Garden Of The Abyss

"Is it an eating contest? Leave it to me!"

Hongse slapped his stomach, seemingly unaffected by the tense, thick aura of intensity hanging over the room filled with those who have traversed Purgatory. 

"You will be tasked with tracking down and capturing three "Impies"! Small, but nimble, slippery creatures, they are."

Snapping his fingers, Sitri conjured above his hand an example of an impy, showcasing the small, cyclopean being that was covered in crimson scales. 

Sitting in the palm of the handsome demon's hand, the tiny creature waved its hand with a grin filled with razor-sharp teeth. Seeing those teeth sent a small shiver through Ren's body as he smiled to himself. 

"...I think I'm seeing the caveat here." 

"Yeah...those things probably aren't going to sit around and let us snatch them up." 

Valerie shared in Ren's sentiment, huffing as she crossed her armor-clad arms across her chest. A small whistle came from Jae-Seong as he seemed less than worried, placing his hands on his sides as he turned to face the group. 

"I wasn't the only one expecting to have to fight some giant monsters, right? Right?" 

Ignoring the eccentric man, Ren kept his eyes on the overseer--making sure not to omit any details of this preliminary from his mind. 

"Still, it doesn't seem too bad."

Iris commented, staying near the white-haired young man as their shoulders brushed against one another--causing both to fall into a silent blush. 

"There will be twenty slots  in total available to grab, coupled with a twenty-minute time limit--these are your restrictions, challengers!" 

It was those details that cemented the difficulty of this challenge into those waiting below, a quick realization set into the minds of the challengers. 

"Now, you will have a few minutes to prepare and gather your thoughts and strategies--though, I'd advise not to think too hard about it!"

"Twenty slots...twenty minutes...mm…"

Iris sank into thought, holding a worried expression as she fiddled with her well-kempt locks of blue. 

"Easy enough." 

"Huh?"

"Yeah, what makes you say that, Macheo?"

Valerie pressed the golden-haired Lucrauvian for an explanation of his seemingly unfounded confidence in their chances to pass this test. 

"Isn't it obvious?...It's what we talked about before: strength in numbers." 

"...He's got a point. Never thought I'd actually see the day you were the one that believed in Team Weltwanderer, Macheo!"

Placing a hand on the young man's shoulder, Ren gave the crimson-eyed companion of his a thumbs-up before having his hand promptly pushed away with an abrasive sigh following. 

"Shut up! And I still don't care for that dumbass name!" 

"Aw, don't be like that."

Hongse unintentionally joined in on the teasing of the tight-lipped royal, patting his head with his large, fluffy paws--something that surprisingly wasn't rejected. 

Even you can't deny those fluffy paws, Macheo! Ren thought. 

"Whatever...all I mean is that if we work together, we can easily secure the amount we need to qualify, right? Besides...there's probably another benefit to numbers in this round."

"Oh? What do you mean there?"

Staying silent for a moment at Ren's question, all eyes from those in the group set on Macheo before the somber-clothed Lucrauvian attempted to finally answer--being completely interrupted by the sudden presence of Jae-Seong's hand atop Macheo's head. 

"Combat!"

"...Combat?"

Those in the five-man group repeated Jae-Seong's singularly spoken word in confusion before the meaning clicked in Ren's mind. 

"You get it, don't you?"

Jae-Seong pointed directly at him as if reading the realization across his face with a smile. The man's hand was promptly swatted by the young man who had his hair compromised by the eccentric otherworlder's whim. 

"You mean that...those in this preliminary are probably going to fight against one another, right?"

"Bingo!"

With a snap of his fingers, Jae-Seong confirmed this notion with a showman-like frivolity before clapping his hands together. 

"Makes sense. If there's a limited supply, then you can bet people will resort to more barbaric means if it means moving forward. That's just how humans are."

The draconic woman spoke pragmatically, placing her hands on her hips as her fearsome eyes looked at Sitri, who watched above in silence at the chattering participants all within the room--it seemed they weren't the only group present. 

"...The philanthropist in me would like to disagree, but you're right. When push comes to shove, all bets are off when it comes to people." 

Ren sighed as his words left, ruffling his own hair as he looked to the side at the blue-haired girl standing closely beside him--feeling a light tinge of pink tint his cheeks before returning his gaze towards where they last saw Aiko. 

"We've got another problem on our plate when it comes to this preliminary."

"Yeah."

"We have to find Aiko." 

If there was anyone who would cement Ren's unspoken resolve, it was Macheo. Without any warning whatsoever, a sudden weight collided against his side. Hanging his arm around his shoulder, Jae-Seong brought him into an embrace meant only for the closest of companions. 

"Huh!?"

"Eh?!"

Both Ren and Iris were taken aback by this sudden gesture--though the young woman's confusion seemed to stem from having her close companion's warmth robbed from her. 

"How about we form an alliance? Sounds good, right?"

Jae-Seong offered with a smile, adjusting the circular-rimmed shades that covered his eyes well enough to obscure the shape of his eyes. 

"...An alliance?" 

Repeating the words in a mutter, Ren thought about it for a moment as his brain was still trying to process the sudden skinship. 

"It's not a bad idea."

"Macheo?"

"As much of a pain in the ass Jae-Seong might be...he's a Heavenly King--one of the highest regarded combatants in the world." 

It wasn't often that words of recognition like that fell from the proud prince, but it was that seldom will to recognize others that made it all the more clear of a decision. 

Is he really that strong? He doesn't really feel like that, Ren thought. 

"I think it's a good plan." 

Hongse chipped in, scratching the top of his multi-colored, fur-clad head, completely towering over everyone else as always. 

"Valerie?"

Turning this into a vote, the white-haired otherworlder turned his attention to the draconic knight for her input. 

"It'd be hypocritical if you spouted all that crap about strength in numbers only to reject an offer like this."

Of course, an answer from the fiery demi-human always had to come with a bit of a sizzle--though reasonable. 

"Mm...Iris?"

Finally, he turned the attention to the azure-haired girl clad in silver garments--all eyes were now set on her as the final say in the matter fell upon her; a clear fluster tinted her cheeks as she twiddled with her hair shyly. 

"...I believe it'll work out best for both of our groups if we work together."

Answering meekly, her answer set Jae-Seong into a celebratory clap of his hands as the man smiled, turning back to look at his companion who had not spoken a single word during this entire exchange. 

"Alright! You're in, right, Yuri?" 

"I'll follow whatever decision you desire." 

"Sounds like a yes to me!" 

In complete contrast to the stoic attitude of the black-haired, seemingly young girl, Jae-Seong was like a puppy; bustling with energy and laughing without a care. 

I can see why he needs someone with him, Ren thought. 

"Nice to work with you!"

"The pleasure is mine, Panda!"

"Call me Hongse! Ha-ha!"

"Ha-ha!"

Exchanging a shake of hands and a bit of laughter, the large, hammer-wielding panda and the frivolous Heavenly King became acquainted--a pair that made complete sense to the others upon seeing them interact. 

Looking around, he tried to gather whatever information he could on the other competitors, but there wasn't much to be learned from appearances alone. 

"Getting a scope on the competition?"

"Yeah."

Nodding his head, he replied to Macheo quietly while the others in the group became acquainted with their new, temporary allies. 

"It's hard to see past the others...hey, I've got to ask you something."

"Huh? What is it?"

"I'm thinking...there's no way the preliminary is held in this room, right?"

Ren's question caught the golden-crowned companion of his off-guard, who raised an eyebrow at this question aimed at him. Macheo's cautious personality made him listen further in to what Ren meant, keeping his eyes solely on him. 

"I mean, think about it: from what I can see, the layout of this room is plain--just a sheet of cobblestone and some lights. Besides, if it were to just start like this--it'd be total chaos with how densely packed it is."

"I get what you're saying...maybe the overseer--"

Before Macheo could finish wording his response, the ground beneath their feet began to rumble as if the world itself was trembling around them. It was an instantly nauseating experience; churning their stomachs instantly, throwing off their balance and thoughts--but most of all, Ren felt unfortunately correct as the feeling answered his own, mind-plaguing doubts.