[ The city, with an eternal longing for perfection, relentlessly pursued an ideal state. However, despite its efforts, it proved incapable of maintaining perfection on its own. Embark on the mission to rectify the city's imperfections. Tasks range from simple duties such as cleaning and rearranging to confronting and vanquishing menacing monsters. Choose your missions wisely and complete them before the encroaching darkness returns.]

The city hall was a splendid sight, with its marble pillars and golden domes shining in the sun. It was much larger than any of the mansions that surrounded it, and it seemed to be the centre of the mysterious city. Inside, a large and luxurious room was filled with hundreds of warriors. They had come to look for missions to complete.

The room had rich carpets, velvet curtains, and crystal chandeliers. On the walls, several huge boards displayed dozens of papers, each containing details about a different mission. The missions varied, ranging from fighting monsters near the city to doing chores and tasks in and around the city. The missions also had stars on them, indicating their difficulty and reward.

These missions were the way to gather exp points in this challenge, and the score would be based on the number of exp points gathered from these missions and the time spent in finding the traitors.

"Hey, do you think this is some kind of trap?" one warrior whispered to his friend as they scanned the room.

"I don't know, man. But it doesn't make sense; there are no people in the city, yet it's clean, and everything looks new, plus all these papers seem newly hung. It doesn't make any sense," the other warrior answered.

"Maybe the city isn't real, maybe it's all just an illusion," the first warrior suggested.

The room buzzed with murmurs as friends who had separated before choosing houses now met again, but most of the murmurs were about the mysteries of the city.

Meanwhile, Elisa and Fray stood in front of the mission board, examining each paper with interest. Elisa's eyes landed on a certain mission that had five stars on it. It was a mission to eliminate a horde of monsters that had taken over a house on the edge of the city.

"What do you think about this mission?" Elisa asked Fray calmly.

"No, we'll take this one," Fray said, pointing to another mission.

Elisa's eyes shifted to the mission that Fray had chosen. It only had two stars on it, a simple task to move some heavy items scattered outside the city walls to the storage hall.

Suddenly, Alex, who was with the rest of the house members in a group with Fray, frowned and said, "Don't you two want to ask for our opinion?"

Elisa turned to Alex and the others, noticing their annoyed expressions. She said calmly, "I'm sorry, we forgot to tell you; we're planning to complete the mission alone. We're not choosing for the rest of you."

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

"But Miss Nisrin, this mission is a chance for us to analyze each other and find the traitor. I think we should stay together," Mya said politely.

"Right now, our main goal should be gathering exp points," Fray said, wanting to end the conversation quickly. "And the best way to do that is to separate."

Hearing Fray's argument, the group fell silent as they found his words reasonable. Even Lisa said, "Well, I think it will be a good idea to separate."

"But..." Alex tried to protest, still angry.

But he was quickly silenced by Ferit, who said, "You're right, Mr. Ash; this is our best move. Plus, after all, we're not a team; there's no reason for us to stay together."

So, taking the missions, Fray and Elisa left the group behind and made their way outside the hall.

Meanwhile, Alex, who was still angry, mumbled, "This is stupid."

Mya, standing beside Alex, put her hand on his shoulder and said, "Please, Mr. Alex, calm down. This is not a time to fight each other."

But Alex pushed Mya's hand away and turned to the others. He shouted, "Are you guys stupid? It's clear that they are the traitors. Why did you let them go away? Don't you think they purposely want us to separate to attack us individually?"

"Alex, calm down," Ferit said, approaching Alex, trying to calm him down.

But Alex was not convinced. He glared at Ferit and said, "You're all fools. You're playing right into their hands. I'm not going to let them get away with this. I'm going to follow them and expose them."

He stormed out of the room, leaving the others speechless. Mya looked at Ferit with a worried expression and said, "Should we stop him?"

Lisa shook her head and said, "No, just let him go."

Lisa turned to the others and said, "Come on, let's choose our missions and get going. We don't have much time left."

In another part of the room, Casper and Rin were also looking at the mission board, trying to find a suitable mission.

Casper turned to the other members and said, "I think we should separate and gather as much exp points as possible. That way, we can increase our chances of winning this challenge."

The others looked at him with mixed reactions. Some of them nodded in agreement, while others frowned in doubt.

"But what about the traitors? If we separate, we might expose ourselves to their attacks," one of them said.

"Yeah, and how do we know you're not one of them?" another one said.

Casper smiled and said, "Don't worry, I'm not a traitor. Neither is Rin, and we have to be smart and strategic. We can't waste time sticking together and doing easy missions. We have to challenge ourselves and do the hard ones. That's how we'll get more exp points and more rewards."

He paused and said, "What do you say? Are you with me?"

The others looked at each other, unsure of what to do. They were still hesitant, but they also respected Casper and his leadership. They also wanted to win the challenge and get the rewards.

Lyla, who was silent, spoke up. "I think he is right. We should separate and gather as much exp points as possible. That's the best way to win this challenge. We can think about the traitor later," she said.

She looked at the others and said, "But we can separate from our friends to keep an eye on each other."

The others nodded, feeling more convinced by Lyla's words. They agreed to Casper's proposal and decided to separate and gather as many exp points as possible.

In one group, there was Casper, Lyla, and a shorter man named Sid, with brown hair and brown eyes. He had a nervous and timid personality.

Alex was following Fray and Elisa from a safe distance, keeping his presence low with a skill. He was determined to expose them as traitors, and he was not going to let them out of his sight. He was sure they were up to something.

City Hall loomed near the city gate, prompting Fray and Elisa to tread on foot, weapons in tow. The gate, a colossal structure adorned with symbols mirroring those on the houses, automatically opened as they approached, unveiling the dark expanse beyond the city. The sky, devoid of stars or moon, cast an inky blackness, with the city's glow being the sole illumination, revealing rows of trees in the vicinity.

Upon reaching the mission spot, Fray and Elisa stumbled upon a peculiar sight. Strewn across the ground were dozens, perhaps hundreds, of old, dusty weapons and armours, resembling the aftermath of a battlefield devoid of bodies or bones.

Fray and Elisa exchanged puzzled glances, grappling to comprehend the origin of this equipment. Yet, another pressing issue arose.

Elisa, still unsettled, knelt and grabbed a dusty sword, surveying the myriad pieces of equipment scattered around. She voiced her concern, "I don't think just the two of us can move all of these items in a short period."

Before Elisa could articulate her worries further, a surge of anger coursed through her. Calmly placing the worn weapon down, she stated, "We didn't come here for the mission, did we?"

Turning around, she found Fray behind her, his first phase activated. Cold light emanated from his eyes, his axe gripped firmly. A ruthless expression adorned his face, ready for battle. He declared, "You left me no choice."