Two more calamities struck after the [Time Beams] had ended, but in comparison to the second one who had no deaths, this time, the consequences were severe.
The third calamity event was known as [Monster Rampage].
Every monster in the overworld of the trial domain suddenly surged to level 2,000.
No warnings, no build-up. One moment, they were normal threats. The next, they were walking disasters.
Twelve participants didn’t survive.
Then came the fourth calamity: [Dragon Assault].
Xyrran, the one controlling these trials, summoned thirty dragons from [Dragon City] at random, unleashing them upon the participants with no other directive than to attack whatever moved.
Seventeen more lives were lost.
And on top of those disasters, another five participants perished, either killed by token holders or slain while trying to steal a token for themselves.
[Participants alive: 23]
The number was shrinking fast.
Dangerously fast.
They were nearing the top 10 at an alarming rate.
But, as expected, things weren’t as simple as just staying alive.
Among the remaining [Token Holders], two had been caught in the calamities.
And, as it had been explained before, if a token holder died from a calamity event, their token didn’t transfer to another player.
It simply disappeared.
Crack!
[Tokens remaining: 7]
With the number of survivors dwindling and the number of available tokens shrinking even further, the reality of this trial became brutally clear, less than seven people could possibly make it out of here victorious.
The odds of survival weren’t just against them. They were actively trying to crush them.
[Time Remaining: 1:23:47]
The domain had shrunk again, the once vast land now condensed into a much smaller battlefield.
With less space to move, participants couldn’t avoid each other for long.
Encounters were inevitable.
And yet…
Alex was still walking.
[Getting into battle is not recommended.]
[Keep your Destiny Points up, no matter what, at least for now.]
Kaelios’ warning lingered in his mind, so Alex didn’t fight to keep his points up.
He didn’t interfere or speak much, only doing so if it was during a tough moment or when he needed to be impactful.
Were all gods like this with their Chosen Ones? Or maybe Kaelios was a unique one.
After all, Alex didn’t expect ever that a gold would grant him powers strong enough to defeat most of his enemies, and even be interested in seeing him kill other gods.
“Hm…” no matter how hard Alex thought about it, an answer to why didn’t come up.
Instead, Alex decided to directly ask why, but no answer had come.
“You dodged a Primordial Dragon’s attacks and nullified all of his [Time Beams],” Alphox muttered, hovering beside him. “They’re kind of forced to accept you if you survive.”
Survive.
That was all he had to do.
Don’t die.
Don’t mess up at the end and do something so embarrassing and weak that they reject you.
Simple.
At least, in theory.
Because the final calamity was approaching.
Once the timer hit the one-hour mark, the last and most decisive calamity would begin.
This would be the moment that determined everything.
Until then, Alex observed the remaining survivors, taking note of their movements, their strengths, and most importantly, their weaknesses.
The three-man team that had survived his [Fated Cataclysm] was still alive.
No one dared to challenge them. Their power was undeniable.
Astariel was also safe.
The radiant fallen angel had yet to be approached either, and for good reason.
Then, there were the three other [Token Holders].
Alex had a choice to make.
If he wanted to claim a token, he would have to steal it from one of them.
Boom!
Two participants died in an instant, mercilessly slaughtered by the trio who had survived his [Fated Cataclysm].
And the victims hadn’t even provoked them.
[Participants alive: 21]
The remaining survivors were strong, but the [Token Holders] were in a completely different league.
And Alex could see why.
Besides Astariel, there were several other threats.
The white-haired angel named Lira, the minotaur, and the supposedly “immortal” guy were three of them.
And the last [Token Holders] that kept killing were… the sole survivors of Hallway #6.
Back during the [Exam], when they had announced the number of survivors from each hallway, Hallway #6 had stood out.
[Hallway #6: 3 Alive.]
And those three were still here.
Not just alive, but working together.
A second trio, just as deadly as the first, wiping out anyone who got too close.
The situation had gone from difficult to impossible.
If Alex wanted to claim a token, his only choices were:
Fight Astariel, and he wasn’t sure he could win.
Fight the first trio, the ones who had survived his [Fated Cataclysm] unscathed.
Fight the second trio, the ones who had wiped out their entire hallway and kept their tokens from the start.
This wasn’t about choosing the easiest fight.
There was no “easy” fight.
It was about choosing the one that wasn’t outright unwinnable.
And if Alex had to guess, his best shot was one of the trios.
But he needed more information.
From his position atop a cliff, he scanned the battlefield.
The domain had shrunk so much that he could see the other side of the barrier now.
The trial was reaching its final moments.
Twenty minutes passed.
Nothing significant happened.
Even the other non-token participants seemed to realize what Alex had, fighting any of the token holders was suicide.
Their best bet was waiting.
Waiting for the final calamity.
Waiting for it to kill one or two token holders, giving them a chance to seize a token when the moment was right.
It wasn’t much of a strategy.
But it was the only one they had.
And so, everyone waited.
[Time Remaining: 1:00:03]
The timer ticked down.
Everyone’s eyes turned to the sky, where the countdown loomed overhead.
[Time Remaining: 1:00:02]
The air grew heavier.
Astariel, who had barely lifted a finger thus far, prepared himself.
Even he knew this one would be different.
[Time Remaining: 1:00:01]
Alex remained motionless atop the cliff, his gaze neutral. Stay connected through My Virtual Library Empire
“Now or never, partner,” Alphox muttered.
‘Yeah.’ Alex exhaled slowly. ‘I have to kill at least one of them to get their token.’
[Time Remaining: 1:00:00]
Ding! Ding! Ding!
[Fifth Calamity: One Kill or Death.]
“Huh.”
The rules appeared before him.
But before he even had time to fully read them—
The battlefield erupted.
Participants were already moving. Every second counted.
Alex leapt from the cliff, scanning the panels as he descended.
[You have to kill another participant in the next five minutes.]
[Those who do not follow this rule will have their soul destroyed, which means death.]
[Good luck.]
Simple rules.
But devastating consequences.
BOOM!
Alex landed hard, dust and debris scattering around him. A small crater formed beneath his feet.
And yet, despite the simplicity of the calamity’s rules…
‘This is bad.’
This was easily the deadliest calamity yet.
The numbers didn’t lie.
[Participants Alive: 21]
Half, if not more, of the remaining survivors were about to be wiped out.
‘I made the right choice keeping them alive back during the [Time Beams],’ Alex thought grimly.
If they had died then, this moment would have been even worse.
Now, though…
The numbers were about to drop below ten.
[4:38 remaining to kill, or death.]
The timer in the corner of his vision continued ticking down.
No time to hesitate.
No time to second-guess.
It was kill or be killed.
And Alex needed to act fast.