After the worldwide awakening, the entire planet underwent significant changes.
The biggest change was definitely skills.
Each human now has a skill that’s unique to themselves.
Technically, there’s a total of 1 billion unique skills all over the world at present.
Of course, everyone is free to use their skills as they see fit. They could use them to oppress others, to eliminate trash of society, or to simply survive in the now-changed planet.
Nobody could stop them.
Yes.
Nobody.
After all, all governments across the globe had already lost meaning.
Only 10% of humanity survived the first trial... but of those who were in a leading position, a dramatic 0% survival rate was recorded. If any, only those at pretty low positions, who were still a bit "competent," and not drowned in power, somehow survived.
In short, the top brass of all nations were now six feet under... or just rolling on the streets or in their homes, minced into a dozen bloody chunks.
Thus, without a clear chain of command, even the police or the military couldn’t move.
No...
Even if they moved, with everyone having skills to use, it was questionable if they could even perform their duties properly. Trying to catch someone is like holding a jack-in-the-box. They don’t know what skill would hit them the next second.
It could be harmless, or it could be so fatal that their entire team would die instantly.
Basically, the world became a lawless place immediately after the trial ended.
But...
That wasn’t all either.
The gods gave humanity skills to let them fight each other until there was only one remaining, who would then become the next god.
Everyone had a fair starting point, and a fair chance at survival...
Thus, to break that balance, they introduced mini-trials that were beside the actual trials humanity should face.
A sort of training location that allows one to gain items and artifacts to make themselves stronger. To gain the upper hand over the other "competitors."
Those mini-trials appear as an oblique rift in space that was covered in flame-like energy sporting various colors, randomly spawned all over the world.
Each color represents a different difficulty, with violet being the weakest and red being the hardest to clear, following the colors of the rainbow in reverse.
And clearing dungeons would yield rewards befitting the difficulty, so those who sought strength, or those who truly wanted to aim at the god’s seat, didn’t spare effort in challenging them.
And one such dungeon, a green colored one, now stood before Raive’s group.
"This is..." Raive paused, examining the entrance.
They were on their way to Hershey’s home, planning to check if her parents were there. If not, to find their contact details and check if they were still alive.
But before they even arrived, this green portal appeared almost as if blocking their path.
It literally stood right before the gate of Hershey’s home.
Furthermore, although it was their first time seeing a dungeon entrance, their minds already contained all the necessary information. What dungeons are, what the colors represent, and what rewards await them within.
"It looks just like the door back in the trial, but rounded..." Shymine commented.
Without a doubt, the "portal" before them, radiating green energy, would teleport them to a trial space if they passed through it. The same way the door in the trial space did before.
However...
"We should ignore it."
Khamish commented in a grim voice.
"It’s unsettling how I already know what this thing is even though it’s my first time seeing it. But we have no idea as to what dangers await us inside."
Of course, everyone thought the same...
Everyone but Raive.
He stepped forward, placing a hand at the glowing frame of the portal. And as soon as he did, something happened.
[Detected a Pseudo-Trial (Green). Creating a new checkpoint...]
[One save slot available. Saving...]
[Success.]
"..."
Raive stopped, frowning hard.
With a save point ready, there should be no harm in him trying out the dungeon for himself. However, for some reason, he felt that doing so would make him regret his choice fast.
He wasn’t sure why his instincts were telling him so, but he still followed them.
"Let’s not get distracted for now." He said.
"First, let’s climb the fence and check the inside of Hershey’s home. As soon as we confirm the state of her parents, only then should we think of what to do with this dungeon."
"A logical choice."
Therese nodded with a firm smile, pulling Hershey tighter in her embrace.
With everyone being on the same page, they quickly went over the fence—with Shymine creating a set of stairs using ice—and entered the premises.
The house was a typical subdivision flat. Something that a middle-class family would afford. A simple four-bedroom apartment split into two floors. Tudor-style, with roof tiles in blue.
Honestly, it was way better than Raive’s, who lived alone in a boarding house.
As they walked forward, heading for the door, Raive suddenly stopped in his tracks.
After all, he could clearly see something amiss even from afar.
Through the gap under the door, a reddish-black liquid could be seen dripping down toward the landing. That was, of course, not a good sign.
Raive turned to Therese and nodded. Of course, she already saw what he had seen, and understood what he wanted to ask of her without the need to say a word.
"Hershey, let’s go over there first." She said, pointing toward the lone tree with a swing at the far corner of the house.
Although the little girl was confused, she nodded and went with Therese.
Right after the two left, the remaining three moved toward the door and turned the knob. It wasn’t locked, as they expected.
Worse...
"This... is nasty." Shymine gritted her teeth.
Piled by the door—one right next to it, and one a little distance away as if to see him off—were pieces of bloody, diced "meat." It didn’t need a detective to figure out who they were, since a family picture was hanging near the wall by the entrance itself.
Just looking at their hair color was enough of an indicator.
They were Hershey’s parents.
Or what "used to be" her parents.
Raive, who half-expected such a result, couldn’t help but sigh.
"This... Will be hard to break to Hershey, for sure."