Chapter 3: First Trial (Part I)
"Are we safe?" I heard a middle-aged woman speak from the safe zone. She remained cautious despite the monsters being killed, hoping no danger would creep upon her.
"Safe? You're as good as dead if you're too cowardly to fight in the next round." Snapped one of the combatants, visibly irritated by her cowardice.
"Hey! Not all of us are cut out for battle! We have families waiting for us back home. If given another chance, I'd head straight for the safe zone without hesitation!" Declared the stout, older businessman passionately, earning unanimous agreement from the occupants that went to the safe zone with him.
Just like that, he had gathered the nineteen people in the safe zone as his allies. Unless the people who fought the goblins banded up with at least ten people, they could suppress them. However, no one did, as they felt it wouldn't be worth it, and they were mentally fatigued from surviving.
"There are more of you humans than I would like there to be." The angel returned as the short argument finished. She was dissatisfied that we stopped and that so many people had survived. I noticed that she had glanced specifically at me as if she had observed what I had done in this round.
With twenty people safe in the safe zone and fifty people alive, it meant that thirty people had died. More than half of the people were injured, and some of them were barely alive.
I was taken aback to see the person I had rendered unconscious still alive, peacefully asleep, and oblivious to the chaos around us. In a way, what I did for him could be considered a mercy. He seems like someone who fears pain deeply. Without intervention, he likely wouldn't have survived this onslaught.
"As much as I hate to do this when clearing a trial, everyone will return to their peak state." Any injuries were fully healed instantly as if they were nothing. I wasn't hurt in any way, but the fatigue I had accumulated was gone in a flash.
"Along with this healing, you will also receive your rewards for your achievement."
[Tuturial Cleared]
[Kill Count: 193]
[Ranked first in room 5224]
[Ranked third overall]
There were two people ranked above me. That was a surprise, considering how much I had killed, and in a world like this, not many people would adapt.
Based on my experiences with novels, I bet one of them is a regressor, and one is a necromancer with some stat-stealing bullshit. Of course, those two could just have better abilities or probably be main characters of their own, giving them cheats of their own.
[Would you like to put a nickname on your leaderboard? If not, your name will be put instead.]
I decided to nickname my leaderboard entry "BERSERKER," as it seemed fitting for my fighting style and helped divert attention from my appearance, which leaned more toward charm than brute force.
The first was Nightmare, with Lament in second place. Nightmare had 253 kills, while Lament had 197, a few more kills than me. Their names were on the darker side, but a nickname was just a nickname. I can't possibly judge them based on this.
Among those below me, Greatness held the fourth position with exactly one hundred kills, showing a significant gap in prowess.
[Reward:
2500 Gold
200% EXP
Title: Super Rookie (Upon equipment exp earned, it will increase by 10%.)]
[You have reached the limit of your level.]
[Level Six Achieved]
[Five unused stat points are available.]
[Arthur]
[Level: 6]
[Title: Super Rookie]
[Strength: 30 + 90 + 5 = 125]
[Magic: 10 + 30 = 40]
[Endurance: 15 + 45 + 5 = 65]
[Dexterity: 10 + 30 = 40]
Investing my stats in endurance for the first time proved to be a wise decision. Unlike the raw strength I had acquired, which primarily fueled my physical abilities, the boost in endurance left me feeling invigorated.
As I glanced over the list of levels once more, I couldn't help but notice the disparities among us. Lament was a level higher, while Nightmare was two levels higher.
The revelation was that a million people had been summoned, with a third already perishing. Even before the first round had begun, the death toll was staggering, and it spoke volumes about the chaos unfolding in the world beyond.
Thinking about it, would we keep these powers as we return to our world? I can see a new power shift if that were to happen. I bet people would complain about the unfair advantages we're getting, but it was at the risk of death.
"The first trial is set to commence in two minutes. The next zone will incorporate three additional groups, totaling two hundred individuals. The rules will be clarified once everyone is assembled."
I couldn't help but think more trouble was coming my way. My skill would increase that chance, and with some unstable minds and some people with inflated egos, I just hope brute force alone would make them leave me alone.
With the integration of three more groups, the other zones should be in worse conditions than ours. Our group alone will comprise more than one-third of the total population. It wouldn't be surprising if some groups had only twenty survivors who were safe in the safe zone. They would have to watch their group get brutally massacred, and talking to them would be absolutely depressing.
It was unnerving to feel the sudden shift in our surroundings and witness everyone around me being abruptly teleported without warning. More individuals materialized within the scene, and the angel we encountered previously had changed.
"Please let us leave!"
"I just want to go home!"
Despite experiencing teleportation once before, everyone remained shaken by this sudden turn of events, already on edge from earlier events. Some individuals struggled to cope with the mental strain and were staggering on the brink of breakdown.
If this first trial were anything like the tutorial, those who stayed in the safe zone would have difficulty surviving.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone