Chapter 53: Game Of Predator And Prey!
"Inside this simulation, everyone’s strength and class are equalized. There are no ranks, no bloodline advantages, and no noble privileges. Here, all of you are A-Ranked adventurers."
The silence broke instantly.
"What?!"
"Equalized?!"
"You mean we’re all the same level here?"
Bale nodded once, his expression unreadable.
"Yes. You all possess A-Rank physical stats, class, mana pool, mana output, and combat parameters. There are no exceptions. You stand on equal ground. This test exists mainly to test adaptability."
For a brief moment, a wave of excitement erupted among the weaker recruits.
"Finally," someone said, almost laughing. "I can see what it feels like to fight like an A-Rank!"
"Yeah! For once, nobles and elites won’t have the advantage!" another cheered.
Several of the lower-ranked recruits grinned, exhilarated at the idea of finally experiencing true power. But the joy didn’t last long.
Bale’s earlier words echoed again in their minds.
"F to S."
"Wait... did he really say S-Rank beasts?"
The realization struck like a cold blade.
A few recruits went pale. Others exchanged nervous looks.
"Hold on," one voice broke the silence. "Did you just say there are S-Ranked beasts in this simulation?"
"Yeah!" another shouted. "We’re A-Rank here! How are we supposed to fight S-Ranks? That’s suicide!"
"That’s completely unfair!" someone else yelled from the back.
A low rumble of protest filled the air as the recruits began murmuring, their confidence crumbling as fear crept in.
Bale stood unmoved, his expression cold and steady. When he finally spoke, his voice carried the weight of command.
"The Outlands," he said, "is far more unfair than this."
The crowd froze.
"You think this is cruel?" he continued, his tone colder now. "Out there, you have no right to choose! you’ll face monsters that defy logic, beasts stronger than S-Rank, abominations that exist only to slaughter. They won’t care about fairness. They won’t care about your title. The moment you enter their territory, you’re nothing but food."
He let those words settle, watching their faces pale further.
"The S-Ranked beasts here have been nerfed. Their aggression levels are restricted. They won’t attack unless provoked."
A few recruits exchanged wary looks, the fear in their eyes slowly giving way to uneasy relief.
Bale’s next words crushed that relief instantly.
"But if you do provoke them," his tone dropped, sharp as a blade, "it’s over."
The crowd stiffened. Someone audibly gulped.
Bale’s piercing gaze swept across them. "Consider this a lesson in respect—for power, for survival, and for the world you seek to enter."
He took a step forward, his boots pressing lightly against the simulated earth.
"If you can’t earn at least one thousand points in this trial," he said slowly, "then you won’t survive a single day in the Outlands."
He paused, letting the weight of his words sink into every trembling recruit.
"And if you can’t survive the Outlands..."
His eyes narrowed.
"...then you don’t deserve to be called Adventurers. Anyone who dies early and fails to accumulate that much before death automatically fails the test."
The wind fell silent.
Every recruit stared at him wide-eyed, the reality of the trial finally dawning on them. Their earlier excitement was gone, replaced by tension, fear, and the faint flicker of determination.
Most of them were D and E Ranks—freshly awakened individuals who had joined merely to try their luck, hoping to climb the ranks slowly over time. So while it was said that their strength was leveled, few, if any, had real combat experience. Fighting beasts was something they had only heard about in stories.
Subconsciously, their eyes began to drift toward the few they believed could handle this trial.
First to Ozai, then to Sophie.
As for Bruce, no one even spared him a glance.
Good looks wouldn’t help against monsters. What use was a handsome face when claws could tear it apart in seconds?
Some recruits even sneered inwardly, praying they would get to see his "annoying" face disfigured by a mutant beast. For them, that would be a small joy in the nightmare that awaited.
Meanwhile, as they subtly glanced at Sophie and Ozai, seeing the confidence radiating from both of them only reinforced one thing: those two were their best chances at survival.
It was common sense, teaming up with someone powerful meant a higher chance of living long enough to earn points. Dying early meant automatic failure.
And since both Sophie and Ozai were from renowned, wealthy families, it was obvious to everyone that they were well-trained, well-equipped, and dangerous.
So, in their eyes, Sophie and Ozai were like beacons of hope in a desert of despair.
Everyone was just waiting for Bale to finish speaking so they could rush up and beg to form teams with one of them, preferably Sophie, though they doubted Ozai would refuse anyone willing to follow his lead.
But just as these desperate, opportunistic thoughts began to take root, Bale smiled.
It wasn’t a kind smile.
It was cold, sharp, and faintly cruel—the kind of smile that made the stomach drop before the mind even understood why.
And in that instant, every recruit felt it.
That ominous, sinking dread.
Whatever was coming next, it wasn’t going to be good...
"When I said you can hunt anything that moves," Bale said, his voice slow and deliberate, "I meant anything."
A chill ran down their spines.
"That includes each other."
The murmurs died instantly. The air went still.
Bale continued, unbothered by the wide eyes and frozen expressions before him.
"This trial will be solitary. Each of you will be teleported to different locations across this simulated world. You will not start together. You will not form teams."
The recruits stared in disbelief.
"If you’re lucky enough to encounter another recruit, you can form a team at your own risk," Bale went on. "But remember, luck can be double-edged. Because in this trial, that other person can be your predator."
A few gasps broke out in the crowd.
"Killing another recruit will not grant you points directly," Bale said, his tone as calm as if he were reading from a manual. "But you will acquire everything they’ve earned. If Recruit A has one thousand points and you kill him, those one thousand points are now yours."