The western testing grounds inside Minerva's Utopia.
It was a place known as Mini Monster Canyon in that its entrance was just like the Monster Canyon found outside the separate dimension. However, the size of this Monster Canyon was relatively smaller and the monsters were only restricted to being plant-based monsters.
It was called a Test of Courage for the simple fact that the plant-based monsters had created their unique hierarchies inside the Mini Monster Canyon. The monsters and the participants were not separated according to their rank. Any ranker could face a monster of any level.
The Mini Monster Canyon had an invisible spatial barrier that rippled every time the rankers stepped forward to enter the canyon. Upon crossing that spatial barrier, they would be teleported to anywhere inside the Mini Monster Canyon.
Therefore, the challengers were not able to plan ahead for the courage test. They had to immediately decide if they wanted to continue their journey inside the Mini Monster Canyon or leave the place.
The rankers could choose to leave the place immediately after entering if and when they realized that the heat was too much for them to handle. They'd just have to activate their tattoos on the back of their right hand and they would be teleported outside the Mini Monster Canyon.
The rewards for staying inside the Mini Monster Canyon were the corpses of the plant-based monsters they slayed. Apart from that, the rankers would also be rated out of 100 points. They would be scored as per their performance inside the Mini Monster Canyon.
Rankers could stay inside the Mini Monster Canyon for up to a day before they were sent outside by the Utopia's preset mechanism. Since it did not have much to do with potions, most rankers who were not potioners preferred participating here.
Arizihana had come here using another teleportation array after leaving Marie to her devices. She knew Marie would take her time to complete the test of wisdom correctly. There was no point waiting for her there.
A huge landscape opened in front of Ari as she got close to her destination. There were mountain ranges that were obscured by clouds and mist. The sunlight felt dimmed because of these mystic elements lingering in the air.
It felt as if the air there was wild and full of life. It was as if the whole fauna of the place was one giant beast breathing in and breathing out to create the mist and mana miasma.
The Mini Monster Canyon had a giant entrance between two mountain ranges. The place was supposed to be less intimidating than the actual Monster Canyon outside. However, it didn't feel like that for most rankers who had come here to challenge the test.
Ari soon heard the sounds of rankers waiting outside the canyon's entrance in groups.
"We are a group of five, looking for a healer. If there's any healer among you, please join us. We will ensure equal destruction of resources among all of us. Plus, the healer will have a bonus."
"We need a ranger for our team, you guys. A ranger who is also well versed in tracking spells. If there's any ranger among you, I'd…"
"Berserkers! We are a Berserker specialist team looking for two more berserkers. The resource distribution will be determined by the contribution of the efforts."
"We need an Ace ranked close combat expert. Ours is the most well-balanced team of rankers, only lacking a close combat expert to serve as our group's damage dealer. If there's any close…"
Ari could see various groups waiting for more rankers to join them outside the field set for the test of courage. People who pass through the spatial layer in groups will be sent inside the Mini Monster in groups for the most part. This was the reason rankers were forming their own groups outside the canyon's entrance.
Even if the rankers couldn't control which place they would be sent to inside the canyon or which monster they would have to face first, they could increase the chances of their survival and better resource farming by being part of a large group.
These groups were made of rankers with mixed classes, backgrounds, and ranking statuses. Most of these groups would come to a formal agreement before entering the canyon. The critical point to discuss was the resource distribution which needed to be discussed beforehand before the group entered the canyon.
Hence, the area outside the canyon's entrance had turned into a market-like place where people of various backgrounds were checking each other out like merchandise.
Only C-Rank entities were bold enough to enter the place without any groups. At their level, forming groups would serve no purpose and would only slow them down without any tangible benefits.
Ari naturally decided to be a part of the group to minimize the risk of entering the testing grounds. She didn't want to be part of a large group so she gazed around her without saying anything.
She soon found out that there was a group of two guys waiting silently a bit away from the crowd. It didn't seem like they were much keen on looking for anyone to join their team.
Ari approached the two rankers while observing them keenly. One of them looked like a tank. The other was a close combat expert.
The tank was an Ace ranker in the solid stage. He appeared to be in his 40s with the typical heavy armor outfit that was expected from his class. He looked like he was brought here against his will but was too afraid to voice his dissatisfaction. The other person was a young man in his 20s who had worn light gear for easy movement. It looked like the tank was afraid of this young man.
This close combat expert had brown eyes and dark auburn hair. He had a well-defined jawline and a light brown beard. Ari felt that his nose was just the right size for the rest of the young man's facial features.
He stood six feet tall. He had a slim build that attested to his class as a close combat expert. His gaze was steady and the air around him felt like he was ready for a killing spree.
"Are you looking for another member to form a party?"
Ari asked while looking at the close combat expert.
