Chapter 59: The GRB Begins

There was no time to lose, I started inviting them all to form the guild party. I began to check our levels and, apart from Manaia and Lira, no one was above level ten. That meant that they could all only use hand-to-hand weapons and there would be no way for them to use their innate abilities. If they came in hordes or if we had to lay siege to a boss, we would be easy prey. I felt a twinge of worry, but there was no time to hesitate. I looked at Lira, who had come despite her internal conflicts and all the horror she had been through that day. I only hoped that my show of affection was stronger than the humiliation she suffered. I approached her with a big smile. Lira returned the smile, making me feel a little less worried. "How are you feeling? Are you okay to go? If not, you can stay and rest this time, I would understand." "I wouldn’t let my sister go alone to such a dangerous place, besides, I can watch your back, even if it’s just a little..." "I see you’ve surpassed level 10, have you already activated your innate abilities? Tell me a little about what they are so I can advise you." "I activated an interesting ability that will be a surprise, look forward to it, hehe," she said with a cute smile. Ignoring the fact that they were all watching us, I went over and gave her a hug. I whispered in her ear: "No matter what happens, I am by your side and I always will be." She returned the hug, and we both stayed in our own world, ignoring everyone. The others only watched us with affection and envy, but no one interrupted us, knowing that something very bad must have happened inside that forest, seeing how Lira had returned soaked in green monster blood. Suddenly, the sound of a new notification startled us all. [The GRB is about to begin, all members of the Guild party will be transported to the combat zone] Before we could even react, we were transported to a strange place. The site looked like a Roman coliseum, with many doors of different sizes, but the only difference was that the floor was completely made of a material that looked like ceramic, as if they were tiles that formed a gigantic, glowing dodecagram. I was holding my weapons nervously, but my companions were lying on the floor, trying to hold back their urge to vomit while gagging. "Are you all okay? Respond!" I asked urgently. "What was that? Why didn’t it affect you, Jax?" Manaia looked confused seeing the state of everyone, but seeing that it hadn’t affected me in the slightest, she didn’t understand what was happening. "It was a long-range teleportation. I’ve been in several, I’ve gotten used to it, it will pass in a few moments...", I said, trying to explain the situation to them. Suddenly, a voice sounded, interrupting me before I could finish. [Welcome to GRB] [Hero’s Guild] [As it is your first attempt, you have been summoned 10 minutes in advance to allow for some explanations] [First, this world is real. You must not underestimate it, thinking you will not die] [Second, the combat draw will be random and all guilds will be evaluated under the same rules without exception.] [Third, the duration of GRB is 24 hours in this dimension, but only 1 hour will pass in your world. While the event lasts, your guilds will be protected by the GRB killing formation, we guarantee the safety and health of each of your members] The voice fell silent after saying those words, leaving us a little confused. I raised my voice: "Hello... can you tell us your name?" [You can call me Moderator] "Hello, Moderator. Is this going to be the battlefield?" "The doors in front of you represent the different possible scenarios! In exactly four minutes, and counting, one of those doors will open and you must go through it to be sent to the test zone. Good luck! Those were all the possible questions." "Moderator!" I shouted, my voice echoing in the coliseum. "How can we get out of this place if it’s too dangerous?" ... "Moderator! Answer, how can we abort the GRB?!" No matter how much I tried to ask for a response, the moderator did not speak again. The girls and I looked at each other without saying anything, just waiting. "At least, if what he said is true, we don’t have to worry about anything happening to the others while we are away," I said, trying to sound calm. Manaia sighed in relief. "That was what worried me the most, Jax. All those who know how to fight are here, although Tala could handle some minor monsters with her big muscles," she said, joking. We all started to laugh a little, lightening the heavy burden that was felt in the air. The floating timer in the air marked 3:45. There was no turning back. The minutes flew by and soon the timer reached zero. One of the doors opened with a bang, startling us all. I walked to the front and motioned for them to follow me. The well-trained girls placed themselves in a staggered formation to respond to any danger, as I had taught them. When I got to the door, I peeked in, but I couldn’t see anything; it was as if the room were empty. Despite the fear, I extended my hand, putting it in the opening, but as soon as my hand entered, my whole body was absorbed immediately, pulling me inside. The girls screamed, but Manaia spoke quickly to keep them all calm. "Nothing will happen! You can still see Jax’s name in the interface and he doesn’t seem to be taking damage, so everything will be fine. Relax, stop being crybabies, and stand firm." Riven, who had lost her composure for a moment, also shouted after a deep breath. "Matriarch, what should we do? Do we wait or do we advance too?" "Jax trained you to be a combat team, not a bunch of scared little girls. Riven, you can’t hesitate again or come looking for me every time you don’t know what to do... set an example!" Manaia stared at Riven as she threw herself into the door, entering with determination. Just like me, she was also absorbed. Everyone quickly checked the interface, saw that she was still fine and wasn’t taking damage, so they mustered their courage, throwing themselves in one by one.