Daniel Pridel is back, Third Trial Announcement

Theodore's voice boomed over the hall.

"Congratulations on surviving," he began, his eyes scanning the room, "All of those currently in this room are truly the one deserving of being called Rift Conqueror Students!"

The holographic screen lit up.

[837 students remain out 1763!]

"Holy shit!" one voice echoed from somewhere in the back.

"Less than a thousand..."

"Well, we survived, didn't we?" another student answer, trying to sound cheerful, though the undertone of anxiety was unmistakable.

Stark glanced around the room, taking it all in.

The chatter around him was incessant, but to him, all of these people were just coping.

Despite the noise, the weight of those numbers wasn't anything special to him.

Nearly 4000 students had fallen between the first and second trials.

And there was still one more trial to go.