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nThe voice was very deep and held absolutely no malice or deception meaning it couldn’t be Beelzebub. Well, it could be some kind of grand scheme of his, but everything just seemed too far apart from each other that I could only wonder what he would gain from this. Didn’t he want me to lose my mind down here? In addition, there were the panels that followed after, reinforcing the idea that this wasn’t just some grand scheme made by that asshole.

nAlthough it was a harsh request given by some unknown being, I could tell that being was strong. I could instantly tell that if I followed this voice, an unsurmountable amount of power could be granted to me. And hopefully, with a good teacher, a chance to evolve could follow right after.

n“This is a good opportunity… I have to use this-” I was instantly cut off by a chill getting sent down my spine. It grasped each section of my spinal cord and cupped it with an icy grip, sending goosebumps to erupt through my moistened skin.

nAn overwhelming sense of dread filled my body and ravaged my mana veins. The fluid that kept me alive began to boil within my body, yet there was no pain, just fear. And as I slowly rose my head upwards, staring off into the abyss, the appearance of two dark red eyes as large as mountains looked at me.

nThe Lord of The Ocean is intrigued by your presence

nIn the darkness, a triangular head appeared with a single glowing orb floating above it. It was attached by a large string of skin that hung over its head like a lamp trying to attract as many creatures towards it as possible.

nWith dark blue scales as large as my entire physique and a seemingly endless body that traveled further across the ocean, you could only call this one thing: The Lord of The Ocean. Its mouth that had opened, revealed jaws so wide that it literally poked out the top of the sea despite us being so far down.

nIt was deserving of its title and with eyes so sharp that it felt like they could pierce me at any moment, I couldn’t help but get on my knees and bow my head. My forehead touched the grass below and as I shook with fear, I could audibly hear the monster’s jaws creak and contort into a large grin.

n‘I don’t see why somebody like you was chosen. You’re weak. Nothing but a baby in woman’s clothing… but if you prove yourself, I will help you. That destiny of yours intrigues me as well…’ The voice echoed within my ears and as the ball of light approached me, I could feel my blood physically boil once more.

nIt wasn’t the expression, but I could feel literally air bubbles floating within my bloodstream. This caused my veins to swell in tandem with my straining mana veins reacting to the powerful presence of this disgustingly strong being.

nClick

nEverything around me changed, upon the supersonic click of the monstrous being. I was in a circular arena with waterfalls towering over each cardinal direction, pouring into small channels that ran along the stone brick floor. Vines and small patches of leaves added a bit of greenery as they were scattered about, but what really drew my attention was the panels appearing all around me.

nThe Lord of The Ocean has challenged you to his gauntlet

nSurvive each layer of the gauntlet and you shall be rewarded

nEach layer progressively gets harder with more challenging foes and larger numbers

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nEverything shall be adjusted to your strength to make up for the gap in Eo-

nError

nEverything shall be adjusted to your strength to make up for the gap in REDACTED

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nRound 1: Warm Up

nDescription: As you have been forced into this gauntlet against your will, the executives shall give you the benefit of a warm-up round. If you fail this round, I recommend you give up otherwise you won’t be having a pretty time later on.

nMonsters: 10 Mermen Soldier Skeletons or 10 Mermen Soldier Zombies or 10 Water Slimes

nPlease select your choice of warm up𝒪𝑣𝓵xt.𝕔𝒪𝚖

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n“Interesting…” I smiled, just happy I could get away from the surveillance of Beelzebub.

nGlancing over at my status, I noticed that my stamina and mana had been completely refreshed, meaning I didn’t need to hold back. But, I did need to figure out if each round would reset these precious stats of mine since I still had no clue what counted as a failure. Was it another one of these death gauntlets or would it end as soon as I’m about to get dealt a fatal blow?

nFor now, I could only assume the worst, so in order to test everything out, I picked the simplest option and the one I was most confident winning against: 10 Mermen Soldier Zombies. The skeletons would be harder to burn with my flames than the zombies despite them probably being as easy as cutting butter with a hot knife. The slimes on the other hand would be a bit troublesome as they would be made out of water.

nSure, there was the possibility that I could instantly evaporate them with my flames, but what was the point in taking a risk when I need to confirm some things myself? So, in the end, I selected the zombies and watched them appear out of thin air.

nWith flesh practically dripping off of their tattered and rotted bones, they made an audible groan of pain each time they took a step. Their ears or at least what was left of it were two large fins, revealing the only feature of a merman that I could see.

nEven though they were slowly moving back and forth, tripping over their own flesh and falling limbs, they had two beady white orbs of light, enhanced with bloodlust, in each eye socket. It was as if even past the grave they had the will to fight.

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