Chapter 38: The Third Test Begins!

[The third mission is about to begin!]

The three of them froze when the panel appeared.

Their eyes immediately shifted to the third mission.

[A mysterious site has opened. Countless monsters ranging from level 1 to level 30 await inside. This third mission is all about teamwork. You will be randomly teleported into the site and separated from your teammates. Your objective is simple: kill as many monsters as possible. Only the top 200 groups will survive and earn incredible rewards. The rest will... die!]

As soon as the panel disappeared, another black panel appeared before them.

[Random Teleportation Invitation. Accept?]

Claire swallowed hard. Turning stiffly toward Raven, she asked in a trembling voice, "R-Raven, what should we do?"

Rose was just as worried. She hadn’t expected the third mission to force them apart.

She couldn’t imagine what would happen next. After all, she had grown used to fighting alongside Raven and Claire.

Raven took a deep breath before looking at them one by one.

"I understand your concerns," he said. "But don’t worry."

He patted Claire on the shoulder and continued, "The third mission isn’t as dangerous as you think."

He then reopened the third mission panel and read through it again.

"Even though we’ll be separated, this is still a team mission. But don’t start hunting as soon as you get there. Find a safe place first and get a feel for the area before making your move. Got it?"

Both of them nodded firmly.

"Got it."

Raven nodded in satisfaction. It wasn’t that he didn’t want to help them, but there wasn’t much he could do.

The third mission required them to split up, and that was beyond his control.

"And one more thing."

Raven raised his index finger.

"Don’t trust anyone, even if they seem kind. Remember that, okay?"

His expression turned serious.

He wasn’t worried about Rose. She wasn’t the type to trust people so easily.

Her affection for him was proof enough of that. But Claire was a different story.

He knew Claire well enough to worry that she might be deceived by someone else, even if the chances were slim.

"We’ll remember!" they replied in unison.

Raven let out a sigh of relief. There was nothing else he needed to say.

"Trust me. You’ll be fine. You’ll definitely make it through this."

He stood up and held out his hand.

They both took it and rose to their feet.

Claire and Rose regained their confidence after hearing his reassuring words.

[Ding! Gained 10 Love Points!]

[Ding! Gained 1 Love Point!]

The love gauge above Claire’s head went up by one point, reaching 99, while Rose’s increased by ten, bringing it to 50.

Raven glanced at Claire’s love gauge and frowned.

"Just one more point, huh? Is there some kind of special condition to get the last one?"

The first thing that came to mind was sleeping with her. He wasn’t sure if that was really the requirement, but he had a feeling it might be.

"Alright, enough. We need to hit the mysterious site and score as many points as possible before we get eliminated."

Claire and Rose nodded and then pressed the Accept button without hesitation.

And the next moment, the three of them vanished.

...

"Ugh..."

Raven groaned as he clutched his head.

The pain slowly faded until it was gone.

When he opened his eyes, he was greeted by a strange yet mysterious sight.

"Where am I?"

He looked around. It was a fairly small room. Standing before him was a white statue nearly three meters tall.

The statue depicted a woman in prayer. Its faded color showed just how long it had stood there.

Four pillars supported the ceiling. Directly above the statue’s head was a narrow slit about a meter long, allowing a beam of white sunlight to shine down on it.

The floor beneath the statue was damp from the water dripping slowly from its eyes.

Small blades of grass had even grown through the cracked floor tiles, making the room feel even older and more abandoned.

Raven turned around and found himself facing a dark, silent hallway that radiated an eerie atmosphere.

[Welcome to the Ancient Site of the Alvas World!]

A black panel appeared before him.

[As I mentioned earlier, this mission involves the group you’ve formed. Only the top two hundred groups will survive and advance to the next mission!]

[Oh, right! I almost forgot to explain the rules! First, you have to hunt monsters of various levels to earn points. Level 1 monsters are worth 10 points. Level 2 monsters are worth 20 points. Level 3 monsters are worth 30 points. And so on. Since you’ve been randomly teleported, you’re all scattered far away from one another. Even so, every monster you kill will add points to your group’s total!]

[Oh, one more thing! You’re not allowed to kill each other, okay? But I know most of you are probably curious about the thrill of killing, right? That’s why I’ve prepared special zones where you’re free to kill one another. Any points the victim has will be transferred immediately to the one who kills them. Sounds exciting, doesn’t it? Come on, give me a round of applause!]

A mocking smile spread across Raven’s face.

He didn’t know who was behind the black panel, but he suspected it was Malphas... or perhaps someone with authority in Heaven.

"Absolutely disgusting. Are they gods or demons?"

He shook his head. Raven had never placed his faith in the gods, nor had he ever worshipped them.

Even after meeting Malphas in person and realizing the gods truly existed, Raven still didn’t believe in them.

To him, they were nothing but a bunch of hypocritical bastards who saw human lives as nothing more than toys.

[Alright, everyone! The third mission begins now!]

As the black panel disappeared, a countdown appeared before him.

360:59

"Three hundred sixty hours... that’s a little over fifteen days."

This was the longest mission compared to the first and second ones.

Still, Raven wasn’t afraid. If anything, he was excited. There had always been a rule against killing one another, so he’d been forced to play it safe.

But now, that rule had been lifted. Even though killing was only allowed in designated zones, that was more than enough for him.

Just as Raven was about to open his virtual map, he heard footsteps behind him.

His body tensed. He quickly turned around and looked down the dark hallway.

The footsteps drew closer, and soon, a beautiful woman wearing glasses emerged from the darkness.

Raven’s eyes widened in surprise. He recognized her.

"Reina?"