Chapter 4- Test Of Wits

Amongst the humans present was a Burly, masculine figure. 

He had tanned skin, flowing blonde hair and green eyes that could be easily mistaken for emeralds. 

Goliath Doth was his name, and he was a World Weights Champion. He was on a sidewalk, taking a glass of beer while battling with depression over the failure of his career and life when the golden light enveloped him. 

At first, he had found it odd and strange but after the angelic figure appeared and described what was going on, he had found this as an opportunity instead. 

A way to get back at his manager, his ex-girlfriend and all his friends and family that abandoned him. Well, that was until the sudden creatures began to fall from the skies and cause a massacre of his plans. 

He gave up on his initial goal of fighting back and chose to run away, but after hearing what looked like a fifteen-year-old scream out, his initial goal came slamming into him to take action. 

At the moment, his fists were covered in green blood and his tank top was covered in red. 

Watching a human being sliced open like a sardine right in front of you was a memory that would never fade…..especially since it got to his clothes. 

"Humans, congratulations. The Test is Over". 

The angelic figure said with a smile as she hovered over the remaining humans standing. 

Her smirk had become evident through her veil and her unpleasant stare caused a stir of emotions within the people present. 

'Hah, what a relief'. 

Goliath thought as a sigh escaped his lips. 

He fell to the ground, exhaustion taking a toll on him as he watched the angelic figure. 

'Is she a devil or an angel? Because she sure acts like the former'. 

"Let's take care of this mess first, shall we?" 

She suddenly clicked her fingers together causing the dead bodies to dissipate into the air. Humans and Creatures alike. 

Goliath found this unsettling and so did many others who watched them go. 

Some had even been acquaintances until a moment ago when they died at the hands of small creatures that fell from a hole. 

Their bodies disappeared but the blood remained. Pools of red and green intertwine in a dark mixture, serving as a reminder for those who remain alive. 

The thread between life and death was very thin at this moment. 

The angelic figure laughed out loud when the bodies were all gone. 

"You Should see your faces! You all look terrified". Her gaze shifted to the yellow-haired boy, and Goliath caught on. 

'She must have noticed him too'. 

He thought as the angelic figure continued. 

She seemed to scoff in annoyance, catching him by surprise before she continued her speech. 

"A total of 5000 were summoned but 1457 of you lost their lives in only the first test. It proves the inadequacy of the earth's food chain. Humans should have been cattle since you prefer to die like one". 

Goliath bit his tongue in annoyance, a rage brewing within him. 

'She has a point….after all, I've been through a lot by humans….men and women alike, but that doesn't give her the right to insult us like this'. 

Still, there was nothing much he or any other person who felt anger towards what she was saying could do. 

She had the authority over the whole matter, even though she hadn't directly attacked any of them. 

If those creatures could be made to disappear in a flash, what says she can't do that to living humans too? 

"The rest of you have a choice. There are hurdles ahead that you can not face. If you think you're strong enough to go ahead then I would advise you to…..but if you are unwilling to go further, take this chance to set yourself free". 

She announced, her once irksome voice turning into a voice of salvation for the people as they looked on with open hearts. 

Some even seemed to have gotten excited with her statement, wishing to be rid of this place. 

"Going back doesn't mean you have failed the Test Of Humanity. In fact, you have very much passed it. Your rewards will be calculated in the real world, and the Server shall grant you your system. All you have to do is raise your hand and be free of the upcoming hurdles". 

The angelic figure smirked behind her veil, her thoughts reeling in. 

'This is my favourite part. Show yourself now, the real humanity within'. 

Her gaze was fixed on Paxton while the humans began to raise their hands in the air. 

There was no need to stay and endure more when they had already passed the test. 

Why would there even be three when you can become a player by passing just one? 

These were questions that lingered on their minds but they couldn't care less. 

Home! They wanted to go home, regardless of missed opportunities; after all, they'd already become Players. 

A long minute passed by and the large number of people present seemed to have their arms up, with a large majority of them wanting to go home. 

Unfortunately for the angelic figure, Paxton wasn't one of them. 

"In that case. May the Server Lord grant you your gifts, fare well, humans". 

She looked away, hiding the discomfort within her as the crowd began to reduce in numbers. 

One after the other, groups by groups, the humans who raised their hands disappeared. 

Some who had their hands down had even raised it up from the pressure and disappeared as well. And like that, the large number had dwindled by a large margin. 

Goliath sat on the ground, pondering a bit on his decision, his gaze drifting towards Paxton. 

"He wants to stay huh?" He muttered to himself. 

He was sure that there were a lot more people who wanted to go, but seeing the boy's confidence made them stay. 

It was ironic that humans were naturally scared of death, and if this was just the beginning, then how bad were the others? But even with that, the boy remained fixed in his position, armed and ready for another test. 

He couldn't help but admire the fifteen-year-old and decided to stay. 

'What do I have to lose anyways?' 

He thought as a smirk formed on his lips. 

'Perhaps there's an advantage to losing everything, huh?' 

After what seemed like five minutes, the number of disappearances had come to a stop. 

Leaving the remaining humans standing for the next test. 

The angelic figure looked around for a moment, her smirk widening into a grin. 

"403 of you have decided to stay for the next test…..humans sure are cowards". 

Paxton scoffed at her statement. 

'Who would want to risk their lives after being told they can still become Players even if they leave? They have lives and people waiting for them so it's natural for humans to want to go back. 

Who knows, a Legendary or mythic class Player would be found and nurtured by one of the guilds. 

This…..winged creature doesn't know shit about humans'. 

"Now then….since you've chosen to stay, I shall give you the rules of the next test. 

You will be sent to a team of ten where one of you will be given a red task. 

A red task is simple: kill a person within the allocated time given to you and do not get caught, and within the overall time limit, the nine other individuals will be given a blue task. 

The blue task is to find your killer and apprehend him". She took a pause and then continued. 

"Now, if you designate an individual as your killer and kill him, and that individual isn't the one given the Red task, then whoever instigated it would be given the Red task. 

If you wish to pass the test as a challenger given the blue task, either find out your killer within the allocated time limit or last out till the timer has stopped and as for the challenger given the red task, kill a challenger within every allocated time you've been given to do so". 

She stopped, and the humans, some at least, began to chatter amongst themselves. 

"Miss!" One of them screamed out with his hands up and the angelic figure turned towards the direction of the source of the voice. 

"Ca–Can we choose to back out now?" He asked, his tone laced with hesitation. 

He was a black-haired man in a suit and a business briefcase in his right hand. 

He seemed to have second thoughts on the Test and unsurprisingly so. 

The angelic figure remained silent for a moment, and eerie tension grew within before the man's head suddenly erupted in a fountain of blood. 

A scream of shock pierced the air as the people around the man backed off in shock, fear etched on their expressions and panicked whimpers. 

"any more….dumb questions?" 

She asked, turning towards the others present, but none seemed to have the nerve to speak up. 

"In that case, the second test, Test Of Wits shall begin. I wish you luck". 

She flicked her finger and the world warped around Paxton, distorting as he appeared in a white room. 

The shock was evident in his gaze for a moment as he looked around, his surprise slowly dying out. 

'Hah….I'm not alone'.