The Mountain

The mountain loomed in front of them, a towering beast of jagged rock and icy peaks that seemed to scrape the strange, otherworldly red sky that had been erected in front of them.

Liam and the other players looked up at it with a sense of awe, knowing that their journey would take them to its very peak, to the Green Zone that lay at the very top. It was the final test, the Pre-Trial that would mark them out as true players in this world.

Wooosh-!!

But as they began to climb, a swirling mist descended upon them, thick and impenetrable.

"What the hell is this?" Axis complained, tilting her head from side to side.

They stumbled through the mist, unable to see more than a few feet in any direction.

"Guys, I'm losing vision of everyone!" Aaron exclaimed, stretching his hands out to search for the other members of the party.

Axis took control of the situation after sensing the danger. "Touch each other and stay close at all costs!"

"Ahh~" Colleen's delicate mouth let out an involuntary gasp as she felt a hand touch her rump.

"Out of anywhere you could have touched! My butt, really?" Colleen exclaimed as she yanked Kaiser's hand away from her.

"I didn't see it, it wasn't on purpose-"

"Shut up, you two!" Liam interrupted as the others stepped closer to him. He felt a sense of unease settle in the pit of his stomach, a prickling at the back of his neck earlier that told him he was not alone even before he had met Axis. But he didn't think it would attack now that he was in a Party.

He spoke without turning around. "So... you finally made a move. I thought you were going to hide forever."

A deep and throaty voice emerged from the mist. "I am very impressed."

Liam locked gazes with Axis, who had her hand on the hilt of her axe, ready for anything.

"Who are you?" Liam inquired.

"All you need to know is that you will die at my hands; the Eternal Black Flame is the weapon that decimated entire races, leaving destruction in its wake," the voice replied.

"Because of it, I am one of the last of my kind," the voice went on. "And I have come to ask you how you came to possess such power."

Liam chuckled, his voice echoing off the mountainside. "Look, pal, I have no idea who decimated your race; I just arrived today."

The frightening voice laughed. "Are you saying that you're a draftee from another world?"

"A draftee? Oh, yeah! I remembered that's what the system called us. Most of you are natives, right? Players who were born here," Liam claimed.

"That's nonsense! Our ancestors are draftees. They went straight to the First Floor of the Tyrant's Mighty Tower because they had already passed a test on their home planet. The trials my ancestors underwent were written in a sacred book in our race before it got burned and decimated along with my kind. You can't fool me, player," the voice thundered.

"I see... so that's how it's supposed to work... I guess I didn't pass the trial on my home planet, which is why I'm here," Liam responded. He knew he could pass the test despite the difficulties he faced, but he also knew he cheated and violated the Warden's rules, which was why he failed. He began to wonder if all of the missing people on Earth had been summoned here. And he looked over at Aaron, who was standing beside him, to confirm his theory.

Aaron panicked when he saw the authoritative look and responded, "Uh... yeah! I cheated too. I couldn't do the final trial for me because it was ridiculous."

"If what you were saying is true, how come you have access to Eternal Black Flame already?" the voice sought information.

Liam thought about it. He was well aware that the Eternal Black Flame is the Tower's most powerful Fire Affinity. And that, despite its resemblance to the Eternal Black Flame, his Ash Phoenix Flame was not it. He wasn't sure if pretending to have the Eternal Black Flame would protect him because other players were wary of it, or if it would just put more targets on his back.

"I don't think that's something you need to know." Liam dropped to the ground and activated his Psychometry ability, which allowed him to see into the past through spectral presentation. His eyes shone so bright that his pupils were nowhere to be seen.

"Hey, Liam! What's going on?" Axis hurriedly inquired, tapping Liam on the shoulder.

"Hey, Anonymous! Can your kind change the color of your eyes?" Kaiser inquired, his brow furrowed.

"Definitely not," Aaron replied. "I don't know what was happening to him either."

Liam was suddenly surrounded by ghostly visions, fragments of the past swirling and dancing around him. His spirit seemed to be drawn away from the present to investigate the past. Liam stood up in this visionary world and quickly examined his surroundings, looking for anything that could tell him where the player went before it activated its skill, which created a thick mist that dulled their senses.

Then he noticed it. The exact location where the player stood when it cast the mist with its arms that resembled plant vines. heck, the player itself was a sham.

Liam then awoke from his visions. He went into Marksman mode instinctively, and a gun materialized in his hand. He took aim and fired in a particular direction.

Bang-!!

"Arrrghhh... How... how did you know where I was?" the player cried out in agony, echoing off the mountain.

[Death Shot!!!]

The bullet struck true, and Liam knew he had delivered a critical hit because of the loud mechanical system in his head notifying him.

Step... step... step...

The player screamed in agony, and a purple plant-like player came into view. As the mist dissipated, Liam could hear its footsteps retreating into the mountain.

"We shall meet again, player!"

The mist vanished as quickly as it had appeared, leaving Liam and the other players alone on the mountainside. Liam grinned as he turned to face his companions.

"That was close," Aaron commented. "But we made it; should we follow it?"

"No, we don't have time," Axis replied. Her gaze was fixed on Liam. 'Who exactly is he? A draftee who possesses Eternal Black Flame? If he entered the Tower, he'd cause havoc among the players once they found out,' she reasoned.

Sharky nodded, his eyes wide with surprise. "What just happened? What's the deal with that player?"

"Yeah, what is he talking about, dude?" Kaiser said as he wrapped his arm around Liam's shoulder.

Liam laughed as he grabbed Kaiser's arm away from him. "I'm not sure, but one thing is certain: we're not safe unless we're inside the Green Zone, so don't mess around and stay focused; we might run into more players on our way up there."

They resumed their ascent, pushing higher and higher towards the summit. Liam knew there was no telling what was going to happen next. He'd faced unimaginable dangers in this world, and he knew the road ahead would be dangerous and perilous.