Divine Luck: SSS-Rank Battle Maid Harem

The completion message after the sixth Trial was different from the previous Trials. It mentioned a halfway point. That wasn't the only thing that changed.

[Do you wish to leave?]

The Labyrinth asked all of the remaining entrants a question. It was asked to each of them. Instinctively, they could feel that the Labyrinth was giving them a way out. If they expressed it, they could leave the Labyrinth with their lives intact.

[You will be rewarded for your efforts so far.]

The Labyrinth comforted them with the fact that they hadn't gone through the six Trials for nothing. It was like it was encouraging them to leave.

The Labyrinth that hadn't held back in making them suffer so far was subtly warning them that it wouldn't be as easy going forward.

Some of them hesitated. Sarah, Tero, Tera, and Derot didn't immediately swipe away the question. Sarah had only gotten this far by luck. The others' deaths had hit her hard.

If she had to compete with the other nine, she had no confidence she wouldn't get anywhere.

She accepted the offer to leave and was whisked into the air by an invisible force that sent her back to the sea outside the Systine Duchy.

Tero and Tera looked at each other before staying. It was risky, but they didn't have a reason to consider themselves less than the others.

Derot had done well in the previous Trials because they were easy. He hadn't completed the shared Trials alone, especially not the one with the deities. But he was confident he could have done it alone.

However, he was not confident when it came to physical matters. That was why he had almost died in the fifth Trial with the water balls. He had managed to predict and keep track of the balls. He had struggled with moving out of the way in time.

He looked at the others.

Black was outright dangerous. Oria Villesand was a wildcard. Jones could be negotiated with and would cooperate under the right circumstances. Tero and Tera wouldn't work well with others without proper incitement.

Nessa, Violina, and Zach worked together. They didn't seem adverse to working with others given the right reasons.

Based on the Trials so far, Derot could assume that there wouldn't be many competitive or one-against-one Trials. There also shouldn't be too many physically difficult Trials that would require a warrior's body.

The Trials had been about tricks, making them figure things out on their own, or catching them off-guard. In a way, as long as they were prepared for everything, they would clear the Trial.

Derot swiped away the question. He could be satisfied with what he had done so far. He was a little lacking in terms of survivability compared to the others.

But what merchant was ever satisfied?n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om

[Nine entrants confirmed. Determining next Trial. Trial (7/12) set. Preparing…]

The message popped up a few moments after Derot's decision, alerting the remaining entrants of the upcoming changes.

The area didn't change. It was the same base that the other Trials had been built on. It was a little smaller than it had been with the statues and completely bare. Yellow stone floor and a blurry dome around it with water on the other side.

[Determine who the strongest entrant is. 12 Hours.]

Everyone's gazes immediately shifted from the message to the others. This was a sensitive Trial.

Three people were immediately excluded from everyone's minds. Derot, Tero, and Tera. None of them appeared stronger than anyone else.

That left Black, Jones, Oria Villesand, Nessa, Violina, and Zach.

"It's me."

To Nessa's and Violina's surprise, those words didn't come from Zach. They came from Jones, who had already put his hand on his sword's handle, ready to prove it to anyone who challenged him.

"You sure about that?" Black also put his hand on his sword as he glared at Jones. The two swordsmen took a step toward each other, puffing out their chests and trying to look big and intimidating. To their credit, they looked a little fierce, especially Black with his piercings.

Unfortunately…

"What are you two fools doing? What are you posturing for?" Black and Jones turned to look at Violina. Continue your adventure at empire

"Are you saying that you're stronger than us?" Jones asked out of more of a desire to challenge her than clear the Trial.

"Probably."

"Prove it." Black unsheathed his flamberge. The wavy sword's black blade's edge glinted in the ambient light of the Labyrinth. Violina crossed her arms and just looked at Black. She wanted to teach him a lesson.

Everyone had already figured out that there was one quick and simple way to determine who the strongest one was. It was the same person as the one last standing. It wasn't just a matter of passing the Trial.

It was a matter of pride. They were all of similar ages. Some slightly older than others but only by a few years. Almost all of them were confident that they were strong, and not just for their age group. Naturally, they would be the strongest among the ones that had gathered.

Violina had to admit that everyone except for Derot probably was very strong. Black was the son of a famous pirate. Jones was a nobody who had made a name for himself by going around both on land and on sea fighting people and defeating them. Oria was a daughter of the Villesands, a family only one step below the Systine Ducal family.

Tero and Tera were easy to underestimate, but if the rumors about them were true, that was part of their tactics. They were even more troublesome since they would work together.

It would have been difficult to tell who among them would be the strongest. There was just one exception.

Zach existed.

He wasn't just the strongest by himself. His presence at the Academy had made Nessa, Violina, and most of their classmates stronger. If not for him, Violina wouldn't have had the confidence to stand against the others in a head-on battle. They were, after all, a couple of years older than her.

With another couple of years, she could have beaten them, even without all the trouble Zach had made them all go through at the Academy. But now, she didn't need those years. Zach had helped her skip them.

"No need." Violina tilted her head in Zach's direction.

"All of us together can't beat him."