There were already over a hundred people in the hub, all of them having emerged from the doors that disappear.
The demographic imbalance was immediately obvious. A large majority were Asian contestants. Language clusters formed almost instinctively as people gravitated towards those they could understand.
Most drifted toward the canteen.
Voices overlapped in Mandarin, Hindi, Spanish, and languages Gabriel couldn't identify. Nervous laughter, sharp questions, fragments of disbelief echoed through the vast hall.
Gabriel scanned the crowd, searching faces for anyone familiar, knowing it was pointless. The odds of recognising someone here were astronomically low.
Still… he'd settle for anyone that even spoke English…
Gabriel moved slowly through the growing crowd, weaving between clusters of people as more doors opened and vanished behind them.
The noise rose steadily.
Some people clung to each other. Others paced. A few sat at the canteen tables already, heads in their hands.
Excitement was there too.
Too much of it, in some cases.
Gabriel listened as he walked, filtering voices, waiting for something familiar.
A sudden shout cut through the hub.
"NO WAY—NO WAY, WE BOTH ACTUALLY MADE IT!"
Gabriel turned.
Two men stood near the edge of the canteen, jumping like they'd just won the lottery. Both were tall, broad-shouldered, unmistakably built. One had close-cropped blond hair, the other dark and shaggy, both wearing sleeveless tops that showed off thick arms and defined chests.
They were grinning like idiots.
"This is it, man! This is the Trials!" the blond one shouted, pumping a fist into the air. "I told you we'd get picked! I told you!"
The other laughed loudly, almost bouncing on the balls of his feet. "Bro, I don't even care if we die, this is insane! You see the size of this place?"
A few nearby contestants edged away from them.
Gabriel stopped a short distance off, watching.
American accents. Clear. Loud.
Finally.
He stepped closer. "You two are very excited."
The blond snapped his head around, eyes lighting up. "Dude! Another English speaker! Thank God."
The dark haired man stuck out a hand without hesitation. "I'm Cole. This idiot's Marcus."
Marcus, the blond, grinned and gave a quick nod. "Man, can you believe this? Four years watching from a screen and now we're actually here."
Gabriel shook Cole's hand. "Gabriel."
"Damn," Marcus said, looking him up and down. "You look like you belong here."
Gabriel exhaled through his nose. "That's one way to put it."
Cole laughed. "Man, I can't wait. When's the first trial? The goblin? I've been dreaming about this."
Gabriel's smile was thin.
These two are nearly as insane as me.
"Do you two know each other?" Gabriel said, pointing at both of them.
"He's my little brother's best friend." Cole said.
"That's some luck knowing someone else here…" Gabriel said, a tang of jealousy showing through.
Another person walked up, a girl, much shorter, with long black hair and amber eyes.
"Do you three speak English?" She asked, with a soft voice, and an untraceable accent.
"How could you tell!" Marcus said, still shuddering with excitement.
"Hmm, well since you asked, you two look like you take steroids more than you drink water." She glanced at Gabriel, "While your eyes look devoid of life! Therefore, two Americans and a British man."
Gabriel's expression sank.
That's just my resting face… I'm a happy person. He protested, silently.
"Wow, pretty good." Cole began slow clapping.
"Why are you two so excited anyway, aren't we all doomed to die a terrible death getting ripped apart by terrifying monsters?" The girl asked, slightly concerned.
"A true warrior's death!" Marcus proudly proclaimed.
Cole butted in, "We can't help but wonder what it would be like completing the trials! Imagine how strong we would be, considering the superhuman strength of people who reach trial 20! Aren't you curious how they become so strong anyway? It's all giving me a rush I can't help it." He shrugged.
"I couldn't agree more." Gabriel gave a thumbs up.
Being too invested into their conversation, the four of them hadn't realised that nearly every contestant had arrived.
Gabriel had a quick sweep of the room, estimating that the number of people here was close to reaching 1000 people, if not already there. The doors had all disappeared by now, and the walls were once again just tiles. That was until the final door appeared, and out stepped a normal average man.
"Welcome." A feminine voice said, its origin coming from all different angles.
Everyone in the hub turned their heads all over, searching for the voice.
"Congratulations on being selected." The voice continued calmly. "I have activated the chips inside each one of you. You can now understand and speak to each other, regardless of your language."
The loud echoing voices of the contestants that filled the hall had evaporated. Now, there was silence.
"I am the Arbiter, I exist to govern and to help you through the trials." The voice paused.
"I will now issue the rules. There is no fighting between contestants, unless you are in the designated sparring zones."
"Killing another contestant, outside of the sparring zones, is an immediate execution." The Arbiter paused between each issuing.
"When the clocks, which can be found in all areas of the hub including your rooms, strikes 0, You all must be inside your trial chambers, which are located at the end of each side of the hub. If you are not inside your trial chamber, before the designated time, you will be immediately executed."
People swallowed audibly.
"The store, is available for purchases. The store can be found in the only available pathway as of right now." Suddenly, one of the six, massive corridors that branched out of the main hub, lit up. Purple lights emitted from the corridors entrance.
"Each one of you has been allocated five bronze coins for completing the first test, the Corridor of Light."
"Gabriel Lucien," the voice uttered.
Gabriel felt a chill crawl up his back, as the two Americans turned to look at him.
The voice continued, "For beating the previous quickest completion record, of 1 minute and 16 seconds, you have been awarded one silver coin. Congratulations."
Gabriel's heartbeat was loud enough for other people to hear.
"Every time a record is bested, the contestant will be awarded a prize. There are all kinds of records to be broken. Good luck."
A ripple moved through the crowd.
The Arbiter continued, completely indifferent.
"Further instructions will be provided when necessary."