Gauss and the others stood in the center of the arena when the scenery around them suddenly changed.
A beam of intense light shone down from above, illuminating the center of the platform.
Tall stands rose all around them. One after another, towering Insectoid Phantoms appeared, and thunderous cheers surged in from every direction.
In an instant, the three-person team seemed to have crossed endless stretches of time and space, arriving in the glorious age before the ancient kingdom fell. They were taking part in a beast-fighting trial watched by countless spectators.
From where they stood, every detail of the Insectoids' images was perfectly clear, so lifelike that it was disorienting.
Gauss furrowed his brow slightly.
Everything was... far too real.
In a daze, he glanced down at himself and seemed to see a flawless white carapace and jointed limbs covering his body.
"Gauss. Gauss!"
Alya's call pierced the din, pulling him out of his daze.
"Get ready to fight!"
"Right." Gauss shook his head hard, dispelling the strange haze.
Losing focus right before a fight was a bad sign.
He forced himself to concentrate on the spot where the light converged.
Sure enough, before long, a strangely shaped plant-type monster took form within the beam.
"Not a Man-eating Flower?" Gauss raised an eyebrow.
In truth, this was within his expectations.
Ever since that strange insect cry had conveyed the notion of a "trial," he had suspected that the strength of the enemies they faced might be tied to the strength of their adventuring party.
But what kind of monster was this?
Gauss searched his memory, but had never seen anything like it described in any book.
While the monster stretched its body, he quickly looked at Alya and Theron.
"Do you know what kind of monster this is?"
"Never