Chapter 9: Trial. (3)

Rigel watched the third group, the righteous blonde man group being surrounded by goblins and hobgoblins. He couldn't help but remember the memories of his past life when he encountered that blonde man.

(Flashback)

Rigel walked aimlessly through the forest with bruises that stung all over his body every time he moved his body. He knew he had no hope of surviving the trial because he was alone with no weapons on him. He knew he wouldn't be able to survive, and yet he didn't want to die because he was scared of death.

After a whole day of wandering in the forest, starving and thirsty, he smelled something good that caught his attention. He didn't know where it came from, but he used the remaining strength he had left to find out where the smell was coming from.

When he found a group of players resting and cooking food, he was glad and didn't hesitate to show himself to them. His condition startled those players, and they hesitated to allow him to join them because they didn't have much food even for themselves.

"What happened to you?!" Erick asked when he saw Rigel and his condition.

"I got separated from my group... We were ambushed by goblins..." Rigel answered as his eyes were set on the meat being roasted.

"Come! No need to feel excluded!" Erick said with a gentle smile. "My name is Erick, and I'm the group leader. So I'll get something to treat your injuries and I hope you can tell us what happened," he added and welcomed Rigel.

(End of flashback)

"You were a good man, but you were naive that you led your whole members to their doom. This scenery is exactly the same as I remembered," Rigel said as he watched Erick and his group being butchered and slaughtered by the goblins and hobgoblins.

As Rigel said, Erick and his group met their deaths at the hands of those monsters. His naivety and lack of experience killed everyone, and he was the only one who should be blamed for that outcome.

"A bad leader is worse than a strong enemy," Rigel muttered as he remembered Hugo's words and left the scene. "The coward survives and the brave dies," he said and remembered he ran away when he knew Erick and his group wouldn't be able to survive back then in his past life.

Rigel still hadn't found the last group, Aaron's group, and he tried to remember where he had found Aaron in his previous life. He still had some unfinished business with Aaron, and it would be great if he could make a mess of Aaron and his group.

Rigel took his time to find Aaron's group and he finally found them not far from where Erick's group was. He noticed that Aaron and his group were aware of the presence of the goblins and hobgoblins. They were discussing how to kill those monsters since apparently, they had defeated dozens of goblins and a few hobgoblins.

Rigel found their plan was flawless just like what happened in his past life by ambushing the hobgoblins and goblins who were busy with their catches. The plan worked flawlessly in the past, and Rigel didn't plan on sabotaging the plan for a reason.

Aaron and his group were in their position and observed the monsters in front of them. They saw the hobgoblins and goblins skinned the bodies of players and it made them feel sick. But Aaron didn't back down and immediately ordered everyone to get ready because it was the perfect opportunity.

"Attack!" Aaron shouted and his voice was so loud that everyone immediately followed his command.

The hobgoblins and the goblins were startled and since they weren't ready, Aaron and his group killed the goblins first. They knew the goblins were the most annoying monsters to deal with since they were small and swift. The bigger they were, the more predictable their movements became which was why Aaron chose to kill the smaller ones first.

It happened in less than a minute where all the goblins got killed by the players, leaving only the hobgoblins. Compared to Joan's group, Aaron's group was more versatile because some of them could use bows. It gave them the advantage and made the front line have an easier job and less pressure.

Rigel enjoyed the view from the tree and counted the casualties from Aaron's group. He remembered that only ten of them were left before Aaron met with Joan, and it was the same now.

"Now you guys have killed all the monsters, I believe it's about time for the main course," Rigel said and then a notification appeared in front of him.

[Congratulations to all the existing Players for surviving on the first half of the trial. It's finally time for the players to challenge for the second half of the trial. Follow the sun and you will reach the end of the forest where the final challenge is]

Aaron looked up at the sky and saw where the sun was, so he gathered his members and followed the sun's direction. Rigel was following them from behind unnoticed and he was like a shadow because he hid his presence and silently followed them.

Aaron's group met with Joan's group since they were following the sun. They immediately grouped up and combined their forces so they could clear the trial. Joan was still looking for Rigel, but Aaron didn't know anything about him.

Rigel stopped following them because it was the end of the forest and he didn't want to be participating in the trial at all. After all, he didn't want to contribute anything just like in his past life, and wanted the trial to fail as soon as possible.

"No sign of Rigel. I think the worst-case scenario would be he died in the forest," Leonardo said as he looked back at the vast dark forest. "From 100 players, only 37 players survived, so it's a shame that he didn't make it out alive," he added.

Joan hummed and he was more worried about the second half of the trial because he believed the second half would be more challenging. The moment he knew that Rigel didn't make it out alive, he became careless about him and focused on the trial with the remaining players that survived.

"Look," Ruiz pointed at the distance where the thick mist blocked their vision from seeing what was beyond the forest.

Everyone stopped moving and they were petrified when they realized they weren't in an open world, they were inside a building where a tall wall surrounded them as if they were inside a dome. They couldn't believe what they saw, but they immediately accepted it since everything about the tower and the players was already beyond logic.

They walked further until they noticed there was a door made of steel, a 200-meter tall and 100-meter wide door. It was massive, but it was nothing compared to the gate that Rigel saw in that unknown place where he met Lysara'elmaris.

When they were about to reach the gate, they heard a loud horn being sounded and echoed throughout the sky. Everyone immediately went on guard and held their weapons tightly, and that was when they realized the second half of the trial was to fight the one who ruled that place.

A hobgoblin that was 3 meters tall, holding a great sword in both hands with scars all over its body. The goblin leader was the one who commanded and ruled over all the goblins and hobgoblins. The leader was nothing like the other goblins and its presence was enough to petrify all the players.

"You're joking, right? Are we supposed to kill that thing?" Aaron's hands couldn't stop trembling.

"It's him against us. We just need to play safe," Joan responded as he held his sword with both hands. "Don't try to take the hit because you're going to die instantly. Focus on the legs because it's the only way to bring that thing down," he pointed out as he looked at how big and muscular the goblin leader's legs and feet were.

When everyone was still trying to calm themselves down, the goblin leader started running toward them. It moved so quickly even for his size and for every step it took, it covered 4 to 5 meters.

"Everyone spread out! Whoever gets targeted by it should keep running while the rest try to attack it!" Joan shouted and started running to his left.

Everyone moved in different directions, but suddenly the goblin leader took a leap and then swung its massive sword down. The moment it landed and stabbed the sword to the ground, it made some of the players fall to the ground. It swung its sword toward those players and their bodies disappeared in an instant with their remainings flying in the air.

"How the fuck are we supposed to kill that thing?!" Leonardo asked in disbelief.