Chapter 220: Team Trials (1)

The morning of the Team Trials arrived with grey skies and a cold wind.

Nathan stood in the staging area with his party, watching the other Climbers gather. Thousands of participants from every nation filled the space. The air was thick with tension and anticipation.

The giant holographic figure appeared above the arena, the referee. It’s orb head displayed a neutral expression as it spoke.

"Team Trials. Participants will be randomly assigned to mixed teams of five. Each team will enter a dungeon with a single objective: reach the boss room, retrieve the objective, and escape. Your performance will be scored based on teamwork, efficiency, and completion. The highest-scoring teams advance."

The display shifted. Team assignments appeared on the board.

Nathan found his name. His team:

· Nathan Cross (Central Federation — Archer)

· Kaito Shimizu (Eastern Dominion — Sword Saint)

· Amara Okoye (Free Territories — Spirit Hunter)

· Park Ji-ho (Southern Republic — Marksman)

· Sigrid Olsson (Northern Coalition — Valkyrie)

Nathan looked at the list. Kaito. The Sword Saint who had dismissed him at the opening ceremony. This was going to be interesting.

---

The five Climbers gathered in a preparation room.

The tension was immediate. Kaito stood apart from the others, arms crossed, his sword at his hip. He was tall and broad-shouldered, with the bearing of a man who had never lost a fight. His eyes were sharp, his expression confident.

"An Archer as our leader," Kaito said. "This is a waste of time."

"I’m not the leader per se..." Nathan replied. "We’re all equals here."

"Equals?" Kaito scoffed. "I am a Sword Saint. You are a B-Rank Archer with a high efficiency score. We are not equals."

Amara stepped between them. The Spirit Hunter from the Free Territories was calm and welcoming, her eyes bright with curiosity. "The spirits say we should work together. Fighting each other before the trial begins is foolish."

Park Ji-ho, the Marksman from the Southern Republic, nodded. He was lean and practical, his rifle slung across his back. "She’s right. We can argue later. Right now, we need a plan."

Sigrid Olsson, the Valkyrie from the Northern Coalition, spoke for the first time. She was tall and strong, her spear resting against her shoulder. "I’ve studied dungeon formations. If we coordinate, we can clear this quickly."

Nathan looked at each of them. "Then let’s coordinate. I’ll analyze the dungeon’s patterns. Kaito, you’re our frontline. Amara, you support with spirits. Park, you provide ranged cover. Sigrid, you’re our second tank. We move fast, we stay together, and we don’t take unnecessary risks."

Kaito said nothing. But he didn’t argue.

---

The team entered the dungeon.

It was a labyrinth of stone corridors and shifting walls. Monsters spawned from the shadows—Goblin Warriors, Stone Golems, Flame Wisps. The air was cold and damp. The only light came from the team’s own mana.

Nathan activated [Hunter’s Insight]. The dungeon’s patterns became visible—monster spawn points, hidden paths, environmental hazards.

"Left corridor is a dead end," he said. "Right corridor leads to a trap. We go center."

Kaito moved ahead, his sword flashing. He cut through monsters with impossible speed. His blade was a blur, his movements precise and deadly. But he didn’t wait for the team. He charged ahead, leaving the others behind.

"Kaito! Stay with the group!" Nathan called.

Kaito didn’t listen. He disappeared around a corner.

The team followed. They found Kaito surrounded by a dozen Stone Golems. He was fighting them off, but they were overwhelming him. His speed was useless against their numbers. His sword sparked against their rocky hides.

Nathan didn’t hesitate. "Amara! Support Kaito! Park, cover fire! Sigrid, with me!"

The team moved as one. Amara’s spirits wrapped around Kaito, healing his wounds. Park’s bullets tore through the Golems’ cores. Sigrid and Nathan flanked from the sides.

The Golems fell.

Kaito looked at Nathan. His expression was unreadable. "You... coordinated that quickly."

"I’ve had practice," Nathan said.

Kaito was quiet for a moment. Then he nodded slowly. "Perhaps you are not entirely useless."

"High praise for a mere archer..." Nathan said dryly.

Amara laughed. "He definitely likes you now. That’s the closest he’s ever come to a compliment so far."

"I do not like him," Kaito said. "I tolerate him. As his superior!"

"Same thing," Park said.

---

The team reached the boss room.

It was a massive chamber with a single objective at the center—a crystal. Guarding it was a Chimera, a creature that combined features from every nation’s iconic monsters. It had a dragon’s head, a lion’s body, a serpent’s tail, and wings of lightning.

The Chimera attacked. It was fast, strong, and adaptive. It changed its tactics based on the team’s movements.

Nathan analyzed it with [Hunter’s Insight]. "It adapts to our patterns. We need to change tactics mid-fight. Kaito, you’re the distraction. Amara, support him. Park, target its eyes. Sigrid, protect Park. I’ll find its core."

The team moved. Kaito charged, his sword blazing. The Chimera roared and focused on him. Amara’s spirits healed him as he fought. Park fired at its eyes. Sigrid blocked its tail. Nathan circled, looking for the core.

He found it—buried deep in the Chimera’s chest, protected by layers of scale and bone.

"[Death’s Homing Compass]," Nathan whispered. The sigil appeared over the core. He charged [Focus Shot]. Sixty seconds.

The Chimera screamed. It threw Kaito back. It turned toward Nathan. It charged.

"Now!" Nathan released.

The arrow punched through the Chimera’s chest, through the scales, through the bone, and into the core. The creature froze. Then it dissolved.

The crystal was theirs.

---

The team retrieved the crystal. The dungeon began to collapse. They needed to escape.

But as they ran toward the exit, the walls shifted. A new corridor appeared—one that wasn’t there before.

"That’s not on the map," Park said.

Nathan’s [Hunter’s Insight] flared. The corridor was wrong. The mana signature was different. It wasn’t part of the dungeon.

"What is that?" Sigrid asked.

Kaito stepped forward, his sword raised. "Something is here."

From the corridor, a figure emerged. It was humanoid, wrapped in grey robes, its face hidden by a hood. It didn’t speak. It just watched.

Then more figures appeared behind it.

Nathan counted at least five. Maybe more.

"Who are you?" Nathan demanded.

The lead figure tilted its head. Then it spoke, its voice soft and cold.

"We are the ones who have been watching. The ones who have been waiting. The ones who will decide if you are worthy..."

---

In the stands, Dillon watched the broadcast.

The crowd was cheering, but Dillon wasn’t paying attention to the fight. He had been watching the crowd itself.

There was a group of figures in grey cloaks, standing in the upper stands. They hadn’t been there before. They weren’t journalists. They weren’t guild scouts. They weren’t tournament officials. Nor did they feel like ordinary spectators.

They were just... there. Watching. Weirdly.

Dillon frowned. He didn’t know who they were. But something about them gave him a bad feeling.

So, He decided to investigate.