Chapter 2: Chapter 2
The moment The Herald finished speaking, massive pillars of light descended on every single person who chose to remain. A huge pressure suddenly descended, restricting all movement. Even simply blinking became an impossible task.
As the pillar of light touched Nathan, he felt as though he was weightless. Glancing around, he saw people slowly disappearing from existence for a split second, before his vision was warped and he entered a dark void, where time lost meaning.
After a single moment, or perhaps an eternity, Nathan felt the restrictions get removed so he opened his eyes, only to find himself on a platform made of a special kind of stone that emitted a cool, refreshing feeling. A rather sharp contrast to the massive desert that surrounded them on all sides.
The platform was in the shape of a circle. The surface of the platform itself was jagged, like sharp teeth. Only a small area around each person was smooth, and each person seemed to have a table in front of them.
He looked down and saw his table with three items on top. A tube made of bamboo that seemed to have been made to hold liquids, a small bag with five loaves of bread inside, and a very heavy looking jacket which seemed to have been made from the wool of many sheep.
'Hmm… so the second test should be a test of endurance…' Nathan suddenly thought of a brilliant idea! Approaching the jagged teeth and touched them. Apart from the cool and refreshing feeling, he could feel that he can break the tip off of them!
Seeing that, he sneakily broke of many pieces and hid them in his pockets. The stones were surprisingly light so it was no problem carrying them around. After a quick count, he saw that was left with nine pieces of stone the size of his pinkie.
'It's best no one finds out about these stones. The moment they do, people will start to fight tooth and nail for them, ganging up on each other and doing other stupid stuff.'
After making sure that the stones can not be seen, he thought back on the events that happened so far…
'A trial of individuality, and now, a trial of willpower…' Nathan was starting to feel that the whole 'trials' thing served a much more important purpose than what The Herald let on…'
Although the first trial seemed simple and easy, the point it had was that it tested the very core of a person. Something that is ingrained into our very being at birth, and extremely hard to change, if possible.
'Speaking of The Herald… he seems like a very powerful individual.' Recalling the gaze and pressure he felt before, Nathan suddenly shivered, 'What kind of test would require the attention of such a mighty figure, especially when all of the participants are like puny mortals, when compared a God like him…'
While Nathan was lost in thought, and everyone was looking around and checking the items in front of them, dark clouds started forming on the horizon, signaling the arrival of The Herald once more.
A massive pressure emerged as everyone found it hard to breath, even standing seemed like a daunting task. Many wanted to sit down, yet their instinct warned them not to move.
As everyone here had passed the first trial, they managed to heed the warnings of their instincts, and withstood the pressure with much difficulty, knowing full well that from now on, their lives were on the line.
Yet, not everyone could muster the will to fight. A few people gave up and knelt down to relieve the pressure. The moment they did, chains shot of the ground and bound their limbs before pulling and smashing them on the cold, stone floor, causing them massive pain, yet they couldn't even scream or beg for mercy.
Suddenly a dark abyss appeared beneath them, and they were pulled into the darkness, leaving their fate up to imagination…
The scorching sun was blocked, and darkness befell the land. As the clouds started swirling The Herald's figure emerged once more, yet again, only a head covered by a hood of darkness, was all that could be seen. An ominous presence lingered in the air as everyone just witnessed what happened to those who fail to live up to the expectations of The Herald.
"Welcome the the second trial, young mortals. As many of you have guessed, the second trial requires you to traverse the desert before you, and find the platform similar to the one you stand upon. Good luck"
And with that, the figure of The Herald started disappearing. The pressure started dissipating just as fast, which caused everyone to be finally able to breath.
"Oh my god… I never knew breathing was such a blessing."
"I know right? I felt like I would die even if I simply blinked"
"But now that The Herald is gone… which way should we go to find the platform?"
The moment a girl mentioned an issue everyone had overlooked, the place fell silent just as fast as it was broken. In the heat of the moment, they had forgotten a key issue: They were surrounded by a desert all around them, not a single sign or clue as to where they should be heading, or how far out they must travel.
"Are we going to die..!?" a girl cried out, reminding them of another problem:
From now on, they could die on these tests!
Suddenly, the jagged teeth started sinking into the platform, until all that that remained was a smooth platform. So smooth, in fact, that one could see their own reflection on it. Meaning, there was no longer a way to obtain the pieces of stone…
'So this is the second trial…' Nathan thought as he looked around. Very few people were not panicking, and with the limited supplies they had, everyone started looking around warily, as if someone is going to steal from them.
'The Herald gave us no clue, nor did he give us a chance to ask him for any with that massive pressure. I was naive. This is no simple test of endurance at all…'
'The Herald gave us no information about a time limit, not that its needed with the limited amount of supplies we have… which means there are many hidden rules within this trial, such as we can group with other and steal from other people, which also means…'
'… That betrayal is also on the table…' Nathan thought with extreme disgust.
Ever since the events of his childhood, that led him to be the man he is right now, he had held traitors as the worst possible kind of evil in his heart.
You may steal from the poor, or beat up your elders, heck, you might even kill someone for pure entertainment, but to Nathan, none of that mattered. To him, traitors are the worst of them all.
Nathan pulled himself out from his dark thoughts, and thought about his next move.
'I can move in semi-circles around the platform to cover the most ground. This option also gives me the highest chance at finding the platform The Herald spoke of… but the distance is unknown, and supplies are limited, so that option is busted.'
'I can also try to steal supplies, but that would make me a public enemy, and I can't even be certain that I can steal from anyone, or that even if I could, the energy expenditure wouldn't be worth it at all, so this option is going out of the window as well.'
'Which leaves me with the most undesired option of all…'
Luck
Pure, untainted, family friendly luck
'Sigh… seems like I can only choose this path and leave my fate, up to destiny…'
Just as Nathan started to check the items he received, he noticed someone walking towards him, he looked up and the scene he saw left him stunned for a moment.
Amber colored hair that flowed freely behind her like a waterfall, a cute nose and delicate pink lips that could steal the heart of any man with a single smile. Emerald green eyes, lively with curiosity and wonder. She looked at his eyes as if her gaze could pierce right through his soul and uncover any lies and deceit. Her body seemed the peak of perfection with her slim figure, and extremely well endowed assets that were neither too big or too small, the perfect size, the dream of any man and woman out there.
She wore an orange dress that looked like the twilight itself, giving a very alluring charm to her already graceful figure.
Being an orphan, Nathan obviously didn't have much contact with the opposite sex, at least with those around his age, which caused him to lose himself at her beauty for a moment.
Her steps were light, and it even had a certain springiness, which showed that she was happy? And in this situation at that?
It didn't take her long for her to reach Nathan, and she stopped and checked him out.
Seeing that Nathan had frozen, the girl smiled cheerfully and extended her hand out while calling out:
"Hello there. My name is Lucy. What is your name?~"
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone