VRMMO: Am I The Strongest Yet?

The trials for all the participants were different. And, it was not like everyone had received a trial.

This event focused on the individual growth and evaluation of the talent and wisdom that one possessed.

One was not limited to anything when they were inside that place. So all the players who found an appropriate place to showcase everything that they had, were showing what they could do.

The Stars were the end goal here.

And showing the best they can do, might just be the way to the most stars.

Many of them weren't even trying to get out of the Maze. But that was fine as well.

One of the reasons Alex was able to destroy the barrier blocking her and Elio was able to finish his second trial without harming any of the Caterpillars was through the freedom of 'choice' that one makes in that unique space.

Contribution was not calculated based on how much they traveled and how many trials they finished.

The whole event was about an individual, not their position among the rest of them.

"Everyone possesses talent."

After parting ways from the small caterpillars, Elio had moved forward and now he was facing the sixth trial on the path that he had deducted from the various clues that he received in the form of a 'chit'.

When he received these special pieces of paper, they were blank. However, when he used one as suggested by the window that appeared after he obtained them, he received a clue to his next destination.

And after passing through many of these destinations, he had reached the place where the following trials took place.

"Talent is not something that one can quantify, or something that one could measure with a set method. It is not a scientific amount that one could measure.

It can be graded on a set, well defined scale, however one could not measure it."

In his third trial, he was faced with a unique predicament.

The first trial that he faced was a simple question, second about a choice, and third one was about his knowledge.

He had to explain what a creature that resembled a bunny, a simple black bunny actually was.

He also had to justify why something so simple looking was considered so unique in the 'environment' that they live in.

The third trial was pretty easy looking with the presence of the [Forum] that all the players had access to. There was already a lot of information available there.

If he could get some information about this creature, he would have obtained whatever information he needed from it.

However, without even some simple knowledge about this creature, that would not be possible.

Thankfully, he was good with [Observation] and [Identification] so he was able to get good enough info on it to finish his third trial… only to face the next trial that was similar yet a little different.

He did not have to tell information about any creature in the next trial, but he had to answer a philosophical question.

[What would you do if the (Creature) you had encountered in the last trail ever harmed someone precious to you.]

He understood this question as the 'Trial' wanting to recheck his knowledge about this creature as well as an attempt to make him question the answer that he had given.

"Talent and potential are not interlinked.

It does not matter if someone has talent for magic, for sword, for art, or for complex coding. Every living being has an inherent potential to them.

And this potential itself… is a beautiful thing."

He had found out the simple looking black rabbit was actually a demonic beast that was very famous in the high level hunting zones as one of the apex predators of the corrupted land.

They were very dangerous creatures that even the players of (Level-150) and above could not handle easily.

They possessed great strength and these creatures were considered so dangerous that they were one of the most avoided beings among the players as well as the natives.

Infamous for killing anything that came into their set territory, they were one of the top ten creatures with the most deaths to their name.

Some even called these 'bunnies' a natural catastrophe.

Chances of a precious someone being harmed by these creatures was high, and one's natural response would be hate towards these creatures.

They would want to get their revenge, kill these creatures, and even perhaps want them obliterated.

But realistically, there was no way to completely eliminate their kind. And that would just bring despair to the ones who want nothing more than the deaths of these creatures.

"Finding one's talent is something highly based on luck and fate– on the other hand, realizing the potential one's body, mind, and soul hold is what actually births strength at the end of the day."

Elio was a simple person.

When he was asked a question like what he would do to a creature who has harmed a loved one of his, his natural response certainly was to express his emotions.

However, instead of harming that creature as much as they had harmed his loved ones, he would want to tend to his harmed people first.

Forgiving the creature would not be possible, but he would not want to kill them if the creature was acting entirely as it was supposed to do.

Weakness was an inevitability.

If someone close to him was harmed by a creature whose pure nature was to harm something that 'only' intruded into their territory, then there would not be much that he could do.

The matter would surely be different if someone he is close with is killed by these creatures– then he would have no choice but to eliminate their entire kind.

But those extreme measures would not be needed.

Realistically, he did not want harm to any of the beings close to him. But even he knew he would need a great kind of strength for that that was enough to protect what was his.

He did not have that strength, but he wanted it.

He wanted to be strong. Stronger than he was right now.

But, he did not want that strength at the cost of a beautiful being's fair life.

"I do not wish for more talent, I don't even know what talent I hold right now.

All I want if I am given the chance to 'realistically' have anything I want, would be the opportunity to realize the potential I hold."

In the fifth trial, he faced a new being.

A sphinx.

Yes, the creature from the myths. They existed in this world as well– just that the one he was facing was merely a two meter tall replica made with magic.

Though, for his fifth trial, instead of receiving the puzzle or riddle like it is in the myths, he was asked to convince the creature that he was worth their Trial.

Thus, he did all kinds of things from casting magic, to singing, playing some music with some strings that he had, reading some poems, to even asking the creatures riddles that he might find fun.

He took a while, but he was able to somehow catch the attention of the creature.

He did not know what convinced it, but he received the attention of the creature and along with it, his final trial– another question.

{ "So, you want to realize your potential?" }

The voice of this being was close to the voice of the librarian. Something different, but something that had the same kind of power and wisdom as the librarian did.

{ "Admirable…" }

The question that he received was simple. Very simple.

[Q: If you are given the chance to have anything that you want, what would you want? Would you want more talent?]

The connective question was something that indicated that this being before him wanted to hear the answer with some connection to the 'talent' so, he answered it like that.

And, he was right for doing it this way.

-Oooooooooooooong.

"Oh."

{ "May you receive what you desire, oh merciful foreigner." }

He did not realize it, but he had crossed the maze as well.

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