Rune, Dray, and Dash were on the chessboard while Lucifer, Cassius, and Ren were already on their next Obstruction.
...
As Lucifer reached the next obstruction, he couldn't help but stop.
There was someone standing before him who seemed like an Orc.
The giant orc was standing with a hammer in his hand, watching Lucifer.
Behind him was another metallic gate that was closed. There was a number pad on the gate.
"Hahaha, welcome young human. I am the guard of this place. You want to pass through; you'll need to enter the password which only I possess!" The Orc told Lucifer.
Similarly, in the other tunnels, the same was happening with Cassius and Ren.
Even though all three of them were told the same thing by the Orcs, all of them answered differently.
"Then all I need to do is cut you up and force you to give me an answer," Cassius told the Orc before him as he raised his sword.
"What do I have to do to get that password from you?" Ren asked the Orc.
As for Lucifer, he had an entirely different approach.
"Oh wow, you're so handsome. Are you a model or something?" Lucifer asked the Orc.
"Handsome? Hahaha, I suppose you're right. I'm handsome indeed. But what is a model?" The Orc asked Lucifer, confused.
A wide smile was on his face as he was flattered, but that smile was making him look even uglier.
"A model is a post given to the most handsome people. When you become a model, you can get anything you want! You can get mansions, treasures, and even beautiful ladies! A model gets everything!" Lucifer explained as he rubbed his hand.
While the others were trying a different approach, Lucifer had decided to use the Art of Trick that Alexi had taught them all.
Many things were important for a Variant, like strength and defense, but a Variant's cleverness was also an important thing.
If he could use his tricks to win battles that he couldn't with strength, then it was a sign of being a Supreme Variant. At Least that's what Alexi had told them.
While most of the Class A students considered the class of Alexi useless, Lucifer had always taken great interest in that.
It was as if there was a deep desire in him to learn to scheme. He didn't know where that desire came from, but he believed he needed the Art of Tricks.
That's why he always paid attention to Alexi's class.
"A model? It sounds so magical! I'm most handsome too! You are right! How can I become a model! Please make me one too!" The Orc said greedily as he pleaded with Lucifer.
That was what Lucifer wanted. The Orc had the code, so instead of begging the orc or fighting him, it was much better to make him give the code willingly by making something he would plead for.
In this one year, he had also learned a lot about Dungeon Dwellers. Amongst the species he learned about were Orcs too.
According to what he learned, Orcs could speak like humans and they had many similar habits. There was one more thing about them. They were very greedy and a bit narcissistic.
"I can make you a model. All I need is to talk to my agent outside, and he'll start working on it. Within a few weeks, you can become a star," Lucifer told the Orc, smiling.
"Please do it! I'll do anything to be a model! Please talk to him fast!" The Orc told Lucifer excitedly.
"I can't talk to him from here. I'll have to go outside to talk to him. But I can't go outside since the door is locked," Lucifer replied, shaking his head.
"Don't worry, after the door opens, I'll go and talk to him. Till then, let me stay here," he continued.
"No! No need!" The Orc blurted out as he ran to the number pad. He pressed the code himself.
As soon as the numbers were pressed, the door opened.
"See, the door is open! Please leave and talk to him!" The Orc told Lucifer, pleading him to leave fast.
"Alright. I'll go talk to him. In the meantime, you wait. You're going to become a big star soon!" Lucifer told the Orc as he passed through the door.
As soon as Lucifer passed through, the door closed.
And thus, Lucifer took the lead in the exams for the first time.
As he walked towards the next obstruction, he couldn't help but laugh.
"That orc was really interesting. Not bad. But the password, it really was 123456789? Didn't the academy get anything better?"
"Oh right. The Orcs have weak memories. If they had given him a tough password, he would've forgotten anyway. It must be why they set it so simple."
....
While Lucifer was advancing towards the next obstruction, Cassius was standing near the Orc in his tunnel.
He had already sliced the hands and the legs of the orc as he asked, "Are you giving me the password now, or should I cut your neck first?"
"No, wait, I should go with your ears. Then I can take out your eyes. Then cut your nose. So much to do," he further said as he rubbed his chin.
As the Orc looked at Cassius, he was scared, as if he was looking at the Devil. Cassius was so strong, and he was so ruthless. The Orc genuinely felt frightened for his life.
"The password is 123456789!" He exclaimed as he gave up for his survival.
"Good boy," Cassius said as he stepped forward. He pressed the code, making the door open.
As soon as the door was opened, he also passed through.
…
Ren, on the other hand, was busy in a bargain with the Orc. He believed he couldn't kill the Orc or he would lose the password. So he was trying the method of bargain.
"Give me your most precious treasure. If I'm happy, I'll give you the password," the Orc told Ren, laughing.
"My most precious treasure?" Ren muttered, frowning.
...
After a long time, Dash had finally won the chess game. He was finally allowed to pass to the next stage.
Rune and Dray had also won, soon after him as they also went ahead.
....
"I wonder how many more obstructions will there be."
Lucifer was running in the tunnel, trying to get to the next obstruction fast.
It had been five minutes since he started running, but he didn't see any obstruction. Where was the next trial? Why was it so far? The others were closer, he wondered.
Soon, he reached the part of the tunnel where it split in two.