Chapter 202: The Crown Trial (8)

Of course there was going to be another complication, too.

If a contender collected ten tokens early and spent the remaining hours hiding, they might still lose everything to someone who had spent the first three hours gathering information and targeting competitors with larger collections. On the other hand, someone who waited too long could find themselves unable to reach the qualifying score before time ran out.

It was a simple competition on the surface.

Underneath, it encouraged participants to weigh risk against opportunity, decide whom they could trust, and judge when another contender was worth confronting.

Misha was beginning to understand why the opening round had been designed this way.

Astrid appeared to be considering the same thing. She studied the token in her hand, her thumb moving slowly across the engraved crown while her eyes remained thoughtful.

Misha decided not to interrupt her niece’s calculations, especially when they would have plenty of time to compare strategies once the briefing was over.

The attendant retrieved two narrow registration bands from her tray and gestured for them to extend their wrists. Astrid complied first, allowing the woman to fasten the smooth metallic strip around her arm before Misha reluctantly offered her own.

The band closed with a quiet click.

A faint glow traveled around its circumference before sinking beneath the skin and disappearing. Misha felt a strange pressure near her pulse, as though something had briefly brushed against a part of her body that was not supposed to be accessible from the outside.

She immediately turned her wrist over. The sensation had already faded, leaving no visible mark.

The attendant noticed her reaction.

"The registration bands verify your identities and maintain the connection between your Crown Tokens and the official scoring records," she explained. "They will automatically update your registered totals whenever you acquire or lose a token. Your personal display will show your own collection, while the public projections will record the standings of all active contenders."

Misha examined the narrow band more carefully. It looked harmless enough. "Can these be removed?"

"Not during an active round," the attendant replied. "Attempting to tamper with the registration bands may result in disqualification, so we strongly advise leaving them untouched until the competition has concluded."

"Of course." Misha lowered her wrist, suppressing the urge to sigh.

She was beginning to dislike how often the Tower and its various institutions found reasons to attach things to her body. Between the System, the equipment she carried, and the assorted magical restrictions imposed on her during Floor Quests, she sometimes felt as though her existence had become a collection of permissions granted by other people.

At least this one did not appear interested in rewriting her existence. Small mercies.

"Now, please confirm your registered names," the attendant instructed, bringing a small projection above the tray. "The verification process will finalize your Crown Token’s connection to the scoring mechanism."

Astrid raised her wrist first.

"Astrid Hale," she answered clearly, keeping her arm steady while a thin line of light passed over the registration band.

The bronze token in her other hand responded with a brief gold shimmer. A small confirmation symbol appeared above the attendant’s tray, accompanined by Astrid’s registered name.

The woman nodded before turning toward Misha. "Your registered name, please."

Misha lifted her wrist.

"Gravekeeper," she replied, watching as the same line of light traveled through around the band.

The metal tightened almost imperceptibly against her skin. A faint pulse traveled through the Crown Token in her palm, followed by a momentary sensation of pressure beneath her wrist, then it was gone.

The attendant inspected the small projection from her wristwatch.

"Registration confirmed." She lowered the tray slightly and offered them a professional smile. "Both of your Crown Tokens are now active. Please remember that any changes to your registered totals will be reflected automatically once the opening round begins."

Misha flexed her fingers a few times before lowering her arm. The band remained securely in place, neither restricting her movement nor interfering with her grip, although she would have preferred to test it under more demanding conditions.

She glanced toward Astrid, who was examining her own registration band with considerably less suspicion.

The attendant gathered the remaining materials and stepped toward the door, where her colleagues were already finishing their explanations to the other contenders. Before leaving, she turned back toward them.

"A shared briefing will begin shortly. All contenders are required to attend, as further instructions regarding the competition grounds, protective measures, and deployment procedures will be provided there."

Misha blinked a few times in confusion. "Deployment?"

The attendant paused, apparently accustomed to that reaction. "Yes. Participants will be transported to their assigned starting locations once the opening round begins."

Misha’s eyes narrowed slightly. ’Transported?’

She had assumed they would be fighting inside the arena they had just entered. After all, the place had enough seating for thousands of spectators, an elaborate protection system, and more than enough space to accommodate a competition involving ninety-six participants.

Why would they need to vibe transported anywhere?

"Hold on," she said, straightened her shoulders. "Aren’t we supposed to be fighting inside the arena?"

"The opening round will take place within the designated competition grounds," the attendant answered. "The location and deployment procedures will be explained during the shared briefing."

Misha stared at her. That did not answer the question.

"Which competition grounds?" she pressed. "Are we talking about another section of the arena? Or somewhere outside it?"

"I’m afraid that information has not yet been authorized for disclosure." The attendant inclined her head apologetically. "All contenders will receive the same briefing shortly, so I ask that you wait until the official announcement."

’Of course. Can’t have us knowing where we’re about to be thrown.’

Misha considered asking another question, but the woman’s polite expression made it clear that further attempts would accomplish very little. She had probably been instructed to repeat the same answer regardless of how the question was phrased.

With a final bow, the attendant withdrew alongside her colleagues.

For several seconds, Misha remained standing beside the bench, turning the Crown Token between her fingers.

"Do you think they’ll separate us?" Astrid asked quietly. Her tone remained composed, but Misha noticed the concern beneath the question.

"Almost certainly." Misha slipped the token into its pouch and tested the fastening one last time. "Otherwise, everyone would start the competition standing beside the people they already trust. That would make things considerably easier for the guilds, and I doubt the organizets want to give them that much of an advantage unless they’ve been paid."

Astrid considered that. "Then we should decide what to do if we encounter each other."

Misha glanced toward her niece. "Preferably avoid stabbing one another."

Astrid gave her a patient look. "I meant whether we should transfer our tokens."

"I know." Misha smiled faintly beneath her mask, enjoying the brief look of exasperation on Astrid’s face. "I’m just establishing the important rules first. No backstabbing family members, no stealing each other’s belongings, and no abandoning anyone in a building that looks haunted."

"That last one sounds oddly specific."

"I’ve had unpleasant experiences with haunted buildings."

Astrid’s lips curved into a small smile, although she soon returned to the original subject. "If we manage to find each other, combining our tokens might improve our chances of qualifying. But we’d need to decide who should carry them."

"True." Misha folded her arms, considering the possibility. "But I don’t want you handing over everything you’ve collected just because we happen to cross paths. We still don’t know how the competition grounds are arranged, what kind of opponents we’ll encounter, or whether concentrating our tokens would actually be the safest approach."

Astrid nodded thoughtfully. "Alright. We’ll wait until we have more information."

Misha had a growing suspicion that sensible decisions were going to become increasingly difficult once the Trial began. She had no idea why, but it probably was her woman’s instinct kicking in.

Ding!

A clear chime sounded from the corridor.

The wall-sounded projection changed, replacing Ashmoor’s crest with an announcement directing all contenders toward the preparation lounge. A second chime followed, accompanied by a calm voice reminding participants that attendance at the shared briefing was mandatory.

Outside, doors began opening one after another. Voices filled the corridor as contenders emerged from their assigned rooms, some discussing the rules excitedly while others remained quiet.

Misha pushed herself away from the bench and adjusted the pouch at her waist. The bronze token shifted inside with a faint metallic sound, reminding her that she was now carrying the single object capable of determining whether she remained in the competition.

"Well," she murmured, glancing toward Astrid. "Time to find out what other delightful surprises they’ve prepared for us."

Astrid rose beside her, smoothing the front of her clothing before checking that her own pouch was securely fastened. "You sound very optimistic."

"I’m practically overflowing with enthusiasm." Misha gestured toward the door. "Nothing says a wonderful day quite like being transported to an undisclosed location and told to rob strangers."

Several participants were already making their way toward the preparation lounge, their conversations blending into a steady hum beneath the corridor’s high ceiling.