The Author's POV

"An announcement that will shake the foundations of the human domain."

Maximus's words thunderously rang through every corner of the venue as the hearts of everyone witnessing the scene started beating faster.

Be it the people attending or those watching from whatever means that had, everyone's eyes were glued on Maximus in the middle of the hall.

With all the attention focused on him, Maximus's composure remained firm.

Then, opening his mouth, he finally made his announcement.

"We've just received news that in a month from now, the three other races have decided to host a conference in the elven domain to discuss whether humanity will be able to join their alliance..."

Silence.

Absolute silence enshrouded the hall and the whole human domain. Everyone, from the people present in the hall or watching outside, opened their eyes widely as Maximus's words repeatedly rang through their ears.

The silence did not last for long, however, as all the reporters simultaneously stood up and the flashes coming from the cameras repeatedly flashed across the stage.

"Your excellency Maximus, are your words true?"

"Will humanity finally join hands with the other races?"

"What is the so-called event that will happen in a month's time? Any more details on that?"

The questions were endless, and it wasn't only the reporters that asked the questions as the people that were invited also started to ask questions, not caring about their statuses.

The Union wasn't kidding when they said that this was a huge announcement.

Everyone was prepared to hear something outrageous, but this was beyond their expectations.

It had to be noted that ever since the three races entered the earth, they had never tried to associate with humanity.

But out of nowhere they suddenly wanted to join hands with humanity?

This was mind-blowing.

Just imaginining the technology and trades that they could make with the other races once they allied together made everyone realize that humanity was soon going to face a new era of prosperity.

It made them all excited!

'So he's already announced it?'

Staring at the scene from behind, Kevin leaned on one of the tables and took a sip of his drink.

He of course knew of the event before anyone present.

However, it wasn't the Union that told him, but it was in actual fact, the red book.

With him being able to see what Ren was up to, he of course knew what was going on. In fact, he knew even before the Union did.

This was why he refused to tell the others about it. After all, only he knew the secret of the book.

'Now that I think about it, it's been a while since I last checked the book…'

About half a year or so.

Since Ren was doing fine and spending most of his time training, Kevin no longer felt the need to check the book.

He too had been training like crazy during this past year, and he wanted to see for himself just how much Ren had improved.

Since they were going to reunite soon, he didn't want to be spoiled too much.

A competitive flame ignited in his eyes as his thoughts paused there.

After all, he was planning on having a good spar when they would once again meet. If possible, he wanted to give him a good beating too.

The amount of crap Ren said the last time he checked the book pissed Kevin off quite a bit.

"Everyone please quiet down."

Disrupting Kevin out of his thoughts was Maximus's voice.

Following this, a terrifying pressure enveloped the entire hall, instantly shutting down the mouths of all the people present.

"Thank you."

Once everyone stopped talking, relaxing his shoulders, Maximus continued.

"I know that all of you have a lot of questions to ask, but I would like for all of you to please calm down and let me continue talking. I've only said a small part of what I wanted to say."

His words seemed polite and the way he worded them made it seem as though he was asking a favor from the audience, but the commanding tone could not be hidden from the people present who nodded their heads in obedience.

"Good."

Taking a step forward, Maximus continued his announcement.

"As I was saying, the three other races have agreed to host us in the elven domain with the scope of deciding whether we are eligible for joining their alliance or not. They had one request when telling us to come, and that was to show them why they should allow us to take them into the alliance."

Pausing, Maximus's eyes scanned the audience like a hawk.

"In simple terms, they are asking us to prove ourselves...our worth."

Like a bucket of cold water had been poured on the heads of everyone present, everyone cooled down from their previous excitement and heavy tension enshrouded the hall.

"What exactly are they trying to have us prove? That we can fight?…or something else?"

Someone spoke amidst the tension. He was a reporter from a famous news agency.

Turning his attention towards the reporter, Maximus nodded his head.

"They have asked us to display to them the abilities of our top-ranked people as well as the younger generation."

Once again scanning the room with his eyes, Maximus's eyes paused on a few individuals within the hall.

Before long, his eyes paused on Kevin that was standing at the back of the hall.

Being stared at by Maximus from the distance, Kevin suddenly felt an electric shock course through his body, jolting him into shock.

'Strong...'

He inwardly muttered.

It was only a stare, but Kevin could feel just how big the gap between Maximus was.

With a faint satisfied smile on his face, Maximus turned his attention back towards the hall.

"It's like when choosing an investment. We need to convince the other races that we are worth investing in...prove to them that were are not dead weight. We don't want to be treated as cannon fodder now do we?"

Silence once again descended in the hall as complicated looks flashed across the faces of some of the people present.

It was never pleasant to hear that they were being treated as mere objects that were being tested to see if they were worth the investment or not.

But they also knew just how important this opportunity was for them.

It wasn't long before the frown of some of the people present started to recede.

Then, another person asked decided to speak up.

"How many people can we bring?"

"Good question."

Tapping onto a small device in his ear, Maximus opened his palm and raised it.

"Five?"

Instantly, confusion spread throughout the hall as they looked at Maximus's raised palm.

Shaking his head, Maximus replied.

"Five hundred. We are to bring five hundred people maximum. We've tried to ask for more, but the elves aren't too keen on letting too many of us in."

The noises in the hall once again quieted down as they all understood the implication behind his words.

Even though they were being granted a chance, with only five hundred people present, they were going to be at the mercy of the other races.

If they did anything to piss them off, they could find themselves annihilated.

"How are the members selected?"

Another reporter asked. He was from A.I.S.R, another famous news agency.

His question instantly drew the attention of the people present as they were all interested in the answer.

After all, many wanted to participate in the event. This was a chance for them to represent humanity.

If they managed to perform well, they would without a doubt bring a lot of prestige and honor to their names.

Everyone in the hall shared these same thoughts as all eyes focused on Maximus, waiting for his reply.

Clearly experienced in reading expressions, Maximus knew exactly what they were thinking and once again poured cold water on the heads of some of the people present.

"Four hundred of the five hundred members have already been selected."

"What!?"

Once again the hall became nosy as some people expressed how unfair this was to the others. But it was clear that Maximus did not care about their opinion at all as he continued.

"I don't care if you think this is unfair, but the four hundred people that we've selected have already proven to us that they are the top elites of humanity."

Raising his hand and lowering it down, Maximus gestured for everyone present to shut up.

"Don't worry, as I've said before, of the five hundred, there are still one hundred spots that are open for people to enter."

"And how do we access them?"

This time, instead of it being a reporter asking the question, it was actually one of the guests present in the hall.

Turning to face the guest, Maximus replied.

"It's simple, we've set up a small tournament that will take place for the next month or so. Just before the conference will start. The top one hundred contestants of the tournament will get the chance to participate in the conference."

Maximus's words sounded throughout every speaker in the world as many of those that were interested in joining finally saw hope.

Letting his words sink in for a good minute, Maximus adjusted his tie slightly.

"Now, I think that's enough for the announcements."

Straightening his blazer, he waved his hand and made his way toward the stairs that led to the bottom of the stage.

"Oh right."

But just as he took a couple of steps away from the mike, recalling something, he turned to face the mike once again.

"I almost forgot. For those four hundred people that have been selected, you will soon receive a message on your devices telling you about participation, but I want you guys to keep something in mind..."

Midway through, Maximus's face suddenly turned solemn.

With his eyes locked on everyone in the hall, his deep and powerful voice resounded throughout the whole venue, shaking it slightly.

"If you're selected, you are not allowed to refuse. You are here to represent humanity. Your refusal will be treated the same as treason."

A cold chill ran through the spine of some of the people present as they felt the slight killing intent hidden behind his words. Some of the reporters who were only regular humans even fainted at his words.

But Maximus's words were clear.

If they were selected and refused, they would become criminals.

Letting that thought sink in, everyone drew a cold breath.

"I'm glad everyone has understood the severity of the situation."

Nodding in satisfaction, Maximus finally left the stage.

Vrrr— Vrrr—

Not even a second after he left the stage, the smartwatches, and phones of some of the people present started vibrating one by one.

Vrr— Vrr—

It wasn't long before the hall was enveloped by continuous buzzing sounds.

'I guess this was inevitable…'

Kevin too felt the vibration as he took out his phone and looked at the foremost notification on his watch.

To : Kevin Voss

Congratulations, you have been selected as one of the participants for the events that will decide the fate of humanity. This message is confirmation of your participation. You will receive a follow-up message soon.

"Haaa…"

Reading through the message, Kevin let out a long sigh.

'At least this will save me a bit of time.'

He had always intended to participate, so he was quite glad that he didn't have to participate in the tournament that was going to happen soon.

Lifting his head up and staring at the hall, Kevin soon noticed a couple of familiar figures also checking on their phone.

'Oh, looks like Jin and Amanda also got an invitation.'

***

Inside a large mansion, laying down on a brown leather sofa and eating a bunch of grapes, a youth casually looked at the TV.

"I'm glad everyone has understood the severity of the situation…"

Maximus's voice rang from the speaker of the TV.

Vrr— Vrr—

And right as Maximus's words faded, the youth's wrist vibrated.

Turning his wrist slightly, a smirk appeared on the youth's face as he muttered.

"As expected. They aren't blind."

To : Aaron Rhinestone.

Congratulations, you have been selected as one of the participants for the events that will decide the fate of humanity. This message is confirmation of your participation. You will receive a follow-up message soon.

A chuckle escaped Aaron's mouth as he looked at the message.

***

[Roshfield household.]

Laying down on her soft bed, Emma blankly stared at her phone, watching the live stream of the event from her room.

Although she wanted to attend the event, the only one that was invited from her family was her uncle and as such was unable to do anything about the situation.

Squinting her eyes to get a better look at the event, she tried to look for Kevin, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't find him.

Eventually, Maximus started to speak and her attention was drawn to his words.

"Conference? Elven domain?"

The more she heard, the more the confusion on her face grew.

Vrr— Vrr—

And before she knew it, her phone vibrated. Then, a message suddenly appeared.

To : Emma Roshfield.

Congratulations, you have been selected as one of the participants for the events that will decide the fate of humanity. This message is confirmation of your participation. You will receive a follow-up message soon.

"Huh? I was invited?"

Similar scenes appeared all over the human domain as more and more people received the same messages.

On this day, the whole of humanity had a sleepless night.