Is this really a Game?!

Chapter 1077: The Difficulty of the Second Trial

The elf's eyes widened in shock before her body went limp and crumpled to the ground. Aelrinder withdrew his spear, his face a mask of determination and focus.

Ding!

[ Victory: Aelrinder of the 'Heaven's Hooligans' ]

The crowd erupted in applause, their cheers a testament to Aelrinder's skill and precision. He took a moment to catch his breath before returning to his team, his mind already shifting to the upcoming challenges.

Next up was Greenie. He stepped into the arena, his large frame imposing and ready for battle. His opponent, a muscular orc with a massive war hammer, met his gaze with fierce determination.

"Let's see what you've got, big guy," the orc growled.

Greenie grinned, his eyes narrowing with focus. "Bring it on."

The signal was given, and the battle began.

Greenie charged forward with surprising speed for his size, his fists clenched and ready. For this battle, he was not going to use his hammer.

The reason for that was simple, the orc was using one, and Greenie wanted to try something out, he wanted to apply some techniques he had learned from Jin and the others, which he had deemed as very effective against opponents who wore little armor and a heavy weapon.

Another reason was even simpler, and that was that Greenie felt very little threat from the orc and had deemed him as an opponent who could not defeat him.

The orc swung his war hammer in a wide arc, but Greenie ducked under the blow and delivered a powerful punch to the orc's midsection. The impact sent the orc staggering backward, but he quickly recovered and swung his hammer again.

Greenie blocked the strike with his forearm, the force of the blow causing him to grit his teeth. He retaliated with a series of rapid punches, each one aimed at vulnerable points on the orc's body. The orc growled in pain and frustration, his swings becoming more desperate and less accurate.

The crowd watched in awe as the two titans clashed, their blows echoing through the arena. Greenie's strength and resilience were matched only by his opponent's ferocity, but he knew he needed to find a way to end the battle quickly.

With a sudden burst of speed, Greenie closed the distance and grabbed the orc's arm, twisting it and forcing the war hammer to the ground. He delivered a powerful knee strike to the orc's chest, followed by a devastating uppercut that sent the orc sprawling.

Greenie stood over his fallen opponent, his fists ready for any further resistance, but the orc had already extended his hand forward.

"I yield."

Greenie stopped and glanced down before nodding his head helping the orc up and patting him on the shoulder.

"Not bad, but you need to train more."

With those words, Greenie merely turned around and returned to his team.

Ding!

[ Victory: Greenie of the 'Heaven's Hooligans' ]

The crowd erupted in applause once more, their cheers a testament to Greenie's strength and determination. He helped his opponent to his feet, offering a nod of respect before returning to his team.

Finally, it was Shadow's turn. He stepped into the arena, his daggers gleaming in the dim light. His opponent, a tall and lean figure clad in dark robes, wielded a pair of serrated daggers.

"Let's see how well you can use those daggers," the figure hissed.

Shadow nodded, his expression calm and focused. "Let's."

The signal was given, and the battle began.

Shadow moved with fluid grace, his daggers a blur as he closed the distance. His opponent met him head-on, their weapons clashing in a flurry of strikes and parries. The two combatants moved like wraiths, their forms blurring as they exchanged blows.

The crowd watched in rapt attention, captivated by the deadly dance unfolding before them. Shadow's agility and precision were matched by his opponent's speed and cunning, each strike and counterstrike a testament to their skill and experience.

Shadow's mind raced as he analyzed his opponent's movements, looking for any sign of weakness. He noticed a slight hesitation in his opponent's footwork, a momentary lapse in balance that he could exploit. With a sudden burst of speed, Shadow feigned a strike to his opponent's left side, drawing a parry, and then swiftly shifted his attack to the right.

His daggers found their mark, slicing through his opponent's defenses and drawing blood. The figure staggered back, a snarl of pain escaping their lips. Shadow pressed his advantage, delivering a series of rapid strikes that forced his opponent to the defensive.

The figure's movements became more erratic, their attacks less precise. Shadow could see the fatigue setting in, and he knew he had to end the battle swiftly. With a final, decisive strike, he disarmed his opponent, sending their daggers clattering to the ground.

Shadow was about to offer his opponent the chance to yield, but his opponent was faster. With his bare hands, the opponent tried to jab at Shadow's eyes, trying to momentarily blind him and take advantage in the battle, only for Shadow to click his tongue in annoyance before dodging the blow.

He didn't give the opponent the chance to do anything else.

One dagger struck the neck of the opponent while the other one went straight through his eye, ending his life instantly.

Ding!

[ Victory: Shadow of the 'Heaven's Hooligans' ]

The crowd erupted in applause, their cheers a testament to Shadow's skill and determination. He helped his opponent to their feet, offering a nod of respect before returning to his team.

With all members of the Heaven's Hooligans securing their victories, the team gathered together, their spirits high and their determination unwavering. They had managed to pass the trial.

"Wait, why is the system not announcing that we have passed?" Reign suddenly asked as the elven woman appeared behind them.

"Because you haven't, not yet."

"There's more?" Reign asked her, which caused her to chuckle.

"Of course, don't you remember what you were told?" The woman asked them with a smile before sighing.

"The trial will last for three days, and at the end of those 3 days, you need to have more victories than defeats."

"You still have a couple of battles to go through today, and then the following 2 days, good luck to you."

Reign and his team exchanged determined glances, understanding that the trials were far from over. They had to maintain their focus and stamina over the next few days to ensure they came out victorious. The elven woman's words hung in the air as they prepared for the next round of battles.

They took a brief respite to recover and strategize. Each member had shown their individual prowess, but they needed to ensure consistency and adaptability in the upcoming fights. They gathered in their quarters, discussing tactics and offering support to one another.

Reign addressed the team, his voice steady and confident. "We've done well so far, but we need to stay sharp."

"The next rounds will test our endurance and our ability to adapt, it seems this trial will be quite more challenging than the ones we did before."

The team nodded in agreement, their resolve strengthened by Reign's words. Following that, the battles continued, and Reign and the others had to fight a couple more times, winning most battles, but even losing some.

As the sun began to set, casting long shadows across the arena, the elven woman reappeared to escort them to their accommodations so that they could rest before continuing with the trial tomorrow. The atmosphere was charged with anticipation as they made their way back to the arena.

Two days later, Reign stood at the center of the arena, the crowd chanting his name and cheering him on as his opponent lay dead on the ground.

Blood dripped from his body and swords as he took a deep breath before smiling. This was the final battle, and with this, the trial was over.

As they had suspected, this trial proved to be anything but easy.

They had all lost some battles, it was inevitable as they would get very tired near the end of the day, and their opponents were nothing to scoff at most of the time.

The second day was quite rough as weapons were not allowed, but everything else was. Using their abilities, their skills, everything was allowed.

Most of them had no issues with that, especially Jin who was a master at fighting in such a manner, but that didn't mean they had it easy. Fighting without a weapon was quite weird for them now, and even though they adapted quickly, they had to use more strength, mana, and stamina during each battle and were getting injured a bit more easily.

The third day, however, had no limitations.

The only issue was the arena that constantly changed and produced different kinds of traps, which could easily be set off, dealing immense damage and sometimes killing somebody.

But even then, they persevered and managed to come out of the trial victorious, all of them.