Armipotent

[00:04:27]

Tang Shaoyang checked the timer, and he still had four minutes until the trial started. The usually crowded street was empty. Through his Chaos Eyes, he saw people gathering at the square in front of the gate of the city. There were four gates, north, west, south, and east. From the look of it, it seemed like the two thousand participants split evenly among the four gates.

"Where should I go?" He muttered to himself before deciding to go to the closer gate, the north gate. It just took him less than a minute with how fast he walked. Even though he had been exploring the city in the last two days. This was his first time coming to the gate.

The black steel gate was closed. The thirty-meter-tall gate towered over them, stretched out with the stone wall. He just realized that his Chaos Eyes could not see what was beyond the city wall and gate. There was a barrier that prevented him from seeing through.

Tang Shaoyang scratched his forehead as he remembered what Ira told him earlier. He did not have a party, and he did not look for information for the trial either. That was because he assumed that everyone who participated in the trial was new just like him. But then he realized that these people might know more about the trial than him because of their faction.

'What are you going to do? Follow your original plan?' Zara asked.

Even though he did not search for information about the trial actively. He had a plan in mind. The plan was to map the area, not immediately hunting the Calamity. The ideal situation was where he could hunt the Calamity without anyone watching. He wanted to keep his class and ability secret, especially when there were two more stages after Calamity Hunting.

'They added more time limits, so yeah we will go with the original plan. Let's scout the area and look for the ideal spot to hunt. We also need to look for a specific Calamity to trade with Duvrag and Cladeos Emporium.'

The murmuring discussion between the participants filled the square. It seemed like they were nervous. He was surprised how these people acted like someone with no experience. Since they were here, that meant they fought a hundred Demi-God Rank and won. There was no need for them to be nervous like this. That was what he thought as he watched these people from the sideline.

He leaned his back against the building and scanned the square. There was no familiar face. He was glad that Agnes and Castor were not here. He checked the timer, and it was fifty-six seconds until the trial started.

"Are you really not going to join a party?" A familiar voice entered his ear. It was Ira's voice. She stopped next to him, leaning her back on the wall with him, "Did I really make the right decision to place the bet on you?"

"I told you to share the bet with me. That might motivate me more," Tang Shaoyang furrowed his brow, noticing the other participants started looking in his direction. He glanced at Ira and realized why he caught people's attention, "Is it because of you?"

"What are you talking about?" Ira smiled innocently.

That smile was an answer. He realized why people paid attention to him. It was because of her, and the other participants' reaction. It seemed Ira was a big shot.

"Did you guys hold the tournament to reduce the number of participants?" Moving away from Ira right now would not change his situation. He used this moment to ask the thing he was curious about. That was his feeling about the tournament, to reduce the number of participants.

"You are thinking too much. The tournament is a tradition and also for the sake of entertainment. An entertainment for us and give you guys a chance to win something big from the tournament." Ira chuckled, shaking her head, "Divine Dragon is a top-tier bloodline. I am surprised you did not join."

"Also, new participants are replacing the people who died in the tournament. The number of participants is still two thousand people."

Tang Shaoyang checked the timer for the last time. There were still twenty-six seconds, "I have one last question for you."

"I will answer your question if you promise me to take this Calamity Hunting seriously," She smiled brilliantly.

"I never planned to go easy in this trial," Tang Shaoyang pushed up from the wall and turned toward Ira, "Is there another way to participate in the Trial of God?"

Ira raised her right eyebrow, a little bit confused for a moment. But then she was quick to catch on, "You finally figured it out. You are one of 27 unique participants in this trial. And yes, there are several methods to participate in the trial. The most common method is being a God Rank's descendant. Your God Rank parents or God Rank Grandparents can recommend you to participate in the trial. Now I will be waiting for your good result."

As Ira finished her words, the sound of the gate opening resounded.

Tang Shaoyang turned toward the gate and found out that the sky he saw every day was artificial. That was the reason why there was no night and afternoon. The sunlight entered the city through the opened gate.

"Good luck. I hope you don't die on the first day," Ira tapped his shoulder two times. When Tang Shaoyang turned toward Ira, she had already disappeared.

The participants swarmed toward the gate, leaving a few parties behind. These few parties had the same thought as Tang Shaoyang, This was not a store where you could get many Calamity just because you went out first.

Tang Shaoyang took his time, heading toward the gate. Ira told him this world was calamity-infested. He thought it made this world a ruined world. But to his surprise, the outside view was amazing. It was a flat land with grass and looked like a football field. A well-maintained grass field, out of human touch.

The soil road connected to the city. He scanned the area outside the city, and it was safe. There was no monster, let alone a Calamity. Since Ira mentioned this world was calamity-

infested. He thought he would find a calamity anywhere. But it looked like the area around the city, stretched out to ten kilometers, was a safe area.

"If you are not in a hurry, you will not get the prey, young man."

Tang Shaoyang turned toward the voice and found two men in plate armor. The two men with white hair and a white thick beard. They looked like they were in their fifties or even sixties. But he would not underestimate as soon as he felt the deep and firm aura.

"I still have forty-five days to catch up, old men. I am going to take my time and pass safely," He waved his hand at the two old guards and disappeared from their sight.

and firm aura.

"I still have forty-five days to catch up, old men. I am going to The two old men let out a chuckle and started their duty as the guards of the city. The two old men were Admin Assistants and their current assignment was to act as a guard.

*** ***

Tang Shaoyang followed the soil road. The soil road led him to the forest after running for ten kilometers. He stopped in front of the forest and scanned the forest with his Chaos Eyes.

Unfortunately, his Chaos Eyes could not scan the entire forest. That was how big the forest was.

"Hah…." He let out a sigh as he felt so small. The tree reached up to twenty meters tall with thick leaves. The leaf itself was unique. He never saw a tree with round leaves. The tree's trunk was maybe around six to seven in diameter, producing big branches.

Tang Shaoyang took his first step into the forest, and the soil road was cut a few meters into the forest. The massive root that came out from the ground cut the soil road. There was no path in the forest. As he got deeper into the forest, the grass became taller and taller. It started around his ankle, and the grass now reached his chest.

He jumped into the massive branch. Traveling between the trees might be the best way to explore the forest. He was about to activate his Chaos Eyes to scout the forest until a booming voice interrupted him.

"This is the Sorc Clan's hunting ground! Leave the forest immediately!"

Tang Shaoyang looked toward the voice and found the source of the voice. It was a beast folk, who looked like a bear folk with the size of his body and his obvious bear-like head.

He clicked his tongue. The trial just started, and it seemed the trouble was coming to him already.

'Sorc Clan… Does anyone know about this Sorc Clan?' Since this bear person announced the clan. It must be a famous clan.

He started to understand what it meant to gather information. Information was not just about the trial itself, but the force that participated in the trial. But he could not be blamed for that as he just found out that there were several ways to participate in this trial. He did not expect that many people from the same factions would participate.

Of course, none of his spirits knew this Sorc Clan. He assumed this Sorc Clan was an ancient clan or something since the bear folk mentioned that name proudly. Or maybe the bear folk just underestimated him just because he was alone.

"Don't mind me. I will not disturb your Sorc Clan's hunt."

Instead of confronting the bear folk, he used Heavenly Ethereal Shift. Similar to [Blink], but in fact, it was just a movement skill where his body became invisible. He avoided The Sorc Clan and entered deeper into the forest while activating Chaos Eyes. It was to make sure that he did not meet with the other Sorc Clan's members.