End of Quest

"You are leaving your back wide open," Shiva said as he stood on the shoulders of the corruption giant, watching a group of young men and women, all around the ages of 16-20, fighting together against a horde of monsters.

It was the last day of the three-day quest, and the sun was already moving on its way towards the horizon. The group had no more than a few hours before the quest would end.

The good thing was that even when all of them had failed to get a blink of sleep, all 32 kids, including Karna and Regena, had managed to fulfill the requirements of the quest!

It had taken all of what they had to meet the requirements. One horde after another, moving and fighting without rest. While Shiva and his summons took care of any stronger monsters, the rest were taken care by the group.

Shiva wasn't just standing idle after dealing with stronger monsters either; he actively pursued the stronger monsters, particularly going against the portal guardians. Defeating and changing his summons to more potent ones.

In the span of 40 hours, he had killed about 20-25 guardians. Since there was no shortage of portals, and with the corruption giant helping him, the task was all but seemed easier.

Now, Shiva had reached the tutorial limit for his level, and the Giant had also increased its level to 25, with its soul count surpassing the mark of 150.

As Shiva stood on the shoulders of the giant, looking at the fighting young ones, he felt a bit disappointed.

"There is no technique, no movements. Are you guys barbarians or what? Don't mindlessly swing your swords; notice the weak points and aim your weapons there."

He screamed, making the young ones shudder. By now, they had already regretted their choice of following Shiva, but now that the milk was already spilled, there was no going back. But not everyone was without skills; Karna, for example, was fighting very well for someone with just 3 days of experience.

His daggers flashed around the battlefield as he precisely aimed at the weak points like the eyes, necks, and joints of the monsters, severing them before moving to his next target. But his movements weren't fluid, and compared to his past life, Karna's skills were a hundred years too far apart!

Nonetheless, after about 15-20 minutes, the battle ended, and the young ones panted heavily as they waited for Shiva's next instructions.

"Everyone, come back and rest. The quest will end in one hour."

They had a quest to pass, and Shiva couldn't let them be so exhausted that they wouldn't be able to fight against the monster waves, so he instructed them to rest while he ordered the Giant to let him down.

***

It was dark outside, the darkness of night enveloping the sky as the shining full moon came into view.

Around what seemed to be an elongated stone platform, Shiva sat, while the young ones, about 20 boys and 12 girls, including Regena and Karna, stood around him, as if waiting for a funeral speech.

Shiva was already feeling depressing vibes being around them, but what could he do? There was no more than a few minutes before the end of the quest, so he couldn't go running around.

As they were all waiting for the quest to be over, Karna walked forward, attracting the attention of Shiva.

He looked at him, "What is it?" he asked, not too interested in the answer, but what Karna did next took him by surprise.

All of a sudden, Karna bowed down, as deep as he could.

"Thank you very much," he screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Huh? You are thanking me for? Huh? I already said that our favors are settled. I am just helping you so that I can use you guys later, don't misunderstand."

But despite his words, Karna just stood there, bowing his head, and suddenly, all the other children came forward, bowing respectfully to Shiva, joining Karna.

"Thank you, Sir!" they screamed in unison.

"What the hell...?"

Shiva was about to say something when the system notification rang.

<Congratulations to all the survivors>

<You have done well, surviving for three days. Now, whoever qualifies the condition set by tower is rewarded with 'Token of Challenge'>

<You 24 can take up the trial of ruined tower anytime in next hours, or you choose to stay at Earth>

<<Clear the trial to obtain authority climb tower>>

<Good luck>

The notification ended, and after a second, a new set of golden runes appeared in front of Shiva.

<You have obtained the 'Token of Challenge'>

Not only Shiva, but everyone who had met the requirements had received the message.

As everyone was still looking at the messages, Shiva turned to them and said, "I will be going ahead."

"Whether you enter the tower or not, make sure to stay alive," he said, his eyes running through the group of kids.

"Cause if you die, I will turn you guys into skeletons," a cold glint shone in Shiva's eyes, giving chills to the group. They swore to never die, not wanting to become one of his skeletons.

Nevertheless, Shiva turned around, taking out the <Token of Challenger>.

"Karna, gather them all after you enter the tower. Stay low, get stronger, and wait until I contact you guys. If anyone dares to run, you know what will happen."

They were kind of regretting thanking Shiva at the moment.

"Yes, sir," Karna answered firmly.

"Wait for some time, let them rest and recuperate before challenging the trial, and make sure to clear as many waves as possible."

Then Shiva turned his head, looking at the group one last time.

"Don't let even a single one of those bastards die, Karna."

"Yes, Sir."

With everything said and done, Shiva tore the <Token of Challenge>.

<You have used the 'Token of Challenge'>

<You will be transported to the trial area>

The system said, and after a second, Shiva, along with all his summons and the corruption giant, disappeared from the face of Earth.

With Shiva gone, the young ones stood, determination burning through their eyes.

---***---