Inside the Dungeon of Ordeal.

I didn't take any action yet since there was still quite a lot of time remaining.

However, there were some people who were very active. More precisely, they were chatting about something.

"Shall we wait for a little more?"

"Sure! Who knows if they will send more here? We've still got four more days left."

"But just waiting indefinitely is not good."

"That's right. What if the guy who we have chosen to destroy the crystal tower changes his mind with one minute left? We will all just die!"

"You bet. There is no guarantee that he won't choose to die together with us instead of dying alone!"

"If others come here, the probability of me being chosen will decrease, but doesn't that mean that the number of those who will share the reward will increase as well?"

"Well…"

Corresponding to the eighty people, there seemed to be eighty feelings mixed with anxiety, worry, desire, and greed. And such an atmosphere continued the next day.

Of course, I looked all over the place to see if they had missed something, but I couldn't find any hole large enough for even a single ant to get out. In other words, the only way to get out of this place was to break the crystal tower. It seemed the only exit for now.

Two days later, the others seemed to agree on something.

"Alright. Let's decide on who should break the crystal tower. Waiting any longer for others to arrive, or putting off the decision doesn't seem like a good option any more. As someone said, if the person who has been chosen to destroy the crystal tower changes his mind at the last minute, we will be in big trouble," said Verdi, the captain of the eighty members here, and the person who first questioned me.

Everyone around him just became silent at his words, nor did they raise any objection.

At that moment, he shouted at me, "Hey. come over here. Obviously, you are qualified to break the crystal tower, and if somebody else breaks it, you will also share the rewards with us."

Without refuting him, I walked toward his group.

Like he said, I was no more a stranger to them once I stepped in this place.

So, with me joining them, there were a total of 81 people here.

After I moved to his group, Verdi continued, "Once again, I will make it clear to you. Whoever gets chosen should destroy the crystal tower immediately and unconditionally. Don't even tell me to give you more time. If you think too much, you will become more scared. Instead, write your last words to your family members or lover or somebody else. I will handily compensate those who you have left behind."

"Got it…"

"Okay…"

They answered feebly.

But Verdi didn't seem to like it. So, he shouted again.

"Everybody, answer me clearly and loudly, so others can hear you!"

"Understood!"

"Okay!"

In the end, each of them answered so loudly that all the others including me could hear it.

Then, somebody brought cards with eighty circles on them and one card with a cross on it.

But I stepped forward and said, "I want you to make them again."

I was clearly an outsider among them, so the best possible option for them was I would be chosen as the one to break the crystal tower.

In fact, they showed their intentions secretly.

What about the 81 cards they prepared in advance?

I didn't, and couldn't believe them.

As a result, everyone there, including Verdi, frowned at my words.

But I continued without caring at all, "If you don't make the cards again, I won't be part of your plan, because I'm in a safety zone anyway. We've got only two days. But who cares when my life is at stake here?'

"Sure," Verdi said with a sigh as if he could not help but acquiesce to my request.

But I had one more request, so I shook my head at Verdi and said, "I want you to have ordinary people make the cards with the circles and the cross."

"You mean you don't trust us?"

Verdi, who had always maintained his composure until this point, was furious this time.

"Yeah. Do you really think I am naive enough to trust you?"

"..."

Without avoiding Verdi's angry eyes, I spoke because I was neither naive nor stupid.

"Damn it."

"Do we really have to accept his request?"

"Son of a bitch! If I survive, I'll chase and kill you by all means!"

"Always be careful. I know your face!"

At that moment, they began cursing me here and there.

Of course, I wasn't scared at all. And I understood their feelings.

After all, they were trapped here in the Dungeon of Ordeal while I was fighting Smith's party, the point at which my identity was fully revealed to the world.

In other words, they still didn't know I was Asirante.

"Be quiet, guys! Okay, let me do what you want."

Of course, I could be overreacting, but I was 100% sure they had chosen me as the scapegoat who should break the crystal tower because that is the only way for all the eighty people here to be happy.

A little later somebody brought eighty cards with circles and one card with a cross on it, which were made by ordinary people who didn't know how to mix the cards, and who didn't know the situation here.

In the end, the fate of everyone here depended on sheer luck.

So, everybody including me picked up the cards.

"Mine has a circle!"

"Mine, too!"

"Hahaha! Circle!"

Since all the cards had circles except for one, there were shouts for joy echoing across the area.

The card I chose had a circle too.

But there was somebody who reacted differently and could not rejoice.

He was shuddering with fear. Obviously, he had pulled out the card marked with a cross.

"Ronch."

"..."

"Ronch?"

"?"

Only when Captain Verdi called his name once again did the shuddering man named Ronch raise his head.

"Destroy the crystal tower right now! I will heavily compensate your family. As the captain of the Second Team of the Novo Guild and the maternal cousin of Guild Leader Maulama, I can guarantee you this!"

Verdi seemed to know clearly that the longer one thought about something, the more they would be worried. So he immediately ordered this guy named Ronch to destroy the tower.

But Ronch strongly protested.

"No, I don't want to! We've already chosen to have the outsider destroy the tower! Damn it! Why me? Since we have agreed to do so from the beginning, we should follow up on it. Why should I do it?"

"Ronch!"

"I don't want to do it, you son of a bitch! Who the hell are you? Our captain? Bullshit! If you tell me to die, do I have to die?"

"Everyone has already agreed to do so. You know that, right?"

"Bullshit! You do it if you want to. This is a safety zone. I don't want to do it at all. I would rather die with you all!"

Ronch strongly resisted their strong persuasions.