Chapter 214

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Translator: penny

Chapter: 214

Chapter Title: Gods' Revelry Arena

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Long ago, according to certain records,

the gods would summon humans, impose trials upon them, and those who overcame them would earn the gods' recognition, along with rewards and glory.

"O representative of humanity. Your name shall shine brilliantly amid the clamor of the battlefield, and your feats shall be etched upon massive stone tablets to endure through the ages. - Gods' Revelry Arena"

And the Gods' Revelry Arena truly exists.

Because this is exactly where I'm standing right now.

"Greetings, everyone!"

Roooaaar!

And this place is special in all sorts of ways.

-According to records, it's the origin of the Selection Process. Not just some baseless claim—a bold record left by one of the gods. Just as those who completed the trials there claimed rewards and glory, if we safely finish our trials now, we can qualify to become residents of this otherworld.

Maybe that's why?

This is a place we end up visiting pretty often while tackling challenge quests. As you can see, it's as big as a soccer stadium, so all kinds of things happen here.

'That aside, it feels really creepy.'

I quickly scanned the spectator stands. The onlookers sitting there weren't human at all. Not a single one had eyes, noses, or mouths on their faces. I knew exactly what those beings were.

They were the shadow monsters we'd faced over and over in challenge quests.

Roooaaar!

That's why their roars sounded like eerie howls, and it put me in a weird mood. This should be exciting, pumping me up, but the irony made it all ambiguous.

"Esteemed guests, we sincerely thank you for attending the 7,891st Gods' Revelry Banquet!"

And high above those spectator stands sat three beings.

"I'm your host for today, Akatos!"

"Modrak."

"It's Liriel! Nice to meet you all!"

The names sounded familiar somehow.

For reference, Modrak is an ancient god associated with cooking, and Liriel is the twin goddess of Tiriel.

And Akatos...

"Today, 100 elite contenders handpicked from across the world stand before us! How many among them will surpass 7,000 points to claim glory and rewards...! Well, shall we get started right now?!"

I looked around.

Vegetable display stands were set up everywhere. My name was emblazoned in large golden letters on each one, as if declaring they were mine.

Beneath them, specific vegetable names were engraved in small script on each shelf compartment, with prices marked too. Just stack the veggies, and you could start selling right away.

"Today's event is [Please Take Care of These Vegetables!]!"

Roooaaar!

Beyond them, more display stands came into view. Their labels were in otherworld script—other people's names, it seemed.

As he'd said, 100 elite contenders. So there were others here besides me.

Of course, none of them were human.

A pitch-black face without a speck of light or facial features. Its shadowy form was strangely eerie and gloomy.

Kiiik.

I glanced around for my party, but they weren't there.

"For those new here, a quick explanation: Each of you will be given one vegetable at a time from now on."

No sooner had he spoken than a puff of black mist appeared in my hand. Arnos black mist.

"When the game starts, place it on the appropriate display stand."

Didn't I see this at the veggie shop earlier?

In short, like displaying goods for sale, put this in my hand on the stand matching its value. Score goes up each time you place it right.

Pababang!

Sure enough, fireworks burst, and scoreboards appeared above each contender's head.

"10 points per vegetable, and once placed, you can't move it—that's the key."

"30 varieties of vegetables! 30 each! That's 900 chances per contender! Ooh, but giving 900 chances? Isn't that too generous, Akatos?"

"Haha, Miss Liriel. More chances don't guarantee better results."

"Aha, got it!"

"...I don't think she did."

"Ahem. Anyway, little miss, it's not just about distinguishing by name. Even same-name stands are divided into high, mid, and low quality. You need the eye to accurately gauge each vegetable's market value."

"Ooh...! But do you really need to look? Just taste it!"

"......"

"Ah, um. One more thing: Damage the vegetable, and you lose a chance. Got it? And Miss Liriel, tasting each one means 900 bites—think you could manage that?"

"What? Why would I eat them? There are tons of contenders—make one of them taste it and decide. Right, everyone?"

While they chattered noisily above, I looked down at the Arnos black mist in my hand.

'...Tougher than it looks.'

Mud caked all over the roots. Hard to assess quality like this. If there was water nearby to wash it, maybe, but no such facilities here.

'Probably a perk for those with water-manipulating unique abilities.'

Freshness can be gauged somewhat from the leaves, but that alone wouldn't cut it.

"Alright, everyone ready? Let's see if any among these 100 challengers claims glory! It begins now!"

Pababang!

Fireworks and starting signals rang out. Shadow monsters in the coliseum sprang into action.

They placed their veggies on stands with their names. Scores ticked up above those who got it right.

"Wow, 74 already placed wrong right off the bat. Total mess."

"Aang? Those jellyfish-eyed freaks represent their worlds? Hey, coliseum PDs! Slacking off much? Modrak oppa, say something!"

"Ahem, messy, but some are approaching cautiously—I like that. Yes, that little guy called Kang Min-jun. He's gauging freshness from the leaves first... If he observes so calmly, he'll judge right next time the same veggie comes up."

"Ooh, sounds super smart now that you mention it?"

But smarts didn't matter much to me. To get rewards here, I needed over 7,000 points no matter what.

Falling short meant penalties.

'Of course, pay the penalty fee, and no problem.'

For reference, fifth rest area means 500,000 points penalty.

Luckily, my party had that much.

So just focus fully on the challenge...

"Hold on. Just got a message."

"?"

"Wow, this one's got some serious skills."

"Ooh, Akatos, who're you talking about?"

"The one Modrak pointed out."

"Hmph, told ya. Cautious ones are the real deal. Message coming down means... no way, that?!"

The spectator stands buzzed. The host shouted in response.

"Yes! Difficulty increase incoming!"

Ooooh!

Suddenly, the Arnos black mist in my hand vanished. Stand labels shuddered, names swapping.

A barrage of alerts followed.

And a bizarre vine in my hand.

"......"

"Incredible! First time in our broadcast a contender triggers this level of difficulty spike!"

"99 times is way overkill. Kick kick kick."

"Hah, amazing. Even my expert eye can barely distinguish these as contest material..."

"Ahh, maybe that's why. Kang Min-jun froze up. Others are churning out wrongs."

"......"

I was speechless for a moment.

A whopping 99 difficulty increases.

Couldn't tell good from bad at all. Didn't even know what plant this was.

'Wait, I've definitely seen it before...'

It was in my memories, but from a trial zone where I was frantically fleeing for my life—no time to pay attention.

I could recall if I thought hard, but the absurd unfairness had my mind blanking.

One thing clear: Everything in hands—mine and the shadow monsters'—was from upper trials.

"Kyahaha! Coliseum PDs are insane! Even regressors couldn't nail this!"

Glanced at others' stuff—same crap, impossible to distinguish bullshit.

"Ahh, even a time limit now!"

The timer overhead shrank from 24 hours to 8.

"Can the contenders overcome this crisis? Ah! Is a fight breaking out already?!"

"Ooh! Fight! Fight!"

Puk! Puk! Puk!

Suddenly, fights erupted mid-game. Shadow monsters attacked rivals, snatched their veggies, and placed them on their own stands.

Scores rose.

Crushing competitors to steal their chances for personal gain. Some formed teams; others hunted foes, enslaved them, dragged them around.

"......"

It looked exactly like the Selection Process.

Just different stage and scale—same as what we'd been through.

-According to records, it's the origin of the Selection Process. Not just some baseless claim—a bold record left by one of the gods.

We'd trampled others to claim glory and rewards to reach here.

Undoubtedly, some killed, exploited, betrayed to arrive.

"Whoa, brutal! Beat that guy to death for not listening?"

Here too: killing, exploiting, betraying—all happening live.

Watching, a thought struck me.

If this truly mirrors the Selection Process, are those countless spectators watching us doing the same?

Are we killing, exploiting, betraying for someone's entertainment...?

'Focus.'

Not important now.

I snapped to, eyeing the faceless host and panels grinning unsettlingly—despite no features, the vibe screamed smiles.

Tadadot.

Shadows attacked me too. Three coordinated, charging front and flanks.

Whoosh.

I dodged their swift strikes, lost in thought.

'Gave the party summon envelopes, so they'll call if danger...'

Shadows' stats lower than party's—no real worry. Saintess a bit concerning.

'But she ditched non-violence this run.'

Her barrier infinite anyway—no need to fight them.

Fwaaah!

Plus, we had [Wind Spirit] they lacked.

No worries. Just do well myself. Yeah, just me...

I looked back at the vine.

"Ahh, team fights! They're killing each ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠other in groups!"

"Ooh, over there! Fight harder!"

Roooaaar!

Dodging shadow attacks amid the din, I examined the vine. Details popped up.

[Eldarin Pumpkin Vine: Pumpkin vine that grows only in the moonlit garden of the ancient elf Eldarin.]

Ah, right.

Moonlit Garden—that death trap.

Too much. Identify a plant unique to there, plus market value.

Even comrades who'd reached trial end couldn't nail this. Elves might confuse it. Dryads maybe.

But with info floating, a thought hit.

'Wait.'

Fleeting idea.

Even as regressor knowing plant info, this difficulty's insane. What if spike wasn't bullshit, but justified?

Something I'm missing?

For example...

If Full Appraisal reveals it?

[Full Appraisal: View information on other beings.]

I don't use it on my items because looking at them in hand shows info anyway.

Plus, regression means most item info's memorized.

Useful for peeking rivals' gear, but otherwise just blocks vision—no reason.

Bottom line: Never properly used Full Appraisal on items before.

'Ha.'

Staring at item with Full Appraisal showed way more than expected.

As described, focusing revealed far more than basic info.

Shift gaze to description, and it expanded with origins, lore, recipes. Even...

[Quality: Special, 10 Malt]

'Special' for size/freshness, 'Malt' for mana density—like Brix for sweetness on Earth.

Mana density 1-10; 10 top grade.

This: top-tier pumpkin vine.

Tadadot!

"Ah, Kang Min-jun finally moves! Can his patience pay off on first try?!"

I dashed to the stand. Still dubious—new ability untested, faint uncertainty nagging. But nothing more to do here.

'Then trust it and check!'

Raced to stand, placed [Eldarin Pumpkin Vine] on top-quality slot of three.

Thud!

Ding! Score rose instantly.

"Ooooh! First one's a success!"

"Unbelievable! Distinguishing Eldarin Pumpkin Vine quality?!"

"Everyone see that? First time Modrak oppa's shocked. That hard, huh?"

"No kidding. Distinguishing that puts you in top 0.001%."

"Top... what?"

"Top 0.001%."

"Ooh... Numbers aren't my thing. Super genius or whatever? Ahaha!"

"......"

Next veggie in hand. Noisy chatter distracting, but method found. Full Appraisal for quality check.

"But Modrak, maybe just luck? Like once-in-a-lifetime fluke."

"Ahem. We'll see watching."

"Hahaha... Folks, Modrak really likes Kang Min-jun. Let's watch his second attempt."

Checked second item.

[Name: Basilica Beet]

Basilica Beet. Remembered. Dug from under snow in frigid lands for merchant.

Needed his help for Winter Fortress entry—party dug like possessed arctic foxes.

Checked emerging quality.

"......"

[Quality: Special, 8 Malt]

...Ambiguous.

Three slots. One for 10 Malt.

Ideally next Special 9 Malt, but 8—not 9.

Lowest or mid? Unknown.

But no worry.

Why?

Kiiik. Kiiik.

Because samples worth grabbing surrounded me.

Whoosh. Whoosh. Whoosh!

Dodged three charging shadows, eyed remaining forty-two monsters' veggies via Full Appraisal.

Finally confirmed.

'Special same, back figures split 10, 9, 8.'

Laughable.

Malt shows mana content—invisible to naked eye.

No external difference.

Showed how bullshit this [Challenge Quest] difficulty. Need [Magic Engineering Item] for mana measurement.

But for me with god-tier Full Appraisal resident perk? No issue.

Tadadot!

Nah, maybe difficulty spiked because of Full Appraisal.

Placed second item.

"Second success too!"

"Third success!"

Ding ding with each placement.

Full Appraisal verified. Reason to hesitate?

Tadadadot!

Blazed through placements. Appraisal and place—no problem.

"Ooooh! Kang Min-jun suddenly sprinting like mad! Not a single miss—perfect!"

Roooaaar!

Spectators roared. Hosts hyped.

"Charging ahead! How long can this streak last?!"

"Big bro, go go!"

Ignored, frenziedly sorted and placed assigned veggies.

30!

60!

90!

120!

600...!

Last one placed.

Venue silent.

"......"

Eerie quiet.

Faceless monsters staring piercingly—horror movie scene. Tens of thousands in massive coliseum gazing down.

But silence didn't last.

"Wh-what? Nailed them all...? This early?!"

"...Amazing. What's that young man's secret? Faster than expert me?"

Unlike Selection admins, ancient gods couldn't peek unique abilities/statuses.

Maybe low authority, or exiled spectator role.

Anyway, they didn't know my trick—no one to call it out.

In other words.

"Hahaha, who cares how right now!"

Host bellowed.

"First perfect score in the tournament!"

Roooaaaar!

I became first perfect scorer in Gods' Revelry Arena history.

Kikigik-

Ding.