"Phew," utz whispered to himself. This beast''s muscles and skin were extra hard making utz work much harder. utz had decided not to take the meat since he feels that it would probably not be edible.


    Dant was still in his confused state, he was trying to make guesses as to how many stages there might be. Dant had no other option. He has to discuss the matter with utz, he has to negotiate! Being a salesman back on earth negotiation was his forte.


    "Excuse me." He acted politely, he was yet to get over the fear he felt from utz''s very presence. This was the reason why utz chose to act haughty in front of them. He wanted to make himself unapproachable so that he doesn''t have to bear with their tantrums. They are going to die anyway. Why care for them?


    This is the reason why not only Dant but even the others tried to avoid facing utz as much as possible. He looked like the hungry wolf who would pounce on them at a moment''s notice.


    Dant was having cold sweats as his eyes blinked rapidly. His chin trembled under his lips.


    "Yes." utz who had just taken a break from butchering replied. He was wondering what Dant might want to disturb him during his work.


    "Ah, I had some questions, if you were not busy."


    "Yes?"


    utz tilted his head to the side as his feet made repetitive taps on the ck floor.


    <em><strong>*tap* *tap* *tap*</strong></em>


    "Do you perhaps have any idea, like how many stages this trial has?"


    "It''s five," utz answered nonchntly.


    How does it matter if Dant knows this information or not? To utz it was all the same. Dant never had the potential to clear the trial anyway.


    utz had got this information after killing the lunatic Puppeteer in his past life, but it always left him wondering why this trial had so few stages, even though the clearing prize it gave was enormous!


    The puppeteer ss was a secret ss after all and many feared its existence which was partly the cause of the lunatic''s ruthless personality.


    ''Maybe because it is the beginner zone,'' utz thought. He couldn''t find any other reasoning other than this. Usually, trials that had such game-changing prizes were much harder than this one.


    "There was also the ''Satan''s cradle''," utz whispered to himself.


    The Satan''s Cradle.


    A ce that was unrecorded in history. utz and his group had identally ended up here while exploring the forests and surrounding caves. Those grounds gave the demonic sses as the reward, but unlike a trial ground, there was no trial. Just entering it was enough of a qualification for utz and the other''s to get a ss. On top of that, each one of them had got a different ss which was unheard of when ites to trials.


    ''What is the demonic ss?'' utz asked himself with no one else to ask. He had killed many experts but never came across anyone who possessed a demonic ss. Is it a good or bad thing? utz had no idea. But at least the weapon he had got from Satan''s cradle was second to none.


    utz had the ss ''Spirit Conjurer'' and the weapon ''Tosias'' Demonic Spirit''. He is using the weapon but he had yet to test out his ss. It always filled him with curiosity as to what it might be able to do.


    Meanwhile, Dant was panic-stricken. If one does the math one can figure out that as they proceed in the trial and as they make more sacrifices, if utz words were true no one other than himself would live. All of them would die.


    How could he let such a thing happen?


    ''I don''t care about Bret or Kristie, but how could I let Verona die?'' A drop of sweat poured down through his forehead.


    Verona was important to him. She was his spouse after all. How could he let her die? She was his family!


    "No, I don''t… I don''t want to lose her," he whispered to himself so that utz could not hear him who was lost in his own world.


    He curled his hands into a fist.


    "If there are 3 more stages how many people are gonna die?"


    Dant straightened his back as he took deeper breaths trying to calm himself down.


    Dant didn''t whisper anymore. He wanted answers… answers only utz could give. But, utz mistook his intentions. He knew that Dant was a selfish person, so he thought that maybe Dant was scared for his own life.


    ''But if one of his team mates die at a stage he should be well and fine at the end. Hmm… Maybe he is considering more than one death on a stage. Welp that can happen anytime, it is not like things will be always 100% in my control''


    That is how hell works. There is a reason why it is called ''hell''. When humans were first summoned to this world there was no signboard mentioning ''Wee to Hell'' or anything of that sort. They named this ce so totally because of the hellish life they have to face here. There are just too many variables to consider and there are no calctions that can make a n 100% secure. Even utz himself could die in the very next stage. Who knows? But considering that a newbie was able to clear this stage in his past life, he believes that he should be able to as well.


    "Welp there is no guarantee, to be honest. But most probably three more."


    "Ththh...three more?"


    His voice shook as he stumbled a step back. He had a rhetoric question but he was still hoping for the best but s reality was not so giving. utz raised his brows.


    ''Does this man expect me to save his team as well? Like Hell, I can do that. It is already dangerous as it is.''


    ***


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