Chương 18: 17. Winners go First

After four more times, I felt utterly exhausted. The pressure on my muscles was such that even walking inflicted pain. At the same time, I felt slowly getting into shape. Compared to my initial flabby state, I had undergone a massive improvement. Looking at my stomach revealed a six-pack, which, although not as defined as a bodybuilder's, was an indication that my strength had improved. It was a safe bet to assume that a lot of other muscles had gone through the same.

After the next trial, I planned to spend some money on mannequins to let me know what areas I needed to develop further. As a first step, this was miles ahead of anything I'd achieved in the past. Resting on the stands, I gulped down several bottles of water. After swallowing three cores, the sensation felt sublime. Another ten minutes later, I felt I could breathe again. The afterpain had strongly reduced, making me feel like after a heavy workout. After a quick nap, I'd be fully set.

The question was whether I should sleep here or along with the rest. Remaining out of sight was bound to pose questions. With only a few rooms, it wasn't like there were many places to hide. Thinking back to my previous run, there was a good chance that most participants were sleeping. The shock of the experience had exhausted them more than any physical activity. SPONSOR REQUEST! Complete another arena run in under an hour to win a mystery prize. A message appeared in front of my face.

It was way too early for requests, but I should have expected it. Requests were the cleanest way of obtaining good rewards without forming a pact. However, they could also be used as a weapon. The moment I saw the word "mystery" I knew that this was a trick. No doubt one of the deities that had gambled against me was itching to punish me for their loss. According to the rules, as I knew them, deities were forbidden from interfering directly. That's why they resorted to such cunning tactics.

Everything stated in the offer was absolutely true. I had no doubt that I'd win a prize if I went on with this. Of course, there was no mention of what the prize was. It could be anything from a divine handkerchief to a legendary weapon. But even if I knew what I'd be fighting for, I'd still refuse. Just as my strength and level grew, the same could be said of the goblins. Each run they were faster, smarter, and stronger, constantly reducing the initial advantage the spheres and my gear provided.

"Maybe next time." I stood up. Even if I tried a dozen times, I strongly doubted I'd reach the berserker, let alone defeat him. This was my current limit. I needed rest and better weapons to advance further. SPONSOR REQUEST! Complete another arena run in under an hour to win a RARE weapon. A second message appeared on top. Now that's trying too hard, I thought.

"I'll disappoint you if I fight now," I said.

"But if you tell me your name, I'll dedicate my next fight to you." Both messages disappeared. The author of the taunt requests had no intention of revealing their name. If I were lucky, they'd forget about me. If not, I had made things worse for myself. It was the price of getting stronger. I took one final look at the arena, then went back to the gym. With the exception of the mannequins, the place remained empty.

"Has anyone been here since I left?" I turned to the nearest entity. The yellow mannequin shook its head. His answer filled me with equal parts relief and disappointment. I would have hoped that someone would have caught on at least. Clearly, I had to nudge things along. Hiding my new set of muscles beneath my clothes, I went to the general area. As expected, everyone had gone to sleep. Nothing but a few scraps of food remained on the table. My fellow participants had done a good job of devouring everything.

Still, that wasn't an issue. I took a seat and placed a single silver on the cloth in front of me.

"Something that would make me stronger," I said. The coin vanished. Moments later, several dishes of food emerged. That was another thing that the group had to look forward to. From the fifth trial onward, food wasn't going to be free. Only the top participant and those with a deity pact would get served. Everyone else would have to pay, beg, or gamble for sustenance. Taking my time, I finished my meal, then went to the sleeping area. Resting alone was a lot safer, but I wouldn't gain the benefits the room offered.

The room contained twenty beds—one for every participant that had joined the run. To no surprise, they had been moved around, forming small clusters. The goth girl had gained a considerable following. Gaining a vast number of cards indicated that she knew what she was doing, causing all the weaklings to gravitate in her direction. Several of the average-strength people had also clustered together. They had already figured out the benefits of teaming up. Interestingly enough, Cathy was also there.

"You took a while," I heard a voice from the corner. Marcus was standing there, leaning against the wall.

"I needed the practice," I replied.

"I think you and Cathy could use some as well." I gave the most obvious hint I could think of.

"I know." His reply surprised me.

"Any dreams about the next trial?" I could tell he didn't believe in the dream explanation one bit. Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

"It's too early to tell," I said.

"The only thing certain is that it'll be more difficult than the last." Not the answer he wanted to hear, but it would have to do.

"I also know we should get some rest."

"I already did," Marcus replied. It was impossible to tell whether it was true or not.

"You go ahead. I'll watch." The words hit me like an anvil. The last time someone had said that was right before my betrayal. I knew that Marcus couldn't be involved. By then it had been years since we'd parted ways. Yet, the phrase kept taunting me.

"Thanks." I turned around and went to the nearest bed. The bed felt soft, though fake. This was also part of the initiative structure of the Grand Arcana. Everyone started at a comfortable average; do well and things improve, do badly and all the comfort would be taken away bit by bit. I climbed in with clothes still on. My eyes closed, I remained vigilant. Neither the exhaustion nor jumping back in time had caused me to lose my habits. Sleep was a necessary luxury that no one could indulge in a hundred percent.

On a subconscious level, part of me remained on guard, ready to act should anyone get too close. After what seemed like a moment, someone did. Sensing the presence, I instantly snapped out and opened my eyes. Carl was there, standing a step away from the bed. He was too smart and cowardly to actually harm me. Things would have been so much simpler if he had. My guess was that one of the displeased deities had sent him a sponsored request to steal whatever he could from me.

"You're awake," he said, guilt written all over his face.

"What do you want?" I sat up.

"I… was wondering if you want to team up." The offer was as absurd as it was fake. He was playing at something, and I had neither the time nor the desire to indulge him.

"Get—" I began, only to be interrupted.

"It'll be on a boat," Carl whispered. The moment he did, he looked around. Everyone was still asleep, or pretending to be. It was of note that the cockroach had its back to Marcus. No doubt that was another thing he had been warned about.

"The next trial will be on a boat."

"How do you know?" I used Harlequin's Sight. Nothing suggested that he had entered a pact, although someone was clearly leading him on.

"I just know." He replied, trying to make himself seem tougher than he was.

"You're strong, but I have information. We'll both gain if we work together." Typical manager—asking me to do all the work and be grateful for it. My instinct was to refuse in a heartbeat. Yet, that wasn't how the game was played. At some point or other, every idiot tried to gain a quick advantage by tricking someone else. Lies were common in the early trials, although people quickly learned to stop trusting others. Bait was the next best thing: offer something small to gain something larger.

Whether Carl was acting on his own or someone stood behind him was irrelevant; they were dangling the bait in front of my face, waiting to see my reaction.

"Just me?" I asked. The only way to deal with someone who tried to lure me out of something was to steal their bait.

"You're the most trustworthy. The others look shifty as hell."

"Alright." I pretended to react to the shallow praise. I could see the relief on his face.

"Provided you're right and have more useful information."

"Sure, sure." Carl nodded eagerly.

"Also, if we're doing this, you do what I say when I say it. Deal?"

"Of course, of course." The fact that he agreed without any conditions confirmed that this was a trap.

"So, what do we do now?" He whispered as he came closer.

"We go back to sleep."

"We can't. The trial will start in a few minutes." That was unusual. Normally, the early trials started well after everyone had woken up. To have it happen now suggested that something else had changed. At least, the trial itself seemed to be the same as the last run. The "boat" as Carl described it, was a large cruise ship in the middle of a decaying sea. Last time half the participants had died off there, forcing Harlequin to intervene.

"You sure?" I played along. Carl eagerly nodded.

"Go back to your bed," I whispered.

"Pretend to be asleep." Watching him slither away was enough to make me sick. In the past, I had spent longer with him than Marcus or Cathy. As much as I despised him being at the bottom tier, I hadn't been much better.

"Rise up, participants!" Harlequin's voice boomed, just over a minute later, just as Carl had said it would.

"It is time for your next trial." Everyone's reaction was different. Some jumped up as if woken from a nightmare. Others barely reacted, attempting to shield themselves from reality. I even saw a few cry, devastated that this hadn't turned out to be one massive nightmare. In all honesty, I could empathize.

"What did he want?" Marcus whispered as he walked up to me.

"He offered to team up," I whispered back as I stretched my arms. The pain was completely gone. Not only that, but I felt a lot better than I had in years. No aches, no stiffness, no wounds constantly reminding of their presence.

"Claims to have some info on the next trial." I glanced at Cathy. Despite seemingly joining the group, her body language made it clear that she kept her distance from everyone there.

"What did you say?" Marcus asked.

"I agreed." There was no point in lying about something like this.

"Good." He nodded.

"What did he give you?"

"Next trial is on a ship." We didn't have time to say anything else. Harlequin's looming presence in the air quickly made everyone make their way to the main room. On the way, I discreetly glanced at the goth girl. Her expression made it impossible to tell what she was thinking, but I strongly doubted that she was surprised. Curious that Carl hadn't made the same offer to her… or maybe he had. As everyone assembled, the first major change became apparent. There were only two giant cards on the wall.

One of them was face up, revealing the Fourteen of Rings. The other remained a mystery. The moment red and yellow smoke emerged in the center of the room, everyone stopped talking. All eyes were fixed on Harlequin's flashy appearance. As the saying went, pain and death made people learn fast.

"Only one trial has passed, but you managed to impress the deities quite a bit," Harlequin said, as he fully gained form.

"Several participants in particular have displayed great potential. That is why, from here on, you'll be granted a special exception to your trials." Chills ran down my spine. Whenever a rules master said that, it rarely meant anything good.

"A number of additional rewards and prizes have been scattered throughout your next trial," the creature continued.

"You don't need to claim them in order to complete it, but anything you claim will remain for you." Even now, he continued with the half-truths. There always were hidden rewards scattered throughout the trials. Finding them was the real challenge. I suppose it was due to my actions that Harlequin had no choice but to acknowledge the fact.

"Because of the deities' benevolence, some adjustments have been made to the standard trial rewards," he continued.

"As you could see, there is only one hidden prize card. That means only the winner will claim it. Everyone else will make do with what remains. However, that shouldn't be a concern, since you could claim much more during the trial itself without winning." People stirred. I could feel the silent tension rise. I was just about to raise my hand to ask a question, but the goth girl proved faster. Harlequin's porcelain mast turned in her direction, indicating she could speak.

"Does that mean that we won't die if we lose?" She asked what was on everyone's mind.

"Details of the trial will only be revealed once you start," Harlequin gave the standard answer.

"However, the deities have decided to grant you an answer." His head made a three-sixty, looking at each individual participant in turn.

"Losing this trial won't result in death. Therefore, you are free to choose what to pursue: what's hidden on the wall or what's hidden in your trial." An interesting choice. This was one time I wished I could swap specials with Marcus. Before any more questions could be voiced, a doorway with a cyan portal emerged on the wall with the cards.

"One other change." Harlequin went up to me.

"From here on, you will enter the trial based on your performance in the previous one." A red glove pointed at me.

"You are first."