“Whoa,” Rex said. He pulled his [Steel Rod] from his hip and threw it across the room. Not a moment passed before the rod completely halted its movements and froze mid-air. He had to reconfirm what was happening, but it was still amazing to see. His sword and shield locked in place the moment he took them off. It seemed as if Rex was the only thing that could move at the time. Thankfully, his armor didn't freeze as well. Genesis must have installed a failsafe to prevent that from happening, probably after it happened to someone else.

“NOTICE. [THE UNNAMED TEAM] HAS RECEIVED ITS FINAL MISSION. AS A RESULT, TIME HAS STOPPED UNTIL THE FINAL MISSION IS COMPLETED. ONLY MEMBERS OF [THE UNNAMED TEAM] MAY MOVE FREELY, AND ONLY THEY MAY SIT ATOP THE THRONE TO GAIN THE TITLE [DEMON KING].”

“Cool. So, where’s my team?” Rex said with a curt voice. The new scene frozen in time was interesting to see, but the safety of his team was more important. There would be plenty of time for The Unnamed Team to explore exotic areas that were equally as stunning. For now, the others were important. They may not rush to the throne, but there was no telling how long he had. It would have been best to reconvene and discuss who would accept the title.

“THEY ARE IN THEIR OWN TEMPORARY REALITY. ALL MEMBERS OF [THE UNNAMED TEAM] HAVE RECEIVED THE SAME MISSION PROMPT, BUT ONLY ONE MAY ASCEND. PLEASE, SIT ATOP THE THRONE AND COMPLETE THE FINAL MISSION.”

“Nah. Not until I figure out why you need me to.” Rex said with an arrogant voice. He emphasized the idea that he was supposed to do anything. He was fully aware that he shouldn’t be the next Demon King. His power was minuscule. His wits were limited. His knowledge about the world and its various monsters was laughable. Then again, the same could be said about the other members of The Unnamed Team. Maybe he wasn’t a bad choice after all. Genesis seemed to acknowledge that fact.

“VERY WELL,” Genesis said. The response was immediate yet slightly agitated. Of course, Genesis rarely spoke with emotion, so the irritation could have simply been a product of Rex’s imagination. The room then fell silent as Genesis proceeded to create and control an alternate version of Rex. The two gazed at one another. It was like looking in a mirror and seeing one’s own reflection. Both men even copied each other’s actions for a short while before one spoke with an all too familiar voice, “THE NEXT DEMON KING MUST BE CHOSEN. THAT PERSON MUST BE A MEMBER OF [THE UNNAMED TEAM].”

“That didn’t answer my question. Why was I needed if any of the others could sit on that throne?” Rex asked. He was annoyed that the Genesis Program was ending with such a quest. Only one person could achieve the title and position of authority. The others were left with nothing. If this was a competition, it should have been stated from the beginning. Rex never would have joined a team if he knew he’d eventually go against them.

“FOUR PARTICIPANTS ARE REQUIRED FOR EACH TEAM TO MAXIMIZE THE SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THE GENESIS PROGRAM. SELECTED FROM ANOTHER WORLD TO AVOID BIAS AND PRIOR KNOWLEDGE, THOSE PARTICIPANTS ARE CHOSEN BASED ON A VARIETY OF FACTORS FROM MAGIC APTITUDE TO ADAPTABILITY.”

“Makes sense why you chose us, I guess. Team formation, races, errors, and treatment still don’t have an explanation.” Rex said. It made sense to him. A team of four was more likely to complete the Genesis Program than a lone wolf. That much was obvious from everything The Unnamed Team had been through. Even if Rex reached the max level, he would be hesitant to take such a task alone. The few questions that bothered him now involved the finer details of the system.

“PARTICIPANTS ARE RANDOMLY ASSIGNED TO THEIR RESPECTIVE TEAMS. THE SAME IS TRUE FOR RACES. NOTE THAT IT IS QUITE RARE FOR ALL FOUR MEMBERS OF A TEAM TO BE HUMAN. TREATMENT VARIES DEPENDING ON THE TEAM’S RESPECTIVE FINAL MISSION AND CHANGES DEPENDING ON HOW WELL A TEAM PERFORMS. IT IS WHY [THE HEROES OF THE VOICE] WERE CONSTANTLY REMINDED TO HUNT FOR SINS WHILE [THE UNNAMED TEAM] WASN’T. AS FOR ERRORS… THEY ARE ERRORS… THEY OCCUR WHEN PARTICIPANTS DO NOT ACT AS PREDICTED…"