Return Of The Strongest Player

Arthur and Randy let out sharp breaths, recuperating from the difficult battle they had somehow managed to win. Although Arthur was not able to taste the sweet satisfaction of revenge, he did not regret it.

Oscar had suffered a worse fate than anything Arthur could do to him.

Joel was one of the most evil Fallen Guardians ever arrested in the future. With hundreds of fooled newbies and several subjects roaming the tower, he was akin to a mastermind controlling the scene from the shadows.

Once Joel was executed, his subjects also died an untimely death. He did not care about his subjects, and often inflicted excruciating pain upon them, referring to the act as an "experiment." However, Oscar and Joel Junior were the products of one of his experiments.

'And we can all see how that turned out,' Arthur concluded, shaking his head as he cracked a faint smile. 

"Have you seen any of the others?" Randy inquired, applying what seemed like a certain type of cream on his body. The muscular man's eyes were droopy, and had faint, black circles beneath them.

A few parts of his body were bruised quite badly, while a few cuts were tied by a cloth. His muscles seemed to be shrinking, which was either a symptom of dehydration or, perhaps, starvation.

Since mana could not rejuvenate his muscles or mind, it was natural for fatigue to eventually affect Randy. Also, it was natural for him to be affected before anyone else due to his lack of mana.

"Nope," replied the crimson-eyed man, taking a seat on the infertile, crimson soil. Many of the newbies had probably gathered several gemstones by now, yet Arthur only possessed a single one.

That was because of the unexpected variable that obstructed his path.

'Well, at least that's over with,' thought Arthur. He wouldn't have to deal with such troubles, and the second tier of the second trial should progress quite smoothly from now. At least, that's what Arthur expected.

"I've been wondering… Why did they split us up after making us choose teams?" Randy asked, scrunching his eyebrows. After contemplating on the subject for a few minutes, he couldn't help but ask.

Was it simply to instill a false sense of security, and then shatter the hopes of the newbies?

No, the Tower Administration–although quite corrupt internally–couldn't display open hostility towards newbies. It would cause quite a significant backlash in the reputation within the tower, and also attract the hatred of high-ranking clans.

Also, the Tower Administration had no motive. What could they possibly receive by splitting the newbies, separating them…

'Wait… wasn't there an anomaly in this tutorial batch?' Arthur's eyes suddenly lit up. He then grimaced, massaging his temples as he racked his brain, trying to remember. There was something peculiar in this tutorial, which significantly reduced the number of newbies that successfully became players.

There was a restricting force, an anomaly.

'It was related to one of the Guardians stationed in the Tutorial World…' Arthur suddenly remembered. However, that was nowhere near enough information, and he possessed no leads.

He could only speculate.

"Did you notice something off?" Arthur inquired, answering Randy's question with his own. The latter crossed his arms, falling into thought. It was only after a few seconds that his eyebrows rose.

"I realized the outskirts of this world is not free or marked with a barrier," said Randy, remembering. "It's actually an opaque, silver wall lined with bumps. It seemed like a wall that did not trap heat within its encased area."

"An opaque, silver wall…" Arthur muttered. "Anyway… I think they split us up to prevent any initial group battles. Maybe it's to prevent chaos before people even had the chance to gather gemstones."

That was what Arthur believed before remembering the incident about the anomaly.

The theory was still likely, and probably one of the factors. However, the crimson-eyed man now doubted its significance in the decision. 'Perhaps a Guardian tampered with the rules of the trial…'

It was truly noteworthy how much one could do with the power of a Guardian. Although they would be punished, a Guardian could still accomplish all sorts of corrupt acts before they were arrested.

The Tower Administration only loosely monitored their employees, unlike other high-ranking clans.

This was due to the Guardians' inability to betray the Tower Administration.

Although they could hinder the Tower Administration, the Guardians had no way to directly attack the Administration. Therefore, anything the Fallen Guardians did would only damage the Administration's reputation, and not their structure of force.

That wasn't the case with high-ranking clans, as their members could betray them for a better offer. Only those with ultimate loyalty or those enveloped by the clan's internal system were guaranteed to remain.

"We should get going," Arthur suggested after a few minutes of chatting with the muscular man about matters. His suspicions weren't confirmed, but as long as he remained in the desolate world, the truth would come to light.

The crimson-eyed man was not fearful of what or whom the anomaly was. 

He was worried whether his acquaintances would betray him.

Arthur was not a toddler. With decades of experience, he could intuit whether one was trustworthy or not. However, there was definitely a thin line between those who were, and those who weren't.

To confirm that, one had to feign vulnerability. 

During the battle with Joel Junior, Arthur could have endured a bit longer, but exposed himself to a tentacle solely to determine whether Randy–who was approaching from the distance–would assist him or Joel Junior.

It may be pure paranoia, but Arthur couldn't dispel the possibility of betrayal.

He had suffered from it.

Those whom he somewhat trusted had raised their blades against him, grouping up to commit a single homicide. Millions perished on that fateful day, and most were killed by the enraged Arthur's spells.

Due to circumstances, he was forced to kill millions of those who belonged to his own faction, and millions of others from opposing factions, along with a long battle against the Angels and Demons.

Although, he was demolished.

However, he swore not to trust others blindly. 

'Even against Jake and the others, I was always on my guard.'

Although, that didn't go too well during the Grand Banquet.