Episode 31. Black Dream Forest (4)
Connected to the banquet hall building, there was a small building for the participants. All the participants went in there and waited anxiously for the sun to rise.
“I’m sleepy. I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep.”
Hamilton said, rubbing his eyes.
“Hehe, looking at the sleep chatter, it seems like it’s already been decided who will be eliminated first.”
“Don’t worry, even if I’m eliminated, I’ll take you with me no matter what.”
Hamilton and Kuhn glared at each other.
Then Kun turned his head towards Rubin.
“Rubin, can I make a recommendation? I have an idea for you, a suitable Roynenser.”
Each family has identified their candidates for the Roynenser. If so, they have already decided which Roynenser they should aim for first.
“A very fine vassal of our family has recently been granted the title of Roynenser. His name is Kuze Martin, and I think he would suit you well.”
Then, Kun giggled.
It was sarcasm, not sincerity. Among the candidates for this Lewinser, Kuze Martin was the vassal with the lowest chance of being chosen.
Kuze, a vassal of the Kun family, has recently failed a series of missions. Although he has the skills of a 4-star or higher and possesses all the virtues required for a Roynenser, he has already been branded a failure by the Crokison family due to his recent failures.
“And I will bring you Bikander of Roinenga. Or Trikang and Burso would be good too.”
If Kuze was the lowest-ranking candidate for Roinense, Vikander was the opposite. Vikander, who had achieved great success, was the vassal that all heads of households wanted to bring in as their children’s teacher.
Trikang and Burso were also excellent vassals of the Roinen family.
‘Bikandel is a complete Roynenser with strengths in all aspects. Trikang is specialized in stealth, and Burso is specialized in tracking.’
“Kun, can you stop now? I can’t stand it anymore! Should I tell the other contestants about the story of how I broke up with Master Rubin during the first round?”
Hamilton, who had been listening, stepped forward.
Only Hamill knew that Rubin had crushed Kuhn in the last exam. Everyone else still thought Rubin had won by luck.
“Shut up, you weakling. Watch this carefully, because this time it’s going to be different. I’m going to trample on you and Rubin just as much!”
Kun jumped up from his seat. His steps, which were about to go outside, stopped abruptly because of Rubin’s words.
“I will seriously consider your advice.”
“what?”
“I mean, bring Kuze Martin to my Leinense.”
“Are you kidding me?”
“I’m going to win first place this time anyway. If I take the vassal you hate, I think our skill gap will be balanced.”
“Scream louder, you punk!”
Kun turned and approached Rubin, stomping his feet. With the heads of the households in the banquet hall, a fight was about to break out.
Hamilton stood up and tried to stop Kuhn.
At that moment, the door opened and a voice stopped Kun.
“Your Majesty, please stop. There is no good in causing trouble before the exam.”
It was Kuze, a vassal of the Crokison family and the candidate for the lowest rank of Roynenser. After him, there was also Vikander, who was in charge of Rubin’s security.
“Master Rubin, what’s wrong?”
“No, it’s okay. I thought Kun was scared. I was trying to calm him down.”
“… See you at dawn, Rubin.”
Kun, who was very angry, just left. Kuze followed him, but soon he heard Kun swearing.
“Get out! You loser.”
Rubin watched the scene intently.
Just before dawn, nine participants walked along the dim forest path. Each family head followed behind the participants, keeping a distance from them.
As I walked deeper into the forest, the darkness that filled the Black Dream Forest grew more intense.
The fog was thick and settled between the dense trees. The fog here was unusually gray. However, unlike the fog at Gilfield’s Arboretum or the Roinen Manor, it was not poisonous.
The footsteps of the heads of households following the participants stopped.
“You should think carefully about why this place is called the Dream Forest.”
It was the Lane Croquis family, he continued.
“We’ve reached this point. Now, let’s move forward together as participants.”
The children carefully walked forward, leaving the heads of the households behind. One of the heads of the households, who was watching their backs, opened his mouth.
“I wonder if there will be a child who survives until the end.”
“We’ll have to wait and see. There are a lot of exceptionally talented kids among this year’s contestants.”
Chairs were provided so that students could remain until the test was over, but most of the parents decided to wait standing.
The second choice wasn’t a long test, probably no longer than 20 minutes.
However, there was a time difference between where the lords were standing and inside the Black Dream Forest. It was a difference of ten times.
That is, when 20 minutes pass outside, 200 minutes pass inside.
Why this time difference occurs is a mystery that has yet to be solved, despite the long history of the Assassin Swordsmanship.
“It’s already been two minutes. It’s almost time for the first person to be eliminated.”
I just saw the backs of the kids getting buried in the fog. And then, the first person actually dropped out.
“Come!”
The scattered heads of the Reincroquis family gathered together at the words of the head of the family who was standing at the very front.
Shhhhhhhh.
Something approached through the thick fog before my eyes, with a sound of dragging on the ground. Soon, the object came to a stop in the middle of the village.
“Who is it?”
The owners couldn’t immediately tell who the loser was, because he was wrapped in thick spider webs from head to toe, as if he were being held in a jar the size of his body.
“I will check.”
The Reincroki family took out their daggers and stabbed the child into the thread that was imprisoning him. As soon as they cut through the thread, it split in two with a cracking sound.
“Damn it!”
The Lanecroki family shouted. He stepped forward to check and it turned out to be his son.
“The second dropout is coming.”
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The heads of the households turned their heads.
Another thread of thread pierced through the fog. This time it was a bit bigger. The owners couldn’t take their eyes off of it, wondering who it could be this time.
* * *
Before the contestant from the Reincrocchi family is trapped in a spider’s web and carried outside.
The children, unaware of what was about to happen, continued to walk through the thick, gray fog.
The children did not realize that time flowed differently outside and inside, and they just thought that a lot of time had passed.
“Aren’t you cold?”
Someone said that, but the subsequent response was the opposite.
“You’re cold? I’m so hot right now.”
‘The participants who haven’t bloomed yet. Has it already started?’
While Rubin, Kuhn, and Hamil didn’t feel anything unusual, the regular participants began to gasp for breath and start to shake.
“Did you see it?”
“What are you talking about?”
“A little while ago, a large object appeared in front of me… … .”
“Shut up, you little shits! This is really unbearable!”
Eventually, Kun ran towards them, shouting. The participants from the Kalkrid and Reincroki families bumped into Kun’s body and fell to the ground.
“I thought that unlucky Hamil would be the first to be eliminated, but there were weaker guys.”
As Kuhn spat on the floor in disdain, Hamill approached the two contestants.
“Are you okay? The test hasn’t even started yet. I have to go further.”
“Are you seeing things? Are you scared? Then get out of here right now.”
Kun shouted. But once he entered the Black Dream Forest, it was impossible to leave on foot.
“No. We all have to move forward together.”
Rubin, who had been watching, said.
“If even one person is missing, the test won’t start. You all know that, right?”
Each of them would have secretly heard explanations from their respective lords. However, overcoming fear within the cruel clutches of the Black Dream Forest was an individual matter.
Eventually, the Kalkrid and Reincroquis participants got up from their seats only after Kun kicked them.
After walking like that for a while again.
“It’s a pond.”
Hamilton pointed ahead and said, It was not an illusion, it was real. The participants stopped walking.
When a large pond suddenly appeared, I was at a loss as to what to do. Should I go around the pond and continue forward, or should I go inside the pond?
At that moment, the sound of something multi-legged moving busily filled the surroundings.
And then the eerie laughter that followed.
“Are they participants?”
Laughter was echoing from the middle of the pond.
‘The eerie laughter is still there.’
A giant spider descending on a thread above the pond. She was the queen of the invitation spiders and the master of the Black Dream Forest.
“I feel so good when I see these sunflower assassins.”
The size of the dream spider was so large that it took up more than half of the pond. The spider hung on a silk that descended from the sky and swung from side to side like a pendulum.
“Tick, tick, tick. Now, it’s time to look into your memories. Everyone, get into the pond. Every single one of you.”
As soon as he finished speaking, hundreds of spiders appeared out of nowhere and surrounded the children.
Sshasashaa. Sshasashaa.
The spiders made a harsh noise and separated the children one by one. The children walked to the edge of the black pond, each of them following the spiders’ lead. The water was just deep enough to cover their ankles.
Sshasasaa! Sshasasaa!
As the participants all stood in their places, the spiders began to cry in unison. Their eyes, which looked like they were embroidered with thousands of grains, shone smoothly.
“Shall we begin now?”
The dream spider didn’t hesitate. Its huge body plunged deep into the pond in an instant. It was a strange movement that didn’t even create a small ripple on the surface.
It was the moment when the ‘second selection’ finally began.
“Kuaaaah!”
“Eww!”
All the children who were dipping their feet in the pond were suddenly dragged into the pond.
