Monster Integration

The armor appeared over me, and I looked at the prizes.

There is everything, from plants to metals to artifacts, and even scrolls and boxes. The Grimm took something of stone; I don't know what it is and information about it had vanished the moment it had picked it up.

If I had been a moment early, I would have been able to see it.

I pushed that regret away and focused on the eleven things. The first thing, my eyes fell on was the scroll and it contained a formation.

I looked at what formation was about before shaking my head. I have many such formations in the library.

I might have thought about it, if it had been on the ancient runes, but unfortunately, it is on the common runes.

I do not have any interest in the artifact, they didn't suit me. The resources, on the other hand, are extremely good; I want each one of them, that I couldn't decide what to take.

Which made me look at the last idea, a simple wooden box. There are no details about what it contains, just that it contains something.

Hun!

A few seconds passed, and I saw the Grimm rapidly approaching. Seeing that, I sighed and appeared in front of the wooden box and took it out of the stand.

The resources were amazing, and I could have chosen the one I needed the most instead; I chose this box.

"Idiot!"

It is not a decision the intelligent ones would make, and even Grimm cursed at me. 

There is no reason to choose the box other than feeling curious about it. I didn't get any feeling from it or my core reaction; I was simply curious and chose it.

Click!

I looked at it, before clicking the box open, and inside, I saw a bright red pearl.

"Pearl of nerba," I breathed, and even Grimm looked at me jealously. It is really a thing to be jealous about.

This pearl isn't a pearl actually, but a product of the plant.

It grows in deep gem mines and absorbs their essence to form this pearl. It is why this pearl could be consumed and I have a couple of recipes in which I could use it.

Of course, I am not going to use this precious thing, nor I could digest it. 

Even consuming 1% of it going to kill me, in an instant. Thanks to how powerful the energies inside it are; one needs to be powerful enough to consume them and I am not.

I have a use for it, but I wouldn't be able to use it at this stage. So, I sent it to my core, to be used when I needed it.

"Human, are you interested in selling that pearl? I have a lot of things that you might want," asked Flame Tailed Crockman, and hundreds of things appeared around it.

Seeing that, my eyes lit up.

"I am not interested in selling it, but I have a lot of things that you might be interested in," I said, and hundreds of things appeared around me.

It was shaking its head in decline when it suddenly stopped and lit up.

"Human, I am interested in several things you have," said Tigerman, who was looking at prizes.

So we started bartering with each other and when the fourth person crossed the tiles, the native, he also joined in buying and selling.

It is this or have a glaring match, since killing isn't allowed here.

We also have a lot of time to pass. Even ten minutes haven't passed since the challenge begins, and we have over fifty minutes to kill since there is no exit.

Another Grimm joined in after choosing its reward and then another.

Soon, half an hour passed and six of us were bartering with each other. As for the rest of them.

Well, they died, and except for one; all five of them have died horribly.

I thought, the challenge would be finished with their death, but to my surprise, it didn't. 

Here, the Grimms and natives are bringing out a lot of rare things. Things that we wouldn't usually bring out in the market. 

It is not just the things we have traded, but also the information. It turned out, the first challenge that all of us have faced is the same.

Three coins.

Nobody said which coin they have got. They have shared the information on how they were able to get away from the circle and that snake.

Only the Tigerman had used the same method as mine. Others might have used it, but aren't sharing that information. 

There are very intelligent people standing here. It wouldn't be difficult for them to notice such a thing and with snakes energy healing the injuries, they wouldn't leave behind any proof.

We traded till there was only a minute remaining and I am pleased with myself. I have got a lot of things, some very rare and useful to me. 

It is regret that the human, nor the Grimms were willing to sell the things, they have got from completing the challenges. 

I really want to have those two coins.

If they are at the same level as wooden coins, they are definitely valuable. More valuable than the pearl, I had got in this challenge.

Which is kind of strange, seeing in places like this, the higher you climb, the better prizes you get. 

I really hope the prizes didn't regress with level, or I will need to find the exit.

I had just thought that when I saw mist covering the place and it only covered it for less than a second, before clearing it.

All the tiles have vanished and now we have found ourselves in a round place, with twelve huge round holes around us.

"I hope next time when we meet. I will get to kill you; I really like the stuff you have," said Crockman before walking toward hole no. 2.

Hun!

Each chose one, including the Tigerman, who chose the hole no. 8. Since it had chosen it, I couldn't choose that; I will have to choose other.

I don't mind it.

I chose the ninth one and walked inside. This is like a cave, but not a cave. It felt like someone had inserted the hot pipe inside, before bringing it out with material.

Leaving behind this space, which has a smooth rocky wall.

These walls are not wet, there is some dirt on them now and then, but no greenery, not even the smallest. 

I walked slowly like I had done in the other caves and soon; I saw the exit.

A few seconds later, I had reached it, before stepping inside.

A moment later, I found myself in the arena. It is huge and in front of me, a construct of bronze energy.

Looking at it, I thought, it was a Rhinoman, but soon shook my head. First, this construct is only slightly taller than me. 

Second, it didn't look like Rhinoman.

It bears more similarity with Rhino Beastman when looked at clearly. It only had the head of a Rhino, while everything was humanoid. In proportion to Beastman, rather than the Grimm.