As time passed, a growing number of champions congregated before the judgment gate, yet none dared to venture across the divide. Whispers of a concealed objective circulated among them, gaining traction, especially when a group remained seated in unyielding concentration for over ten hours.

In the center of this enigmatic assembly, the hound extermination crew formed a motionless circle, surrounded by scattered maps. The once-present fragrance of gruff wine now rested in their inventories. Various champions, both human and non-human, strolled around the trio, curious about what secrets the trio had discovered.

“More eyes are on us now. I can feel their curiosity,” Slim conveyed mentally. “For some reason, it's irking me.”

“Ignore them,” Scott responded dispassionately.

“Do you think they'll figure it out on their own?" Slim inquired, stealing glances at a few champions who mimicked their group.

“It doesn't matter,” Scott asserted, indifferent to the prospect of others unveiling the map's peculiarities. “I'll soon have the fourth district memorized, and Zara is halfway through the third. We'll delve into the fifth district when we're finished.”

“I guess I'll have to be patient, then,” Slim sighed, whistling softly as he reclined on his back. The necromancer casually surveyed the onlookers, occasionally trying to discern a familiar face. However, all countenances remained unfamiliar to the skeleton, with most, especially the humans, casting glances that concealed a lingering disgust. The skeleton responded with a nonchalant yawn, then turned his gaze towards the blackened heavens.

I wonder how Mia is doing. Hopefully, she receives the presents I sent to her. Then again, can I trust that swindling trader? The skeleton chuckled at his thoughts. Since it’s nearly impossible for me to figure out the mysteries behind the fifth district on my own, I guess now is a great time to focus on the other melodies in the music book. If the first one was that powerful, I wonder what the others can do.

Slim retrieved a small parchment from his inventory, its surface embossed with braille. Running his skeletal fingers along the textured words, he muttered inaudible incantations. In that moment, a shadow enveloped the necromancer and his companions.

A group of ten men, each boasting striking variations of red hair, closed in around the hound extermination crew. Scott lifted his head, casting a half-hearted glance at the newcomers before turning away. Zara paid little attention to the arrivals, focusing instead on catching up with her minions. Meanwhile, Slim sat upright, tilting his head to the side.

“Yes?” the skeleton responded dryly.

The men regarded the necromancer dismissively before approaching Scott. Slim chuckled, shaking his head before reclining once more.

The muscular leader of the redheads halted in front of Scott, absentmindedly toying with his goatee as he assessed the masked man. "You're the leader of this group, correct?"

“What do you want?” Scott asked flatly, not bothering to life his head.

The tall man smirked, leaning casually on his halberd. “I'm Anslem, leader of the Blood Mist. We are...”

Scott raised his hand, cutting off the handsome man. “Not to be rude, but I honestly don't care who you are or which group you belong to. What do you want? If you came here just to introduce yourself, fine, you've done it. Now, you can go on your way. I won't be doing the same.”

“Hey!” one man shouted. “Who do you think you are?”

Scott ignored the man, refocusing his attention on the map. The judges were on standby to quell any discord, so he didn't concern himself with the group.

The man stepped forward, but Anslem's outstretched arm blocked his path. A smile played on Anslem's lips; his brown eyes fixed on the masked man. “I won't beat around the bush anymore,” he said, crouching to whisper, “So, what's the reason you've been studying that map? What do you want in exchange for that information?”

Scott shifted his attention toward the man, and their gazes locked. The redhead instinctively flinched, a chill crawling down his spine as he stared into Scott's beautiful yet sinister eyes. A delirious whisper, evoking insidious thoughts, echoed behind his ears, and the man froze on the spot. Anslem tried to speak, but his tongue felt heavy, and the air suddenly felt suffocating.

How can someone's eyes induce such a feeling? he thought, reaching for his thumping chest.

“I don't need anything from you. You can be on your way now,” Scott declared before turning away.

The stifling sensation dissipated, and Anslem collapsed onto the ground, drawing in deep breaths. His companions, wearing perplexed expressions, helped him to his feet, but the terror in the eyes of their leader was unmistakable.

“Anslem, what happened? Did that strange guy do something to you?” one of his comrades asked mentally, supporting the disoriented leader.

“Let’s go. We shouldn’t mess with these people,” Anslem declared through their party channel, casting a glance at Scott.

The bewildered members of the Blood Mist exchanged uncertain looks before ushering their leader away from the area. Slim waved casually at the departing group, his laughter echoing softly.

Hardly a few seconds after the Blood Mist departed, another group approached the Hound Extermination Crew. This time, however, the group consisted only of women, and they headed straight for Slim.

The striking beauty with neon silver hair at the forefront stopped in front of the necromancer. “Hey there, handsome. Can you spare a moment to answer a few questions?”

Slim stood up promptly, adjusting his jacket. He extended his right hand with a confident grin. “Name’s Slim. Slim the Grim.”

Without hesitation, the fair-skinned young lady extended her hand to the necromancer. “Lorie Garreau,” she said, her dazzling smile revealing dimples in all their glory.

“What a lovely name to match a beautiful woman,” Slim remarked before gallantly kissing the back of Lorie’s hand. The tattooed young lady's brows shot up, her small mouth parting in surprise. Soft giggles emanated from her companions, some stifling their urge to laugh. The necromancer released Lorie's hand, and his voice once again filled the air. “So, what questions do you have for my humble self?”

Scott and Zara exchanged glances, now viewing Slim in a new light. Despite their newfound perspective, they had no intention of intervening in the necromancer’s affairs, neither physically nor mentally.

The ladies locked eyes for a moment, as if engaged in silent communication. Then, Lorie spoke up. “I know it’s rude to ask, but what can we exchange for information concerning the map? Everyone here knows your group arrived first, yet you haven’t left or showed any signs of leaving.”

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“We could be waiting for someone, you know,” Slim interjected with a smile.

“That crossed my mind too, but you guys have spent too much time observing the maps for that to be the case, I think,” Lorie echoed her thoughts. “It’s okay if you don’t want to share it, but if you do, we’ll exchange something of similar value for it.”

“Ladies, unfortunately, there’s nothing to say,” Slim responded with a smile.

Lorie and her companions exchanged wry smiles, unable to conceal the disappointment in their eyes. “All right. See you around,” Lorie said.

“See you later, ladies,” Slim waved at the departing group before retaking his seat.

“You’re quite the ladies’ man, huh?” Zara commented casually via the party communication channel.

“The ladies can’t help themselves. I don’t blame them, though. Who wouldn’t want a piece of this?” Slim chuckled.

Zara's laughter erupted, capturing the attention of numerous champions assembled in the vicinity.

“Zara, quit getting distracted and concentrate on memorizing the exits,” Scott admonished the brawler, his unseen frown conveying a sense of urgency.

“I'm sorry, I'm sorry,” Zara apologized, but her laughter lingered, stubbornly refusing to subside.

“I fail to see the humor in this situation. My rugged and dashing looks speak for themselves,” Slim remarked, casting a disapproving glance at the giggling brawler.

“Sure, sure,” Zara replied, attempting to rein in her amusement and refocus on the task of memorizing the exits.

The lesser god of illusions believes you should exchange some details of your knowledge for benefits!

Scott glanced at the new system message. This guy again? But he might have a point. It’s arduous for one person to completely memorize one district, let alone notice the inconspicuous exits in all four districts. Even if they notice it, it will take a significant amount of time for them to memorize it; we’ll still have a head start over them and their party, unless they’re some kind of genius with eidetic memory or something.

The lesser god of illusions proposes you only ask for elemental shards, regardless of type, as payment!

Scott’s brows creased. Why the elemental shards of all things? He thought to himself. Then a stray thought filled the mind of the Eldritch knight. Then again, why haven’t Zara or Slim’s sponsor said anything about the next trial? Shouldn’t they be giving them exclusive information to ensure their survival? Or are they only planning on interfering when they’re in trouble?

Scott glanced at Zara, who couldn't suppress her smile while memorizing the latter half of the exits. Then, he shifted his attention toward Slim, who once again found himself lying on the ground.

“Guys, quick question,” Scott inquired mentally, “have you received any tips about the next trial from your sponsors?”

Slim sat upright again, a scowl replacing his previous smile. “Buddy, can you believe they completely ignored me? A simple 'no' would have been better than complete silence,” the skeleton bitterly complained.

“Same here,” Zara chimed in, her expression just as soured as Slim's.

“Oh, so that's what happened. Maybe there's a reason for that,” Scott said before changing the topic. “I plan on selling information about the next trial, but I'll do that after we've completely memorized the exits, in case there's someone here with a ridiculously big brain.”

“Oh?” Zara turned toward the masked man. “What are you going to ask in exchange for the information, and how much do you plan on revealing?”

“Only the similarities between the districts and the fact that it's a massive looping maze. If they figure that out by themselves before then, I'll reveal a few exits. In exchange, I'll be demanding elemental shards,” Scott explained.

“Huh? Those useless things? Why, though?” Slim asked with a frown. Zara also had the same thought. Of all the things they imagined the masked knight would ask for, they never expected Scott would request something of little or no value.

“It was a suggestion from a lesser god,” Scott revealed, unwilling to delve into the complexities of his relationship with the god of illusions.

“Hmmm…” Slim drummed his fingers on his jaw, deep in thought.

“If you trust them, then there’s no harm. I trust your decisions,” Zara reassured with a soft smile.

“Yeah, there must be a reason they recommended that, but don’t trust these gods fully, buddy. You can’t tell if they’re swindlers,” Slim cautioned with a grin.

“Thanks, guys. I’ll make the announcement when we’re done with the fifth district,” Scott declared.

The trio exchanged a nod. Scott and Zara refocused on memorizing the exits, while Slim immersed himself in the melodies of the music book.

Several champions continued observing the group, yet none dared to approach. Many champions surveyed their surroundings, but only a vast expanse of fluffy clouds extended as far as the eyes could see.

The gong echoed more frequently as time passed, drawing additional champions to the judgment road. Not everyone in the vicinity followed the path opened by the hound extermination crew; many originated from various other judgment roads.

Time passed slowly, and the judgment gate became increasingly crowded with champions. Despite the growing numbers, no one had dared to cross the opened gates, all hesitant to miss any potentially valuable information. Speculations about a hidden meaning within the map had escalated to the point of being widely accepted, fueled by the sheer enormity of the holographic projection.

Another three days elapsed swiftly, and now, over four hundred champions lingered in front of the opened gates. Unlike earlier, more champions were engrossed in studying the map, but the constant tolling of the gongs signaling new arrivals had ceased.

“This is ridiculous!” A slender man erupted, hurling his map to the ground. “Are we all just going to waste our time here, scrutinizing a map that could take a lifetime to decipher?”

Several champions turned to look at him, but no one uttered a word.

“Come on, people! Use your brains,” he continued, picking up the map. “They gave us this map for a reason. We're meant to use it so we don't waste time like this,” he gestured towards the hound extermination crew. “Are you going to linger here just because those freaks are poring over the map? Has it occurred to you that they might be waiting for someone else?”

Standing up, he stowed the map in his inventory. “I can't do this anymore. Best of luck to anyone who thinks they can uncover secrets from such a massive map anytime soon. I'm out.”

The man retrieved a dagger from his inventory, approaching the opened gates with measured steps. After taking a deep breath, he crossed the threshold and vanished instantly.

A champion has crossed the judgment gate! The judgment gate will be closed in twenty days! The judgment gate will only be reopened when new entrants from the judgment road emerge!

“I concur with the human. Memorizing the map is a futile endeavor,” declared a lizardman, rising from his seat. “Brothers, let's depart.”

The lizardmen party hastily left, with several other groups joining their exodus. However, more than three hundred groups still lingered in the area. As some groups wavered in indecision, the hound extermination crew collectively stood up, capturing the attention of everyone present.

Scott spoke, his voice resonating throughout the area. “I'll be brief. We possess exclusive information about the upcoming trial. However, we will only consider elemental shards in exchange, irrespective of their affinity.”

The lesser god of illusions is elated with your decision! The lesser god of illusions is boasting to other lesser gods! The lesser god of illusions asks if… You have rejected the offer! Several lesser gods are laughing at the lesser god of illusions! The lesser god of illusions is feeling embarrassed but optimistic! The lesser god of persistence sympathizes with the lesser god of illusion!

Another gong resonated just as a flurry of system messages materialized before Scott. The champions raised their heads, expecting the usual sight of battered and injured allies descending from the blackened skies. However, this time was different. A figure clad in red hovered gracefully, their iridescent eyes locked onto the assembly of champions below.

“I'll ask just once. Who has been calling me?”