Chapter 336: <Alex’s Archive>

Joseph considered her question for a moment before answering.

"I have no idea where it’ll take us, but I suspect we’ll be brought back here once we complete the Trial. That’s usually how these things work in games, although I wouldn’t rely too much on that assumption," Joseph replied.

What Joseph didn’t mention—and something everyone thought—was the possibility that failing the Trial might prevent them from returning altogether.

Alex considered that possibility, but after thinking about the matter for a while, he decided that he would enter the portal once it awakened.

After all, he had entered Dungeons without knowing exactly how dangerous they were. This Trial might be considerably more dangerous than an ordinary Dungeon, but that also meant its rewards could be much greater.

"Alright, here’s what we’re going to do," Alex said, drawing everyone’s attention. "A few people will stay here and keep an eye on the portal, while the rest will return with me to our mountain base."

He glanced around at the others before continuing, "We still need to meet the Beasts that are coming to form an alliance with us, and I also need to collect the fruit, so returning to the mountain is necessary. After that, those of us who can return to Earth should do so and prepare properly."

Alex added, "We don’t know how long the Trial will take, or whether we’ll be able to leave before completing it. It’s better to settle everything important before entering instead of discovering that we’re stuck inside for several days."

The others nodded, finding his arrangement reasonable. Although everyone was curious about the Trial, there was no point in rushing into something they knew almost nothing about.

Alex then turned toward Frank, remembering that his circumstances were different from those of the others. "You don’t need to enter the Trial, at least not until one of us clears it and we know how long it takes. Your situation is already dangerous enough, so there’s no reason for you to take unnecessary risks here."

Frank was about to say something, but Alex shook his head before he could speak. "It’s good that you want to become stronger, but you need to keep your priorities straight. Having two bodies is an enormous advantage, and we can’t afford to lose either of them. Besides, you can always enter the Trial once we know how long it takes."

Frank considered his words for a while before eventually nodding.

"Okay, I’ll stay behind until we know more about the Trial," he agreed, seeming to understand that Alex was only concerned about his safety.

Alex then turned toward the others, who were still examining the golden portal. "I’m planning to enter the Trial as soon as it opens, but I’m not going to force anyone to come with me. Think carefully about what you want to do, because we have no idea what might be waiting inside."

"We’ll enter," Yulia replied without much hesitation, glancing toward the others.

Emma nodded in agreement, and the remaining members gradually expressed their willingness to participate as well.

"I think Petra should stay behind for now," Joseph suddenly spoke up, attracting everyone’s attention.

Alex turned toward him.

"What do you mean? Is there something you’re worried about?" Alex asked, looking at Joseph curiously.

"We’re assuming that everyone who enters the portal will participate in the same Trial, but there’s no guarantee that’s how it works. What if we’re separated into different areas and forced to complete individual challenges? Petra doesn’t have much combat ability, so sending her inside without knowing the rules seems unnecessarily dangerous," Joseph explained.

He continued, "She can always enter later, once we’ve confirmed whether everyone appears in the same place. And if the Trials are individual, we should at least find out whether they’re all combat-oriented."

Alex considered his reasoning before nodding in agreement.

Petra’s abilities were valuable, but that didn’t mean she would be capable of surviving a Trial designed around combat.

After some further discussion, the group decided on their arrangements. Matthew, Frank, Sarah, and Mia’s two Netherclaw Prowlers would remain near the portal to monitor its awakening, while everyone else would return to their mountain base.

Once they reached the mountain, Alex immediately checked the area near its summit where the mysterious fruit was supposed to appear. Unfortunately, there was still no sign of it, and he began wondering whether the fruit could only manifest during nighttime.

Since there was little else he could accomplish there for the moment, Alex decided to return to Earth. He could use the opportunity to check on the situation at their base and prepare for the upcoming Trial.

When Alex opened his eyes on Earth, he discovered that he was still lying in the same room where he had fallen asleep. He felt relieved, since that meant the base hadn’t suffered another attack severe enough to require evacuating everyone.

He quickly met with the others and asked about the situation. Although the monsters surrounding the base were continuing to grow stronger, the appearance of Merchants had made acquiring useful equipment and supplies considerably easier.

Alex also learned that another monster attack had occurred during his absence. Fortunately, the defenders had managed to repel it without suffering any major losses, which showed that their overall strength was improving.

After making sure everything was functioning properly, Alex returned to his room and opened his Dwitter account. His follower count had increased once again, reaching a staggering ninety-nine thousand.

’Almost a hundred thousand already. That’s growing faster than I expected,’ Alex thought, feeling rather pleased. However, he didn’t spend much time admiring the number, since he still had plenty of things to accomplish.

Since he had no idea how long the Trial might take, Alex decided to prepare several posts for <Alex’s Archive> in advance and schedule one of them for automatic publication each day.

He began recording videos explaining various concepts related to energy manipulation, making sure to include written explanations alongside them.

..

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