Global Disaster: I Will Slay Gods In This Second Chance!-Chapter 77: Trials Passed

When the mist cleared, Zold saw that he was back in the entrance of Tsumogui.

His gaze lowered for a brief moment, and then rose again.

But this time, his eyes were exceptionally clear, and there was no trace of emotion in them.

"Captain!"

Akihito called out in surprise.

Namita and Seiji shifted their gaze, unsurprised.

Although Zold took longer than they expected, they knew he wasn’t going to fail.

Seiji might’ve doubted for a moment, but Namita never did.

Zold turned around, scanning everyone’s state. Once he saw Ayase, his gaze suddenly stopped at her.

"She’s just tired!" Akihito quickly explained. After Seiji’s unexpected reaction, he clarified it to Zold immediately. He added, "She’s fine now."

Zold paused, nodding slightly.

"I know."

Akihito rubbed his nose awkwardly.

Brushing it aside, Zold glanced at him.

"You too. Get some rest, your spiritual energy is exhausted."

He swept his gaze to the other two as well.

"The two of you as well."

As though he could see their states precisely, he warned them indifferently.

"Just because you passed the trial doesn’t mean that it’s over. That was just the beginning. The real mission starts now."

But then he paused,

"... But good job for passing."

Everyone’s eyes widened slightly, startled.

Zold wasn’t one to be stingy with praises, so they weren’t much surprised with that. It was the way he said it that made it feel special.

For a brief moment, it was as if his voice had faltered, losing its usual indifference.

The three of them exchanged glances, deciding to keep quiet about what they were thinking.

Now that everyone had come back safely, the members of the 13th Demon Hunter Squad finally felt their hearts settle down.

Zold glanced at all of them, inwardly sighing in relief.

Perhaps it was obvious, but Akihito suddenly smiled.

"We’re glad you’re safe, Captain."

Zold was startled. He looked at Akihito, seeing a genuine smile break out on his face.

He pursed his lips and shook his head.

"What’s there to be glad about? If you guys could get through it, why couldn’t I?"

"Haha, that’s true. But I’m still glad anyway."

Akihito chuckled, smiling sheepishly.

At this moment, he suddenly felt the person on his lap fidget.

Akihito blinked in surprise, his brows furrowing.

"Is she..."

When he felt a subtle nudge on his uniform, he saw Ayase stick close to his body, holding his uniform quietly.

Ayase’s eyes were wide open, looking at him with a soft smile.

Akihito’s heart skipped a beat, falling silent.

Then, he spoke, unsure.

"... Good morning?"

Ayase stared at him quietly. Then, she chuckled.

"Good morning." 𝑓𝘳𝘦𝑒𝑤𝑒𝘣𝘯ℴ𝘷𝘦𝓁.𝑐𝑜𝑚

"...!"

Akihito’s face turned red.

Then, he felt several gazes land on him, as if assessing him.

From the left, Seiji nodded slightly, whispering.

"Seems like something beautiful is happening in front of us..."

Namita smiled. "Indeed, youth is truly beautiful."

Zold fell silent, choosing to ignore them.

He wasn’t going to stoop down to Seiji and Namita’s level, but...

It was indeed an unexpected development.

At that moment, Akihito felt his eyes twitch, embarrassment surging inside him. miHe glanced at Ayase, but perhaps she didn’t get it, she looked at him with a gentle smile that just made his heart race even more.

Left with no choice, he coughed awkwardly.

"Cut it out, you old men. Ayase and I are just friends..."

Ayase narrowed her eyes.

"Just...?"

Akihito suddenly felt his scalp tingle, looking at Ayase.

"Huh?"

"Best friends."

Ayase spoke with a small smile, her cheeks reddening. She repeated.

"Best friends."

’Ah, of course...’

Akihito didn’t know why he was disappointed, but he perked his head, agreeing with her.

"Best friends!"

"Mhm."

Hearing that, Ayase’s lips curved into a smile, as if she was satisfied.

Namita and Seiji’s whispers echoed, piercing Akihito’s heart.

"Whoa, best friends..."

"The bestest of best friends..."

"Amazing, kid..."

All their words seemed to pierce right through him, yet Ayase was unaffected.

Did she not understand, or did she simply not care?

’I can’t be mad at this though...’

Akihito thought, resigning to his fate.

"Alright, enough."

At that moment, Zold suddenly spoke, glancing at Namita and Seiji.

Namita and Seiji immediately shut up, looking elsewhere.

Once everyone fell silent, Zold continued.

"Focus on recovering your spiritual energy. The mission isn’t over yet."

Hearing that, everyone’s expression turned serious, nodding slightly.

Then, they sat down in a meditative position, clearing all their thoughts.

Zold shifted his gaze, looking straight ahead.

He spread his spiritual sense throughout Tsumogui.

Almost immediately, he sensed where the Mysterious Eye of Despair was hiding.

But surrounding the Mysterious Eye of Despair were six Tier I Demon-class monsters.

’Hmm...’

At his level of strength, these monsters naturally didn’t stand a chance against him.

Vital Spark stage awakeners weren’t supposed to exist this early, then again...

Ghost Towns like this weren’t supposed to exist as early as well.

Zold shook his head, brushing aside such thoughts. He glanced at the others from the back, considering something.

After a brief contemplation, he came to a decision.

"Listen up."

At that moment, everyone lost their focus, raising their heads as they looked at him.

Zold turned around, looking at them calmly.

"After you recover your spiritual energy, we’ll be having a practical combat test."

"If I don’t like your performance, you’ll be leaving this squad after this mission. With no exception. So do your best."

Hearing that, everyone was startled, faces turning pale.

After a grueling trial, they were thrust into another demanding trial by none other than their Captain.

But this time, it was a combat trial.

Soon, everyone fully recovered their spiritual energy, taking over half an hour.

Zold led them deeper in Tsumogui.

The pale gray mist stirred, as if disturbed by something else.

Once they reached a certain area, he stopped walking.

The others stopped as well, furrowing their brows in confusion.

But then, Zold turned around and stared at them quietly.

Everyone’s heart skipped a beat, and their faces turned solemn.

Zold nodded slightly and slowly spoke.

"There’s a Tier I Demon-class monster around the corner, known as the Conniving Long Serpent."

"I won’t explain its abilities nor the true extent of its powers."

"The members I will call forward will be in charge of killing it. Kill it, you pass the test. But if you get defeated instead, you’re expelled from the squad."

He paused, looking at them calmly.

"Understand?"

Compared to his usual indifference, Zold’s current tone was harsh, but resolute.

Everyone quickly nodded, their hearts slightly heavy.

Zold shifted his gaze and looked at two members.

"Alright, Ayase and Seiji. Come forward."

Hearing that, Ayase and Seiji exchanged glances, slightly surprised.

But knowing Zold’s personality, they quickly stepped forward.

Zold stared at them, nodding slightly.

"Cooperate and use all your abilities."

He advised and then stepped aside, allowing them to move forward.

"..."

On the back, Akihito looked at Ayase with slight concern.

Ayase smiled, seemingly unworried.

Akihito gave her a small thumbs-up, cheering for her.

’Good luck!’

Ayase nodded and turned her gaze ahead, her expression turning cold.

Seiji was startled, sighing inwardly.

Then he walked forward, letting her go behind him.

Without wasting any more time, Ayase and Seiji delved deeper into the mist, disappearing from everyone’s view.

Zold crossed his arm silently.

Feeling extremely worried, Akihito scratched his cheeks nervously.

"Captain, will they be okay...?"

Namita suddenly chuckled.

"Worried about your girlfriend already?"

"No!" Akihito instinctively denied. "I mean, she’s not my girlfriend... but yes, I’m worried about her."

Recalling her experience in the trials, his frown deepened, the concern in his eyes only more evident.

Zold glanced at him, answering his question.

"We’ll only know after... but rest assured, I won’t let them die if they fail."

"At worst, they’ll just have to return to being an ordinary person."

Hearing that, even if Akihito felt slightly reassured, he still couldn’t help but worry about Ayase.

He also worried about Seiji, but not as much as Ayase.

Namita glanced at him, humming.

Seeing Akihito’s concerned and anxious look, he stopped joking around.

He thought about Ayase’s teammate and didn’t worry too much.

He knew how strong Seiji was.

It took him a while to realize, but their squad wasn’t normal at all.

Namita had studied the Demon Hunter’s Association, a detective’s habit.

From what he learned, each member of their squald could qualify as a captain of another squad.

And in the entire nation, only 76 captains existed.