A group of humans wearing various kinds of armor walked through the portal and into the hallway.

  “Welcome to the Shadow Trials!” Douglas said, flurrying his hands as he greeted them.

  “Yes, thank you,” said an old, white-haired man dismissively. “Now, where are the real people? Ah, there they are.”

  “I thought you said most humans weren’t like the necromancer?” Mo’han said.

  “Yeah, well… they were before all this.”

  Aaron decided to leave out all the wars and violence on pre-integration Earth. The big guy didn’t need to know all that.

  The group following the white-haired man numbered eleven. They wore a variety of gear, some in heavy, metal armor, while others wore light, flowing robes.

  But Aaron didn’t recognize any of them from the viewing room. Which meant they were almost certainly from another human world. He already knew that other humans existed throughout the multiverse and that they were fairly common, so this wasn’t overly surprising.

  Though there was an undeniable novelty to meeting humans from another world, he immediately wondered what kinds of cultures and nations they might have formed throughout their history. Would their architecture and traditions be completely different from Earth? Or would it be similar to how they apparently copied ideas from the multiverse, and there would be a surprising number of similarities?

  It was an intriguing thought.

  Clearing his throat as he stepped before Aaron, Mohan, and Mandor, the bearded, white-haired man stood stiff, chin high, and eyed them all for an uncomfortable moment. He wore decorative armor, and a sword was sheathed at his side.

  “I am Pentival Mortheim, the leader of this group, and the best candidate for future emperor of our sector.”

  Aaron and Mo’han shared a doubting glance.

  This guy is sure full of himself, isn’t he?

  “You may find my words arrogant. I find them necessary. Anyone who believes there will be no power struggle is a fool, and anyone who believes they can simply avoid it is even more so. We are the strongest of our sector. Even as Late E Grades, we are more than a match for dozens of ordinary Tutorial takers. I believe this difference will only grow more stark with time. We are the most powerful forces in the new world. Whether we like it or not, we will be the key figures in the upcoming war.

  “In order to prevent as much bloodshed as possible, it would be wisest to settle matters as soon as possible. Of all the new worlds, I would make the most capable leader. In fact, I would wager that I am the only leader capable of this great undertaking. In my Tutorial, I led my people to a 90% survival rate, and upon completing the Tutorial, I was informed that this was the highest in the entire new universe. I have decades of experience in leadership. I am no tyrant. It may not be my place to say, but my people believe me to be fair and wise. You can see from the people behind me alone that I know how to find and reward talent.

  “I have no desire to cause conflict with you. As I said, my desire is to prevent conflict, or at least as much of it as possible. Some conflict is unavoidable, and the struggle for power in our new world is such a case. However, I can assure you that if I am the leader, I will bring it to a swift end and bring peace to the world.

  “I will not require much of you. If all goes well, you won’t need to lift a finger. But make no mistake, you will need to choose a side. If there is one thing I’ve learned in my years, it is that neutrality is impossible. Eventually, you will be forced to choose a side. I encourage you to make the wise choice and choose now to prevent any further difficulty. If you try to stubbornly maintain your independence… well, while I am fair and wise, none have ever called me merciful.”

  This was all a bit much. But then again, there were a few people from Earth that Aaron could imagine being like this. After all, anybody who reached this point had gone through remarkable challenges. They had risen against all odds, and somebody like this Pentival Mortheim guy had not just done that, but subjugated an entire Tutorial to his will. If such events happened to somebody who already had a savior complex, it was pretty easy to see how it would send them over the top.

  “What. Is. It. Saying?”

  “This strange human offers us to join his so-called empire, Mandor! How amusing!”

  “I see. In. That. Case. No. Thank. You. Human.”

  “Pardon?” Pentival's white brow bent. “Are you trying to speak?”

  Right, most people won’t have gotten a Lingua Multiversa yet. To him, that insect is probably just clicking its mandibles strangely.

  “He said he’s not interested,” Aaron called out.

  Pentival stared back for a long moment. “Foolish. But not unexpected. So, what about you, then, human? Surely you can see the wisdom in my offer. It is impressive that you have managed to reach the trial at such a low level, but you will soon find that even with your skills, avoiding this will be impossible. But if you’re willing to act as a diplomat for your world, your world’s peaceful integration into the new world can be guaranteed.”

  Aaron had to consider his following words carefully. He wasn’t about to enslave Earth to his man, not that he had the authority to do so anyway. But there was also little to be gained by recklessly making enemies.

  “Um, I don’t think I’m in a position to agree to anything.”

  “Yes, understandable,” Pentival said, eyeing Aaron up and down. “Save your answer. If more of your kind arrive here, tell them my message. Remember that the peace of the new world is at stake,” he turned to Mo’han. “And what about you there, alien? What is your answer?”

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  “Me?!” Mo’han boomed. “I’m good, thanks! I appreciate the offer, though.”

  “The offer?” Pentival’s brow stiffened. “You don’t understand what you’re throwing away. But so be it. The offer will remain open for the duration of the trial. See me or one of my lieutenants if you see reason. Trust me, this is in your best interest. If we meet on the battlefield, there will be no mercy. No clemency. Come, let us go,” he said, waving his group on.

  Inspecting the group, Aaron noticed several noteworthy members. Pentival himself was level 82, and three others had already hit level 80, including a hawkeyed woman at level 85, whose gaze he caught and held as they walked away.

  Her name was Elmira, and even without his improved inspection skill, he could tell that she was a powerful person. It was the way she carried herself. Confident, in fact, there was a similarity between her and Yendal. Confident but not boisterous like Mo’han and with no apparent god complex like her leader, who looked down his nose at everyone and walked around as if he owned the place.

  Not only that, but her emerald eyes and olive complexion, dusted with orange freckles, made her an extremely exotic human as well. Like she would look out of place on Earth. The curved, elven-like dual axes at her sides added to the mystery. They were majestic weapons, and just made her look all the more enigmatic.

  Aaron had seen strong women fighting in the Tutorials already, but seeing one that could easily cut down a man still intrigued him. Pre-integration disrupted the society, and the norms it placed on, well, everything. Veins pumped full of testosterone meant little compared to the power of the multiverse, and it took a little while for his ape brain to rewire to this new reality.

  “I am not sure about these humans, A-ran. But it matters not! At least I’ve met one good human!”

  Oh, great. These guys are doing our image as humans any favors.

  “Yeah,” Aaron grimaced. “I’m sure we’ll get some chill ones soon… or at least I hope.”

  Despite what he said, he hadn’t completely given up hope on new arrivals. He doubted there was much point in talking to Pentival, but if he could pull some of the others aside, perhaps it would be worthwhile doing so.

  After all, Aaron was still hopeful that he could lay some foundations with humans across the sector. Surely they could see the benefits of working together, even if the humans of Earth weren’t willing to submit themselves to a stranger.

  Eyeing the group as they walked away, Aaron decided to put his next trial on hold for the time being. He probably wouldn’t get anywhere with them, but the hallway and adjoining rooms were starting to heat up, and he had been pushing himself restlessly this entire time.

  A short break wouldn’t hurt.

  The group of humans huddled in a corner, seemingly making some kind of plan.

  “Conspiring. Humans. Don’t. Trust.” Madnor shook his head and walked over to the trial dial. “Trial. Time. Good. Luck. Mo. Han.”

  “Do your people proud, Mandor!”

  Then again, maybe it's a good idea that I don’t get along with them. Aaron thought as he watched the two strongest individuals in their sector. Neither Mo’han nor Mandor seemed particularly taken by the humans. If they were going to go around creating enemies for themselves everywhere they went, then they probably weren’t a good faction to ally with Earth.

  “You got time, A-ran? Or are you headed into another trial?” Mo’han said, dragging Aaron from his thoughts.

  “Er, I think I’ll take a moment. Got anything on your mind, mate?” Aaron said, his gaze not leaving the huddled group.

  “Oh, I was just wondering. You seem worried about them.”

  It’s easy to forget sometimes with all that brawn, but it seems Mo’han is more observant than he looks.

  “Nah, it’s cool. Their arrival just gave me a bit to think about. That’s all.”

  “You’re considering joining them?”

  “Oh, hell no. But they’re still human. And who’s to say they all feel the same way, know what I mean? What about you, big fella, what would you do if you met more asuras in here and you didn’t immediately get along? Would you try again?”

  “Hmm, you’ve got a point,” Mo’han stroked his beard. “I would likely make a pact with them, as we do on my world. But if they were not interested? Hmm, I see your predicament.”

  Thinking about asuras made Aaron wonder when the next would arrive. Even if Mo’han’s world was the only place they were found in the sector, chances were, more than just Mo’han would make it here.

  It was a reminder that, regardless of how good their relationship was, there was a pretty good chance that Mo’han and other aliens, for that matter, were likely more loyal to their own kind.

  “Anyway, it is what it is. We probably won’t see each other for a long time after this anyway. I don’t want to mope. If I’m not smashing another trial immediately, I might as well be smashing back a frothy. You keen?”

  “You suggest an ale, A-ran? I WOULD LOVE TO!”

  Mo’han needed to smash out another trial to reach the same level of dining hall as Aaron, but it didn’t take long, as usual.

  Sitting in the recently upgraded dining room, Aaron ate E-grade soul-strengthening food that had come with the upgrade. It would be a long time before his D-grade race evolution, but a little push in the right direction was very welcome.

  They guzzled beers, and Aaron treated himself to burgers and pizza. Unfortunately, it just didn’t hit the same as it once did. It was like someone who had grown accustomed to strong flavors or chili. Food can taste a little lacking if you’re accustomed to buckets of sugar, salt, or spice. And the same was true for Aaron.

  His taste buds had accustomed themselves to ogre food, and the foul, pungent dishes just had more going on. In comparison, human food just tasted boring now.

  Like someone who had grown up eating spice-filled curries, being introduced to beans on toast, it wasn’t necessarily bad, just dull. Lacking excitement.

  The beers were still good, though. A refreshing cold one after all the work he had put into grinding trials was a delight, and the company just made it that much better.

  He realized he was going to miss Mo’han. He was a true bro, and he liked the guy as much as any of his friends growing up. He also just came off genuine, like your mate, whom you have 100% confidence in introducing to the girl you're crushing on. That kind of trust that tells you they wouldn’t even dream of making a move.

  That was Mo’han. He wasn’t just shouting when he cheered Aaron on. He genuinely wanted him to succeed, and Aaron felt the same way. Even if Mo’han was the most powerful entity in their entire sector, he couldn’t help but cheer the big guy on and hope that he succeeded at whatever challenges he faced.

  They clashed beers and cheered over the meal, downing the beverages in one and breaking open another.

  It had been a while since he had a chance to unwind, and this was well and truly overdue.

  But just as they cracked open another, throwing the empties for a bin at the far end of the room, and missing to the feigned dismay of Douglas (the assistant had powers and could easily clean the place with the snap of a finger, so it wasn’t like they were actually picking on him. He just didn’t like the disorder of it all.) the door opened.

  There were settings that they could have applied to the room, stopping others from entering their instance of the dining hall, but they were all turned off. Neither Aaron nor Mo’han had expected anybody else to have reached the sixth stage of the Trial of the Challenger yet. And so there was little point in using such settings.

  With a broad, toothy grin, in stepped the necromancer.

  How’d he get in here so quickly?

  But the speed of Darius’s ascent wasn’t what prickled the hair on the back of Aaron’s neck.

  No, it was the bastard’s new title.

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