---
"And this is the last one," Robin said as he picked up the final essence from the ground.
He and Mina, after collecting the essence from the monsters they hunted, started walking toward Arya, who was cleaning his sword.
"Only two hours are remaining before the trial is over, and both Robin and I have 50 essences each. Our levels also reached level 20," Mina said with a big smile plastered on her face.
She was very happy, though they had to run a lot to save their asses from the monsters during the initial phase. But it was a great and fast way to earn essence and level up.
Arya, after cleaning his sword covered in monster blood, turned towards Mina and Robin and said, "Well, it was a good cooperation, but it ends here. As you have your required number of essences, you can go to the next stage."
"W-what?! Why?! We were such a great team. We can work more if you want! Please don't leave us like this," Mina begged Arya, knowing he would go far in the real world and the tower. This was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity they couldn't miss.
"Ye-yeah, we can be your servants if you want, so please don't do this," Robin pleaded.
"I said this was a 'good' cooperation as long as it lasted, but it ends here. And I'm warning you, don't make me repeat myself," Arya said in a cold voice.
Seeing his glare, both Robin and Mina turned silent, remembering how Arya killed those monsters.
Arya, who had lived more than a decade in the tower and reached the top of the world, knew what both Mina and Robin were thinking—to get his help to climb the ladder of the world. But Arya's goal was to become the strongest, and he couldn't do that with such baggage. Neither he wanted to. So, he nipped it in the bud.
"Let's go to the Central Zone," Arya said, starting to walk towards the exit. Mina and Robin followed.
---
As more people gathered around the Central Zone, waiting for the gate to materialize, it appeared when the two-hour mark hit the clock. The gate was a purple-colored spiral, with about a 1-meter radius.
Seeing the gate, a few who had already collected the essence started walking towards it and moved to the next stage, but that count didn't exceed fifty.
Many others who had collected the full amount of essences were waiting for their teammates who still didn't have the full amount to gather them.
When people were talking and pressuring each other to get the essence, a group of three people reached the central area.
For many, it was nothing special as many people were arriving each second. But for those who were here during the resting time before the third tutorial trial, they knew who the guy was—Arya, walking towards the central area with Mina and Robin closely following behind. They still remembered how he bisected those girth worms like a piece of paper.
Arya, after reaching the central area, noticed that around 550 people were present. He also noticed the purple wormhole.
In his previous life, Arya was able to collect fifty essences alone, so he passed the stage as soon as the gate appeared. But he got to know how people used every trick possible to get the essence from others during the tutorial.
Arya, after walking, stopped near the gate. He then took out a big box from his inventory. Essence—around a thousand essences were in that box. He placed the box in front of him and drew a circle around it.
"Those who want to buy essence can buy it at 100 points per essence. If you want to buy, only then enter the circle. If you don't want to buy, don't enter the circle, no matter what," he shouted. People came out of their daze, astonished by the amount of essence.
"B-but I bought a sword with all my points. I don't have a single point," one person shouted in fear.
"You can sell anything in the shop—your weapon, your stats," Arya replied.
People who didn't have the essence got scared as they were in a tough situation. Passing the trial was crucial to staying alive, but their stats were important for their future endeavors in the tower and world.
"Ahhh, fuck! I can climb the tower only if I'm alive, so what if I sell a single stat?" someone shouted, selling one of his stats.
Following him, many others started selling their items.
While all this was happening, Max remained silent, thinking. Then he started walking towards Arya.
"Don't enter the circle," Arya said before Max placed his leg inside, which scared Max, making him subconsciously step back.
This made Max angry. How could some nobody order him?
"Listen up, you bastard. Give me all of your essence and points if you want to live," Max demanded, as all his hundred members circled around the circle drawn by Arya.
"Remember what I said last time," Arya said nonchalantly, as if the hundred people didn't matter to him.
"You...! Fuck it! Everyone attack and kill this bastard," Max roared, and all his hundred members attacked Arya.
*Slash*
Arya did a quick 360° slash, killing all who entered the circle.
"I said it, but this is the last time I'm saying it. Don't enter the circle," he stated coldly.
Though Arya had just killed five people, Max didn't believe he would do the same if more than a dozen attacked him simultaneously.
"Attack him! Are you all deaf? He is stronger than you, so attack all together," Max ordered his members, who were scared after Arya easily killed those people.
Though reluctant, they had no other choice, so they jumped at Arya.
"Yaaaaaa!!!!"
"Die, you bastard!"
"Well, if that's your wish, let me fulfill it," Arya said, turning into a blur and killing everyone.
*Slash*
"Ahhhhhh."
*Thud*
"No, I don't want to die-."
*Slash*
"Please-."
*Thud*.
*Slash*
"Spare me, ple-"
*Thud*
As Arya killed them, they begged and screamed, but he didn't care. He killed them, and soon many bodies littered the area around the circle.
This scared everyone—Max, Robin, Mina, and all the others present. When people saw those essences, many had greedy thoughts. But now, all of those thoughts vanished.