We woke up and headed to the trial's location. The trial was set for noon sharp, and I had no idea what it was going to be about. Would it be complicated? I didn't know—but what I did know was that we'd be in teams of ten.
We arrived a few minutes before it began and looked around at the gathered participants. There were a hundred of us for this trial, so surely a few people must've ended up alone. Unfortunately, I didn't spot any right away. Then, as the clock struck noon, a voice rang out. Since Iwwer still doesn't have a body, it was, of course, just a voice—a spirit, really—but one with the colossal power to create entire environments and even revive her people. Compared to Daïs's rough tone, Iwwer's voice was more playful, distinctly feminine.
"Welcome, dear participants, to the Game of Abundance… I will now explain the rules. You will be in teams of ten. Once you enter the tower, you will be placed randomly across the first thirty floors. On each floor, there are multiple chests—ten thousand in total hidden across all thirty levels. However, you may only open ten chests per person."
Bags appeared on the ground.
"For this trial, I lend you bottomless bags. Everything you find in the chests must go inside. After thirty minutes, you will all be teleported into rooms with the other members of your team. You will have half an hour to strategize and distribute the materials you've gathered for the real trial."
The real trial? Finding that many chests already sounded like a trial in itself—so what could possibly come next?
"Before this strategy period ends, you must split into two groups of five. If you fail to do so, the groups will be chosen randomly. Each group will then face off in a duel against another team. To win, you must finish your duel as quickly as possible. Overall, the five fastest teams will pass, while the last five will fail."
So, to sum it up: we collect resources, then use them to fight in 5-on-5 duels. Compared to Daïs's trial, this one felt much more direct.
"You now have thirty minutes to form your teams of ten."
Me, Stellio, Ashley, Amr, and Lesky stuck together, looking for others to ally with—but it seemed like most people had already paired up. In one corner, I saw Curro with a large group, and in another, I noticed Romuald had managed to find another team of five to join forces with. He shot me a look full of hatred, to which I responded with a teasing smile. Then Lesky tapped my shoulder.
"What do we do?"
Amr looked around and pointed toward Deodat, whom he spotted in the distance.
"Let's see if Deo has allies… HEY DEO, COME HERE!"
He turned, still accompanied by Deepa and Senga.
"You guys alone too?"
I nodded.
"Are we making an alliance again?"
"We can, it worked well last time."
Deodat held out his hand and I shook it. Now we were eight—still needed two more, but where would we find them?
Ashley pointed at a man—tall, broad, a Borruns from the looks of him. He radiated a terrifying, powerful aura. I hesitated to approach him, but he seemed alone.
"That guy, he's by himself, and I haven't seen anyone approach him. Should we try?"
"I'll admit, he scares me, but he looks strong."
Stellio tapped my shoulder.
"I'll go talk to him. You guys find one last member, I'm sure he'll say yes."
I watched her head toward the towering, black-haired, menacing Borruns. The rest of us split up to search more effectively—Deodat, Senga, and Deepa formed a trio, while Lesky and Amr searched another corner. Ashley and I kept moving, circling around the different groups. Surely there had to be at least one stray.
"This looks tough… Oh."
Ashley stopped, as if she recognized someone.
"You see something?" I asked, noticing her pause.
"Yeah, that guy over there—he was in the trial I did."
"Which one did you come from?" I tilted my head.
"Me, Stellio, and that guy came from Trial 35, Astronomy."
"Oh, that's where two of my guild members went—Sang and Aristeus. I hope they manage to pull through."
Ashley adjusted her shirt and walked toward the man she'd noticed—a Glauvari, an owl. He had a refined face, green-and-white hair, glasses, and wore the uniform of Seidel University in the 15th Council, one of the most renowned universities on the continent. I think Dena once taught there in the past.
"Hey, Ulrich," Ashley greeted him.
"Oh, the lumberjack," he replied.
She slapped him lightly on the back.
"It's Ashley, nerd. You're alone, huh?"
He adjusted his glasses and nodded.
"Yes. I declined the other teams' invitations."
I raised an eyebrow.
"Why? You'll still be placed in a team regardless."
"Because none of them were interesting. And so, you're here to ask me to join yours, aren't you? Tell me—why should I?"
I crossed my arms. Who did he think he was, sounding so pompous? I stepped closer.
"You want to win this trial?"
"Of course."
"Then come with us."
"I'll consider it… What's your name?"
"Roxy Hearts."
He lifted a brow and nodded.
"Very well. I suggest you keep looking for someone else, just in case."
Ashley gave him a tired look.
"You'd better join us."
She walked away, and I followed. We regrouped with Amr, Lesky, and Deodat's trio.
"Find anyone?"
"No… nobody," Lesky sighed.
I glanced at Deodat, who shook his head too. Suddenly, Stellio appeared with the black-haired Borruns.
"I convinced him to join us!" she beamed.
The Borruns grunted but finally introduced himself.
"My name is Ithiel. I am an Heir of Destruction… and also a boxing champion in Hardenburg."
Senga's mouth dropped open.
"I knew I recognized you! I follow boxing, and seriously—you're amazing."
"Don't use formalities with me. I hate being addressed that way."
"Oh, sorry," Senga muttered, rubbing his head.
I looked at Ithiel and smiled faintly.
"Welcome to the team."
We all went around introducing ourselves.
"And you, Ithiel—what's your heir power?"
"I can't show it here, but I can create explosions in specific places. Though, for larger blasts, I need to concentrate and take time."
"Kind of like me with memory," Amr remarked.
Ashley turned and smiled.
"Ah! Ulrich, there you are. So, are you joining us?"
He nodded.
"Yes. I did some research on Roxy, and after seeing the summary of your performance in the Darkness Trial, I must admit I'm impressed. My chances of winning are higher with you than with some others I've seen."
Ulrich looked over the rest of the group, scrutinizing them with an air of superiority and ego.
"Allow me to introduce myself. I am Ulrich, the top student of Seidel University, Heir of Wisdom. My power is simple: I am more intelligent. I don't need brute force to win."
He said this while shooting Ithiel a disdainful glare. After all introductions were done, we discussed strategy. We concluded the best approach was to grab as many chests as possible and hope to find weapons, regrouping quickly in small teams. Those on floors 1–15 would meet on the 15th, while those on 16–30 would descend to the 15th.
Finally, we reached the tower and entered together.
"Team N°10," the voice announced, before reciting the names:
"916, Lesky, 18 years old, Okamoto Island, Kitsune, Heir of Magic, member of Hearts Guild.
1264, Ulrich, 21 years old, 15th Council, Glauvari, Heir of Wisdom, no Guild.
1577, Deepa, 19 years old, La Vigne, Nakarim, Heir of Summer, member of the Justice Guild.
5634, Ithiel, 23 years old, Hardenburg, Borruns, Heir of Destruction, no Guild.
6777, Senga, 19 years old, Protectorate of Kaia, Erivans, Heir of Technology, member of the Justice Guild.
7306, Deodat, 19 years old, Republic, Sanian, Heir of Agriculture, leader of the Justice Guild.
8076, Amr, 14 years old, Caliphate of Afnan, Ankari, Heir of Memory, member of Hearts Guild.
8697, Ashley, 18 years old, Empire, Felkaï, Heir of Revenge, no Guild.
8739, Stellio, 19 years old, Empire, Sanian, Heir of Illegality, no Guild.
9390, Roxy, 17 years old, Neko City, Felkaï, Heir of Trickery, leader of Hearts Guild."
"Let the Game of Abundance… begin."
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Lore informations
Ulrich : A 21 year old glauvari who study in one of the most prestigious university of the world in the 15th Council. He is one of the top students from the school. He is a heir of the deadhorse of Wisdom
Ithiel : He is a 23 year old borruns coming from Hardenburg, he is a young boxer in Hardenburg, one of the future champion of the island. He is a heir of the deadhorse of destruction
Glauvari : They can reach a maximum height of 1.9 meters and they can have slim or wiry builds. Their lifespans are of 130 years. They have large foward facing eyes that glow faintly in the dark. Feathers on their arms and they have soft and almost soundless movements. They also can have sort of facial disk like paterns around their eyes.Their childs are lead by different mentors throughout their lives, each of them choose a different path during adolescence which will define their future job. Their housings tend to be wooden towers or cliffside home, the interiors of their house are often circular.They can see in near total darkness and they have a keen hearing and memories of sound. They are renowned as scribes and sages. Some are spies or astronomers as well as historians
Waisheet (13) : The deadhorse of Wisdom. They seek a heir who can use all their wisdom in the most treacherous times. Their heirs are smarter than the others
Zerstei (57) : The Deadhorse of destruction, he seeks a heir who can only see joy in destruction. Theirs heirs have the power to create explosion where they desire