Chapter 301: Chapter 301 – Lion Head Trial [1]
"We just need the last slate now, the lion one. Based on this, should we head to the lion mask one?"
Max suggested to Lily as he opened the GPS. When he did that, he narrowed his eyes because he realized the closest lion head mark was already gone.
Some marks beside that also disappeared, but they weren't useful for him anymore.
Looking at the screen, he noticed the closest lion mark from their location was around 500 meters away from the direction where they came from.
"It seems we need to return," Lily commented as she looked at the screen and raised the large knife she took from the ground. "Or we can find someone who finished the lion trial and snatch their slate."
— Is it just me, or did she just casually say, 'Let's rob the other team' in an indirect manner?
— It's not your imagination, she clearly said that
— And she said it with such a straight face. Scary
— Cute and Scary, Cury… Now I want to eat some curry…
— Why does it happen that way?
Stroking his chin, Max deliberated the choice for a while. Go to the lion head mark and finish the trial to get a slate that might not be the lion slate, or just find other players and steal their slate.
Both were possible strategies in this game. Still, the former could excite him as he was curious about the trial. When he thought about it that way, his choice was leaning toward completing the trial himself.
He turned to Lily and scratched his cheek.
"Sorry, Lily. I am curious about the trial. Do you mind if we walk to the lion head mask?"
"Un. No need to apologize, I just give ideas." She said, "Let's go then. It's a bit away, so we should be fast, no? We don't want other players to arrive first."
"You're right. Let's run then."
After deciding that, they began to sprint. Lily's speed had decreased considerably because she held the bow, and Max also had some baggage added with two large knives that he couldn't stash away.
In the end, he threw the knives into the forest because he had no use of them. They were too heavy and didn't fit his fighting style, which used his speed as the main weapon.
The story would be different if it was a handheld axe like the one he used in Knight's Journey; he would use it.
Anyway, they managed to reach the lion head mark after roughly a minute and a half. When they arrived, they had no choice but to stop behind the bush just like earlier and observe the clearing where the mark was located.
Compared to the other clearing, it was many times larger.
The clearing had a square area made from concrete surrounded by a body of water. Many pedestals were on top of that square. On top of them, slates with lion images were hovering up and down slowly, waiting to be taken.
Many players were already in that square, but they were still unable to get one slate. The reason? It was simple.
The pedestals were on a tower-like structure the people had to climb. The only path leading up was narrow stairs without railing. Before reaching the top, there was a smaller arena, around 10 meters big, with an actual lion guarding the path to the top.
Most players didn't want to risk getting the slate by themselves. They were wary of each other, looking like hyenas who were ready to pounce at those who got the slate.
A fight could break out anytime. It wouldn't be strange if that happened. But most knew that they couldn't start anything. If they did clash, then no one would be willing to take the challenge and get the slate for them.
"This is nasty," Max commented while narrowing his eyes. Find exclusive stories on m_v l|e-NovelBin.net
"Un. It would be different if there is only one slate or only one pair. But there are 5 slates here and 7 pairs waiting around the arena clearly."
"It's clear what's on their mind." He added, "And we can't start a fight either. If we kill one of them, the others will definitely gang up on us."
Following that, he looked at his GPS and couldn't help but sigh. He felt lucky after getting 2 free slates earlier, but that luck didn't last long. No lion head mark could be seen in the GPS except for this one. The others had disappeared.
"Karma is a bitch."
— Indeed
— You kill a killer, and now you are put in a situation where you can't kill.
— There is no choice but to either wait for them to fight or risk it
— lol, indeed. They are b1tches! Karma is a b1tch!
"Language." Lily scolded him with a stern voice.
"Sorry." He apologized and scratched his cheek, "Still, I am in a bind now. What should we do? Kill? Hide? Wait? That's boring."
"Hmm…"
They hummed and looked at the arena. There was no right answer in this situation. If that was the case…
'Let's just go with the most exciting one to entertain the viewers.'
"I think we just need to go there and snatch the slate before running away."
"Let's get the slate and run away."
Both of them said at the same time and looked at each other in surprise before bursting into laughter. They had the same idea in mind and rose to their feet.
They stepped out of the forest and created a noise. The seven original pairs in the arena turned around and looked at them curiously. They stood out a lot because a pair of boys and girls were seldom seen in this game.
At most, the pairs were usually created between friends of the same gender. Lovers often fought when they faced difficulty, so they were not often seen.
"Huh? More people appeared."
"Haa… now there are 8 pairs here. What's the point of waiting around? Someone, go ahead and take the trial."
"We don't want to. You guys will just steal our slate and run with that."
"Our team also refuses. We will go second, thank you."
"What are you guys going to do? Watch here with us?"
The last question was directed at Max and Lily.
Max looked at them and only smiled, not answering their question. He walked past them with his girlfriend and didn't even spare a glance behind.
"Tsk! How arrogant!"
"It seems they plan to try the trials."
"We will target them when they get the slate. Don't let them slip."
The other pairs didn't even try to lower their voices. Max was able to hear them all.
— Look at those guys
— I bet $500 Breeze will kill them all
— I bet $300 they won't be able to even touch Breeze
— Huh? This noble me is willing to bet his month's pay that they won't even realize that the slate has been taken
— Damn, BloodSucker goes big or goes broke, huh? I am in. Same bet as Sucker.
— I think LilyPixel will shoot them from above. That's the best tactic. They will have a lion to protect them.
— True, those guys will definitely camp the stairs.
— HAHAHAHA! MORE BLOOD! GOOD, GOOD. My right arm is aching for a massacre! Give me more!!!!!
Naturally, the chat didn't think Max would be caught.
Looking at Lily, he asked, "Are you nervous?"
"I am not." She answered shortly, "But I am a bit scared of the lion. It looks dangerous."
"Well…" Max looked up at the lion that stared back at him, growling loudly, "We can only try to outrun it using the small space above. And that's a 15-meter tall platform without a wall to climb, as it floated on four pillars, so we can't climb up. Though it's possible to slide down later."
"So rush it?"
"Yes. Rush up and kill people. That's our best bet."
He nodded at her, and they sprinted up the stairs together.
Seeing two people rushing up the narrow stairs, the lion raised its majestic head and roared loudly. The deafening sounds caused some pairs on the ground to falter.
However, Max and Lily kept pushing and ran up the stairs. The lion didn't try to get close to the stairs. Instead, it stayed at the end where the stairs leading above were located. It only moved when Max reached the first platform.
At the same time, the notification rang.
[Lion King loves brave individuals. Subdue or pass the lion to prove your worth.]