Chapter 26 : The first trial
{Your first trial will start.}
That's what Ethan heard before finding himself in an entirely new place.
A ruined battlefield.
The ground was scorched. Smoke lingered in the air, and the moans of the wounded and desperate filled the silence. Scattered corpses and shattered weapons of all kinds.
The soil was still soaked with fresh blood.
The battle had clearly ended not long ago.
Ethan took in the sight, his heart aching. It was his first time seeing such a cruel scene.
Instinctively, he willed his inventory to open—ready to help those struggling to survive.
But—
"Wait, what?"
He couldn't open it.
{You are not allowed to use anything except what the Tower has provided in this trial.}
{Your talents and skills have been locked.}
He stopped. Looked around.
Beside him, a small wooden cart sat filled with supplies—just enough to help a few.
But far from enough for everyone.
Seeing this, Ethan immediately understood.
{Floor 1: Special Trial}
{Help the ones truly in need.}
{Reward: One skill}
He sighed.
He had to choose.
He had to decide who needed help the most.
He looked at his small wooden cart. At best, he could help three people.
Out of thousands.
"…Hell."
Ethan was struggling. He felt limited.
As someone who spent without thinking, without worrying about price or quantity—this trial was pushing him to the edge.
He sighed. Again.
…
As he walked through the battlefield with his cart, they noticed him.
The moment they saw his fair skin, clean clothes, and supplies—
They rushed him.
"Sir! Good sir! Please help me, my sister is dying of hunger!"
A gaunt boy—barely ten years old—clutched at his sleeve, his hollow eyes filled with desperation.
Before Ethan could respond, another voice cut in.
"Please—just some medicine to heal my wounds. If I don't get it, I won't make it."
A grizzled soldier, bloodied and weak, grabbed his wrist.
Then it began.
More people swarmed him.
More voices pleaded.
Each person cried out their suffering, begging to be chosen.
Ethan felt dizzy.
His mind blurred with their voices.
He couldn't think. Couldn't focus.
"STOP!"
His voice boomed over the chaos, stunning them into silence.
He took a deep breath.
"I'm sorry."
"I can only help three people. And I'll pick the three most desperate situations."
Outrage.
That's what filled their faces.
"How are you going to decide that, huh?! For all we know, you'll pick a liar, a scammer—and someone truly in need will die because of it!"
A young woman stepped forward, her face streaked with blood and tears.
Her pain was real, her rage was real.
And she wasn't alone.
The crowd turned against him.
They yelled.
They cursed.
They begged.
Ethan watched them.
His face stayed calm.
But inside, his heart ached.
He wanted to help them all. But he couldn't.
Then he noticed something.
Some people were escalating the chaos on purpose.
And among the crowd—
A woman sat motionless against a broken wagon.
Unlike the others, she didn't reach out.
She didn't plead.
Her lips were parched. Her breathing was shallow.She clutched her stomach—where a deep wound bled freely.
She was dying.
And she had already accepted it.
Then, he saw another woman crying for medicine for her "husband."
But the man beside her was already dead.
And finally—
The boy with his starving sister.
The soldier with his wounds.
Ethan took it all in.
And at the end—
I see.
"I have chosen."
His voice cut through the crowd.
"The boy with his sister."
"The silent woman by the wagon."
"The soldier who asked for medicine."
As he spoke, his chest tightened.
He saw their reactions.
Some people despaired.
Some raged.
Some… simply gave up.
Because they knew—They wouldn't make it.
Ethan's fists clenched.
He knew some of them were faking it, trying to guilt tripping him.
But he also knew that among them were real, desperate souls.
People he wouldn't be able to save.
That was the true test.
He was someone who gave. Someone who helped.
But he couldn't save everyone.
A fact.
So he had to learn to choose.
To close his heart when necessary.
To see past pleas and deception.
To know that not all who beg are truly in need.
And not all who remain silent lack suffering.
{Trial Completed.}
A notification appeared.
{Reward: Eye of Discernment (B)}
Then The Tower speak to him.
{What is generosity without wisdom?
Blind kindness is but another form of cruelty. Distribute what you have—but choose well.
Not all who beg are truly in need, and not all who remain silent lack suffering.
So give wisely, O Giver of the People.}
Ethan exhaled.
His hands still trembled. His heart still ached.
But his mind—
Was sharper than ever.
—End of Chapter 26—
A/N:
Thank you all for your power stones.
And what do you think about his first trial ?
I tried to do a trial in correlation with his talent and character.
Give some feedback !!!
Thank you for reading ;)