Upon arriving at the 13th Floor, Erica and Sherry found themselves staring at what seemed to be a Coliseum.
However, the path that led to its interior was through a closed gate, which made Erica frown.
At first, she tried to use her ability to fly, but it didn’t work.
This made her think that the only way to really enter the Coliseum would be through the closed gate, so she decided to inspect it along with Sherry.
The two then found the signage hanging right above the gate and read its contents.
“Here lies the Final Trial of the Temple of Courage. In order to honor your courage and resilience for coming this far, the opponent you will face will be just as strong as you. This trial is completely balanced, so you have a fifty-fifty chance of passing.
As to whether you will succeed or not, let Fate decide whether you will pass this final test.
Required Number of Challengers: [300]
Current Number of Challengers: [2]
“… We need to wait until we get 300 people?” Erica muttered after a minute of silence.
“Looks like it.” Sherry nodded.
Erica facepalmed because if she only knew that there was a requirement waiting for them at the 13th Floor, she would have waited for the others to arrive first.
“Let’s just wait for them,” Sherry proposed.
“Yeah.” Erica nodded before heaving a deep sigh.
Suddenly, the ground in front of them trembled, and Rocky’s head popped out of it.
The moment they saw the Magma Bal-Boa, Erica asked if they could enter the Mobile Fortress.
Rocky nodded and took the two teenage girls inside his Mobile Fortress.
Erica and Sherry were hoping to find Thirteen there, but to their dismay, the teenage boy was nowhere to be found.
The only thing they saw was the Giga, Hercules, the Trolls, Ogres, and Cranky.
The Honey Badger was sleeping peacefully near the lake, with Pica and Pico resting on his back.
Vassago and Poca were perched on top of the wooden house that the Trolls and Ogres had built for the guests that Thirteen might invite inside the Mobile Fortress.
“I know the two of you are worried, but all you can do is wait,” Vassago said. “Zion is in a comatose state, but his life is not in danger. You don’t have to worry about him.
“The two of you should just focus on clearing the Final Trial, so that all of you can return to Pangea. That’s the only thing that you can do for now.”
Erica and Sherry weren’t too familiar with the Pocopocos, but they knew enough that they were Monsters that Thirteen trusted very much.
Since that was the case, the two of them decided to rest inside the wooden house, which currently had six bedrooms inside of it.
Each room had a queen size bed, so there was more than enough space for a single person to
use.
The two of them hadn’t been able to enjoy sleeping in such comfortable beds for a while because they were forced to travel with everyone after the merger happened. So, it didn’t take long for them to fall asleep.
A few hours later, Giga woke them up and motioned for them to leave the cottage.
“The other humans have arrived,” Vassago explained. “Since Rocky’s Mobile Fortress can’t be known by the others, the two of you must leave for the time being.”
Both girls nodded in understanding because the Mobile Fortress was one of Thirteen’s secrets and trump cards.
A minute later, they once again appeared in front of the gate. But this time, they were well- rested and have recovered most of their fatigue during their journey.
Half an hour later, Roland appeared on the 13th Floor, followed by the other Wanderers. “Seriously, the two of you should have waited for us,” Derek complained. “Why did you run off all of a sudden?”
Erica ignored Derek and simply stared at the number of challengers that were appearing on the gate.
Required Number of Challengers: [300]
Current Number of Challengers: [210]
That was the exact number of Wanderers consisting of the Hero Party, and the two Squads accompanying them.
But just as Erica thought that they would still need to wait for the other teams to arrive,
Another person stepped out of the portal.
It was none other than Sean, who was the leader of the Cygni Faction.
After a while, four hundred additional Wanderers entered the 13th Floor.
But it didn’t end there. The other Teams led by David and Kyle also arrived just a few minutes after Seans’ arrival.
All the Wanderers, numbering just a little over 900, have all appeared at the last Floor of the Temple of Courage.
Required Number of Challengers: [300]
Current Number of Challengers: [923/300]
Number of Challengers exceeded the limit.
Please choose 300 representatives to open the Final Trial.
After Erica told everyone the requirement to open the doors, a discussion was held among the
Wanderers.
After a while, everyone agreed to send the Hero Party, as well as the first two squads as part of
their representatives.
The rest was filled up by Sean, and the Cygni Faction.
Kyle, and David also joined the three hundred Wanderers, who would challenge the Final
Trial.
Since the last challenge was “Fair” it also meant that if all the strong people worked together, the opponent would match their strengths as well.
Because of this, the Rookies didn’t have a problem letting the strong people go ahead of
them.
The moment the final representatives were selected, the gate of the Coliseum opened, inviting the Wanderers inside its battleground.
The other Wanderers, who weren’t chosen, all disappeared one by one, and reappeared at the audience stands of the Coliseum, getting the best seats to watch the final battle of their
mission.
“Guys, since this Trial is supposed to be fair, wouldn’t this mean that the opponent we will face is very strong?” Derek asked. “I mean, there’s 300 of us here, and all of us can be considered as the best fighters among the Wanderers. Aren’t we in trouble?”
“Calm down,” Roland replied. “As long as we all work together, even if we face a Rank 7 Monster, we might have a chance to defeat it. After all, this Trial should be fair.”
Derek, who deemed that Roland’s words were true, took a deep breath and prepared himself
for the inevitable.
When the 300 Wanderers had finally taken position inside the arena, a pillar of light appeared at the opposite end, making everyone glance in that direction.
When the light faded, everyone’s eyes widened in shock as they looked at their opponent. “Oh sh*t…,” Derek cursed as he subconsciously tightened the grip on his weapon. Shana, Erica, Sherry, the Hero Party, the Cygni Faction, Kyle, David, and the Elites of the Wanderers, all had grim expressions on their faces as they gazed at the adversary they needed
to defeat.
Standing several meters away from them was a teenage boy with short black hair and green
eyes.
He was holding a golden metallic staff in his hands, and was looking at the Wanderers with an indifferent gaze, devoid of any human emotions.
“Everyone, brace yourselves,” Roland shouted, breaking everyone out of their daze.
“Sh*t!” Erica also cursed before biting her lips.
She found it unfair that the Final Trial that she needed to complete revolved around beating
the teenage boy, whom she hadn’t seen for more than a week.
“Of all people, why should it be you?” Shana said bitterly as she gripped the silver banner in
her hands firmly.
Zion Leventis stood in front of them all, acting as the Final Boss, which would be their Final Trial in the Temple of Courage.