“I fucking hate this place,” Slim muttered, tossing aside a stray leg that lay on his skull. The skeletal champions struggled to rise as a gentle wind swept across the field. Turning toward Scott, Slim found the eldritch knight already on his feet.

“Buddy, you didn’t suffer like…” Slim halted mid-sentence, his attention drawn to a gaping hole in the shoulder of the masked man. “Are you okay? I didn’t know you got hit.” Slim hurried towards Scott, eyeing the bleeding wound.

“It’s not as painful as it looks,” Scott said with an unseen smile. He extended his right hand toward his left shoulder, and a mass of darkened, otherworldly energy gathered at his fingertips, surging into the mangled flesh. Sizzling and popping sounds echoed as the blackened tendrils devoured the fresh blood, and the damaged skin peeled away.

Skill: Corrupted Mend activated!

Slim silently observed as the punctured flesh visibly closed, replaced by new, undamaged tissue. He also had healing capabilities as well. Slim's jaw dropped in astonishment as the injury vanished in real-time.

“Why do you look so surprised?” Scott chuckled softly. “I'm more surprised that a common tree branch could bypass my armor. It seems we can't underestimate anything here,” Scott voiced his thoughts, his attention shifting to the other champions. Most trialists displayed minor injuries like sprained wrists and ankles or broken fingers and jaws, but a select few were incapacitated by a combination of severe injuries.

Scott averted his gaze from the helpless champions, focusing on the surrounding paths. That fuzzy freak wasn't kidding; it had truly changed, but something felt off.

“Buddy, I can't reach Zara. What about you?” Slim asked, his anxiety evident.

“I'd be more surprised if we could contact her. These bastards would never want others to leak what's happening on the other side. Hopefully, she's fine, but we need to concentrate on getting out of here,” Scott replied via the party channel. Then, he pointed toward the four paths ahead in quick succession. “What do you notice about that?”

Slim paused, following Scott's outstretched hand. “Hmm… it's the first district this,” Slim suddenly paused, staring more intently at the paths ahead. “Buddy, please tell me I'm drunk right now, because I can't understand why I'm seeing traces of the first and third districts.”

“We can't both be drunk at the same time because I see it too. We might need to tweak our strategy a bit,” Scott turned around, but no hidden paths revealed themselves.

“What do you have in mind?” Slim probed the perimeter of the safe zone, as if searching for something.

“We must use our exits simultaneously. If either of us goes first, the next reshuffling may create an even more intricate maze. What do you think?”

“I understand your reasoning, but the problem is if they'd allow us to do that. It's not beyond these sadistic bastards to rig the exits for single use,” Slim communicated through the party channel.

“You're not wrong, but we can only give it a shot. Are you ready to move?” Scott glanced at the necromancer.

“I'm ready whenever you are, but which path are we choosing this time?” Slim asked, his gaze lingering on the fourth path. “Oh, it's also likely those creatures might have been revived. They might have even increased their numbers.”

“We can take them. Even if they've become more powerful, we can always run,” Scott said, his eyes fixed on the fourth path.

“I guess it's decided then,” Slim cracked his neck as he turned his head from side to side.

Saying nothing further, the duo approached the fourth path with measured steps. On their tenth step, three figures blocked their way.

“You two aren't going anywhere,” a lizardman said, pointing the tip of his spear toward Scott, while his companions aimed theirs at Slim.

“Who the hell are you supposed to be? Get out of the way,” Slim growled.

However, the lizardmen simply smirked. The party leader, wearing a necklace made from the broken teeth of various creatures, took another step forward while lowering his spear. “One of you is missing. The cat was definitely responsible for triggering the first exit,” he said, planting the base of the crimson spear into the ground.

“So what?” Slim glared at the lizardmen. Several other champions had started to focus on them.

“So what, he says,” the lizardman snickered, taking another step forward. “Here's the thing, I don't think it's a coincidence your group found it first. In fact, everyone else got sent back to this same spot, except for you three.” The lizardman took another step. “Now, why is that?” he asked, tilting his head to the side.

A middle-aged woman with a burly physique stepped forward. “I did see some skeletons, and I can't even tell them apart from each other, but not once did I see the young lass or the guy with a mask.”

“Now that I think about it, I didn't see them either. Hmm… I always found them suspicious,” a man said, casting a suspicious glare at Scott and Slim.

“It's possible they know their way around the forest,” another man commented. This random opinion took root in the minds of all the present champions, prompting them to approach the duo.

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The leader of the lizardmen party chuckled as he noticed the other champions approaching. “You see? Everyone agrees it isn't fair that only your group gets to roam this place as they please.”

“So, what do you want?” Scott interjected before Slim could.

“Oh? He speaks,” the lizardman laughed, taking another step forward. “What we want is pretty obvious. A trial is only fair when each side is equally at a disadvantage or otherwise. So, you will do well to let us in on your little secrets. Consider making friends in times of adversity.”

Scott chuckled, shaking his head. “So, what's going to happen if we don't want to make friends?” The eldritch knight turned toward the surrounding champions. “Are you guys going to beat it out of us, or will you force us to remain here?” Scott wore an unseen smile as he folded his arms across his chest.

However, the lizardman simply snickered. “You think you're safe because of the rules of this place? Unless you don't plan on leaving the safe zone, then—”

“Then I'll do just that,” Scott interjected.

“What?” the lizardman frowned.

“I said I'll do that, you lizard,” Scott repeated. He turned away from the seething lizardman, his eyes shifting from one champion to the other as he continued. “There's absolutely nothing any of you can do or say that will force us to do your bidding.”

“Then we'll all stay here together,” the burly woman said.

“That's fine by us,” Slim said, slinging his hands behind his skull. “We might as well get screwed together.”

Scott mimicked the skeleton as he chuckled softly. “I hope you guys haven't forgotten that those freaks will be permitted to enter the safe zone the longer we stay here. I wonder how many of you will be left when those things show up.”

Scott and Slim simultaneously sat down, and a sealed wine jar appeared in front of them. A host of emotions flashed across the faces of the champions, many restraining their rising urge to lunge at the duo.

The lizardman reached for his spear, bloodthirsty eyes focused on the carefree duo. “You idiots think this is some form of...” Tremors cut off the lizardman's words as a massive cyclone appeared deep within the forest.

Simultaneously, bestial roars resonated from various directions, numbering in the hundreds, while muffled explosions reverberated through the untamed vegetation.

“It appears we’ll have quite the company later. This should be entertaining,” Slim grinned, taunting the champions surrounding them.

Meanwhile, the champions' demeanor shifted once again, especially with the arrival of the thunderous roars. They weren't naive; the exponential increase in the number of creatures within the forest was evident.

The lizardman shot a glare at the nonchalant duo. “Do you guys think…” His words were cut off by a slow clap, capturing the attention of the champions. They turned to find a group clad in bloodstained, blackened armor.

“What do you want?” the lizardman questioned, taking a step back.

However, the berserker trio paid no attention to the lizardman, focusing instead on Slim and Scott. Standing a few feet away from the seated duo, the figure at the forefront spoke first. “I’ll be straightforward. What do you want in exchange for the information? As long as it’s reasonable, we’re open to negotiation.”

Scott and Slim exchanged silent glances, and the berserkers fell into a hushed stillness. Slim rose a moment later, prompting a system window to materialize before the berserkers, who regarded the grinning necromancer with intense curiosity.

The leader clicked on the system window just as Scott stood up, focusing on the other parties while flexing his knuckles. Suddenly, he pointed at the lizardmen. “If you want clues about the exits, then I want you to beat the living hell out of them. Only then will I consider working with you guys.”

“Don't listen to him. He's obviously lying,” the lizardman growled, subtly retreating under the heated gazes of the surrounding champions. “How would you even know if the information he's giving us is real, huh?”

“That's a valid point. Can you prove the information is correct? We can't blindly trust you,” someone from the group questioned.

Scott proposed, “We can all take the same path. Nominate someone at random to use an exit. That should be enough to convince you, right?”

“So, who's this lucky person going to be?” the middle-aged woman asked. “Surely you won't be recommending yourselves?”

“Of course not,” Scott chuckled. “That's for you guys to decide among yourselves.” The eldritch knight took a step forward, arms behind his back. “To make it even fairer, my partner and I will split up, so no accusations of foul play. Half of you will follow him, while the other half will move with me. We'll each escort our groups to an exit, and then it's up to each group to decide who gets the opportunity to use it. How does that sound?”

The champions exchanged puzzled glances, each contemplating the unspoken desire to be the chosen random tester. However, despite this shared ambition, none were willing to outright reject Scott's proposal. The allure of avoiding further responsibilities was too tempting for anyone to resist.

“Be careful, my comrades,” the lizardman cautioned, brandishing his spear in Scott's direction. “Instead of being manipulated into testing, we should demand they unveil their secrets, uniting us rather than dividing.”

“I'm through bargaining with the berserkers,” Slim conveyed through the party channel. “They've agreed to step back.”

Scott, hidden behind his mask, grinned while nodding subtly. Simultaneously, the berserkers, acknowledging the resolution, began retreating slowly toward an alternate path.

“Wait, where are you going?” the middle-aged woman inquired.

“We have a trial to complete. We won't squander any more time here,” the leader replied, casting a dismissive glance toward the woman.

“You were suspiciously silent earlier,” another man remarked, scrutinizing the berserkers. “What exactly transpired? I have a feeling you struck a deal amongst yourselves.”

The berserkers halted in unison, their ominous gazes piercing through the visor slits of their helmets. They turned towards the man, retrieving their weapons from their inventory.

“That you're all alive right now is solely due to our mercy. Make no mistake about that. If you find our compassion meddlesome, I implore you to chase after us. Mistakes, after all, were meant to be corrected,” the leader asserted before turning away. Silently, the trio dashed toward the second path, disappearing in a flash.

“Well, it’s up to you guys to decide now,” Scott's voice echoed again. “Will you accept my offer, or are we going to waste our time here?”

Barely seconds after Scott finished his statement, the lizardmen rushed into the fourth path before anyone could react. “This is not over,” the leader declared.

“Damn it, I didn’t expect that weasel to run,” the middle-aged woman muttered as she turned toward Scott. Without the lizardmen there, uncertainty lingered about whether the masked man would proceed with the deal.

“Why the long faces?” Slim chuckled. “They'll be back sooner than you expect, or have you forgotten what happened earlier?”

“Without further ado, I believe you should decide which of us you'll be going with,” Scott said, folding his arms across his chest. The champions stared at each other in silence. Then, the first group moved, and within a minute, the champions had divided themselves into two groups. Most of the seemingly weaker champions chose Slim’s group, while a somewhat murderous aura lingered around Scott’s.

“Well, it’s time we departed,” Scott said, glancing at Slim.

Saying nothing further, he led his group toward the first path while Slim led his group toward the third path.

“See you on the other side, buddy. These guys won’t know what hit them soon enough,” Slim said via the party channel.

“It should be quite exciting,” Scott chuckled.