him to the floor. "Hey, what gives!? I thought we were on the same side, you damn bee!" Ship curses, as Hachi simply smiles mischievously, looking at the effects of her toxin has on the three.
"Hachi, look out!" Bolt warns, getting between Hatsu's sword and Hachi, and blocking the sword with his armored leg[-15 HP]. "Hatsu, you came to save me!" Ship rejoices. With Hatsu there, they could have a chance. All he'd need to do is avoid getting hit by that damn bee's needles.
"What happened to that other team?" Serena asks in confusion. The team with that Super-duper-something guy seemed strong, there's no way that Hatsu could've beaten them this quickly.
"Eh, they were already K.O-ed when I got there." Bolt laughs, pointing to the defeated all-male team, laying on top of each other.
"So, Hachi, how about we team up on this wanna-be samurai?" Bolt asks, with Hachi's only response being a nod and aiming her weapon at Hatsu, ready to make a pincushion out of him. "I'm sorry, Mr. Laure, but, it's up to you" Serena whispers.
As Hachi, Bolt and Hatsu prepare to duke it out, Laure, who was laying on the ground a while ago, throws his hand out, gathering Shinsoo into a ball of light. It's unfortunate that Ho and Serena got paralyzed, but he could probably win this round, or at least manage to knock that lizard off the throne with his shinsoo attack.
"Shit! He's a Wave Controller! C'mon Hachi, we gotta book it(2)!" Bolt says, picking up Hachi and running away from Laure, who fires the gathered Shinsoo at Anak in a beam, surprising the pseudo-princess of Zahard. She barely manages to dodge it.
"Shit!Shitshitshitshit! Where the hell is Edward?" Bolt questions as he and Hachi take advantage of the distraction that Laure inadvertently gave them, Bolt using his legs to attack Anak, while Hachi provides cover fire. "Get 'em Hatsu!" Ship shouts, crawling towards the throne like a worm, the paralysis from Hachi's needles wearing off.
As Anak endures one of Laure's Shinsoo beams[-40 HP], Edward falls from above, spinning at high speeds, forcing Anak to block his attack with her Green April, grunting as her weapon clashes with Haensing[- 55 HP].
"You guys mind if I cut in?" Edward cheekily questions, breaking off from the struggle between him and Anak, who looks at him, or more specifically, his weapon with interest. When their weapons clashed, she could feel that the hammer was of similar origin to her Green April.
"Heh, you might not be the one the bait was for, but you're good enough, IGNITION!" she shouts, swinging Green April around as it de-compresses, becoming larger and longer.
"Oi, isn't that a bit dangerous?" Edward asks, dodging the initial sweep with his Bomb Dash, dodging as the Green April starts branching. Anak provides no response, save for maniacal laughing. =So, what's the plan now that she's gone berserk?= Haensing questions as Edward blocks another one of Green April's branches.
"We hold on until Baam's Black March starts reacting to Anak's Green April." Edward explains, dodging another one of Anak's attacks. =That chestnut has a 13 month weapon? Why didn't you tell me earlier?!= Haensing interrogates his wielder with indignation.
"How the hell would I know that you got beef with the 13 month series?" Edward retorts, blocking another one of the branches before dodging another one.
=Oh I don't know, maybe it's because I was thrown away when those bastards were getting built?=
"Sarcasm is unbecoming of you." Edward deadpans.
"STOP IGNORING ME AND GIVE ME THAT WEAPON!" Anak shouts, swinging her Green April as one giant blade, which Edward manages to dodge. "Oh, close but no cigar." Edward taunts, dodging the retaliatory attack by dropping down onto the ground, before charging at her, intent on scoring at least one hit. But as Edward gets closer, something else catches Anak's attention. She could feel it, a another one of the 13 Month series, but where? Ah, there it is.
As Edward reaches Anak, she leaps towards Baam's team, easily breaking through the bars and costing her team the game.
"So, did we win?" Bolt asks, Appearing next to the throne. "No, but we did get rid of strong player." Edward replies, feeling real good about himself. If things went like this, there was no way they could lose, not that winning was his main objective.
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AN: That's all folks! Was it good, bad or okay, please leave your thoughts in the reviews.
1: His bag, which allows him to store People and Objects inside a pocket dimension, but it doesn't reduce the weight of the objects inside
2: A slang term for to travel at fast speeds or to hurry the fu*k up.
No questions for this chapter.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone