Chapter 194 – Twisted Choice

Yuxi stared at her group, not at all satisfied. These were the handpicked members of the Drunken Stars party and Miss Valkyrie’s trusted, but she did not think they lived up to their potential.

For one, all of them ignored her. This was the first disqualifying quality. The second was their arrogance and belief that all of them were better.

[Welcome to my dungeon.]

A voice welcomed them, but it felt less welcome and more of a threat. The rest of the members stopped talking and turned toward the giant door.

[I am the dungeon master. This will be your first trial. Behind this door is an arena with five monsters, which all of you can defeat. However, the last person to defeat their opponent shall remain and fight against a monster that is far stronger than them.]

“This is madness,” muttered a girl in their group. She was the daughter of a noble who served the House of Helnes, a mage. “That means that we need to sacrifice one of us to suffer.”

Yuxi scanned the room and read their expression. None of them wanted to take the fall, and all of them glanced at her at some point. This was always the case when she was them. They thought of her as a servant.

The members were nobility, but Yuxi was not. She was a retainer of the Helnes and one of Miss Valkyrie’s servants. This made the rest think they also held authority over her, even if she was as strong as them.

There was also the fact that she was an archer, and archers were not exceptionally strong against close opponents. That was why, even without dirtying their hands, the rest decided that it must be her that would fall behind.

“We are warriors, defiers!” said another arrogant noble. “Let us decide this through our strengths,” he said, to which the rest agreed.

‘Well, this is the best I can ask for, but I know that they would hinder me.’

This matter was unimportant, but the trial made her interested. There was always a pattern to dungeons, especially ones that involved inheritances. Yuxi was there when that man forced Lex to inherit the technique, so she knew how it worked.

However, this one was different. The first trial was not about strength but a psychological challenge that attacked the trust everyone had towards each other. Even if they survive this, the rest of the obstacles will be fought alone or against each other.

‘What a wicked dungeon master,’ she pondered. This cynical mindset reminded her of a particular individual who fell into the abyss long ago. ‘I need to find Sergio.’

Yuxi was worried. The alchemist was the only person she approved of because he carried a truly noble character. It still brings her butterflies whenever she thinks of how kind he is towards her.

Her feelings grew more after they returned from the Bestial Kingdom on Alias. The alchemist was heartbroken over his villainous friend, and Yuxi needed to be there for him.

However, she also knew that her hands were tied. That was why she asked Miss Valkyrie to test him, and he did not disappoint. It was a compromise because the young miss grew too fancy of the alchemist.

Yuxi knew that it was because of her goals, but this matter was fate was still better than being manipulated by that man, Nikolai Yaran. Furthermore, Miss Valkyrie was destined to rule this kingdom, and the alchemist will be safe by her side.

However, her feelings were an obstacle, but if her master wanted the alchemist for herself, she could only be his friend. That was enough, too, as long as he was safe.

“The door is opening,” said the mage as she led the way, almost running to defeat her opponent. The rest followed until the only one left was Yuxi.

The mute archer followed after them, her bow in hand. The arena was gigantic, and it was divided into six platforms. The door closed after they entered the room, and the voice spoke to them again.

[All of you will fight against these monsters.]

Giant wolves appeared on each platform, and it was clear to them that they were at the F-rank. This was a piece of cake, and they were all disappointed.

[Those who kill their opponent last will face against this one.]

As the voice announced, a hurricane of darkness appeared in the central arena. After the darkness gathered to form a figure, it was revealed as a giant knight.

“A… dark being,” the mage gulped down with fear. All of them knew that this knight was far from what they could handle, even with their holy items and abilities.

[I can give you a choice. You can all fight against this Death Knight, or you can compete for the chance to avoid it.]

“What are we choosing?” shouted the blonde noble, and Yuxi sighed. “Are you asking us to choose someone to sacrifice?”

The words sent chills through their spines. No one wanted to fight against the dark being because none of them could handle it, even combined. However, to sacrifice a member of their party… no one will recover from such an exposure of truth.

Yuxi smiled as she stared at the Death Knight. It was true that even all of them combined might not match it. This monster was powerful and immortal. However, her holy powers were still insufficient to take down such a monster.

“However, we cannot survive against that thing. This is a choice between a noble competition and the imminent death of us all. I believe we should fight against the wolves.”

‘This is interesting,’ thought Yuxi. ‘There are two choices. We can team up and die together, or we can choose the less idealistic, practical solution of competing for survival.’

However, the second option was no different from a death sentence. Whoever fights alone against the Death Knight will die, no doubts about it. Their strength was similar, but all of them fought with different styles.

Therefore, even if all of them wanted to choose the second option, there would be a chance that they would lose. This world was fraught with dangers, and carrying trump cards was not out of the question. If the rest hid their abilities, then you would be the one who remains behind and dies.

‘All of us are thinking the same thing,’ sighed Yuxi. ‘The best way to guarantee one’s survival is by attacking the others and weakening them. Another option is to rush into the platform and kill the monster, but the rest will attack whoever does that.’

“We need to decide who stays behind,” said the arrogant blonde noble who was jealous of Sergio. “We cannot fight the monster together; our deaths will be meaningless. However, there is no need for infighting. We can decide to discard one.”

His words were cruel, and it proved for a second that Nikolai was right about humans. They were the evilest race of them all, and they were the most selfish. However, that was also the reason they survived.

Yuxi sighed and raised her hand. The rest turned toward her, and she pointed at herself before pointing at the floor. It was enough to declare that she would stay.

There was no use in opposing them. Their decision should not plant doubt in their hearts because they will kill each other down the road. It was her duty as the retainer of House Helnes to bring everyone else back, even if she hated them.

“You want to… stay behind?” asked the mage with tears in her eyes, and Yuxi wanted to believe that they were not fake. “We can’t let you do this!”

Her words were noble, but she had the chance to object earlier. However, she remained silent, as if fearing that the choice would fall on her. Yuxi shook her head and crouched on the ground.

“We understand,” nodded the blonde. “I wish you emerge victoriously, Yuxi,” it was the first time he called her name.

Then, the four of them fought against the wolves and left the arena. The mage, the giant tanker, the blonde, and the thin ranger all looked at her with gratitude and emotions.

Then, they left.

Yuxi sat alone with the two monsters. First, she had to kill the giant wolf before fighting the Death Knight. Her odds were slim, close to none.

However, the alternative was that her arms and legs would be broken with the same fate. She knew that those nobles would cry about how they had no other choice while sacrificing her.

“This is unexpected,” a voice appeared behind her. Yuxi flinched as she jumped forward and rolled, taking out her bow and nocking her arrow. “I am the dungeon master.”

The cloaked figure said, and nothing could be made of his identity. There was no face, and the voice was deep. Yuxi stared at him with confusion before lowering her bow.

“I know that you cannot speak.. However, I still want to know why you chose to stay behind.”