Splash!
The waves splashed against the hull of a passenger ship, but the ship’s bow just sliced through the water effortlessly.
"...Where are you headed?"
"...I am going to Baha Island. I heard there is some local tribe living there that can give quests!"
"...Really? That’s interesting. Can I join you?"
"...Sure!"
There were many players on board—some looking like they were here for vacation, and some looking well-armed, like they were here for something more serious.
Sitting under a shade, on beach chairs, Miranda and Fang Raon were just waiting for the ship to take them to their destination.
There were many islands on the 6th floor, and one of them was called "Battle Island," which had been used by guilds for training purposes for a long time now.
That was their destination.
"Shouldn’t you tell me what I am exactly doing here?"
Fang Raon asked.
"You will participate in the training exercise with other recruits. You will be assigned as Team Leader and will effectively lead your team against another team."
Miranda said.
"So, a competition?"
Fang Raon asked with a smile.
"Yes, a competition to test your leadership skills and teamwork abilities."
Miranda said.
There weren’t a lot of emotions in her voice, as if she were some kind of cyborg who just happened to look like a human.
"What if they don’t listen to my orders?"
Fang Raon asked.
"You are the leader, and it is your job to make them listen. If you can’t do something so simple, you have already failed."
Miranda said coldly.
"...Alright."
Fang Raon just chuckled, lay down on the beach chair, and decided to get a little bit of sleep before they arrive.
"I will also be streaming the training session to my channel, so if you perform poorly, a couple hundred people will be there to witness it."
Miranda said with a cold look.
"Ok."
Fang Raon just gave a thumbs up, turned to lie on his side, and just fell asleep.
’Why is this moron acting so casually about this? Does he not realize the weight of the situation?
’Guild Master will also be checking out the stream, as will other members. That training exercise is your only chance to show your worth!’
Miranda just shook her head.
She couldn’t understand why Rock was putting so much faith in this young man.
Miranda then looked around the ship and noticed that there was a group of players fully armed.
There were ten of them.
’They are going to the tower...’
She thought, then turned away, and crossed her arms.
...
The passenger ship docked at an island.
It didn’t look like many people were stepping out, but at that moment, Miranda and Fang Raon walked down the boarding ramp.
"Yawn!"
Fang Raon woke up just a minute ago, so he was still feeling slightly groggy, and his eyes were half-closed.
"This is the Battle Island. The rules in this place is quite different from what you’re used to. In this island, if you die, you get respawned."
Miranda said.
"...Respawned?"
Fang Raon sounded interested.
In that moment, Miranda pointed towards a flagpole that had a red flag at the bottom, and there was also some kind of respawn platform beside it.
"That flagpole will be important, and you’ll soon know why. That thing next to the flagpole is a respawn platform. Once you die, you appear right there."
Miranda said.
Fang Raon nodded.
They made their way down the beach and soon arrived at some kind of cottage. The cottage looked old and weather-worn, but it had a cozy charm to it.
It was in the shade of the forest behind it, and the cottage seemed to blend in seamlessly with the natural surroundings.
"Everyone!"
Miranda shouted.
At that moment, players started pouring out of the cottage, and came across them at the beach.
They had been waiting for them here for a couple of hours already and had already started to wonder whether they would ever come.
"...Who is he?"
"...He is the reason why Miranda is late?"
"...He doesn’t look all that special."
The players whispered among themselves and looked with curiosity at Fang Raon, as he was different from them.
He didn’t go through the recruitment phase like they had to, and was seemingly hand-picked by someone.
"This is Fang Raon, and he will be joining us for today’s training exercise. I know it comes as a surprise, but this works wonderfully.
"There were only thirteen of you, so uneven teams, but now with him here, there are exactly fourteen of you!"
Miranda said.
When they heard the name, "Fang Raon," there were looks of surprise all across the faces of these players.
Some of them didn’t know the name as they didn’t use Black Online forums, but few did, and they shared their knowledge with others.
"The training exercise is simple—King of the Hill. There is a small mountain in the middle of the island, and you must reach the summit and hold it.
"When your team is at the summit, your flag will rise in the flagpole. Once your flag is all the way at the top, your team has won.
"If you die, you’ll get respawned, so go crazy."
Miranda said.
’...King of the Hill, hmm.’
Fang Raon thought to himself.
He was able to see the small mountain in the distance. It actually had a spiraling staircase, made of rocks, around the mountain, which reached all the way to the top.
The staircase looked like it was sprouting out of the sides of the mountains, like it was nature-made, and it honestly fit it perfectly.
It also meant they wouldn’t need to climb the mountain with their bare hands, which was nice.
"This training exercise is expected to last the entire day. When you’ve taken control of the summit, the flag will rise slowly, so you’d need to hold the summit for several hours to win, so it is an endurance battle as well."
Miranda said.
The players nodded with serious looks, and most of them took breaks from school just for this because it was very important to them.
If they managed to join Rose Records, they would be paid by the guild like in a real job, and they could make real living that way.
The higher rank in the guild they achieved, the more money they would also get. It was a chance for them to change their lives!
"It is time to select the teams—there will be a Red Team and a Blue Team. Each team has one Team Leader.
"The teams have already chosen in a way that it will be fair and balanced match."
Miranda said, then pulled out a paper from her inventory and checked the list of team members.
The players were waiting with nervous breaths, and all of them wanted to become Team Leader as it was the greatest honor.
It would mean that Rose Records intended on nurturing them to become Raid Party Leader, which was one of the highest positions in any guild!