บท 8: Chapter 7: Trial. (1)
Rigel grouped up with 24 other players who were quite decent based on their appearance. He looked at the other 3 groups and the last group consisted of the weakest players. To be exact, the unwanted players, the leftovers.
"Hey! What are you doing?!" A man shouted and attracted everyone's attention.
Rigel glanced at the man who was a bit taller than him which was around 189 centimeters, but his body wasn't as fit as Rigel's. The man was pushing a woman who tried to enter his group but got caught by him. His name was Aaron because Rigel knew him.
"I don't need a woman in my group! Fuck off!" Aaron glared at the woman who was half the size of him, trembling in fear. "We have split the group into 4, and you already have your own group. If you try to do something funny again, I'm not going to use words anymore. Do you understand?!" He shouted right in front of the woman's face.
Rigel didn't bother to get involved in that because even though Aaron was harsh, Aaron knew what he was doing. If Aaron allowed the woman to enter his group, the remaining players who were leftovers would demand the same thing. Sometimes, people like Aaron were necessary, and his reasoning wasn't only about him, but also about the survival of his group members.
"Hey, that's enough," A man with blond hair approached the man and tried to stop him. "If you don't want to, then let me take her into my group instead," he added.
It was as Rigel had expected, the remaining leftover players immediately swarmed that blonde-haired man and demanded the same thing. The current members of the blonde-haired man immediately showed their dissatisfaction and complained about his decision. The man's name was Erick.
"It's none of our business, so let's avoid them," the group leader of Rigel's group said. A man in his mid-thirties, a former elite soldier with a muscular body and tattoos on his arms.
Joan was the name of the group leader, he could be the only player with capability because of his background. People wished to join his group, but he declined all of them and only chose his own members. Rigel was recruited by him, and he was the first person that Joan approached because he could tell that Rigel was a soldier like him.
"Rigel, what position do you want?" Joan asked with his arms crossed. "I honestly want you to be an Attacker with me, but it's your choice," he added.
"I'll be the scout. I used to do scouting back in my days," Rigel answered as he fixed his gloves.
"I could see that," Joan nodded with understanding since he had noticed that Rigel never made a noise every time he walked and was capable of hiding his presence. "We will be relying on your information then," he patted Rigel's back.
A notification appeared in front of them and it was a message that the previous players that had entered the trial had failed. The failed notification meant that nobody survived and it also meant that the next players were going to start the trial soon.
"We don't have much time, so gather up!" Joan said as he looked at his members.
A short brief was enough to decide each role of the team members that Joan appointed. In Rigel's eyes, only a few of them took his interest, Leonardo, Marcel, Ruiz, and Sebastian. Those players were the only ones who knew what they were doing and recognized the situation they were in.
"The braves are those who overcome their fear, not the ones in the absence of fear," Rigel muttered and he quoted the words from Hugo in his past life.
"It's time!" Vania shouted and her voice echoed. "The moment you enter this door, your life will be on the line! Remember what we have told you and keep in mind the monsters you're going to face!" she continued. "Even in a dire situation, teamwork is all that matters! Your existence is no longer just about yourself but the people around you! Have each other's back and keep your heads clear! That's the key to this trial and your survival!" She added.
Everyone was anxious and the tips of their fingers ran cold. Nobody was ready for this, but it was something that they had to face now and in the future.
"Our people need you back on Earth, remember that. We are the chosen ones, and we must thrive so we can go back and save our world!" Vania pointed out, her eyes filled with determination and hope. "The Gods will be with you, and we wish you all good luck," she said with worries in her voice.
"Let's go," Joan's gaze focused on the door, and then walked toward it.
Rigel entered the door and a blinding light prevented him from seeing what was in front of him. When he opened his eyes, he saw himself in the middle of a massive forest, a forest that covered the sky above him. It was dark, eerie, and ominous just like in his past life.
[Please choose your weapon!]
[1. Sword]
[2. Shield]
[3. Longsword]
[4. Bow]
[5. Axe]
[6. Dagger]
[7. Crossbow]
[8. Spear]
[9. Rapier]
[10. Sickle]
[11. Scythe]
[12. Staff]
[13. Club]
[You may only choose 2 weapons!]
Rigel chose a sword and then a sword appeared in front of him, floating and waiting to be held. When he grabbed the sword, he felt something off about him, but it wasn't something unpleasant, it was joy as if he had been longing to hold a sword.
When Rigel swung his sword around, he was overwhelmed by the fact that he knew how to handle and use a sword properly. It wasn't from his past life experience, but something like a muscle memory that wasn't his. He swung the sword like it was weightless by the others who watched him.
"Where did you learn how to use a sword?" Joan curiously asked.
"I have a few hobbies and one of them is swordsmanship," Rigel answered without hesitation even though he lied.
Rigel then looked at the system and he decided to choose a bow as his second weapon. He believed it would be useful for him and good for any kind of situation. When he held the bow and the quiver in his hands, he felt the same feeling again. The muscle memory of how to hold a bow and shoot it made him wonder because he never used a bow in his life even in his past life.
"I should start scouting the area. You guys can think of what kind of weapon you're going to choose," Rigel said as he put the quiver on his back with the bow and put his sword on his waist.
Joan nodded with understanding and let Rigel go on his own to scout the area.
Rigel moved so quietly that his footsteps didn't make any noise and disappeared in between the big trees. The others were glad that he was in their group because he looked reliable and capable.
"Leo, Marcel, you guys are our attackers so choose any weapon that you're good at. You can try using my sword and my dagger first and see if you're comfortable using them," Joan said as he offered the weapons he chose from the system. "Ruiz, Sebastia, you will be our backliner, so please keep us safe. I believe long melee weapons would benefit all of us," he added.
Leonardo grabbed the sword and swung it around, but to his surprise, it was hard to hold it with one hand. He thought it was light because Rigel made it look so easy to handle, but it turned out it wasn't like he expected. Marcel on the other hand used to be a chef and used to holding a knife. He knew how to cut meat and even butchered chicken and skinned big meat. Ruiz and Sebastian had to choose a spear and their secondary weapon was a sword to play safe.
"Remember. This forest is filled with goblins and hobgoblins, as Vania and the other mentors taught us. Keeping a fair distance between them is the best way to fight them, and we have to keep in mind that those monsters are always moving in groups. We need to be cautious where we are going or we will be surrounded since we are in their territory who knows every part of the forest," Joan explained and warned everyone to be cautious.
Everyone nodded with understanding and chose the weapon that they were familiar with. Some preferred daggers, some preferred swords, and some who weren't confident with those two weapons chose the weapons they thought they could handle.
Rigel came back and he didn't make a noise at all.
"There's no sign of goblins or hobgoblins around us. We can go straight from here and hope we can find the other groups," Rigel informed.
"Alright. Let's move out," Joan said quietly as he held the sword with both hands.
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