Chapter 970
Troy lounged in his high–backed chair, a smug grin plastered across his face as he watched the massive screen in the control room
He’d been waiting for this moment–Raven’s final step into the secret chamber’s last checkpoint, where a cloud of toxic gas would seal her fate
The gas in that chamber wasn’t the run–of–the–mill poison. It didn’t kill on contact.
No, it was crueler than that, creeping through the body slowly, giving its victim a half–hour window to
find
ali antidote,
If they failed, the poison would worm its way into their meridians, triggering a gruesome death–blood pouring from every orifice as they writhed in agony.
No one in the room thought Raven had a snowball’s chance in hell. A rare mid–tier elixir tablet? Fat chance she’d have one of those.
And whipping up an antidote from the herbs scattered in the chamber? In under thirty minutes? Yeah, right. The crowd exchanged skeptical glances, already writing her off.
“Hey, you’ve got a plan for this poison, don’t you?” Mick’s voice was light, almost teasing, as he trailed behind Raven. A faint smile tugged at his lips.
Raven didn’t answer, just kept her eyes forward, striding toward the gas–filled zone like it was a Sunday stroll.
Mick followed, not even flinching as the air grew heavy with the scent of danger.
Unlike the earlier puzzles–child’s play by comparison–the final checkpoint wasn’t just a brain teaser. It was guarded.
Two hulking men in black stood like statues at the entrance, their faces blank as stone. As Raven and Mick approached, the guards extended their arms, blocking the way.
“Wanna pass?” one of them grunted, his voice like gravel. “You gotta go through us.”
The other sized up Raven and Mick, his lip curling. “You two? No chance. Even if you somehow luck your way past us, you’re not making it to the next round.
“This chamber’s just the warm–up. Secondary cities, primary cities, Deariton–each test is nastier than the last.”
He leaned in, his tone dripping with condescension. “Kids like you, with no real power? You’re cannon fodder. You’ll die in these trials, chasing some pipe dream that’s way out of your league.
“A bright future’s nice, but it ain’t worth your lives. Walk away now, and I’ll hook you up with a cushy job. Food, shelter, the works. You’ll never have to worry again.”
“Look, if a job’s not your thing, I can wire 300 grand straight to your account- no strings attached. That’s more than enough to set you up nice in Forlunda City.
“C’mon, you gotta admit, that beats grinding through these levels any day.”
The two men in black leaned in, their voices smooth as silk, tag–teaming to sell the deal. “Think it over, seriously.
“Trade the rest of your life scraping for a promotion you’ll never snag for a comfy, stable setup. You know what’s the smart
ere.”
They were laying it on thick, trying to tempt Raven Valor and Mick with cold, hard cash to ditch the challenge.
Most people? They’d probably bite. Took the 300 thousand or a cushy job, called it quits, and headed back with a smug grin, pockets full. But Raven wasn’t most people.
She couldn’t walk away. Not when the truth about her past was still out there, buried under layers of lies. She needed to unmask the ones who’d tried to take her out, the ones pulling the strings from the shadows.
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Chapter 970
And more than that, she burned to return to the divine realm, to stand tall as a Valor and reunite with her family, no more hiding.
Forlunda City? A cozy little trap like that wasn’t her destiny.
Sure, the selection event wasn’t about becoming some lapdog for Scion. As a daughter of the Valor family, Raven couldn’t care less about Forret’s power
games.
But if winning this thing got her a ticket to Deariton–where she could dig into who’d orchestrated her assassination–she’d claw her way to that promotion spot, no question.
“Sorry, boys, but I’m not biting.” Raven fixed the two men in black with a cool, steady stare, her voice like steel wrapped in velvet. “I’m clearing this stage, and I’m taking that slot. So, you gonna step up or just keep talking?”
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