The candidates had lost all sense of time. The hours had passed without any real progress, punctuated by unsuccessful attempts to find a way out, rare periods of rest, and arguments that had finally shattered what remained of their cohesion.
Even the enemies had had time to get tired of it.
Kang-Dae was among the latter.
Kim Young was now nothing more than a constant source of fatigue.
FRIIIISHHHHH!!!
That's when the loudspeakers crackled, blaring a voice that nobody particularly wanted to hear.
"But what kind of hostess would I be if I left you in such a desperate situation?" Elizabeth exclaimed, her voice suddenly softening. "After all, I'm not a monster. I'm actually a particularly generous person, contrary to what some malicious tongues might claim."
Her light laughter echoed through the floors of the Tower.
The only candidates who still had the strength to raise their heads looked for the loudspeakers.
Kang-Dae, for his part, stayed close to Kim Young. He had learned to distrust the "good news" announced by that voice.
–[I have therefore decided to spare you your current situation. You heard right! A new challenge awaits you, and this time, you will have an opportunity to distinguish yourself.]
–[ YOU WILL NEED TO CONQUER A CASTLE.]
Silence
A very long silence.
– [doesn't sulk]
Elizabeth casually blurted out
– [I save you AND you thank me like this.]
The screens of our watches lit up.
A representation of the building appeared, revealing an immense construction whose ramparts rose at least 100 meters from here.
– [Since there are no more teams, everyone will have to rely on their own abilities. You are free to team up, split up, or compete against each other, but don't expect any protection or even defense. Your individual ranking will save you from here. Don't play the widow and the child.]
Elizabeth paused, giving the candidates time to understand this change.
– [The rules are very simple: you just have to reach the last chamber, at the very top of the castle. Kill the final boss… "the Mord"! And
Winning a nice surprise, that's all, it's easy, isn't it?]
In the owners' room, several eyes detached from their conversations to rest on the main screen.
The presentation of the castle had clearly generated more interest than the long hours spent watching the candidates fall from a tower.
The man with long black hair, whose eye sockets remained empty, stopped twirling his ring. Beside him, the woman behind her black fan inclined her head slightly. She showed no more enthusiasm, but her attention had shifted to the new card.
Elizabeth continued:
– [Be careful, not everything you find is necessarily bad, use your discernment and move forward! The path that will lead you to the summit will not be a walk in the park.]
–[Your watches will be of no use to you once you arrive. They will be unable to guide you during the event, nor provide you with the information you are used to.
And don't worry about the prize. The winner will get one wish. Yes, just one, but you can ask for absolutely anything you want. So, think carefully, blah blah blah… Anyway
The voice softened even further, with that artificial gentleness that made each of his announcements more ominous.
– [I wish you an excellent exam. Good luck! :) ]
No sooner had the last word been spoken than the Tower of Endless Fall began to collapse.
The walls lost their consistency, the wooden staircases disappeared floor by floor, and the structures that still enclosed the candidates disintegrated with a dull rumble.
All of these bodies fell to the ground amidst the debris, unable to regain consciousness.
However, we barely had time to save and ran straight ahead when the starting arrow appeared on our screens.
Kim Young is thrilled to have gained a boost of energy; his exhausted face relaxes.
THE OWNERS' ROOM
The conversations had resumed and the blows were clashing together.
The figure in the ivory suit, whose ornaments seemed to have been assembled from ancient materials, had leaned his cane against the table. The woman with the leather notebook had stopped writing. Even the massive figure near the window had turned away.
"I hope these ones will be more resilient," one of them remarked.
The remark came from the man sitting at the end of the table.
She sounds like a typical old-fashioned, heavy-handed, and tiresome person who doesn't exist to give the world a good reason to stop having children.
"The previous group was particularly disappointing," he continued. "Stage ten was a complete failure in this event. I don't see why we should expect anything better from these guys."
Awkward atmosphere, almost every victim at their table was looking at the color at the bottom of their glass, much more interesting.
Fortunately.
– I just want to see the face of the "Dead Man" when they arrive in front of him.
A laugh rose up, soon joined by several others. It was neither spontaneous nor warm.
– Hahaha! You are definitely too impatient.
The dark-haired man slowly picked up his ring. His empty eye socket remained turned towards the screen.
"Immortality isn't so bad after all," declared this ivory figure.
Once again, the laughter was more subdued.
– hum
rose up in the room
This man had, until then, maintained a reserved demeanor. His appearance lacked the majestic strangeness of some of the other occupants of the room. He was elegantly dressed, but his body bore no sign of the divine nature that the others seemed to display even in their bearing.
A few glances turned towards him
The woman with the black fan ran her thumb al
ong one of the ribs of her accessory.
The man with dark hair, meanwhile, began to twirl his ring again.
Him again.