"Any more questions? If not, I'll officially begin the test!"
Everyone snapped out of their reverie and stared up at Malphas in the air, uncertainty written on their faces.
Then, one of them raised his hand and asked, "During the test, will we get food supplies? I mean, we can't survive without food, right?"
The question quickly earned nods of approval from the others. They had almost forgotten to ask.
Fortunately, someone had spoken up first.
Malphas glanced at the questioner—a fat man with an unpleasant appearance. She nodded and said, "Don't worry about that. I've added an item bag to your storage system. It contains essentials like food and clothing for the next four days. As for the rest of the days…"
A slight smile curved her lips. "You'll have to manage yourselves. If you starve, it's your own fault for being incompetent. Understood?"
Her cold words sent shivers down their spines. Yet no one dared to blame her—what she said made perfect sense.
Raven checked the "storage" column and saw an image of a bag.
When he pressed it, a warning symbol appeared along with a red-text panel:
"[Cannot be opened before the test begins!]"
"All right. Since there are no more questions, I will begin the test!"
With that, Malphas put her palms together. A bright light flared above her, then exploded outward in all directions.
Everyone reflexively covered their faces with their arms.
A few moments later, the light faded and then disappeared completely.
When they turned to where Malphas had been, the goddess was gone.
All that remained was a tense, empty hall.
"Huh? What happened? Why did Goddess Malphas disappear?" a man asked hesitantly.
He wasn't the only one—everyone else looked just as confused. Malphas had said the test would take place somewhere like the wild.
Yet here they were, still inside the hall, unsure of what to do.
Suddenly, seven lights appeared in the sky and fell about two hundred meters away.
They lined up horizontally before expanding into a rapidly spinning white portal.
Everyone exhaled with relief. Finally, a way out had appeared. Otherwise, they would have been completely lost.
Then…
Crack!
A sharp cracking sound came from behind them. Instinctively, everyone turned—and froze in shock.
The sound came from a spatial rift. Darkness spilled from the gap, accompanied by a terrifying, suffocating stench.
The next moment, the space ripped open, and hundreds of monstrous creatures surged out.
"Monsters!"
"Run! Monsters!"
"Damn it! They're terrifying! Run! Run!"
Desperate cries erupted throughout the hall. Raven was among those caught off guard by the sudden chaos.
His heart pounded, fear threatening to overwhelm him. But he forced himself to regain control.
In a situation like this, fear was not an option—he would surely die if he gave in to it.
Without hesitation, he crouched slightly and sprinted toward the portals.
The others did the same. A thousand people ran frantically, desperate, toward the portals.
"No, don't eat me!"
A black wolf leaped and tore a fat man apart.
His arms were ripped from their sockets, and his head was severed from his neck.
The horrifying sight made those nearby panic even more. They quickened their pace, but it was useless.
The monsters chasing them were fast and powerful—two-meter-tall wolves, red bears with black markings on their foreheads, and one-meter-long bats with razor-sharp fangs.
They didn't exist on Earth, and their appearance was a living nightmare for everyone there.
"Help! No!"
"Argh! My leg… my leg is severed! Someone, please help!"
"No! I don't want to die!"
Those desperate cries were like a death knell for anyone who had run ahead.
"Damn it! Malphas is a complete psychopath!" Raven cursed silently.
Her face was beautiful, but her heart was dark and cruel. This was the first time Raven had witnessed such a sadistic massacre firsthand.
Nausea churned in his stomach, but he forced it down. His adrenaline surged.
He stared ahead, fury in his eyes. Maybe it was just his imagination, but the seven portals seemed deliberately spaced so far apart.
Those who were unprepared—or too slow—would surely become victims.
"Crazy… that woman is truly insane," Raven muttered, a wide grin spreading across his face.
Now he understood just how fragile humans were when faced with someone far beyond them.
To hell with wealth, power, or good looks—none of it mattered here.
As he neared one of the portals, ready to jump in, an email suddenly appeared before him.
Surprised, Raven opened it immediately.
"[Ding! Found a target with an SS rating! Distance from your position: 20 meters.]"
Raven froze. He hadn't expected the system to locate an SS target in the middle of all this chaos.
He considered refusing but held back. While refusing wasn't against the rules, this was the system's first task, and he didn't want to fail.
After all, he was a perfectionist. The reward promised by the system was far too extraordinary to pass up.
"Twenty meters from me? Where is she?"
He spun around, seeing hundreds of people rushing toward the portals.
With so many people, he couldn't tell which woman the system meant.
Then he remembered the method the system had provided and whispered, "Love panel."
A heart-shaped mark with the number zero instantly appeared above the head of one of the women running.
Raven studied her closely. She was stunningly beautiful, not particularly tall—perhaps around 1.6 meters.
Her long pink hair was styled in an elegant half-up, half-down fashion.
A delicate butterfly-shaped hairpin hung at the back of her head.
Her chest and hips were full and shapely, framed by a light purple dress that fit her perfectly.
Judging by her age, she was probably between twenty-two and twenty-five.
"What an incredibly beautiful woman," Raven muttered.
Even with years of experience meeting all kinds of women, he had to admit that no one matched her beauty.
She looked like a heroine straight out of a novel.
As Raven considered approaching her, something unexpected happened.
One of the men behind her shoved her, and she stumbled, rolling forward.
"Danger!" Raven shouted, and without hesitation, he sprinted toward her.