Luc sat on one of the beds in the room, eyes cast towards the ground. He would’ve left a long time ago, but Sera had locked the door behind her, saying something about a withdrawal period being over. Thus, Luc was stuck in this room with four complete strangers, wondering why his plan had gone wrong.

It’s Dante’s fault! Luc put his face in his hands. He must’ve told that lie about only being able to light a tiny flame. Is that really something he has to lie about?

“Looks like we got another useless one, eh?” said an accented voice of a man.

“Watch your mouth, lowlife!” snarled Luc, raising his head to meet the eyes of the speaker.

The man who had spoken was sprawled on the ground of the room, head propped up with an arm. His skin was much darker than the people of Tosa or Glia – a deep mahogany color. His straw-colored hair was tied in a bun on top of his head, and a lance, completely wrapped in white cloth besides the handle, lay next to him.

“Ha!” said the man, smirking at Luc’s response. “At least you’re man enough to talk back!

Luc glanced around the room. Besides the man with the lance, there were three other people present – another man, a kid who couldn’t be older than his mid-teens, and someone completely swathed in pale gray clothing. The other man was sitting on his bed as well, legs crossed, eyes closed, and fingers entwined in a complex pattern. He had a slender build, and the same ghostly pale skin as Sera. Luc didn’t care too much about his features, as he was more interested in the black tunic with gold button the man wore. As if he knew he was being looked at, the black tunic opened his eyes, staring directly at Luc.

“Since we are all here, let me introduce myself,” said the black tunic. His voice was gentle and soothing, words slow but perfectly enunciated. “My name is Faro, and I am your proctor for this Gauntlet.”

“We can tell by your attire,” said the lance man, yawning. “Tell us something we don’t know.”

“First,” said Faro. “Know that the Gauntlet is not limited to the testing area. The way you prepare, the way you act outside of fighting, is also being evaluated.”

This made the lance man gulp and sit up straight, leaning against his bed.

“As you all are aware, the Gauntlet is a test used to determine whether or not you are fit to enter the Chasm,” said Faro. “We do this not for the sake of discrimination, but rather for your safety. The Chasm is not a friendly place, and those who are unprepared will not last long.”

I knew it, thought Luc. I need to get out of here fast. There is absolutely no way I’m going in that giant hole.

“This Gauntlet will be a simple navigation task,” Faro continued. “All you need to do is find your way from the designated start point to the destination on Floor 1. Whoever successfully makes it to the destination within the timeframe will be given an evaluation by me, which will dictate which Floor you will be sent to.”

That doesn’t sound too bad, thought Luc. Maybe I was overreacting.

“Of course, the path will be filled with many dangers, and the likelihood of death is quite high,” said Faro. “But I trust that you entered the Gauntlet already knowing that.”

Never mind.

“You may be wondering why you were put into a team instead of being sent in alone,” said Faro. “The answer is that the Chasm’s danger comes in deadly surprises. Solitary exploration is almost guaranteed death. Thus, it is most efficient to traverse the Chasm in what we call exploration teams. An exploration team, if constructed well, should be handle any monster you come across in the Chasm on Floor 1.”

Faro paused for a moment before continuing.

“Each exploration team consists of five people: one Guardian, one Disruptor, two Duelists, and one Scout. The job of a Guardian is to overlook the party, commanding the team and supporting where necessary. A Disruptor must be able to read the enemy, ideally foiling their attacks before they strike. The two Duelists do the bulk of the fighting, working together to damage and kill monsters. Lastly, the Scout is purely an information gatherer, exploring ahead and conveying information to the rest of the team. Because of the Scout’s responsibility to chart the course and lead the party, it is arguably the most important of the roles.”

Despite his worries, Luc yawned. He had never been good at listening to lectures, evident through the sheer number of tutors who quit because of his “disrespect” and “ignorance.” Once I make it home, maybe I’ll give them a second chance. If I’d paid attention to them, I might’ve been able to make it home myself.

“Sera has already done preliminary sorting of Gauntlet entrants to balance the teams in terms of raw ability,” said Faro. “Now it is my task to place you in roles that I see fit. To do so, I would like for each of us to introduce themselves and state any Bloodlines or Skills that might be useful.”

Luc’s heart sank. Not this again.

“As I said before, my name is Faro,” said Faro. “My Bloodline is [Sentinel], which allows me to create shields made from Brio. My most relevant skill is [Voiceweave], which allows my voice to reach you as long as you stay within a certain radius of me. If my skills did not make it apparent, I will serve as the Guardian of this team.”

Brio? What’s that? Luc’s ego kept him from asking.

“I’m Tissa,” said the lance man. “All you have to know is I’ve got the {Lancemaster} title.”

Faro raised his eyebrows. “Any Bloodlines?”

“Ha!” said Tissa. “Bloodlines don’t mean a thing to me. Only skills matter. And I’ve got more of those than I can list.”

Faro watched him for a moment in silence. Then he turned and looked to the next person, which happened to be Luc. On the spot, Luc reckoned that keeping consistent with his lie was probably the best idea.

“I’m Luc, and I’m Level 37 at [Flopping],” said Luc. He didn’t have anything to say besides that.

“[Flopping]?” said Tissa, eyes narrowing. “What in the world? You chose to enter the Gauntlet with that skill?”

Luc shrugged, not knowing what Tissa wanted to hear.

“Listen here, kid,” said Tissa, standing and walking up to Luc. He jabbed a finger in the direction of the Inner Ring. “Some people out there train for months before coming in here. They grind their skills to absurd levels, they buy the most expensive equipment, and they scout out their competition, waiting to join when the time is right.”

Tissa leaned in until his face was inches away from Luc’s, voice low. “Even after all that, most of those people don’t make it out of the Gauntlet alive.”

Luc’s lip curled up in a sneer, even though his heart threatened to leap out of his chest.

“Calm yourself, Tissa,” said Faro. “With the way you are acting right now, Luc has a better evaluation than you do.”

Tissa glared at Luc for a moment more before turning and slumping onto his bed, shaking his head.

“Next,” said Faro, turning to the teenage boy.

The boy had straight blonde hair hanging to his shoulders and clear blue eyes. He wore a green tunic and brown trousers, and a small satchel hung from his shoulder. Eyes flickering around the room frenetically, he fiddled with his fingers constantly as he spoke.

“M-m-my name is Rith.” His voice was feeble and shaky. “I-I can make potions of any sort.”

“Can you make potions that create smoke?” asked Faro.

Rith gave a single nod, eyes fixed on the ground.

“Very good,” said Faro, seeming pleased for the first time.

At those words, Rith’s eyes darted up, and for a second, a small smile flitted across his lips. The next moment, it was gone.

“And you?” said Faro, turning to the gray-clothed person.

He wore a gray jacket, gray trousers, and a gray cowl. What looked like a scarf was wrapped around his head, covering every part of it except for his eyes. Speaking of his eyes, they were gray as well. There were two short swords, each maybe only a foot in length, strapped in a cross on his back. Upon being asked the question, he did not respond. It was not clear he understood the words, as his eyes stared straight back at Faro, blank and emotionless.

“I understand your desire for privacy,” said Faro. “But allowing me to accurately slot you into the exploration team is crucial for your success in the Gauntlet. If you choose not to respond, you endanger not only your life but also the lives of your teammates.”

The gray-clothed did not speak a word. For several long moments, he and Faro stared each other down.

“If that is the case, then - ”

“Hold it,” said Tissa, interrupting Faro. Reaching down, he picked up his lance and pointed it at the gray-clothed man’s face, the tip hovering mere inches away. “I’ve met a lot of people like you in the past. They think that their Bloodline will make them invincible. But let me tell you this.”

Tissa extended the lance until it touched the gray-clothed man’s forehead. “Test your Bloodline against my lance. Once you do, you’ll understand that - ”

“Tissa,” said Faro, gentle voice firm. “If he does not want to speak, then do not force him to.”

After glaring for a moment longer, Tissa lowered his lance, muttering under his breath.

Looks like I’m caught up in a group of loons again¸ thought Luc. Faro looks okay, but I guess that’s how a proctor is supposed to act. Besides him, Tissa is another hothead, Rith is definitely a scaredy-cat, and gray-clothed man doesn’t talk. At this rate, carrying on with this Gauntlet thing is a death sentence. Sighing, Luc massaged his eyes, wishing this was all a dream.

“Thank you for taking the time to inform me of your talents,” said Faro. “After hearing from you, I have come up with what I believe to be the optimal Gauntlet team.”

Faro’s eyes wandered first to Rith. “Rith, you will be the Disruptor. With your potions, your job is to inhibit the senses of monsters, preventing them from attacking.”

Next, he looked at Tissa. “Tissa, you will be one of the Duelists. If you do indeed have the {Lancemaster} title, there is no need to doubt your ability to fight.”

After Tissa, Faro glanced between Luc and the gray-clothed man. “Since neither one of you has any applicable skills or Bloodlines that I know of, it is very difficult placing you two. Because of that, I am forced to make my decision based on the fact that one of you will speak and the other will not.”

Faro turned to the grey-clothed man. “Gray, you will be the second Duelist. I pray you know how to use those blades.”

And finally, Faro turned to Luc. For an instant, he hesitated, looking as if he was going to change his mind. But the momentary hesitation vanished, and he spoke.

“Luc, you are the Scout. Our path is in your hands.”