7 Chapter 6: Furious.
Rigel walked into the tower's inner chamber and it brought back all the bad memories. The room was much larger than everyone expected, with thousands of players seated around its edges like eager spectators.
In the center, a dozen figures in knightly armor straight out of a fantasy story, complete with gleaming weapons and a unique crest on their capes. They belonged to different guilds and they were there to help new players to understand the trial.
A woman with dark purple hair grabbed everyone's attention. "Listen up! Now that we're all here and the notifications are in, let's keep it brief," she announced. "Before the trial begins, we've got some important things to tell you." Her words hung in the air, charged with anticipation.
Rigel watched the woman and he remembered her name was Vania, the one who approached him because, in his past life, nobody wanted to be in the same group as him. He was skinny and weak back then and having to be in the same group with him would only drag them down.
"Firstly, this trial is not for the faint of heart. It will test your skills, teamwork, and courage. There will be challenges beyond your wildest imagination, and the future of our world depends on your success." Vania pointed her index finger as she looked at the new players around her.
As the gravity of the situation sunk in, the crowd grew even more hushed. Rigel looked at everyone's nervous expression and remembered he was the same back then.
"But don't be discouraged. We will tell you what to do so you all can survive the trial," Vania said calmly, her gaze scanning the room. "So keep your ears wide open,"
"The moment you're teleported here, the system will bless you with a weapon of your choosing. But listen to my advice, not a short weapon, overly long, or excessively heavy," A man in black armor next to Vania warned, his fingers gesturing emphatically. "A trusty short sword and a sturdy shield would be your wisest choice, though we don't want everyone to be wielding identical weapons," he continued, his eyes scanning the hopeful faces before him.
The crowd of new players listened with rapt attention as another figure took the stage, his presence commanding respect.
"With that in mind, this trial permits only one hundred players at a time. We shall divide you into four distinct groups, each with a unique role to fulfill," he proclaimed, his words resonating through the air. "Four tankers! Fifteen attackers! Five skilled backliners! And, last but certainly not least, one nimble scout!" he declared, instilling a sense of purpose in those gathered.
After that long briefing that Vania and the others had explained, everyone gathered around to form a group. Rigel didn't participate with the other players since he didn't plan on succeeding in the trial. He had to fulfill Lysara'elmaris' order to be useless, a good-for-nothing player so his Player status got revoked.
Although Rigel was avoiding the crowd, he stood out compared to the other players. His tall and muscular figure, a black shirt, black gloves, jeans, and boots made him a prominent figure. He declined dozens of people, including Nadia and her friends whom he spent a week together with.
"What are you doing here on your own?" Vania looked at Rigel and every step she took made the rattling sound of her heavy armor. "You should find a group because the trial is about to begin," she pointed out.
"I'm going to take the last trial, so I'll take my time and join which group that needs one member," Rigel answered and glanced at Vania with a cold expression. "You should focus on those who are being ignored and desperate to be in a group instead," he looked at a group of weak people who couldn't get into any group.
Rigel remembered he was among those people in his past life, and none of them could get in a group. They all ended up failing the trial, so it would be better if those people got a second chance like him even though the possibility for them to survive was still low.
Vania who found Rigel mysterious, decided to focus on those who were in need, but for some reason, she couldn't get her eyes off him. She came back to the first floor to help new players, and it would be bad for her if the results of the trials were disappointing. The other players who lived on higher floors in the tower would know immediately if something happened to the new players.
Rigel was watching the first batch of players enter the portal to start the trial, and some of the weak people who were supposed to be in the next trial had joined some group. He could only wish them good luck because in the end, everything that happened in the trial, they could only be responsible for their own well-being.
After batches of players entered the trial, there were only 100 players left, and the majority of the people were weaklings. Vania and the others who saw the remaining players couldn't help but get worried about them. She then looked at Rigel who was still in the same spot, deep in thought and unbothered by the trial.
"Can I ask you something?" Vania stood in front of Rigel with her eyebrows furrowed, finding Rigel's demeanor suspicious. "Why do you want to be in the last trial?" She asked.
"Do I really need a reason for that?" Rigel asked back and stared Vania in the eyes with his cold gaze. "You can ask the same question to the remaining players, and you might get the answer," he continued.
The reason Rigel was acting cold was because, in his past life, he and people around the world suffered for five years. Not once a player came out of the tower to help them even though five years was a long time and it should be enough to deal with the invasion. He believed something had happened and it was either greed or that those players had decided to abandon Earth and live in the tower.
"I'll answer your question if you answer mine first," Rigel said. "What's inside the tower and what's the requirement for players to go out of the tower?" He asked.
"The tower isn't a normal tower, it's more like the universe itself. Each floor exists a world that is as vast as Earth, and there are so many things that players can do. Another thing that shocked us is the fact there are players from a different world than ours," Vania didn't hesitate to give an answer. "And for the second question, is that we can graduate from the tower after we reach the 50th floor. We can go back or continue to explore the tower," she added.
Rigel had zero information about the tower and what was inside it since in his past life he got kicked out after the trial. Everything was new to him, and it would be best to get as much information as he could get from Vania.
The information that Vania gave him was quite shocking, but compared to his encounter with Lysara'elmaris, it was nothing. But he couldn't deny the fact there were players from different worlds made him wonder how big the universe actually was.
"Do you know what's the current highest floor that players from Earth are on right now?" Rigel asked calmly, didn't want to let his emotions take over him.
"Twelve, and they should reach the 13th floor soon. Everything is based on your achievements and acknowledgments from the current world you're in. It could take months or it could take only a few weeks for players to go to the next floor," Vania answered.
"Then, do you think how long until those players that reached the highest floor could go back to save Earth?" Rigel asked.
"Three years would suffice, and we knew it wouldn't take that long because players from the sixty floor sometimes come down to tell us about what kind of challenges in the lower floors," Vania answered.
At that moment, Rigel gritted his teeth and clenched his fists furiously, but he managed to hide it from Vania. He found out the truth and the fact everyone decided to stay in the tower rather than go back to save Earth in his past life.
"It's your turn now," Vania said.
"My answer is because I hate this place..." Rigel answered and he couldn't control his anger anymore. "If there's nothing else to say, I'm going to form a group with other players," he said and then walked away.
Vania looked at Rigel with a confused expression because she could tell he was furious. She wondered why he hated the tower and why he had such a deep grudge against it even though the tower had done nothing. But she speculated that it could be that he lost his family or someone important to him since it was a common thing among players.
"It was the second time I talked to him, and yet I forgot to ask his name..." Vania face-palmed herself and walked away. "I hope you succeed on the last trial," she looked over her shoulder and then regrouped with the other mentors.
