The Spider Queen

(Hydra Star System- Planet Eleron)

(Training Field No.12- Special Arena)

Sophie opened her eyes and discovered that she was now sitting down on a wooden chair in the middle of what appeared to be a small bedroom- sized room.

A rusty old light bulb hung from the ceiling and illuminated the room with a dull flickering light that casted long shadows on the walls.

The hybrid girl nervously shifted her body as she waited for something to happen.

The injuries that she had sustained in the previous stage had already healed thanks to her regenerative ability.

But still… she was mentally exhausted.

Sophie blinked and a mysterious table appeared in front of her.

She looked around to see if anyone was there but did not see anything out of the ordinary.

On the table were three cards that had been placed face down. Time slowly passed as Sophie did not make any sudden movements.

Where did that table come from?

Was she supposed to flip over the cards? Or did she have to pick one?

Numerous thoughts flashed across Sophie's mind, and she eventually decided to use her foresight power.

She assumed that each stage would get progressively harder so it did not make sense to keep some of her strength in reserve when there was a good chance that she could be eliminated.

Sophie's eyes shifted to a pale white colour and her vision changed.

A painfully headache began to throb in her mind as she appeared in the mysterious world of possibilities.

Sophie saw the different versions of herself performing various actions in the room. In some futures she ignored the cards and tried to find a way out.

Hours passed and she would remain trapped in the room until the exam ended. There was no escape from this peculiar situation.

Sophie wandered over to a certain timeline and watched as a future version of herself picked the card in the middle.

She instantly vanished from the room to some unknown location and the image of a laughing clown appeared in the air.

There were alternative versions of this future path but in each one Sophie would eventually be teleported from the room.

"Hmm… that was interesting…" Sophie muttered quietly as she continued to walk through the strange world.

Another version of herself picked the card on the far right and she also disappeared from the room but this time the image of a regal queen appeared in the air.

The queen had a cold expression on her face and held a golden scepter in her hand that glowed faintly with power.

Sophie's danger sense immediately exploded, and she knew that card was definitely not an option to pick.

Was the last card going to lead to the same result?

Sophie ran over to another future version of herself and waited in anticipation.

This version took her time to decide which card to pick and gradually settled on picking up the card on the far left which she did with a hesitant expression.

Unlike the other two outcomes, she was not teleported to an unknown location and instead a door was mysteriously summoned in the corner of the room.

The image of a heroic king appeared in the air and smiled warmly at this version of Sophie before placing a golden crown on her head.

He gestured towards the door with a kind expression on his face before disappearing into tiny golden particles.

It would have been a heartwarming scene were it not for the fact that this future Sophie's body gradually stiffened as the particles touched her skin.

She opened her mouth to scream and tried to get up from the chair, but her movements were slow and jerky.

Sophie watched in horror as this version of herself was encased in a golden exterior and became a living statue.

What the hell?

The hybrid girl gripped her head in pain as she felt her headache gradually worsen. It felt as though her mind was being split apart from the inside.

The cost of using foresight… she couldn't bear it for much longer…

Sophie gritted her teeth as she was forced to cancel her ability. Her eyes returned to their normal golden hue, and she found herself back in the small room.

Damn it! Now what was she going to do?

Sophie was torn between just waiting it out here until the end of exam or taking a risk and picking one of the cards.

Surely no one else would have completed the second stage, right?

How were first year students supposed to deal with a colossal ice phoenix and a gigantic dragon?

Not to mention the strange artist who created such terrifying monstrosities…

Sophie tapped the sides of the wooden table impatiently as her eyes kept drifting to the cards.

No… how could she give up so easily?

She may not know the future, but Sophie was confident in her skills and ability to get out of dangerous predicaments.

Plus, it wasn't as though she was going in completely blind…

Choosing the king card would lead to her death and only the queen and clown would hopefully lead to the next part of this stage.

Her danger sense did activate when the queen appeared but truthfully Sophie was a bit creeped out by the laughing clown.

Which one? Which one to pick?

Sophie let out a heavy sigh and decided just to leave it to faith. She closed her eyes and repeated the ancient ritual that she had seen in Sui Meng's memories.

"Eenie, meenie, miney, mo…" Sophie chanted softly as she pointed her finger at one card and then switched to the other.

"Catch a tiger by the toe…

"If he's ready let him go… eenie… meenie... miney… moe!"

Her finger landed on the card in the middle which Sophie then picked up with great trepidation in her heart.

"AHAHA! WE'RE GOING TO HAVE SO MUCH FUN!" a loud voice came from somewhere in the room.

Sophie looked around but the voice seemed to be coming from everywhere and nowhere at once.

"Show yourself… don't make me hunt you down…" Sophie growled darkly as her eyes briefly flashed crimson.

"Ohhh… scary… SCARY! I'M SHIVERING IN MY BOOTS!" the voice cried out in mock fear.

A hoarse giggling noise that sent chills down Sophie's spine echoed through the room. The hybrid girl stood up from the chair but the card in her hand began to heat up.

Before Sophie could react, she disappeared from the room and the floating image of a clown appeared where she had once stood.

The clown rubbed his hands together in glee as a sadistic smile stretched across his face.