The Ordeal

[Welcome Climber! Do you wish to ascend the Tower?]

"Yes."

[Are you willing to put your life on the line for climbing the tower!]

"Yes."

[Rejoice you! You have been chosen as a Branded!]

There wasn't any complicated thought in Yoru's mind, all he could think of was how annoying the voice was.

[Welcome to the abyss.]

Yoru opened his eyes and a muddy ground filled his vision.

"Where...?"

He slowly lifted his head and saw himself sitting in front of a campfire. Yoru was confused about the unusual setting, it seemed too peaceful.

"Hey, take this."

Yoru turned his head toward the source of the voice. He saw a pale-looking old man extending what seemed to be a biscuit.

"Who?"

"Huh? Did you forget your memories from the fall? Hurry, eat up."

Yoru couldn't hide his puzzled expression and he quickly ate the biscuit. It wasn't until he finished eating that he noticed the rusty chains tied to his hands. He tried to break the chain by brute force but realized it was connected to the old man who gave him the biscuit.

'What the hell is this scenario?'

"All prisoners, get up!"

A scruffy and stern voice alerted everyone sitting near the campfire. Everyone simultaneously stood up, except Yoru.

"Get up, brat! If you don't wish to die."

A giant man with a bear-like build shouted at Yoru. The man boasted an unusually tall figure with muscles bulging through his haggard clothes. A deep scar ran through his right cheek down to his collarbone. Yoru wondered what kind of creature gave such a scary man such a scar.

He slowly balanced himself and got up. The heavy weights tied to his feet made it difficult for him to lift even a step.

'Where am I...?'

Yoru wasn't sure. His predicament was different than what he had heard. The ordeal usually followed being in a group and killing a low leveled monster. Yet, what was this? Yoru was tied with chains and forced to move in a caravan.

'I have to calm down.'

He needed to keep a cool head to clear the Ordeal. Yoru examined his surroundings as he continued to walk with the caravan. In front of him was the giant man, while behind him was the frail old man. Yoru wasn't worried about them hurting him, after all, they were also tied down by chains.

The world he was in was pitch black. Yoru figured it was night due to the darkness. Yet, there wasn't a shred of moonlight. The only source of light he had was the torches the men mounted on the horses were carrying. There were two horsemen to his left and right, while a man with a stern face and a weird mustache led the caravan on a pearly white horse.

Yoru raised his head, only to be shocked by what he saw.

'What the hell.'

There were two moons in the sky.

Now, he was even more confused. He had never heard of an Ordeal with two moons. The moon to his left illuminated a scarlet hue, while the moon to his right had a grayish light. Even then, the light illuminated by the moon wasn't enough to reach where he was.

Due to his thoughts running all over the place, Yoru failed to notice the biggest issue he would have to face in the ordeal. The Winter. It was stupid cold. The caravan was given no clothes for the harsh weather. All Yoru had to wear was a dusty sleeveless shirt with patches all over it. The horsemen were equipped with winter clothes and a flame torch to keep them warm. Yoru resented them.

'Lucky bastards. They're hoarding the winter clothes.'

As much as he hated it, he couldn't protest against it. The old man behind him would occasionally murmur a few words before falling silent. Yoru wondered what the old man was saying, he leaned back a bit only to be noticed by one of the horsemen.

"Hey, You! What are you doing?!"

Yoru thought of an answer for a while.

"I'm asking you! What are you doing?"

"...Walking?"

He couldn't come up with an excuse.

A bloodied sword was pointed at Yoru's throat by the horseman. But, it wasn't the sword that caught Yoru's attention, it was the grimaced expression of the horseman. The horseman struggled to keep the sword from shaking and would take deep breaths. Yoru found it funny how the man in a better attire was worse off than him.

"Hey, stop it. You're losing your mind."

Another horseman came and stopped the nervous one from killing Yoru. He was clad in better armor than all the other horsemen. His blonde hair shone even under the eerie darkness of the night. As he approached Yoru, he couldn't help but be mesmerized by the man's beauty. Ruby-like eyes that pierced through his soul with long glistering eyelashes that heightened his beautiful eyes.

'Wait, what the hell am I thinking?!'

Yoru gave the man a mean look and turned his head away.

Clearly not irritated by Yoru's behavior the man took off his cloak and placed it over Yoru's trembling shoulders.

"It should give you some warmth."

'Oh my god...'

All the other prisoners gave Yoru mean looks and the old man tried to snatch it away from him.

"This is mine!"

Yoru pushed the old man away and returned to his initial position. During this interaction, Yoru realized the chain tying his legs was quite large and he could freely walk around. His hands on the other hand were quite restricted.

The clanging of chains was the only sound source reverberating throughout the forest. As they ascended the mountains the size of the caravan started to dwindle. The children who couldn't bear the cold started to faint and had to be left to rot. A few of the women started to plead to the leader of the horsemen to give them warm clothes.

"There's nothing for you lot!"

"Please! Anything—!"

"You should've thought of this before you all committed such hideous crimes!"

The man took out his sword and cut down the woman who kept pleading for mercy. Yoru knew the man was lying. How would such weak people commit crimes enough to be discarded like this?

'Wait, could this be...?'

Yoru had a thought. An epiphany. He started to realize what could be the clear condition for his Ordeal. He started to get excited, a bit nervous too. If he cleared the Ordeal in a certain manner the reward would be greater.

'It would be cool to get the conqueror class.'

Yoru had a dream. But, he knew it was too far out of his reach.

The caravan exited the forest and a freezing gust of wind hit their bare bodies.

The fierce winds made a few prisoners fall. Yoru reinforced his legs and stood his ground against the merciless wind. Alas, his attempts to stand would fail as the old man behind him stumbled onto the ground, starting a chain reaction.

One by one the caravan started to fall headfirst into the snow-covered mountain.

"You stupid brat! I told you to not mess with me!"

The giant man slowly stood up and raised his arms as if to squash Yoru under his meaty fists.

'If I don't dodge this, I'm dead.'

Despite the obvious threat to his life Yoru didn't flinch. He maintained his calm demeanor and thought of his next actions.

The hands shaped like a hammer descended on Yoru. As the attack got closer, Yoru felt as if he was seeing the world in slow motion. He grabbed the chains tied down to his legs and pulled them with all his might.

Like a bear that has just lost its sense of balance, the man stupidly flailed around before falling to the ground.

The horsemen sensing something was wrong rushed to Yoru's location.

"Hey, how many times do we have to warn you bastards!"

The leader of the horsemen glanced between Yoru and the fallen man with an agitated look on his face.

"Did you do this?" He asked Yoru in a stern and heavy voice.

"...Yeah."

For a second, there was an astonished look on the man's face. The whole picture was bizarre. A man with a pitifully small frame that would've made one think he was malnourished, overpowered a man that was closer to a bear than a human.

The horsemen leader thought for a bit. Yoru loudly gulped as he knew his fate was in the hands of the man. If he deemed Yoru as a threat he would be cut down right here. On the other hand... Yoru couldn't think of an outcome other than him being brutally killed.

"I'll ask you this only once. Do you wish to become a Knight?"

"No thanks."

"Geh!"

It didn't take him any time to think. Yoru was an individual who detested any establishment. He held deep resentment in his heart for any form of authority. To him, turning down this offer was the obvious choice.

"You insolent— Not only did you cause us trouble, but you also refused a prestigious offer from the leader!"

"Calm down. It's the kid's choice."

'Kid...?'

A few of the prisoners realizing the horseman leader had graced them with his presence started to plead with him.

Their demands ranged from demanding food and clothes to their freedom.

"Just go back to the forest, please! We're all going to freeze to death! None of us want to die!"

The man simply glared at the frail prisoner who gripped onto his sleeve. It took him a while, but he began to speak.

"Sorry, boy. But, this is your reality now. You will be sent to the horrendous prison atop this mountain, and rot their your remaining feeble lives."

The prisoner's face went pale. As if, he had seen a ghost or just been given the death sentence. The word of the leader quickly spread throughout the caravan and all of them simultaneously began to lose hope.

They began to draw out their remaining lives. Their imagination was quite simple. Eat, sleep, and poop in the prison. That was the simple reality they could imagine.

But, reality wasn't so simple.

As in the next moment, the tragedy of this Ordeal would commence.