Chapter 86: The first time to the main world

Scarlet froze, Hovering in the air directly in front of her vision was a translucent screen displaying a system interface. Startled and unsure of how to react, she forced herself to remain calm. She knew better than to act rashly.

?Taking a slow breath, Scarlet raised her eyes toward Smith and asked, "Hey... Smith? Is it normal for text to appear in front of your eyes like this when you pass through the gate?"

?Astra and Smith both turned toward her in surprise upon hearing her inquiry. Smith immediately realized what she was describing—it sounded exactly like a system interface. Yet, intense puzzle and confusion flickered across his face.

?The system interface was a unique function reserved exclusively for players. Even the Queen themselves lacked the ability like a traditional player system UI. At best, Queens possessed an intuitive awareness of their own personal skills, levels, and combat statistics, but they could never project or interact with a formal system window.

?Perplexed, Smith asked, "Scarlet, what exactly is written on it?"

?"It says... asking if I wish to participate in the Original Trial," Scarlet replied, scanning the hovering text carefully. "And there are two options right below it: ’Yes’ or ’No’."

?Smith paused, pondering the unexpected development. Seeing that she was uncertain, he gave her a reassuring smile. "Don’t worry, just leave it alone for now and don’t touch anything. We’ll definitely find some answers."

?Pulling out his phone, Smith dialed a familiar number. The moment the call was connected on the other end, he spoke directly into the receiver. "Jacob, something unexpected happened here."

?"Got it. I’ll be there in a minute," Jacob’s steady voice replied from the speaker before the call abruptly disconnected.

?Smith stashed his phone back into his pocket and turned back to Scarlet. "Don’t worry. I have a knowledgeable friend coming down who will surely understand what’s happening."

?Scarlet nodded in agreement and waited patiently alongside the others. Though she maintained her composure and refrained from touching the glowing screen, her eyes where filled with intense curiosity. The floating interface was genuinely fascinating to her.

?A few minutes later, the soft chime of the elevator echoed through the hall as the heavy doors slid open. Jacob stepped out, offering a casual greeting. "Hey there, Smith—"

?Jacob’s words instantly hitched in his throat. His eyes widened slightly as they landed on the woman standing beside Smith.

?She possessed pristine,white silk hair that tumbled down her back and an extraordinarily captivating figure, elegantly draped in a blood red robe that resembled a droplet of deep blood. Yet, despite her exquisite beauty, she emanated an imposing presence. Her piercing, blood-red eyes seemed capable of looking directly through a person’s soul, carrying the natural, commanding aura of an absolute ruler. Even Jacob, seasoned as he was, felt an instinctual pressure just standing in her vicinity.

?After a brief, careful scan, Jacob quickly realized why she felt so familiar. She looked remarkably like Velvet. Unsure of her exact identity or relationship to Smith, Jacob composed himself and stepped forward.

?"Scarlet, this is the friend I mentioned," Smith introduced smoothly, gesturing toward Jacob. "He’ll have the answers we’re looking for."

?Scarlet bowed her head slightly with understated grace. "It is my pleasure to meet you."

?"Likewise," Jacob replied with a polite nod of approval before turning his attention to Smith. "So, what happened?"

?Smith took a moment to explain the entire situation regarding Scarlet seeing the system interface and the prompt for the "Original Trial." As Jacob listened, he nodded periodically, his expression showing that he was already familiar with the phenomenon.

?When Smith finished explaining, Jacob quieted down for a second, collecting his thoughts. He turned to face Scarlet directly, his tone turning sincere and solemn. "What I am about to explain might sound a little insensitive, so please bear with me. If anything I say sounds offensive, I apologize in advance."

?Scarlet gestured for him to continue, indicating she wouldn’t take offense.

?"I know this is your first time coming to this side," Jacob began carefully. "First, don’t be alarmed. This type of prompt actually occurs quite frequently whenever someone from a trial ground crosses over to enter the main world. As for what it calls the ’Original Trial’... to put it gently..."

?Jacob paused, choosing his words with immense caution. "I don’t know how much Smith has explained to you about the structure of our world, but through our research, we have discovered the true nature of those trial grounds—the places where you and the Queens originate from."

?He took a deep breath. "Those trial grounds are essentially shattered timeline fragments. For one reason or another, those timelines were erased from main history, destroyed, or eroded by time itself. They manifest to us in the form of trial grounds for players."

?Jacob looked Scarlet straight in the eyes. "In short... the era or world you came from no longer exists in the main flow of time. It was a fragment from an already collapsed or shattered timeline. That is why these fragments turned into isolated trial domains."

?Jacob stopped speaking, carefully gauging her reaction. To tell someone that their entire homeland, history, and existence were essentially just historical memories from a collapsed timeline could be deeply distressing and offensive. It was equivalent to telling someone they were living in a ghost of the past.

?However, seeing that Scarlet remained remarkably calm and showed no signs of panic or distress, Jacob felt relieved and continued his explanation.

?"Because individuals from those trial grounds do not originate from the current, active timeline, they must undergo what the system calls the Original Trial upon leaving," Jacob clarified. "Calling it a ’trial’ is somewhat of a misnomer, though. In reality, it doesn’t force you to fight impossible enemies. Instead, it forces you to witness the original events that were originally meant to transpire in your world before players intervened."

?Jacob added, "Once you choose to observe those events through to the very end, your existence is officially baptized and accepted by the system into the main world. After that, you gain the freedom to travel uninhibited between the main world and the trial grounds. It is less of a test and more of a process to reveal the hidden truth of your origin."

?Standing beside them, Smith listened intently. While he had previously heard similar concepts mentioned briefly by George, hearing Jacob explain it in detail after everything he had experienced over the past few weeks gave him a far deeper comprehension of how the world’s mechanics operated.

?Gaining new insight, Smith turned to Jacob to ask a crucial question. "Is it mandatory for her to take this Original Trial?"

?"It isn’t an absolute obligation or forced mandate," Jacob answered, shaking his head. "However, if she declines, she won’t be permitted to step out into the main world. She will remain restricted until she completes it."

?Receiving confirmation, Smith turned back toward the white-haired Queen. "Scarlet... do you really wish to undertake this trial right now?"

?Without a single moment of hesitation, Scarlet gave a firm nod. "Yes."

?"Alright, then before you accept—" Smith began, intending to advise her to find a comfortable resting place first.

?However, before he could finish his sentence, Scarlet closed her eyes.

?The moment she selected ’Yes’ on her interface, her body went completely limp, and she collapsed toward the floor. Smith was left utterly speechless. He had wanted to warn her that initiating a trial required her physical body to be safely rested but it was already too late.

?"Astra, give me a hand," Smith signaled quickly.

?Astra understood instantly. Moving forward, she gently scooped up Scarlet’s unconscious body and carried her toward one of the emergency mattress. After placing her, Smith let out a long sigh and prepared himself for a wait.

?Meanwhile, on the other end of the transition, Scarlet felt as though she had been thrust into a turbulent, dizzying roller coaster ride.

?When her consciousness finally stabilized and she opened her eyes, a wave of intense nausea hit her, almost making her throw up on the spot. Had Smith been present, he would have deeply empathized with her suffering, as he endured that exact same disorienting sensation every time he was pulled into a trial ground.

?Taking a moment to compose herself, Scarlet looked around. She quickly realized she was floating in an unfamiliar, phantom-like state. Her body lacked physical mass, existing purely as an intangible spirit—much like how Smith first returned to take Brenda.

?Surveying her surroundings, her eyes widened in shock. The room was intimately familiar. It was her private office—the very chamber where she worked and rested. Looking toward the window, she noted that the sky outside was bright. It appeared to be in the afternoon.

?Suddenly, a panicked voice echoed from outside the doors, shouting frantically. "My Queen! My Queen! Great news! We just received a emergency report—the Princess and the others have been located! But if we don’t move immediately, we won’t make it in time!"

?Before the words fully finished, the heavy double doors of the office were pushed open. A man in his early thirties rushed in, wearing formal high-ranking military garments. His posture and demeanor clearly belonged to someone holding immense authority over armed forces.

?Scarlet stared at the man in surprise. He looked strikingly familiar, yet several years younger than the version she remembered. A powerful wave of deja vu washed over her, making her feel as though she had lived this exact moment once before.

?Just as Scarlet struggled to recall when this memory had taken place, the inner chamber doors on the far side of the office swung open.

?A majestic, familiar figure stepped out from the inner quarters. As Scarlet fixed her eyes upon the woman who stepped into the sunlight, the forgotten memory suddenly clicked in her mind, and she instantly remembered exactly when and where this fateful scene had occurred.