Newbie's Quest: Awaiting Challenge
Chapter 41: My Connections at the Central Association

In the Central Association's live broadcast room.

"Ethan... is he going to rescue the vice captain of Emerald Tempest Guild?" "Seems so..."

"If he's going to save someone, just say so. Why be so roundabout?"

"Well, he might just be there to witness the spectacle."

"Oh dear, why would Ethan save his enemy?"

"Enemy? Does Isabella Martínez have a grudge against our Ethan?"

"I don't think so, they're not very familiar with each other."

"Exactly, no familiarity, no enmity! Remember the previous conduct of those Emerald Tempest guys!"

"In my opinion, he shouldn't bother saving them. It's a thankless task."

"Guys, let's not lecture Ethan. He knows what he's doing. Let's just wait and enjoy the show."

Ethan Walker has a substantial following in the Central Association, many of whom are concerned and feel it's unwarranted to worry about him.

The atmosphere in Emerald Tempest Guild's live broadcast room was entirely different.

"How's the vice captain? I'm dying of anxiety here!"

"What did Henrik Jensen say?"

"Holy smokes, Ethan's gone down there!"

"Ethan? What's he doing?"

"Can that door lead directly to the vice captain? He's not planning to flee seeing the situation, is he?"

"It looks like it. All this talk about replaceing the vice captain is just an excuse."

"What about Henrik Jensen's team?"

"Damn, they're preparing to leave! They actually believed that bull from Ethan!"

Upon noticing Ethan's movement, Henrik Jensen and Maxwell Ford exchanged a knowing look. As old friends, their mutual trust in Ethan was evident without words.

"We're moving out," declared Henrik Jensen. "Brandon and Sophia, stay close. Maxwell, cover our rear and keep an eye on the numbers."

"Got it."

The four headed towards the control room. Brandon Scott couldn't help but voice his concerns.

"Captain, can we really trust Ethan?"

"Relax, when he makes a move, he expects results," replied Maxwell Ford. "Ethan might seem laid-back, but he's incredibly determined. You could see that in the way he repeatedly tackled Hamilton's challenges with such earnest." As the team shortened their formation, Henrik Jensen, leading the way, could clearly hear everyone's conversation.

"I've told you all in Emerald Tempest to watch less of Ethan's replays. Seems like my words fell on deaf ears."

Aside from the steadfast follower Brandon, the other two showed guilty expressions.

"I didn't watch much, Captain," Sophia Carter spoke up quietly.

"Cough, I watched it as a casual video," Maxwell's voice lacked its usual confidence, but he quickly turned the tables on Henrik. "Captain, you forbidding us to watch, is it because you're biased against newcomers?"

He expected Henrik to dodge the question, as was his usual practice with difficult queries. Surprisingly, the captain responded candidly this time.

"I don't let personal feelings cloud my judgment. I forbid you from watching Ethan's videos because his approach makes everything seem too easy."

Henrik looked at Maxwell, then at the others.

"You and I, we all know that nothing is easy with the White Tower. Remember the sacrifices of the past."

Ethan's approach indeed gave an impression of 'If he can, so can I', making complex challenges seem trivial with his unusual and sometimes bizarre solutions, all appearing logical.

It was as if a player skipped the tutorial, lacking a net and rod, yet managed to prepare a full fish feast using just stones.

But before Ethan's emergence, the White Tower wasn't a stage for showmanship.

Now, Ethan, the subject of their discussion, was descending

the stairs, with a camera orb floating above his head like an obedient little pet, thoughtfully providing light with its flashlight.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Ethan Walker's voice echoed through the vast, dark expanse, reverberating significantly, "you are currently tuned into a special program brought to you by Ethan Walker, the upcoming month's gold medalist broadcaster of the Central Association and the thrice consecutively crowned most handsome player of the 547 district's Tower 6 challenge. The show is titled 'Where's the Vice Captain?""

In such an isolated and helpless situation, he still had the mood to jest with the live comments, eliciting a mix of laughter and curses from the audience.

"Stop beating around the bush, Ethan! Get on with the real task, or just turn back!"

"My impatience is kicking in again."

"Don't bother saving them, Ethan. It's just a trap!"

"I'm genuinely worried."

The skepticism in Emerald Tempest Guild's live broadcast room was unrelenting. To keep Emerald Tempest's audience informed about Isabella Martínez's situation, the guild and the Central Association's operators coordinated to add Ethan's perspective to the broadcast. Now, Emerald Tempest's fans could see everything without switching channels.

"Is that door even useful?"

"Wasn't it supposed to be just a shield?"

"There's a traitor ahead! You watched Ethan's broadcast!"

"Calm down, bro. The news about that door is everywhere on forums and news sites!"

"No matter what, we Emerald Tempest folks vowed not to watch Ethan's broadcast!"

"Then you might as well gouge out your eyes now!"

"Let's ignore the deluded ones. It's good to be updated about the situation from Ethan's side."

Ethan's "Walking Staff" clacked rhythmically as he used it to probe the steps ahead. He soon noticed a change in the sound, indicating a more solid ground beneath. He had reached the bottom level. The "Portable Door," which he had examined after the last challenge, turned out to be more than a mere shield; its true function was a "Passageway." The user only needed to think of a desired destination and retrieve the door from the cloud space. If the door opened, the destination was reachable; if not, it was inaccessible. These were the limitations and capabilities of this unique item. Ethan had opened the door on a whim, not expecting it to actually work.

Descending the long staircase, he finally stepped onto solid ground. The camera orb floated around the space, illuminating the surroundings.

"Where is this?"

"Looks like an abandoned tunnel."

"Maybe it's part of a small train that runs through the park. I see rails."

"Holy cow! There's someone there!"

The audience noticed it first, and naturally, so did Ethan. He took a few steps forward, the camera orb following closely, its flashlight revealing Isabella Martínez's face.

"Look what I found," Ethan crouched down, "a wild Vice Captain Isabella."

After a quick scan revealing no obvious injuries, he nudged her to wake her up.

"Why is it you..." Isabella Martínez slowly opened her eyes.

"Surprise, surprise, isn't it? Feels like a nightmare coming true, doesn't it?"

Ethan stood up and stepped back two paces, giving her room to stand. Isabella struggled to her feet, and together they surveyed their surroundings. Ethan had reached the end of the tunnel, where a massive contraption occupied the entire exit. The mechanism resembled a clown's face, with two rows of interlocking sharp steel teeth, serving both as an exit and a deadly barrier. There were two ship's wheel-like switches, one at the clown's nose and the other at its left hand. They needed to be operated simultaneously to open the door.

"It seems like whatever brought you here wanted you trapped alive

,"Ethan remarked, his fingers gliding over the clown's razor-sharp teeth. The door could be opened, but whether it was safe to pass was another matter. If one were to get stuck midway, the steel teeth would come crashing down, a scenario too horrific to contemplate.

Ethan declared he had a plan. He and Isabella worked together to open the door, then sent the camera orb through. The orb flew in smoothly, but on its return, disaster struck. The steel blades snapped shut abruptly, Ethan, standing at the switch, reacted quickly, pulling back his hand. The camera orb, however, was shattered.

"Ah, that's troublesome," Ethan remarked, picking up the fragments. "These things are quite expensive."

The audience reacted with shock and relief.

"Wow, that mechanism is terrifying!"

"Thank goodness it wasn't a person."

"It's good that no one was hurt. I can't even imagine what would have happened otherwise." "So, this mechanism is a one-way passage?"

"It seems so."

Isabella shared the same conjecture. "Looks like there's no turning back now. Who's going first?"

Ethan, still lamenting over the broken camera, asked, "Can you still broadcast with your bracelet?"

Her bracelet had powered off due to impact during the fall, and she hadn't turned it back on yet. She instinctively covered her sleeve and lied. "No, it's broken."

"Well, that's it then," Ethan said, showing her his bracelet. "Mine ran out of battery earlier, and I turned it off. We're completely cut off now." His tone suggested doom, but his face betrayed no fear.

Isabella observed him. "So, what's our order going to be?"

She smiled, though Ethan couldn't see it. "We have to get out, after all."

Ethan squatted in front of the door, his gaze fixed on the sharp blades. "I'll go first," he proposed.

Isabella feigned politeness, offering to go first herself. Ethan finally looked at her, smiled briefly, as if he saw through everything, but chose not to reveal it. "No need."

Ethan stood up, placing his hand on the switch. "Alright, let's start."

They turned the switches simultaneously, and a crisp click signaled they had reached their limit.

This distinct sound was only heard when both switches were operated simultaneously; staggered activation would not produce it. Ethan bent down, ready to squeeze through the narrow gap of the door. However, as he was halfway through, suddenly, with a snap, one of the switches dropped, and the open gap began to close rapidly. Ethan's life hung by a thread!

In a split-second decision, Ethan planted one end of his teaching staff into the ground, wedging it against the descending steel blade. This prize from the White Tower proved its worth, not failing him in a crucial moment. With his agile skills and extraordinarily quick reflexes, Ethan managed to pass through safely.

The staff couldn't hold the weight for long, so taking advantage of its temporary hold, Isabella quickly bent down and followed him through. "Sorry about that, Ethan," she said, seemingly apologetic, after successfully making it to the other side. "My hand slipped earlier."

They were now outside, though in dim light, they could see each other and their immediate surroundings clearly. Ethan's expression was unreadable, not angry, but also not in a mood to laugh it off.

"You did that on purpose," he stated. "That mechanism won't slip unless someone deliberately moves it in the opposite direction."

"How can you say that? That would make me a villain," Isabella responded, still maintaining an indifferent demeanor.

"Deceiving a friend is one thing, but don't deceive yourself. We both tested it just now; if you have eyes and a memory, you should know."

With only the two of them there, Isabella seemed to drop the pretense. "Even if I admit it, what then? Once we leave this door, no one will believe you. Try me."

"Did you harm James Mitchell the same way before?"

"James Mitchell? That was a long time ago. My memory isn't that good."

"Aren't you afraid I recorded this?"

Isabella laughed, as if at Ethan's naivety. "Ethan, can I call you that? I turned off my broadcast, and your bracelet is out of power. The camera orb broke right in front of us. What will you record with? Empty threats won't work on me." "You'd believe me if I had evidence?"

"You..." Isabella's realization dawned suddenly as she looked up sharply. "You can't be serious!"

"The people at the Central Association are really good to me. They know I'm clumsy and tend to break things, so they always prepare a spare for everything." Ethan lifted his work ID from his chest, detaching a camera orb the size of a thumbnail from where the card met its lanyard. As he let go, the orb automatically floated into the air.

"The camera orb included."