"Everyone, get back!" yelled Alter, a brown-skinned boy with short green hair and bright green eyes. He twirled his three-pointed spear and dashed toward the golem. Despite being only around 9 years old. His dark purple shirt was stained with blood, and his shorts were tattered from the battle.
The other children quickly retreated, giving Alter space as he readied his skill and launched his attack on the golem.
{Dragon's Wave!} Alter unleashed his skill as his spear came crashing down on the golem, which immediately used its six hands to block the impact. The force of their clash shattered the ground, creating a crater beneath the golem, which was now partially buried.
Alter dashed back a few meters, glancing at his trembling hands, which were now bleeding profusely. His face had gone even paler than before.
'I have to finish this quickly,' Alter thought, gritting his teeth. 'If it hadn’t been for Group 6’s attack, I wouldn’t have expended so much energy!'
The ground began to tremble as the golem levitated into the air once more. The bright orange core on its chest glowed furiously.
The golem stretched out its left arm, transforming it into an energy cannon, and unleashed a massive blast of fire at Alter. Reacting quickly, Alter spun his three-pointed spear, which created a barrier that shielded him from the fiery blast. The golem's attention was now fully locked on him.
"Vritra, now!" Alter shouted.
In response, an 8-year-old girl leaped from behind him. Vritra hurled her broadsword at the golem's face and disappeared. Just as the broadsword reached the golem, Vritra reappeared, seizing the weapon mid-air. She activated her skill, {Asura's Wrath!}, causing her broadsword to blaze with intense red flames as she slashed the golem's head.
'Boom!' The impact echoed as a powerful gust of wind surged in all directions, nearly blowing the children away.
Vritra landed with a heavy thud, cracking the ground beneath her. Her dark purple eyes strained to see through the smoke from her attack, while her short black hair whipped wildly in the wind. Despite the chaos, she maintained a firm grip on her broadsword.
Suddenly, the smoke cleared, revealing a horrifying sight. Alter was impaled through the abdomen by a mechanical tail connected to the stone golem.
The children's faces darkened as they watched one of their strongest fighters, now nearly lifeless, hanging from the golem like a skewered bean.
"Kasuki, shouldn't we help them?" Meiru asked nervously, glancing at her group. Were they really going to just hide and watch these children die?
"They failing the games has nothing to do with us. We don’t need to risk our lives to help them," Heili grumbled, glaring at Meiru with her sharp green eyes. If the strongest fighters in that group couldn’t handle the golem, what chance did they have?
"Ray!" Meiru pleaded, her voice tinged with desperation as she looked at him with nervous yet pleading eyes.
Ray didn’t even turn to face her. His voice, cold, "We are not helping them. Let’s go."
Kamare, Heili, Nero, and Ray stood up and began walking in the opposite direction, away from the golem. Meiru gritted her teeth, casting one last glance at the other children, who were clearly losing hope. Then, reluctantly, she turned away to follow her group.
In the family games, strength was the only way to overcome the trials. Weakness, like helping others, could be fatal.
"Let go of my, big brother!" a young, brown-skinned girl with bright green eyes and dark black hair, who looked around 6 years old, shouted as she raised her sword. The blade glowed with a bright light.
"The light that shines and overcomes darkness shall be my divine might!!" The young girl leaped forward, and the bright light clashed with the stone golem.
The golem recoiled, withdrawing its tail from Alter, causing him to fall to the ground, bleeding profusely. Another child quickly teleported to Alter, picked him up, and teleported back before the brown-skinned girl could finish her spell.
A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.
"Greeeeeeeeee!!" The stone golem shrieked in agony as it crumbled to the ground, destroyed by the divine light. Its body burned, leaving behind a trail of black smoke until it completely disintegrated.
"Xiao!!" Vritra cried, running toward the brown-skinned girl and catching her just as she collapsed. Xiao coughed up a mouthful of blood, her face growing pale.
"How could you use a skill more powerful than your level?" Vritra demanded, her voice heavy with guilt. Group 6 had attacked Group 2, and now Xiao had sacrificed herself to save everyone.
As Vritra held Xiao, two figures in black suits appeared behind her in a flash, startling her. She turned to see a man and a woman, both dressed in slightly tight black suits that concealed their features.
The woman approached Xiao, and the man walked toward Alter. They spoke in unison, "Group 2’s Xiao has failed the games and will be taken back for medical care."
"Group 2’s Alter has failed the family games and will be taken back for extensive medical care."
As soon as the people in black suits finished speaking, they vanished just as mysteriously as they had appeared.
Vritra and the rest of the children stood in stunned silence, watching the two people who had come for the siblings, Alter and Xiao.
'Are these the Ability Users assigned to retrieve those who fail?' Vritra wondered, her mind racing. 'I could barely sense them.' The thought unsettled her. If such powerful Ability Users were stationed here, why hadn't they intervened earlier to save the children? Did they truly not care if the participants were on the brink of death? The realization sent a shiver down her spine, but she quickly steeled herself. No matter what, they had to continue the games until the third day ended.
___________________
On the other side of the Rift...
[ You have gained +45 EXP ]
[ You have gained +78 EXP ]
[ You have gained +37 EXP ]
[ You have gained +20 EXP ]
[ You have gained +48 EXP ]
[ You have gained +89 EXP ]
[ You have gained +56 EXP ]
Iris and her group had devised a strategy to attack the random monsters that appeared.
[ Name: Iris
Class: Soul Eater, Death Master
Race: Human and ??
Level: 13
Age: 5
EXP: 50/1000
HP: 120/120
STR: 10
VIT: 30
INT: 10
Magic Power: 100/100
Agility: 14
Defense: 20
Charm: 100
Luck: 30
Skill Points: 30
Skills:
- {Immortal Body}: Resistance to all element attributes, and recovers quickly from injuries.
- Blood Sword
- Bloody Puppet
- Dark Scythe
- Devour
- {Eternal} (???)
Storage: 20 MP potions
---
Stab, pierce, slash!
These sounds echoed through the forest as Iris and her group hunted monsters to level up and meet the required quota of defeated beasts.
They developed a plan that involved using the Blood Knight when they couldn't handle the monsters on their own. The Blood Knight, composed of blood, attracted monsters, making their task easier.
When monsters approached their marked location, Krumi would float above them on Iris' enchanted cloth, casting a lightning cage spell to trap the monster. Tael and Sheila would attack from behind while Iris and Ozymandias struck from the front, with Krumi finishing off the creature from above.
Iris had to rely on the Blood Knight since she wasn't strong enough on her own. Whenever they killed a monster, they left the blood behind to attract more, while Tael and Ozymandias placed the carcasses in the system inventory. They targeted monsters ranging from F Class to D Class, careful not to engage a C or B Class in case the Blood Knight couldn't handle it.
With only two hours to use the Blood Knight, they made the most of it. As they continued to kill monsters, their levels increased significantly, making the work easier.
The entire group was smiling and laughing as they slaughtered the monsters, especially Tael, who beamed with joy. After being unable to fight to his full potential for two days, he was full of energy.
If any other group had passed by the scene, they would have definitely wanted to stab these folks. While others were fighting for their lives, this group was having fun.
_____________________
Meanwhile, on the other side where the parents were gathered, their expressions darkened as they watched the children's struggles with the golem. Some were angry, furious, and hurt, while others snickered behind their backs.
Once Alter and Xiao were disqualified, the screen switched to inspect the other groups. When the parents saw what Iris and her group were doing, they almost coughed up a mouthful of blood.
This wasn't even a survival game anymore—it was a complete one-sided slaughter. Some parents actually felt pity for the poor Rift monsters targeted by that group. Every time the Blood Knight slashed a strong monster, the other parents gulped at its terrifying strength.
Mutsuba and Takase both glared at the screen, displeased that Isakawa's daughter was perfectly fine. But Tomita had a faint smile on his face, proud to see his son working with others for the first time.
____________________
Finally, the two hours for the Blood Knight were up, and it disappeared, leaving behind a pool of blood.
"Awwww, I wanted to farm some more," Iris whined, her cheeks puffing out.
Tael glanced at her, the image of a cute-looking animal coming to his mind. He wasn't the only one thinking it; Sheila, Krumi, and Ozymandias were all thinking the same thing: "Chipmunk!!"
Krumi tried to calm down as she held Iris and Sheila's hands. "Don't cry, Iris. We need to leave before stronger monsters come," she said in a soft yet persuasive voice.