Chapter 16

Clifford’s eyes almost popped out upon glimpsing at the enormous coliseum before him. The place was three times bigger than the ones from his world. And to think they had better technology than these people.

“This is quite the crowd for an assessment.”

He was having a hard time keeping his smile as his lips continued to twitch from the buildup of tension.

It caused every fiber and muscle in his entire body to tremble, having that electrocuting sensation traveling all around him.

With nearly half a million people gathered there, it told him much about how the kingdom operated.

They’d been preparing for this for quite some time, or there was a festival he was not aware of in that place.

“But of course. Such an event demands a great audience.”

King Brell gave out a haughty laugh, tapping his stomach as he cheerfully gazed at the large number of people that filled the entire stadium.

This was as they had expected, making the noble’s eyes glint with such joy, knowing how much profit this was going to bring to them.

“We’ve set this event months ago, after the heroes Marco and Pedro requested to change teams. And with the circumstances of conflicts, along with a secured friendship between the others, we have decided it was best to shuffle all of them. Thus we ended up with four people per groups as to cater to that.”

Olfric was quick to speak out loud, noticing how the otherworlder’s look suddenly changed. From a lively gaze, the man’s eyes turned lifeless, with an eery shadow looming in it.

Clifford’s brows remained furrowed, hearing that the teens were having a dispute. He thought it was only with their group, but it seems this was happening to the others.

“Looks like you have your hands full with them.”

Was all Clifford can say.

Suddenly having creepy vibes when he felt an odd sensation directed at him.

“Yes, but it’s manageable.”

Olfric immediately laugh it off, not wanting erase the idea, remembering the person in front of him was also from another world.

“So, how will we proceed with this?”

Again, Clifford put on his fake smile in order to avoid being suspicious. As the denizens threw at him, those condescending and wary gazes warned him of trouble.

He needed some information about the upcoming tests, as he wanted to prepare for it. With the limited weapons he had, he became unsure if he can pass it unharmed.

“We will first have a skill test to separate the weak ones, followed by a free for all. Then finishing with a one-on-one battle.”

King Brell steps in at that point, unable to stop the rush of excitement within him from announcing the events that are about to unfold.

He, too, looked forward to the upcoming entertainment, knowing full well they were going to see some amazing fights.

He can’t help but giggle, seeing so many contenders from different lands have gathered there.

After a few more explanations, they escorted Clifford into the waiting area underground. There, they mixed him with the other participants.

Almost every warrior had their eyes on him the moment he entered the halls, some calculating, others intimidating, while a few stayed wary.

The buildup of tension continued with each minute. The atmosphere became heavy, tainted with different emotions. This made it nearly impossible to remain calm.

Even within such an environment, Clifford’s first reaction was to check on all his opponents. As his nerves told him to be cautious.

Most of the contenders were of no problem, with only a level of single-digit and double numbers who did not reach twenty.

What got his attention are the few individuals near him.

There was the cloaked fighters who were around fifty who sat in the shadows, their faces hiding underneath their hood.

Warriors clad in different colored armor eyed him upfront. All of them are within the range of level sixty.

Another noticeable figures were the group of silvery knights, all of them having the same value of sixty-five.

What got him concerned were the individuals who dawned black armory, looking like scales. All of them were at seventy, and they released an insane amount of ominous aura.

They composed mostly of five, except the silver-colored fighters, as there were ten of them.

Though there were a few with no squads such as him with no team members. This didn’t seem to be an issue with the king. It made him think if this was going to be a fair fight, considering he was alone.

Several robed men entered the room, each of them having the white sphere symbol on the sides of their sleeves. They all were smiling as their gaze at the crowd.

“All contenders, please step out into the arena. We are about to begin the first contest.”

The person in front gestured a hand toward the giant double doors, which creaked as it opened. Light streamed into the place, blinding them for a good second, yet most of the participants rush to go out, except those who of the high numbers.

They only followed once everyone had gone, making their place at the back of the crowd.

Clifford’s hand covered his face the minute he stepped out, feeling the sting in his eyes. It took him a while to get used to the shine.

His first reaction was to furrow upon seeing that they had turned the open area of the coliseum into an obstacle course. There were also runes of light floating all around the place.

“Go, sir Clifford. You can do it!”

The teens screamed aloud as they were watching from within the audience.

He can’t help his chuckle when he saw how Arty and Pedro were jumping, while Jack was throwing his fist into the air. The only person who seemed unaffected was Marco, who remained folded arms in his chest with a sour expression.

“Good day to everyone. We shall now begin our selection for the position of the hero’s companion. First off is the race of courage. This will test the mettle of our participants. All who pass until the last drop of sand gets to move forward to our next challenge!”

A voice boomed all throughout the place. It was then that they uncovered a large hourglass at the high end of a tower there.

This garnered an overwhelming cheer thundering through the entire arena. And when the timer turned, the sounds of trumpets and drums echoed on every side, signaling the beginning of the race.

Everybody was quick on their feet. Even Clifford ended up because of the time limit, as an urge to compete awakened within him.

First was a tall wall that they had to climb up. This was easy until you reach the top. Once they got up, a long platform greeted them, followed by a pit of flaming stones between them and the other side.

“What the hell is this?”

Clifford’s jaw nearly drop, having his skin burned from the steam being released from it. He looked around to observe how the others were dealing with the hindrance.

“Body resistance!”

One fellow shouted, making him glow.

Some who had the same skill did the same, they then jump into the flame ridden ground. A lot of them started running the moment they got onto the floor, grunting with each step.

A few followed but ended up getting seared. It did not take long before the screams of those fools, rushing into the pit with no protection.

Others did not bother to walk the path, as several backed away, then from there, they sprinted to gain momentum before jumping. Some made it to the other side, while many fell to their demise.

If someone passes out, something instantly teleports them to the medical tent.

From one end to the other, the distance would be at around twelve meters, a length which was impossible for a normal human.

The hooded ones use their strength to jump the gap, same with the warriors in black. While the silver knights, together with the colored armored group, cast a stronger spell to walk the path with no issue.

With no protection spells at his disposal, Clifford chooses the method of using his legs, following the lead of those who jumped.

His heart was thumping just from looking at how high he was, along with the distance he needed to make.

But he removed the doubt in his him by thinking of the adjustments he made to his status.

The assurance of recovering, with either his natural healing or the skill he copied, gave him the courage he required.

With that in mind, he goes to the end of the platform, dashing through the entire thing to gain as much inertia as he can before taking flight.

There was a certain heaviness when he took off, but he did not bother with having made it, rolling as he landed.

Though gasping, he can’t help but smile because of the rush of blood and drumming inside his chest, all from the exhilaration of jumping that far.

But the time he consumed being cautious put him in the last spot. So he had to hasten his phasing to catch up to the others.

Next up was a dodging test, wherein a giant boulder appeared out of some runes, shooting straight at them. This took another half of the contenders, leaving them with about a third now.

This was much of a problem for Clifford, thanks to his sturdiness and high life points. Yet, even with that, he still felt the intensity, damage, and weight of each hit.

“Something’s not right.”

He frowns, swallowing hard from the stabbing sensation creeping through his insides. Cause he wasn’t expecting this with his current modification.

But he continued on, gasping with each step as his body became heavier with each passing moment.

Next up was a tunnel reaching to about fifty meters.

The challenge with it was its snaking shape, along with the temperature inside.

The place was so cold, anyone who stops end up freezing to near death.

Those who relied on their physical prowess ended up having trouble slipping and hitting the wall, as they couldn’t navigate well.

The casters easily maneuvered through the path, floating or using a sticking spell.

Thankfully, Clifford’s skills came in handy on this one. With having knowledge of ice skating, he tread on the icy floor.

Third was favorable to the strength types, as they only needed to walk through the pathway with strong winds, enough to blow a person away.

What’s made it troublesome, was that the breeze had some kind of spell which weakens magic, making it difficult for the casters.

Once again, crawling on all fours while grabbing on to the ground or anything he can get his hands on, Clifford pulled through.

But because of all the hassle and struggle of the challenges, he ended up being the last participant. As he was panting when he reached the final stage.

In the end, nearly three fourth of the participants were gone. Leaving nothing but a few of them.

He reaches the place at about half hour later than the others, so he can’t help but frown upon seeing many of the earlier contenders stuck in there.

The last obstacle was a tiled area of about a hundred meters.

And since everyone seemed unable to get past it, he waits and takes that chance to rest.

He looks at the sand glass. There was still plenty of time, so he thought to observe once more.

He was certain that there was something in there that prevented the others from moving ahead.

Sure enough, an individual who thought he can take the lead went to confirm this.

Clifford’s sights stayed glued on this person, focusing mainly on the life bar and status ailments.

The minute the poor soul set one foot into a tile, the guy got hit by a powerful spell, blowing him away. And the moment he fell to the ground another attack hits him, this continued until his hp turned red and faints, prompting the teleportation magic.

This garnered loud screams and laughter from the audience. Unable to hide their smirks upon the scene.

Each tile activated an attack with differentiating damage, effects, and element.

With so many of them, it was almost impossible to protect from it. And thus, the reason nobody dared to venture through is that they feared getting knocked out before they could reach the goal.

“So it’s a battle of attrition then.”

Clifford murmurs to himself, unable to hide the grin forming on his face.

With a move of his eyeball, he activates his system, checking his hp. It was already halfway but still in the yellow. So, he sits in the corner to summon forth the green orb of lights.

In minutes, all the pain and weakness he was feeling got lifted. His movements becoming fluid and light once more. And thanks to that, his body move properly again.

All eyes were on Clifford the minute he walked to the front.

The cheers and screams suddenly changed into silence, as everyone’s faces turned straight. Some had this glint of a nearing grin, while others furrowed.

The teens who were cheering him on had this glimmer in their gaze, smiling while they held their breaths.

And the moment he took his first step, an immense light engulf him, followed by a loud boom. Smoke scattered all over the place, causing everyone to gasp when they did not see a body transported to the medical tent.

“His over there!”

Arty scream aloud, getting a glimpse of Clifford up in the air.

Thanks to his system and the guy from before, he got to check on each tile, their properties and attack.

And taking this into account. He hatched a plan to use each of them to propel himself into the finish line.

He falls on one with a flame burst, and this engulfs him in fire, yet he was quick to jump towards another, which had a water splash causing both spells to negate. He continued doing this, gritting his teeth as he moved.

Even the contenders were now gaping, their jaws nearly falling just from the sight of it.

After a grueling moment, he finally reach the goal, gasping to catch his breath, all the while groaning in pain from all the damage. Yet, using all his remaining strength, he stands up and turns to see his opponents.

Screams and cheers echoed throughout the entire arena, as everyone was in awe.

The youths ended up jumping and hugging one another upon seeing how the man had pulled it off. All the while, none of the others had gotten pass through that.