Chapter 301: Floor 3 (I)

"Your colleagues have gotten a two-week lead on you all, and so have the other champions," Roy said.

"Other champions?" Hassan Al-Malik was the one to ask, mirroring the immediate question on the tip of everyone’s tongues.

"Yes. Other Champions," Roy repeated, not bothering to be whimsical or mysterious about it. He seemed in a haste to send them on their way into the Third Floor — and based on what he’d just said, it made sense.

"Finally!"

"So we’re not the only race on this Floor?"

"I guess that’s why you’re in such a haste, Roy. Usually, you’d have wasted our time with some theatrical display."

Hassan Al-Malik, Isolde Castiglione, Diya, Uhtred, and the others quipped over each other, eager, excited, and also relieved — both about the prospect of finally facing other champions, and the fact that Handler Roy was being so direct.

"Hmph! Like me to waste your time then, you would?" Roy harrumphed, switching to the inverted speech pattern of Yoda — the form he was impersonating.

"No, no, no!"

"Gods, no!"

"Fuck! Please just get on with it; we’re very grateful for your directness, Roy!"

"We’re glad you aren’t wasting our time, Roy!"

The six champions hurriedly responded, talking over each other. They knew just how much Roy could waste their time if he so pleased.

Roy snorted at their hurried replies, then waved his hand, activating a holographic screen for them to see.

"Floor 3 is very different from Floor 2," Roy began immediately. "But at the same time, there are core similarities between them."

He showed an infographic depicting what he was explaining to them.

"Because there are champions from other worlds in your universe on this floor, it is going to be more like a competition. However, that doesn’t mean the tips I gave you no longer apply here. The world is still a scenario... but you shouldn’t treat the characters you meet within it like game NPCs. Treat them like real, living people, and who knows... you might just find something interesting."

Roy’s words almost made Uhtred raise a brow. Wasn’t that a little too on-the-nose?

Judging by the subtle shifts in their expressions, Zara and White Raven felt it too. Roy was practically skirting the line of giving them direct hints.

This was completely out of character for him. Across the previous two floors, he had always maintained a veil of mystery, refusing to drop so much as a single clue even when directly asked.

Yet here he was, giving them an explicit breakdown of what Floor 3 entailed — and going out of his way to emphasize paying attention to the local inhabitants, his tone heavily loaded with intent.

Maybe King Alexei, Black Sun, Perfection and Antoine Blanc aren’t doing as well as he hoped, so he wants to give us as much of a fighting chance as possible? Uhtred thought.

Considering the sudden shift in Roy’s behavior, it seemed likely. After all, he’d explicitly warned them that this floor would be a direct competition against champions from other worlds.

"Oooh, Roy, you’re being oddly chatty today, aren’t you?" Hassan Al-Malik teased.

Handler Roy didn’t share the humor. He merely harrumphed, and with a swift wave of his hand, rushed to send them toward Floor 3.

The bodies of all six ascenders immediately began to phase out of existence. Taken off guard by the abrupt launch, several of them opened their mouths to protest.

But before anyone could voice their shock, Roy spoke one final time, his voice ringing out as they fully dissolved:

"Go, my champions. And remember... stay true to what you are!"

Wha—? What the hell is that supposed to mean?

The question flashed through Uhtred’s mind, but before he could dwell on it, he disintegrated into a streak of light and surged upward toward Floor 3.

Forcing the confusion aside, Uhtred shifted instantly into high alert. His mind cycled through everything he had discussed with Zara and White Raven earlier in the day — their plan of action, and how to find each other to tackle the sub-scenario.

Then, all of a sudden, he felt his body begin to take corporeal form again. However, right before the process could be completed, a prompt appeared in his vision, halting the process until he made a choice.

[Notice:]

[Champion Uhtred (Red) of planet Earth detected. You are about to enter the scenario world of Valeria]

[You may choose your race]

[Note! You can choose any race you please, not just your current race. Available races are ranked according to strength within the world of Valeria. Your choice may decide whether or not you pass this Floor successfully... Choose wisely]

[Available Races]

Dragonkin

Half-Dragonkin Half-Elf

Elf

Half-Elf Half-Human

Troll

Human

Half-Troll Half-Human

Beastkin

Faery

Goblin

Uhtred stared at the notice and the list before his eyes, and immediately, Handler Roy’s last words made sense.

This was what he was talking about. "Stay true to what you are..."

But I’d have chosen human anyway, Uhtred thought, a bit puzzled. To him, while the options listed were kind of exciting, he didn’t really think he’d have chosen anything other than human even without Handler Roy’s cryptic warning.

It was a no-brainer. While choosing another race had the benefit of getting a feel for the body of an alien race, it just meant he would spend the entirety of Floor 3 in a body unfamiliar to his human form.

It could create long-term complications he didn’t want to deal with at all. He could imagine being in the body of that Dragonkin race listed as number one... feeling how much superior it was to a human body, then having to return to being a human after the trial was over and having a hard time re-adapting...

Yeah, that’s not a good idea, Uhtred thought. Besides, this also seems like an obvious test. Roy wouldn’t have given us that hint if our choice here wasn’t very important...

Maybe there’s a disadvantage to those who don’t choose their own race?

Uhtred wouldn’t be surprised if that were the case. This could simply be a classic test of: how well do you believe in your race?

Without hesitation, Uhtred made his choice and selected "Human."

In an instant, the materialization process resumed, and he felt his body begin to form physically.

The void surrounding him disappeared, and he felt his feet settle on solid ground again.

All of a sudden, a voice startled him, just as his senses began to return.

"Holy dangling bollocks!" the voice cursed, their tone disbelieving. "A champion actually appeared from our portal! A live, breathing champion!!"