NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 12: Damsel In Distress
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"So extravagant," Nicolas exclaimed as he looked at the building in front of him. It was a spiraling skyscraper, seeming to pierce through the clouds. The color scheme was quite vibrant in comparison to the other administration-owned buildings. Many awakeners of a similar age could be seen entering the structure.
He went through the outer door, heading towards the main entry.
"Hey! Excuse me, could you please tell me where the Ranking Phenomenon Test center is?" a sharp voice asked Nicolas.
"Right here. Are you from another city?" Nicolas replied politely, though his inner thoughts were quite the opposite: "Is this person retarded?"
"Oh! This is the center? That's quite embarrassing!" the boy said, scratching his head. "No, I was born here. It's just that I don't go out very often."
"Here to take the ranking test?" Nicolas asked, walking towards the entry.
"Yes. You too, I assume," the boy said, following Nicolas. "The name's Flumen. Yours?"
"Nicolas. Nice to meet you," he said, trying to be as courteous as he could.
"Likewise. Do you know anything about this year's test?" Flumen asked, looking at him expectantly.
"About as much as you," Nicolas responded.
"So, nothing?" the boy said with a look of disappointment.
"It doesn't matter, as nobody knows anything. We're all at the same starting point," Nicolas said. As they entered the building, the pin-drop silence inside made him instinctively quiet.
The awakeners had inadvertently formed clean lines, all looking towards the middle-aged man in front. His dangerous aura exerted a cerebral constraint on the students.
As noon struck, the gates were closed, signaling no further entry.
"Today, the first stage of the Ranking Phenomenon will be held worldwide. I will announce the structure and rules of this segment shortly. First, each of you will be provided with a proctoring band. Everyone should be equipped with one within five minutes," the man commanded with authority as several staff members appeared with boxes in their hands.
They went to the participants one by one, providing each with a band, which they promptly donned, connecting it to their identity.
"Why is this even necessary? Last year's participants didn't have to wear one," Flumen scoffed at the blatant invasion of privacy.
"It probably has something to do with this year's test. Just wear it," Nicolas replied quietly.
Five minutes passed, and all participants had donned their bands.
The man's stentorian voice resounded: "In this preliminary round, all of you will be transported to a virtual world with participants from the same center spawning nearby. Your main mission will be to survive for as long as possible. The top 100,000 contestants who last the longest will advance to the next round. However, for the more competent participants, there is an option to showcase your skill by killing other participants for points. The exact points gained will be the sum of the killed participant's 10 base points and the points they accumulated by killing others. The top 1,000 contestants will receive special rewards based on their points. While death in the virtual world is not real, the pain is. Any participant found deliberately and excessively torturing or sexually assaulting another will face severe punishment. If anyone has questions, ask now."
This announcement had a profound effect on the participants, eliciting various emotions, but one thing was clear—this year's Ranking Phenomenon was truly unique.
The staff who had distributed the bands returned to lead them to the portals in the upper room.
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The rest of the text would be similarly cleaned up. Would you like me to continue correcting the entire piece?
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The crowd of students finally arrived on the first floor. In front of them lay a mystical sight: the entire floor was replete with numerous eccentrically shaped portals emanating a blinding light, intense enough to wreck the iris of a regular human.
"I hope we spawn in each other's proximity." Flumen's eyes displayed a rare look of trepidation.
"According to what the announcer said, that should be the case," Nicolas said softly.
As they spoke, the staff instructed them to stand within a 5-meter radius of any portal. The students obliged, and once everyone was in position, a staff member fidgeted with a device, causing a sudden mechanical sound to ring out, teleporting the students.
Nicolas felt his body reappear in a space filled with a fresh ambrosial scent, gentle zephyrs brushing against him. The sky was a deep hue of red, and the familiar sun was absent. Yet, it was as bright as the real world, but strangely still, as if he were the only breathing creature present.
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The terrain was similar to the real world but featured deeper valleys, mightier peaks, and more ferocious rivers. Nicolas decided to traverse into the nearby forest, hoping to catch some prey to sustain himself. He preferred fresh food over what was stored in his cube.
The man who had addressed the students earlier was seated in a room on one of the building's highest floors. In front of him, a hologram displayed a young woman in professional attire. Her ears were perked up, and her eyes focused intently on her superior's words. He was the representative of the Ragna Magus Federation in Lumen Metropolis.
"Esper, as I instructed earlier, ensure that Candidate 0066669 is proctored at all times. His actions, words, gestures, and even his breaths must be inspected and recorded. Also, pay close attention to the movements of the Rather Blade syndicate; they will definitely try something. I've stationed a group of Regal-grade mages in the port city of Ramiel. You are tasked with supervising their investigation and providing backup if needed." His low, deep voice conveyed each order with precision.
As the meeting ended, his head hit the chair as he reclined, his eyes closed in tension, and rivulets of sweat cascaded down his forehead. On the other side, the woman was frantically contacting one person after another, her reasons unknown.
Nicolas had entered the forest, paying full attention to every movement, no matter how insignificant.
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"No signs of a participant yet. I suppose I spawned a bit far," he muttered, his eyes falling on the band he had been given. "Oh, right, this band should have some info."
He tapped its screen, and it lit up, projecting a hologram with various options, three of which were conspicuously displayed.
[Current Participants (Worldwide): 1,343,969]
[Current Participants (Valtheris): 31,452]
[Leaderboard: Yet to be activated]
In addition, a series of bold numbers in the upper-left corner caught his eye.
[Candidate No.: 0066669]
"What a bizarre number," Nicolas thought, but his attention quickly shifted as he felt a slight vibration in the earth behind him. He focused and spotted a shadow fast approaching.
Within seconds, the barely visible creature came dangerously close. Its bloody eyes bore into his soul. It stood about two meters tall with an equestrian figure, its blade-like horns as lethal as any weapon.
On Nicolas' outstretched palms, a magic circle formed as he chanted the Piercing Icicle spell. A sharp mass of ice struck the beast's abdomen, drawing streaks of blood through the air. The beast shrieked and charged at Nicolas, horns aimed.
Before it could attack, the Fang of Malice arched through the air, its cold, gleaming surface slicing through the beast's neck. The creature's mouth opened to scream, but its ruined voice box emitted only a faint, cacophonous sound.
The creature fell lifelessly to the ground, its blood soaking the grass. Nicolas approached, using his saber to extract the beast's core, as it was a tiered beast.
"Too weak. Makes sense since it's only the preliminary round," Nicolas thought, his eyebrows arching.
A sudden commotion interrupted his musings.
"Leave me alone! It hasn't even been an hour. I don't want to die yet!"
"What does that have to do with us?"
Nicolas saw a girl being chased in the distance by a trio of male participants.
As they closed in, the girl became hysterical, frantically searching for an escape. With a spark of inspiration, she retrieved a strange gadget from her storage cube.
"Huh? Offensive gadgets aren't allowed. Is she aching to be punished?" Nicolas thought, shocked by the scene unfolding before him.
The girl hurled the device, which erupted into a dense fog that obscured the trio's vision. Seizing the opportunity, she ran towards Nicolas.
"Save me, please!" she begged, her expression frantic.
"Why should I?" he questioned coldly.
"What do you mean?"
"If this were the real world, I might consider it. But here, instead of saving you for no reason, I could kill you and those chasing you to gain points," his confident voice echoed in her ears.
"What the hell! Fine. If you save me, I'll give you intel about the second stage," the girl replied desperately.
"Yeah, sure. Try harder, lass. A girl like you knowing the secrets of the Ranking Phenomenon? Do I have 'fool' written on my forehead?" Nicolas scoffed as the trio emerged from the fog, running towards them in a rage.
"Please, trust me. If you find out I'm lying, you can kill me anytime. The points won't disappear, but a chance to learn about the test in advance won't come again," she pleaded, her desperation evident.
Points or intel about the Ranking Phenomenon—the choice was up to Nicolas.
Without hesitation, Nicolas streaked through the air, saber in hand, immediately confronting the trio.
"Ha! Look at this fool. Think you're some prince charming saving the damsel in distress, don't you?" one of the boys mocked.
The other two simultaneously chanted spells. A Fire Orb and Water Cutter formed and hurtled toward Nicolas.
"Goodbye, savior wannabe," one boy sneered, but his smile froze as their spells were absorbed by a massive Glacial Lance.
The trio, struck by the terrifying reality, tried to dodge, but the spell's speed and size made it impossible. The block of ice obliterated them. As their bodies disintegrated, they were teleported back to the real world.
"What kind of monstrous Glacial Lance was that? Just asking, but are you some kind of prodigy?" the girl asked in a conspiratorial tone, her expression almost childish.