Inhuman Warlock

"Now that the teams are finalized, let me tell you. The teams you made just now? Those teams will stay the same until the last trial. And only three of the teams will reach the last trial, depending on how they do from now on."

"Each Trial will give a team points based on the ranking they achieve, and the points will be shared by the entire team with the Captain getting forty percent of the points, the other two will share thirty thirty."

"The teams will be dissolved after the second last trial, and the nine players from those three teams will have a chance of becoming a Captain Rank promotion."

"It doesn't matter if you're in the top nine based on your points at the end of the second last trial. If you're not a part of the top three teams, you won't go ahead. So I hope you all understand how important Teamwork is going to be for you all," the old man said, especially glancing at Lucifer and Ron.

He believed those two were the candidates that were sure to reach the top nine based on their individual performance, but with the members they had selected, their teams were at a real disadvantage. He had a feeling that those two hit an ax on their feet by not taking the team's thing seriously.

On the other hand, Mander and Raayi were sure to go to the finals based on the teams they had selected. Their teams were technically the strongest. That meant there was only one team's spot available for the finals, which could be taken by either Lucifer or Ron, unless the two could pull off a miracle to oust one of the two strongest teams.

Because Ron had effectively nerfed himself by making such a weak team, even the other participants had a chance of getting ahead of him to reach the finals.

The old man was really curious as to how everything was going to unfold.

"Alright. Now that the teams are final, we can begin with the first trial. You must perform well in this if you want to reach the finals since each point will matter at this moment!"

The people who had selected the strong teams of Mander and Raayi were too happy. They had basically reached the top six without doing anything. Even the lowest Ranked members couldn't believe it. They were really happy with the rules since it meant they could reach the top nine as well because they were with Ron.

Ron appeared to be really careless. He didn't look even the slightest worried. It was the same for Lucifer.

Lucifer was slightly taken aback by this whole arrangement since he didn't know what kind of Trials were going to be there, but as long as the Trials didn't need the Team Members to perform individually, he was fine.

"Everyone, sit down wherever you are," the old man commanded.

Following his commands, everyone sat down.

"That's it. That's the trial. Keep sitting there. The one who can stay seated for longer, they will win."

"Simple, isn't it?" The old man asked, seemingly amused.

All the participants were confused. What did he mean this was the Trial? How could sitting be the Trial? It was effortless. They didn't need any skills for it. Even the weakest could sit for as long as they please.

"That's it. That's all the instructions for you. Whoever stands up or lies down they are considered out. The ranks are decided based on which team gets out first and so on."

"If even one member of your team can stay seated until the end, that team will get the most points."

"So, best of luck, young people. I'll see you when everything is over."

"Also, you are allowed to stand if you need to take nature's call but only two times a day, so use your tries wisely. And even then, you can't stay up for more than five minutes."

After issuing the most basic of instructions, the man just flew away. Not only him but all the Instructors also left. Other than the participants, no one else was there on top of the mountains.

"What are they doing? Is no one going to be here? What if someone cheats?" A young man asked, stunned that they were abandoned.

"You idiot, they had placed cameras here before we arrived. Look, there they are. Each of our movements is being noticed. Even if they aren't here, they'll know if someone cheats, and they'll adjust the scores accordingly. If you try to cheat, you might even be disqualified," Another young man answered.

"Oh, that's good. I wasn't asking for myself. I can sit for days. It's not a problem. Sitting is the easiest task. I just didn't want someone else to cheat."

"Suuure..."

****

"Sitting as a Trial? Are they trying to test our patience?" Malin thought out loud. She thought the same thing that everyone else thought.

"It shouldn't be that easy. I'm sure there is more to it," the young girl who was also a part of the same team answered as she observed the cameras in the distance.

"Those cameras, they have been covered in a special material. For them to go the extra steps, I'm sure there's more to it.x

"Special Material?" Malin asked.

"Yeah, something that protects the cameras from freezing."

"How is that odd? We are on a snowy mountain. They probably didn't want the cameras to stop working."

"That's not it. Even ordinary cameras can resist the freezing temperatures of this place. I know because they are manufactured in my home world. Why would they reinforce something that can already resist whatever this mountain can throw at us?" The young lady asked with a frown. "Unless..."

"Unless the trial isn't just to test our patience but also our resistance," Lucifer replied. "You both feel the temperature getting cold? It's not natural."

"Ah, now that you mention it, this place has suddenly turned a lot colder." Malin agreed.

"That's true. Even though this mountain goes a lot colder at night than it is right now, the temperature shouldn't have changed this fast. It's like external forces are at play. I believe the test isn't to see who can sit for the longest but see who can resist the cold longest," the young girl agreed.

"Since everyone here is strong, they couldn't just leave everything to the natural cold since everyone could resist it easily. If I'm not wrong, this must be the work of Instructor Li."

"Instructor Li?" Malin frowned. "That's true. He can control snow. That makes sense! He must be on the mountain as well!"