The Crimson Wasteland

Finally, the orientation was over and the crowd followed the professor to the halls inside the academy and into the farthest reaches of the hall where an ancient-looking door stood. The door was opened by the guards and the portal to the trial was now having an eerie crimson glow.

The participants were in awe while the professor frowned but didn't think that much about it. This was the first time he had seen the portal glowing red. Usually the portal glows only a faint blue color but it never in its history did it shine in a bloody red color.

However, it wouldn't matter that much to him since they knew too little about the labyrinths of trials that gave them a chance of salvation in this miserable generation and no one knew what kind of place will the portal send them to as it changes every year.

"Alright, aspirants! Proceed to the portal now."

The crowd dispersed slowly towards the portal. Lloyd looked at them vanishing one by one and then only a few were left in the hall. A group of three people approached him as he was about to enter the portal.

"Hey, you. Are you already in any team?"

Lloyd turned to see a guy just about a year older than him who had long, black hair tied into a ponytail, a gentle-like face and had eyes of someone who seemed to be wise but always serious. He was wearing a plate mail armor and a sheathed sword was attached on his waist. The other two behind him were just wearing normal equipment like the others who have already went inside.

"No."

 Lloyd shook his head in response.

"Then, do you want to come with us? We could use a little extra help. It's better to have more people watching each other's backs. Of course, we will split whatever resources we find with you equally."

Lloyd thought about it for a while.

The offer was quite good and it would be harder for him to traverse the trials alone without any equipment that could help him protect himself since he was quite poor as much as those who were literally begging in the streets of the outer district. He might even die immediately after entering the trials should they ever be dropped in a place infested with hellspawns as their starting ground, so this was a godsend for someone like him.

"If you don't mind then. Just so you know, I am not someone from elite families like you so I am not as resourceful as you."

The guy nodded as he was checking up on him from head to toe.

"It's fine. I just need someone to help us watch out and carry our things anyway so I won't expect you to do well in combat."

The way he sounded was insulting but Lloyd knew better that he was only speaking the truth and it would be better to leave the fighting to these guys. He could only secretly harbor some anger but still agree to their arrangements.

"Anyway, the name's Shane. These two are Ray and Stanley."

The tallest guy who had blond hair, wearing a slim armor vest made in light metal that perfectly fit in his body, and holding a shield and a sword in his left and right hand respectively was named Ray. This guy had a presence akin to rich young masters with pretty faces in worn-out novels Lloyd used to read back when his parents were still alive. The other one who had black hair in a bowl-cut style, wearing a black robe, and holding a weapon that looked like a gun was named Stanley.

Lloyd, in turn, introduced himself and then Shane urged them to get moving as they were the last to enter the portal.

"Alright, let's go."

Upon entering the crimson portal, lights flashed which blinded their sight and all they could see was white everywhere. Lloyd could hear a monotonous voice welcoming them to the trial which sounds so distasteful and the background of white light was only adding to the boring scenery. He tried to listen carefully to the voice but he could only catch a few words due to it sounding like some broken recorded tape.

A few minutes later, the blinding white light had receded and an unfamiliar area appeared in their sight.

They have arrived at what seemed to be the base point of the trial which was a small, clearing area surrounded with very tall rocks that were softly glowing in red as if blood was flowing in these rocks. Even the plants growing on these lands were glowing in red, crimson light while the sky is covered with something similar to smokes coming out from volcanic eruptions. Lloyd seemed to remember that he heard the monotonous voice calling this place the 'crimson wasteland'.

 The other aspirants were also still inside the clearing as none seemed to have started exploring the area yet. There were four entrances situated to the north, east, west, and south so they were still contemplating at which route to take.

Suddenly, an arrogant voice echoed which made them looked towards the source of that voice. A tall and broad young man with a claymore hanging in his back was standing there with his own group. The way he carried himself was full of arrogance as he looked down at his fellow aspirants.

 "Everyone should know that we, elites who came from great family backgrounds have received lots of education and resources before attempting the trial so that we could pass it with flying colors. If you want to pass this trial, then you should all follow the great Zeke of the Silverthorn clan! You'll help me carry the loots from the hellspawns I kill and I'll let you pick one or two of the spoils at the end of the trial. You peasants should be thankful I am here together with you."

 Upon hearing his name, most of the people's faces lit up as they didn't expect that a scion of one of the biggest clans in Asteria was also participating in this year's trials. Even though he wasn't from royalty, they knew that the Silverthorn clan was one of the four clans holding the major power in Asteria just below the royal family.

"Let me follow you!"

"Pick me. Oh gods, I can return home safely and ascend without troubles."

"Me too. I'll do anything whatever you need me to do."

Many aspirants were tempted to join them. Soon enough their groups grew too large just like a one, big army. Although they looked fierce enough to brave the trials, the idea of travelling with a large group doesn't sit well in Lloyd's mind. In fact, he thought they were a bunch of idiots. They're just going to become easier targets to pluck for those abominations hiding deep within the labyrinth of trials.

"What about you, Shane of the Crestfall clan? Ah of course, if you are going to join my team, you'll have to kick out that useless beggar who is with you."

Lloyd's face dimmed a little but he stayed silent. He wanted to see if Shane wouldn't hesitate to throw him out of the group so he wouldn't have to wait for something disappointing. Then Zeke continued:

"Look at him. He might not even last a second after encountering a hellspawn. Why are you even carrying this trash?"

The crowd burst into laughter and looked at Lloyd with disgust and pity. Surely the masses are easily swayed by the words of a powerful, rich kid. They would believe anything they would say just to curry favor with them.

"Sorry to break it to you, but your group is just too large. Aren't you just inviting hellspawns to target you?"

Shane was the one who spoke this time. Although he was also from the rich, influential families of Asteria, his family was not that influential like the major clans like the Silverthorns. Thus, he did not like these arrogant scions that much. But he also was not defending Lloyd as he wasn't close to him nor know anything about him at all. Thus, he thought of a way to indirectly ask something that would ease the tension instead.

Zeke scoffed at him.

"Hmph! It's just hellspawns. Don't tell me an elite like you is scared of encountering hellspawns? Is that so? You are a disgrace to all the elite families of Asteria."

"I don't care about what you think. I am just being cautious. I won't be joining you then. Good luck with your 'great team'."

Shane refused them while Zeke's face dimmed upon hearing that he has been refused. All his life he was being pampered and treated with respect wherever he goes. This is the first time his ego was greatly insulted by a scion of a mere low tier family. As he was about to retort, another voice spoke.

"Have you people argued enough? If you're going to be so noisy and dilly-dallying here, then I suggest you prepare to stake your life."

Everyone turned to see where the voice came from and saw a girl with jet-black hair, and a face so beautiful as if it was made of porcelain. If she were to be compared to an actress in Asteria, then it would be a blatant insult to this girl like comparing a diamond to a dirt. She was wearing a leather armor reinforced with a little bit of metal plates and a one-handed sword in a scabbard was attached to her waist.

Another teenage girl who had a pale blond hair, and a pair of blue eyes was quietly standing behind her. This one also had quite exquisite features which only lost a little to the former. Unlike the other girl, she was only wearing a standard leather armor above her ordinary clothes while she had a bow weapon strapped on her back.

"Luna Reinford… So, you're here too, huh? Is your ancient family of bones haunting you in your dreams to revive your ruined clan which is why you are here?"

Zeke gave her an unpleasant look. He didn't like the way this woman acted at all. She always had that aloof personality whenever he saw her and that irritated him because he felt like this woman was looking down on him.

"So that is Luna Reinford. I heard her whole clan was massacred by someone overnight and she was the only one who didn't die since she currently away from home."

"Yeah, I heard about that too. They said her family was plotting something towards the royal family so they were executed secretly."

"Although she's a stunning beauty, she's giving a cold aura that makes it impossible for people to go near her. What a waste!"

People were whispering things one after another. Lloyd studied this woman and felt that she wasn't simple at all. Lloyd grew up being observant of other people so that he would know how to deal with them in order to survive day after day on his own. He learned how to distinguish different kinds of people from weak to strong, who was cunning and who was naïve, and those whose actions were very easy to read.

However, ever since he saw this woman, he could not read her expression at all. Her aloof personality was making it hard for him to see through her abilities, if ever she really had some hidden cards on her sleeve. Out of all the people present here, she was probably the most dangerous to fight against and Lloyd wouldn't dream of making an enemy out of her.

"Tch! It has awakened. Let's run, Klaudia."

She seemed a little bit hurried and dragged the other girl away by the hand. They ran towards the southern pathway where it leads to a forest. Zeke sneered as he watched her go.

"Hmph! Now you are ashamed of being ridiculed in front of the crowd? Who the hell are you to question me—"

"Look out!"

Lloyd finally understood why she had been so eager to leave. He turned to look at behind Zeke's group and saw the space somehow a little bit distorting. His eyes widened as he realized they were not sent to a safe zone but a random place instead where a hellspawn capable of masking its presence was hiding nearby. He tried to warned them but it was too late.

As Zeke and the others turned around at where Lloyd was pointing, tentacles that looked like centipedes shot out and grabbed the nearest people nearby, gripping them hard and crushing their bodies in an instant. Organs, blood, and flesh splattered everywhere which made the aspirants horrified and frozen on their spots.

The space stopped distorting and a grotesque creature that looked like mutilated faces of humans stitched together about a meter tall was standing before them.

"Don't be scared! I will deal with this thing."

Zeke brandished his claymore and swung his two-handed sword towards the tentacles and cut through it.

"Did you see that? Ha! Only cowards would back—"

Before he could finish his words, another whip-like tentacle passed through below him.

"Eh?" 

A confused expression showed up in his face as he fell to the ground. He tried to stand but found out that he couldn't so he looked behind only to see that his legs were severed from his body. A painful scream echoed throughout the whole area.

"No, no, no! No.... Don't eat me! Somebody, help!"

He was crawling away for his dear life as he watched the grotesque hellspawn slowly getting nearer and nearer until it raised one of its tentacles and stabbed him in his forehead.

Silent enveloped the area for god knows how long until it registered to their brains that someone was killed right in front of them. They could see the cold body of Zeke slowly being dismembered and eaten by the hellspawn's faces.

A horrified scream came out from the mouths of the scared aspirants. Even one of the scions of a prestigious clan died in an instant. How much more those who are born from ordinary folks who didn't have that much resources for them to use? Everyone tried to run as far as they could towards the different pathways.

'Damn it. We have to leave now or we'll die too.'

Lloyd's thoughts were quickly working out things as he started to run towards the southern pathway where Luna and the other girl named Klaudia disappeared to.

"Run faster and never look back!"

"Damn it! They're already finished."

Lloyd screamed at them while Shane cursed out loud. While the grotesque hellspawn was busy crushing the scattered aspirants like ants, they were able to run away and finally escape that small pit of hell after a few minutes of running and reached the bloody forest.