We spent the remaining time training with Lisa. Due to the characteristics of the room we were in, we neither felt hunger nor fatigue, nor did we need to sleep. This allowed us to continue working without any breaks, but it didn't mean our minds weren't getting tired.

[Time remaining until the start of the third phase: 1 hour.]

"I think we've trained enough. Try to prepare yourself mentally in the remaining time."

Lisa: "Finally, it's over. I know we can't get tired here, but I still feel very exhausted."

Lisa sat down in a corner and started to rest. I decided to spend the last hour looking into this new class thing that the Sovereign mentioned.

"Let's check out this new class. System, show the status panel."

[Daichi Sato]
[Class: Strategist]
[Subclass: Avenger]
[Level 78]
[Speed 108]
[Strength 55]
[Mana 6]
[Luck 1]

[Skills: [Mini Map] [Trap Setting] [Portal]…]

"So, it shows the class I obtained from the Sovereign as a subclass, could there be other people with multiple classes? I shouldn't ignore this possibility. Also, after gaining some levels, I should increase my mana and luck stats. Even though I have very few skills that require mana, having more mana would allow me to use these skills more effectively. I'm not sure what the luck stat does, but I guess increasing it would be good too. Now, let's look at this Avenger subclass and its provided skill. The Sovereign told me I would acquire this class as if I was starting from scratch, so I should only have a basic skill for now."

[Avenger: Revenge is a dish best served cold, and the sweetest is when taken on those scoundrels who truly deserve it. Kill them, tear them apart, and destroy them. Take everything from their hands.]

"What kind of description is this? I think I understand why the Sovereign went mad, it doesn't sound like a very friendly class."

[Skill: "Reflection" allows you to reflect the total damage received in a single attack.]

"Hmm, let's try this skill."

I walked over to Lisa.

"Hey, hit me with a strong punch."

Lisa: "Why? Are you a masochist or something? Gross."

"I wouldn't fantasize about anything related to you, believe me."

And I took the punch in my stomach.

"T-thanks…"

So, let's use this Reflection skill!

"Hmm, doesn't seem like anything happened. Did it not work? Anyway, let's try this. Lisa, can you look at me for a second?"

Lisa: "What do you want now? Another punch?"

I flicked Lisa's forehead with my finger, and she flew back several meters as if she had been punched.

"Wow, if I can use this skill after taking more damage, I can create an explosive effect. Still, it's a double-edged sword, deliberately taking damage can be quite lethal, so it's best to be cautious with this skill."

Lisa: "What are you doing! Are you asking for a beating?"

"Haha, sorry, just testing a skill."

[Time remaining until the start of the third phase: 30 minutes.]

"It looks like the exam is about to start, are you ready?"

Lisa: "More than ready, let's get through this third phase and buy a cool weapon with the gold we earn!"

Buying a weapon, huh? That could be sensible. Especially considering all my weapons were destroyed while fighting a god. But can I really buy a weapon that would harm them from the system? I'm not entirely sure how all this works, so the best option might be to obtain the weapon in another way. Let's leave what to do with the money for later.

30 minutes passed quickly.

[The third phase starts in 10 seconds.]

10
9
8
"I'm really tired of these countdowns."
7
6
Lisa: "Maybe they do it on purpose, to annoy us."
5
4
"Hey Lisa, when all this is over…"
3
2
Lisa: "You're not going to propose to me, are you?"
1
"No, you idiotic—"
[You are being transferred to the third phase…]

A bright light flashed, and we found ourselves in an open area, surrounded by numerous people, with fires and ruins everywhere.

"Where are we?"

Lisa: "Hey, what were you about to say!?"

[Objective of the Third Phase: Capture the monsters.]

"Capture the monsters? That's it?"

People started talking:

"Aren't we going to fight each other?"

"Monsters? This should be easy, right?"

"What if we have to fight a bunch of dragons? What then?"

The crowd was buzzing with speculation on what they might face, suggesting that fighting powerful monsters was expected, but a dragon or something of greater power seemed unlikely in such an open area.

People began to discuss:

"Do you see that village ahead? Should we head there?"

"Maybe that's a monster village."

"Look, those snake-like things, maybe we have to kill them!"

Everyone started running towards the village, and what I saw as I turned towards it filled me with dread, were they like Lilith?
"Lisa, I think we need to kill those monsters, but doesn't something feel off to you?"

Lisa: "Like what?"

"Isn't our last mission just to kill monsters? They said capture, not kill."

Lisa: "So, what should we do? Should we try to capture them?"

"I don't know, let's head to the village for now."

As we ran towards the village, we found that half-snake monsters were already being killed. People were chasing and hunting down these half-snake creatures, indiscriminately killing adults, women, men, and children. They weren't as massive as the snake form Lilith took, probably Lilith gained that massive power when she became a labyrinth boss.

Warrior: "Hey, don't they look a lot like humans? Why don't we have some fun with them?"

Warrior 2: "Right, we've already killed a few, so we must have completed the mission."

People continued to harass and kill the half-snake women. They attacked men, women, the elderly

, and even children without discrimination, creating a nightmarish scene of slaughter and chaos.

"I think I understand what's going on. This isn't a simple monster-slaying mission. The examiners want to see how we treat those who are different from us, even if they resemble monsters."

Lisa: "So, what should we do? This doesn't seem right."

"Let's try to stop them. We can't let this continue."

As we approached to intervene, a giant snake appeared, towering over the village. It was clearly enraged by the violence being inflicted on its kin.

"Looks like we don't have much time. That giant snake will attack soon. We need to act quickly."

Lisa: "But how can we stop all these people?"

"We need to find a way to calm the snake and stop the participants from their senseless slaughter. It's going to be a tough balance, but we have to try."

The challenge ahead seemed daunting, but it was clear that the true test of this phase was not simply about combat prowess, but also about morality, empathy, and the ability to make difficult decisions in the heat of the moment.

"Here, it would have been better for you to drink this, but you seem not to trust me, so I guess pouring it on your wound will suffice."

When I poured the potion on his wound, I managed to heal him.

Half-serpent woman: "W-Why are you doing this?"

"I will help you, just tell me what happened."

I was trying to learn something from her, if what I was thinking was correct…

Half-serpent woman: "I don't know, suddenly things I've never seen before appeared in front of me and said we needed to survive. While trying to figure out what was happening, suddenly people attacked us!"

Just as I thought, the system is doing its best to make us turn on each other.

"None of you know how to fight?"

Half-serpent woman: "Most of us got injured in a war that lasted for a while, and we have very few soldiers left."

"Don't worry, leave the rest to me."

Half-serpent woman: "M-My daughter! Please save my daughter!"

"Your daughter? Okay, tell me her name and what she looks like so I can call out to her."

Half-serpent woman: "Lilith, she has long black hair and pale skin. Her eyes are green and very bright, you won't have trouble recognizing her. Please save her…"

Lilith? All these events and now Lilith, could it be... have we gone to the past?
Lisa: "Hey, are you okay? You look bad, like how you were before you went mad…"

"I'm fine, we must hurry if what I'm thinking is happening."

If we have gone back to the past and it's the time when Lilith was captured to become a boss, I must reach her and capture her before anyone else. According to the ruler, the system can indirectly control reality and time, the games must be one of these ways. So, I must capture Lilith before something happens to her, otherwise… she might never have existed.

I started running and searching for Lilith.

"LILITH! LILITH!"

I was running around and shouting her name, using sky steps to lift myself into the air for a better view. Then, I saw her bright green eyes, she was cornered in an alley. I quickly went to where she was.

Wizard: "Do you think you can escape? Being a little girl won't stop me from what I'm going to do!"

Lilith: "H-Help!"

With great speed, I threw myself down from the sky, using sky steps as if stepping on a ceiling, and with a punch filled with aura, I hit the wizard man with a powerful punch and killed him in one move. I was covered in blood.

"Are you okay?"

Lilith: "P-Please don't hurt me…"

Lilith was crying, she was still a child, but she was still the same Lilith. The Lilith who had always been by my side and supported me, now it's my turn to support you.

Lisa: "Hey, where are you running off to! I almost died trying to catch up…"

Lisa was out of breath.

"There's no need to be afraid, Lilith, your mother sent me."

Lilith: "M-My mother? Is she okay?"

"She's fine and safe, I will take you to her, okay?"

Lilith nodded her head up and down in agreement, I picked her up and started walking towards where her mother was.

Lisa: "Hey, I get you want to help them, but don't we need to capture one of them? Otherwise, we might fail the mission, and, we could die…"

Lisa was right, we needed to capture one of them. Probably, this mission was for creating the boss for a future Labyrinth mission, and if we don't capture Lilith and complete the mission, most likely I would never meet Lilith in the future. I know I will save her in the future, but is it worth making her go through this torture until then? Of course not, as much as I want to be with you and continue to help you, I can't selfishly wish for you to wait for me to save you in a miserable life. So, the only thing I can do is capture someone else and ruin their life, in the end, someone's life is going to be ruined. I know it's wrong, but I don't want Lilith to go through the same things again, if I'm going to be the bad guy, I will choose my victim…

I ran towards where Lilith's mother was.

"Take her and get away from here."

Lilith: "Mom!"

Lilith's mother: "My daughter! I am grateful to you for saving her!"

Lilith: "W-What will happen to you, sir?"

"Don't worry, I'll be fine."

Although Lilith didn't seem satisfied with my answer, she was happy to have reached her mother. After all, she was still a child, and I couldn't drag her into this.

Lilith's mother picked up Lilith and quickly left the area.

Lisa: "So, what are we going to do now?"

"Our mission, whatever it is…"