The moment he stepped inside, the shift was immediate. The air itself was heavier than what he had experienced in the government offices, dreary and thick. It resembled an office, with rows of desks aligned on one side of the room. A group of workers could be seen helping other challengers with any queries or specific duties.
The other side was relatively emptier, a few challengers resting.
Passing by them, Jin vaguely noticed the exhausted expression and battered armor. Some were so tired that they slouched down on the ground, barely keeping themselves from sleeping on the floor.
Yet, everyone minded their own business.
"So this is what a good day looks like."
Evelin glanced at him.
"It is what it is. This is actually much better than most days, since dying out there isn't anything new. They should be glad that they got away with a few scratches."
The challengers behind them heard her clearly, but they couldn't care less.
He followed her up the stairs. This floor was relatively emptier than the ground floor, with only a few challengers standing around. Several metallic racks and cabinets were scattered around the room. Everywhere around him, these cabinets stood like hollow guardians.
Having seen a similar cabinet in Morgan's office, he knew they were filled with weapons and artillery.
'Still, isn't this a bit overboard? How bad even is the situation out there?'
Before he could move further inside, Evelin stopped him.
Subtly pointing at a middle-aged man at the end of the room, she spoke in a low voice.
"That guy there is our supervisor. Do whatever you like, but don't let him find out that you were scouted out by the Guildmaster. He has a thing against entitled kids or something similar."
Jin wanted to ask her more about the supervisor, but the man himself had noticed them by then. Instead of waiting, the two breached the gap and approached the man.
The supervisor, unlike them, simply wore a military outfit. The clothes themselves looked old, yet they were barely damaged. His attitude toward Jin seemed stern from the very start.
Staring down at him, Elias spoke.
"Took you long enough. I presume you already knew that today was your trial. Why are you still late?"
Jin moved forward to answer him. Being aware of his own tardiness, he was more than ready to face the consequences. But Evelin pushed him aside and spoke in his stead.
"This one is on me. I gave him the wrong address, so it took him some time to find the place himself."
Elias stared at her for a few moments, his thoughts completely obscure. Jin was taken aback himself. He couldn't think of a reason why Evelin would put herself in such a situation voluntarily, since they barely knew each other.
Exhaling deeply, he turned his gaze away.
"Make sure this doesn't happen again."
With that, he turned to the challengers scattered across the room.
"Get ready. We're leaving."
Jin examined the four challengers who were accompanying them. He remembered a few of them, having seen them back when he had just cleared his first trial. One of them seemed more experienced, visibly a few years older than the rest.
Once all the challengers gathered in one place, Elias continued.
"Let's go over the plan once again. I won't repeat it."
He turned to Jin.
"There is a mining site not far from the outer wall. It is an underground mine to the east of the second outpost. The Lenus company usually takes a discrete path that is surrounded from both sides to make sure they don't get attacked while transporting the goods."
Nathaniel had briefly told him about the mission beforehand. The path was blocked by a horde of pincers, and their job was to either eradicate the horde or push them out of the path.
'It sounds simple when said like that.'
Unlike the rest of the group, who seemed relatively inexperienced and certainly fearful, he was aware that it wasn't going to be as simple as that. He was unaware of what these creatures were capable of, as well as whether even pushing them back would be possible for them or not.
The worst part was that it wasn't a test simply for him. If they failed to accomplish this mission, he would fail as well. But if only he succeeded, the rest would succeed as well. In other words, he was supposed to lead the group to victory.
'Easier said than done. If it were just me, this task wouldn't have been anything but training. But with things being how they are, I can't just leave things as they are.'
With the explanation coming to an end, Elias turned to Evelin.
"If you can't handle this, you don't belong here. It is enough to gauge whether you're a good fit for our guild and if you can survive out there. I'll intervene only when one of you is either dead or about to die. Once that happens, everyone here is disqualified."
Jin didn't have to look twice. Their hesitation was obvious. He could clearly see the uncertainty and fear taking over their hearts, gripping them like thorny vines.
While he wasn't worried much given his past, these children had barely seen the world. This was perhaps the biggest trial other than the tower they were about to face in their lives. Being told that they could die during the test set them even more on edge than they had already been.
As much as he hated it, Jin knew that it was now his duty to calm them down. But instead, he decided to leave them be.
'They are not children, they are challengers who have already passed one of the trials of the tower. I doubt any of them came here not knowing the world they live in now.'
Elias didn't wait for them to steel themselves. He moved to the stairs, the rest following behind him. Exiting the guild, they swiftly moved towards their first destination, which was the second outpost.
The outpost itself was barely half an hour on foot, which also gave him some time to evaluate the rest of the cohort.
As he was thinking about approaching one of the challengers, the older challenger patted him on his shoulder. He was a bit taller than Jin, his hair tied behind his head.
With an amicable smile, he spoke.
"You must be the new guy everyone is talking about. I'm Conrad; nice to meet you."
Jin nodded firmly.
"I'm Jin. I hope you don't mind me asking, but you seem to be from an earlier batch of challengers."
Conrad chuckled lightly.
"Well, what can I say? I spent some time thinking about what I should do. Unfortunately, being a challenger seems to be the only thing suited for me. What about you? What made you come to the Hope Guild?"
Evelin glanced at the two momentarily, turning back ahead before they could notice.
Jin replied.
"Nothing in particular. I had to join a guild someday, so why not this one?"
Conrad grinned faintly.
"Fair enough."
Glancing at the rest of the challengers, Jin spoke in a lower tone.
"That aside, what did you mean when you said everyone was talking about me?"
Conrad stared at him for a few seconds. Seeing his reaction, Jin was certain that it was something he already knew.
'Is it the fight club incident? Some time has passed since then, so it is not surprising that it has spread this much. But I doubt it was that big of a deal anyway.'
Conrad smirked as he spoke sheepishly.
"Of course, you're the guy who came back completely naked after the first trial. I don't really know how many people saw you naked themselves, but I'm sure everyone in your batch knows of it. As a matter of fact, that girl back there is avoiding you because she thinks you're some sort of pervert."
The challenger he was talking about distanced herself from them, even behind the other two challengers. Even those two looked at Jin as if he were some monster who liked being naked around other people.
While he knew what had erupted in the first trial, not everyone was aware of it. Even if he did say that he was burnt alive, his clothes burnt to a crisp, no one would believe him.
'This kid… he has some major bad luck looming over his head. Well, it is my cursed luck now; might as well learn to live with it.'
He slowed his pace, lessening the distance between him and the other three challengers.
Once they were close enough, he spoke in an even tone.
"Unlike these guys, I was thrown in a forest full of bloodthirsty beasts. Burning my clothes was the only way to gain some time until the trial ended. No matter what others think, I'm glad that I did it. Otherwise, I wouldn't be standing here beside you today."
Hearing his statement, Evelin chuckled softly.
"Won't you tell them how you fed your friends to the beasts? I believe they deserve to hear that part of the story as well."
Jin smiled at her.
"Oh, I certainly will. But if I told them now, I won't be able to do the same today, would I?"
Despite her provocative nature, Evelin knew when to provoke someone and where to stop. Her words were certainly sharp, but seeing that they meant nothing to him, she fell quiet.
Conrad gave out a hollow laugh. Confusion was clear on his face, as if he had never seen someone talk back to Evelin.
"Hmm… that's enough for me."
Jin raised a brow. Seeing his confusion, Conrad replied.
"I wanted to see for myself whether you were worth associating with. I would be lying if I said you aren't impressive. As for your skills, we're about to see just why you were the only one to survive in your group soon enough."
Shaking his head, he turned to the rest of the challengers.
With a wide grin, he spoke firmly.
"What are you all waiting for? You'll be left behind if you keep walking at that pace."
The young challengers looked at each other, as if waiting for the other to move first. Finally, all three of them caught up to Jin and Conrad.