Finally satisfying his curiosity, Naib, despite still being vigilant, slightly dropped his wariness toward the two.
Going back to his previous location, Naib then sat down on the chair before continuing to read the book in his hand, enriching his knowledge regarding those abominations.
Swish~
Time passed by...
The wind outside started to turn cold while the light on the horizon—long gone—turned extremely gloomy, bathing the encompassing land in a depressing hue where dark clouds could be seen churning above the sky.
Forming a spectacular scene, as if a huge storm was about to descend from the sky.
Looking below, to the still and dim empty ground where the only movement that can be discern is the trash that is swaying with the wind, creating a bleak sight, a group of five can be seen moving secretively toward the Northeast.
Without any surprise, it's the group of Naib, Jerome, Hans, and the sibling heading toward the trial.
It could be said that the siblings, after tending the wounds of the man earlier, decided to tag along with Naib's team.
At first, upon hearing their request, Naib was hesitant to let them join their midst — but later ended up changing his mind after the man showed him something.
"There are only 2 hours left before the trial starts. Fortunately, the number of people on the Dali right now still hasn't reached the limit."
[ 1st: Trial Difficulty: Low-F Grade
Location: Dali, 100 meters to the Northeast.
Number of participants needed: 15 (8/15)
(The trial would start in 2 hours and 5 minutes.) ]
Looking at the quest tab in front of him, Hans, who was walking beside Jerome, spoke with a mixture of anticipation and nervousness; despite no longer wanting to participate in this dangerous trial, he knew that it was the only option he could choose in order to further survive.
If he didn't join any trial right now to increase his strength, then surviving against the weakest abominations would be questionable. Not to mention against a Mid-F grade entity, even meeting a Low-F grade entity might be the end of him!
It can be stated that, despite getting the rewards from the panel, Hans was still not confident fighting a Low-F grade entity on his own!
"It's normal; some people probably hesitate to join any trial after surviving the first one. If my guess is correct, they are probably hoping for the authority to save them.
"But... It's already been 16 hours, yet I haven't seen any news or seen their presence. I'm afraid that they're dealing with threats beyond F-Grade."
Hearing Hans, Vincent, who was moving like he didn't have wounds on his waist, speak with contemplation.
Shaking his head, he instinctively reached for his pocket but only to stop halfway, again forgetting that his phone was destroyed yesterday by throwing it to the Sigbin in order to buy them some time.
Huff~
"However, do you think that most authorities died from the first trial? Although those abominations were bizarre, they shouldn't be able to fight against guns, right?"
"I also don't know..." Hearing his sister's question, Vincent uttered unconfidently, causing the group to become silent on their way.
...
"We finally arrive."
Soon, after walking for another 5 minutes, the group finally arrived in front of a huge grocery store.
The Dali, one of the biggest grocery stores in the city, with a size of 750 square meters and a second floor, lay before their eyes. Moreover, below the ground, there's also a huge parking lot of the same size as the store, making the place incomparably big.
Noticeably, the place lights, which should he brightly, seem extremely dim at this time, as if some unknown force were affecting them, giving the place an unusual vibe filled with depression.
"Look, there are also people around the place."
Shifting their gaze away from the gloomy grocery store, the group noticed that in the distance, not far away from them, some people could be seen hiding nearby, gazing at the grocery store as if waiting for something.
"Forget about them; they are probably hesitating whether they would join the trial or not. For us, it's better to enter the place first lest the trial participants reach their limits..."
Shaking his head, not caring about the people hiding around the grocery store, Naib's group of 5 hurriedly entered the place, causing the expressions of the people waiting around to flicker.
Ding!
[ Number of participants needed: 15 (9/15) ]
Ding!
[ Number of participants needed: 15 (10/15) ]
...
[ Number of participants needed: 15 (13/15) ]
Knock! Knock!
"I see, so that's the reason why they are reluctant to enter the place."
Soon, upon entering the entrance of the place, Naib hurriedly attempted to step outside, only to be blocked by the familiar invisible barrier.
Without even pondering, Naib knew that all who had entered this place would be trapped inside. Probably, they can only escape the place upon accomplishing the trial.
"Let's go inside and stock some food.
"Moreover, it's also good to familiarize ourselves with the terrain of the place in the remaining 2 hours."
"Ok, let's meet up here in an hour."
Discussing their plan, the 5, without further ado, split into two groups.
Naib, Jerome, and Hans, upon seeing that the silhouette of the siblings vanished into the depths of the first floor, immediately shifted their gaze toward the still escalator nearby, planning to walk around the second floor and look for items that might be helpful for them.
"Hmm, another group..."
However, surprisingly, upon ascending to the second floor, the three immediately sighted a group of 4 people, 2 male and 2 female, chatting in the distance. Noticeably, in the hands of four, knives, probably taken from the utensil area, could be seen.
Just observing them, Naib could already feel the confidence emanating from their body. Even without thinking much, he knew that the 4 were probably treating this trial as a walk in the park.
"They probably killed the abomination in their first trial without sacrificing much and seeing bloodshed. How lucky.'
Similarly, upon their arrival, the 4 also notice their arrival, causing them to halt their conversation as they stare at them with a scrutinizing gaze.
"Are you three the new ones who entered the place? Come here, we need to discuss things related to the trial."