Chapter 115: Trials

Chapter 115: Trials

Raven quietly took another Aether lamp from the inventory and lit it.

Then, he also took his 'Frozen Ender' spear and held it in his right hand.

After that, he stepped forward and walked into the dense forest.

The first few minutes were not difficult for him to walk, as the trees were not dense. But as he walked further into the woods, the trees appeared denser; vines covered most of the ground, and thorn-filled plants were everywhere.

Even with his 'Night Vision' ability, he faced much difficulty walking ahead.

What startled him deeply was the multiple gazes he sensed from the tree branches, along with hooting noises from time to time.

'Owls? Why do they keep staring at me?' Raven felt they were shouting at him for entering their territory and fastened his footsteps.

[You should've waited until morning.] Zera said in his mind.

'No. I don't want to delay this. I want to get this fragment and return to Giaris City as soon as possible.' The main reason was that he didn't want to meet that girl named Jovie again.

[You are afraid she can read your memories and learn more about me, right?] Zera asked.

'Of course. What if she is a bad person and ends up snatching you from my soul?' Raven spoke in a worried tone.

[Entering one's soul isn't an easy matter, lad. It is more like a personal Domain.] She paused for a moment and then added.

[And the one guarding that domain is me with full control over it. So, you don't need to worry about anything.]

Raven nodded his head and continued to walk.

The terrain grew more uneven, with roots jutting from the ground and threatening to trip him with every step. However, his sharp senses kept him alert, and he moved quickly.

As he pushed deeper into the forest, he came across a series of ancient, crumbling stone pillars scattered along a faintly visible path. Strange symbols adorned the pillars, glowing faintly.

'What are these symbols?' As he touched his monocle, simple information about the stone pillar appeared before his eyes.

'Ruins of Agith…' Raven recalled he had heard of these ruins in the Bloodstone City's auction house too.

'Now that I think about it, the auctioneer said this compass was found in the Ruins of Agith, right? But that ruin is in the territory of Thorneville, though. Does that mean Agith is not a place but a period? Or maybe a nation? I need to look into this information later.' Raven followed the compass and realized the needle was moving frequently.

In the center of the clearing stood a massive stone monolith-like altar, its surface etched with intricate runes that shimmered faintly in the lamp's light. The compass needle pointed directly at the monolith-like altar, vibrating slightly in his hand. Surrounding the structure were six stone pillars, each adorned with similar carvings, forming a perfect hexagon around the central monolith.

He tried to move around the altar and soon confirmed that his guess was spot on.

"There is no way I will move closer." He said while standing near the stone pillar. It was way too suspicious.

[There is no gain without any risk, lad. It looks more like an altar for summoning.] Zera added.

[But you should be cautious, too. You can get another artifact later, but if you end up dying, all of it is for naught.]

'What should I do then?' Raven furrowed and looked at the compass in his hand.

Then, he removed the regular boots and replaced them with the uncommon artifact.

"Here goes nothing." Raven took a deep breath and stepped into the altar.

He quietly moved closer to the strange monolith-like altar and was about to touch it, but something extraordinary happened.

A blinding ray of light suddenly emerged from the compass and directly landed on the monolith-like altar, activating the runes engraved on the monolith.

Simultaneously, all six stone pillars released binding pillars of light and created a dome-shaped forcefield structure around the altar.

"I knew it!" Raven's face turned grim as he ran towards the stone pillar and tried to move away from the altar.

But to his shock, the dome-shaped invisible forcefield stopped him from leaving!

[No good! Dodge!]

Raven's eyes suddenly became focused as he felt a gust of air coming from behind, and his body tilted to the side in reflex.

The next second, a sharp poison-coated bone arrow flew past his abdomen and collided with the invisible layer.

Raven instantly turned around in the direction where the arrow came from and soon saw three human skeletons standing there while holding weapons. One skeleton had a sword and shield, another held a bow and arrow, and the final skeleton held a spear. All the skeletons wore ragged clothes and looked like they had just woken up from the coffins.

Raven quietly placed the lantern on the ground, put the compass in his pocket, and gripped the spear with both hands.

At that moment, his thoughts accelerated five times faster, giving minute details about the three enemies.

'The Archer skeleton is about to reload the arrow in two seconds… The Swordsman skeleton is planning on guarding the archer skeleton… The spearman skeleton seems to be taking the lead.' He guessed their plan in a mere 0.2 seconds and dashed forward.

At the same time, the monocle on his left eye activated on its own and gave him a clue about the skeleton's original strength.

'Their attribute stats are only around 3 to 5 points. An Official rank skeleton, huh?' Raven closed the distance between him and the spearman skeleton in less than two seconds and made a sweeping stance using his silvery spear.

Upon noticing the upcoming attack, the spearman skeleton entered a defensive position and tried to block his attack.

A bang sound resounded within the altar as Raven's invisible aura-coated spear directly sliced through the iron spear of the skeleton and even split the skeleton into two.

Due to the impact, the rib bones shattered, and even the spine was broken into two.

The broken skeleton spearman became pure light particles scattered in the air a moment later.

'What?! Why did the skeleton turn into light?' Raven was baffled.

[These things aren't real. No, their souls are real, but their bodies have been created temporarily with the power of laws. That's why the skeleton turns into light particles when you kill it.] Zera explained in his head.

As the spearman skeleton disintegrated, the archer skeleton released its next arrow, aiming directly at Raven's head. He leaned to the side, dodging the arrow precisely, and dashed toward the archer.

Meanwhile, the swordsman skeleton lunged forward, attempting to intercept Raven before he reached its ally.

With a swift sidestep, Raven avoided the skeleton's shield bash and countered with a sharp upward thrust of his spear. The blade struck the skeleton's shield, splitting it into two and shattering the bones of its left arm.

The swordsman staggered back, but Raven didn't give it a chance to recover. He twisted his spear and drove it through the skeleton's chest cavity, shattering its spine and ribs in one decisive blow. The skeletal warrior collapsed, turning into a shower of light particles just like its companion.

Only the archer remained. It quickly notched another arrow, aiming for Raven's legs to restrict his movement. However, Raven was already closing the distance, his spear spinning in a defensive arc to deflect the incoming projectile.

In one fluid motion, he hurled the spear with immense force. The silver weapon pierced the archer skeleton's skull the next moment, pinning it against one of the glowing stone pillars. The skeleton's bones quivered for a moment before dissolving into light.

"That was a good fight." A silvery voice came from the sky.

Soon, a strange owl suddenly descended from the full moon sky, passed through the forcefield-like nothing, and soon arrived above the mysterious monolith-like altar.

The owl perched silently on the altar. Its feathers shimmered as if woven from crystalline threads, refracting soft, silvery hues with each subtle movement. Its eyes were a mesmerizing canvas of the cosmos—deep, endless pools speckled with twinkling stars and swirling galaxies.

"Who are you?" Raven asked.

"Do you have time to ask questions?" The owl blinked its beautiful eyes and asked.

At the same time, ten lights appeared at the center and transformed into ten goblins.

But what shocked Raven was that they all held different kinds of weapons, such as daggers, bows and arrows, knives, and short swords, and also possessed 5 to 6 physical attribute points.

'They are also capable of using one or two skills.' Raven suddenly crouched down a bit and dashed forward.

'I can't waste my stamina here.' As he approached the group of goblins, he suddenly opened his mouth and cast the 'Frost Breath' bloodline spell.

A moment later, a chilling ice elemental energy came out of his mouth, spread ahead like a freezing wind, and covered all the goblins in a layer of Ice!

At the same time, an invisible aura appeared around the edges of Raven's spear.

A killing intent emerged from Raven's eyes as he leaped into the air and landed in the middle of the frozen goblins. 

The next moment, his spear danced like a deadly whirlwind, slicing through the frozen goblins with precise, efficient movements. Each strike shattered its icy forms, scattering shards of frozen flesh and bone into the air. The eerie silence of the forest was broken only by the cracking of ice and the dull thuds of his spear piercing through their brittle bodies.

In less than a few seconds, the once-formidable group of goblins was reduced to glittering frost and light particles. Raven straightened up, his breathing steady as if he didn't exert strength. He scanned the area, his sharp eyes catching the subtle shift in the owl's posture.

"Impressive," the owl remarked.

But Raven didn't feel any relief at all.

At that moment, he sensed another three white lights gathering at the center of the altar, which soon formed into the appearance of two to three-meter-tall gigantic humanoid creatures with pig heads.

"Orcs, huh?" Raven also noticed that their strength attribute was around 9 to 15 while their agility was only around 6 to 8.

'They aren't even mutated monsters, but their strength is way above that of elite walkers!'

Raven's grip on his spear tightened as he assessed the new enemies. The three orcs towered over him, their muscles rippling with raw power. Each carried a massive weapon—a spiked club, a serrated axe, and a heavy chain mace. Their guttural growls echoed ominously within the forcefield, and their red, glowing eyes locked onto him with predatory intent.

'I'll kill them swiftly.'

Raven exhaled sharply, his breath visible from his earlier Frost Breath spell in the cold air.

The orcs began to advance, their heavy footsteps making the ground tremble slightly. Raven made the first move, charging towards the closest orc—the one wielding the spiked club. As the orc raised its weapon for a crushing blow, Raven suddenly veered to the side, using his agility to circle behind it. With a swift strike, his spear found a gap in the orc's armor, piercing its lower back.

The orc roared in pain and swung its club wildly, forcing Raven to backflip to evade the counterattack. At that moment, the orc with the serrated axe lunged at him, its weapon swinging down with terrifying force. He sidestepped the attack, the axe missing him by inches and embedding itself into the ground.

Raven took advantage of the opening and channeled his ice-elemental aura into his spear, activating the Frozen Ender's Frozen Lance skill.

A dense ice elemental energy moved towards the spear tip, formed into a crescent moon-shaped ice, and sliced at the axe-wielding orc's exposed side. The crescent moon-shaped ice expanded in no time and directly cleaved the orc's body into two, killing in one go.

The next moment, the sliced orc turned into pure white light particles and dissipated.

The orc with the chain mace roared furiously and swung its weapon in a wide arc, the heavy chain whistling through the air. Raven crouched low, narrowly avoiding the strike, and rolled forward to close the distance. With a powerful upward thrust, he aimed for the orc's throat. The spear pierced through the thick skin, and Raven twisted the blade, severing vital tendons and arteries. The orc gurgled, dropping its weapon before collapsing into a heap and disintegrating.

Only the spiked-club orc remained. It charged at Raven in a blind rage, swinging its weapon recklessly. Meanwhile, Raven parried the blow with his spear, the impact sending vibrations up his arms.

'What a powerful strength!' He would've found it difficult to block the blow head-on if he hadn't ranked up.

He gritted his teeth and shifted his stance, making an invisible aura around the spear's edge. As the orc swung again, Raven ducked under the attack and delivered a series of rapid strikes to its legs, freezing and crippling its movements.

The orc staggered, falling to one knee.

With a final leap, he drove his spear through its skull, the spearhead shattering its head like glass. The last orc dissolved into light particles, and silence returned to the altar.

Raven straightened, his chest rising and falling as he caught his breath.

But his gaze never left the altar's center.

Just as he had expected, another ray of white light gathered at the center of the room before forming the appearance of an armored knight.

Raven touched the monocle in a hurry and soon turned solemn.

'A Radiant Undead Knight?'

But unlike the others, this skeleton was well-armored, had its head covered in a black helm, and held a longsword and an iron shield.

The Radiant Undead Knight suddenly raised its sword and covered the sword edges with a unique sunshine aura!

'An intermediate Sword Aura.' Raven's expression turned grim.

At that instant, he knew that clashing against this Radiant Undead Knight would only end in his defeat.

'It's not like I don't have other options.' Raven calmly gripped the spear and dashed forward.

At the same time, he suddenly took out a few clothes from the inventory and tossed them to block the Radiant Undead Knight's sight.

But the Undead Knight slashed its sword, releasing rippling energy in every direction.

The next moment, all the clothes blocking its vision were torn into multiple pieces.

To its surprise, it noticed Raven had disappeared all of a sudden.

No, it noticed his presence behind its back and turned around to block the attack.

Surprisingly, the human showed his back to the Undead Knight and seemed to be battling an invisible enemy.

'Illusion?' The undead knight wondered at the strange phenomenon.

But its thoughts froze suddenly as its surroundings started to spin.

Before it could even understand the situation, the Radiant Undead Knight turned into pure white light particles and dispersed.

For the first time, the strange crystalline owl made a hooting noise and spoke.

"Hoot!! I never expected a person would've already learned the 'Elapsed Time' spell! That was an impressive move." It commented.

"Let's move to the next trial then."

Just as the owl spoke, a blinding light appeared at the center of the altar again, causing Raven's face to turn grim.

'It seems this strange trial won't stop anytime soon.'

The blinding light started to change into a humanoid shape, transforming into the appearance of a goblin with a staff in its hand.

"A Wizard goblin?" Raven was startled.

The goblin wizard stood before him, its small form draped in tattered robes that shimmered with faint magical energy. The staff in its hand was adorned with a glowing crystal at the top, pulsing with an eerie green light. Unlike the goblins Raven had encountered earlier, this one emanated a powerful, mystical aura—one far beyond the normal capabilities of an average goblin.

'An Acolyte Shaman?' Just as he looked at the shaman, the staff in its hand glowed all of a sudden.

Before he could even think, a ray of lightning came from the Shaman, stuck on his chest, and paralyzed him on the spot!

'No good!' Raven instantly activated his bloodline spell while he was paralyzed and locked his gaze on the Goblin Shaman.

The next instant, the goblin staggered and clutched its chest as a sharp pain appeared in its chest. Not only that, but a strange dizziness also appeared, causing its eyes to be blurry.

In the meantime, Raven's face started to change to his original appearance.

But unlike his original face, a strange vertical eyelid appeared on his forehead region.

Within a moment, the vertical eyelid opened slowly, revealing an eerie red eye filled with sparks of red.

The next second, a powerful ray of reddish lightning emerged from Raven's third eye, blasted towards the Goblin Shaman's head, and disintegrated it!

"That was close," Raven muttered as he noticed that the stiffness started to loosen.

"Is this enough-?" Before he could mutter, lights gathered at the center of the altar.

This time, two Orcs appeared.

One was an Orc with a long wooden staff, wore a robe, and looked like a shaman.

The only difference is that this orc has two bloodline spells.

'Fireball and Dark Chains?'

Raven took only a moment to look at the Orc Shaman and then shifted his gaze toward the other Orc.

This Orc held a broadsword in its right hand, an iron shield in its left hand, and even wore a strange bone crown on its head.

'Its strength is 21, agility is 12, and vitality is 30!' What made him feel tense was the bloodline spell it possessed.

'Blood Fury, Primal Regeneration, Hunting Instinct, Feral Leap.'

Just as he stared at the orc Warrior, black chains appeared out of nowhere and started shackling his legs, body, and hands!

At the same time, the Orc Warrior suddenly disappeared from where it stood before and appeared right before Raven, raising its broadsword, coated with sunshine aura, to smash his head!

Raven could see the sword moving slowly toward his forehead, but he knew his body didn't have enough time to react.

Even if he had enough time, the strange chains completely bound him to the ground, making him immobile.

But instead of a panicking look, the corner of Raven's lips curled upward.

"Shadow Shift!"

A moment later, his figure turned into a shadow and was replaced by the Orc Shaman!

A panic appeared on the Orc Warrior's face.

But it was too late to stop the sword's moment. Within a blink, the broadsword moved at an incredible speed, sliced through the Orc Shaman's head, and cleaved it in half.

As the Orc Shaman dissipated into light particles, Raven looked at the Orc Warrior from where the Orc Shaman stood before and turned grim.

The Orc Warrior roared in anger, its bloodshot eyes glaring at Raven. The aura around it thickened as its Blood Fury spell activated. Its muscles bulged, veins pulsing with an intense crimson light, and its movements became unnaturally fast and feral.

Raven's eyes barely kept up with its movements.

'Should I use 'Limit Break'? No. I can handle this guy on my own.' He suddenly raised his hand and cast the 'Blood Control' spell on the Orc Warrior.

A moment later, he noticed that the Orc Warrior's blood was flowing incredibly fast and moving towards its brain and muscles. Its pupil dilated, and the Orc's organs, like the liver, brain, heart, and lungs, were working faster while some organs slowed down in their work.

In a second, Raven manipulated the blood flow and tried to reduce it to a normal level.

In the meantime, the Orc Warrior had long sprinted towards him and was about to slash at his shoulder with its broadsword.

"It's still two times faster than me!" Raven tried to evade, but the broadsword managed to make a deep cut on his right arm, causing blood to drip.

He felt oppressed as he barely saved his hand from being ripped off and gazed at the Orc Warrior grimly.

Then, he took a deep breath and cast the 'Frost Breath' spell.

A chilling wind blew from Raven's mouth the next second, covering the surroundings and the Orc Warrior in ice.

'Frost Breath can stop this Orc for only up to 5 seconds. I need to prepare a powerful strike! Eye of Destruction spell is still in cooldown for another two minutes.' His mind raced as the blood dripped from his hand and covered the silvery spear in blood.

Cracks appeared on the crystalline ice layer that covered the Orc Warrior's body.

'It's going to be released soon.'

Raven raised his bloodied spear and aimed at the frozen Orc's chest.

At that moment, an invisible aura appeared around the edges of the bloodied spear and soon became sunshine-colored.

Meanwhile, a creaking noise appeared as the crystalline ice started to shatter due to the Orc Warrior's full resistance.

As it was slowly released from the ice layer, Raven exerted his full strength and thrust the intermediate aura-coated bloody spear into the Orc Warrior's chest.

Like a tofu, the intermediate aura cut through the chest muscle and stabbed it into its heart.

"ROAR!!!" A painful cry resounded in the woods as the Orc Warrior staggered, grabbed the bloodied spear, and pulled it out.

'No good.'

Noticing the Orc's grip, Raven released the spear and backed away.

At the same time, the Orc Warrior covered his body in a reddish aura, causing the wound to be healed instantly.

Then, it tossed the spear towards the side and raised its broadsword in its right hand.

Raven panted heavily, but his gaze never wavered.

He calmly raised his hand, stored the silver spear in the inventory, and took it out.

The next moment, the silver spear hovered before him and landed on his palm, startling the Orc Warrior greatly.

At the same time, the deep wound on Raven's right arm also healed at an incredible speed and returned to a normal state.

"Hoo, you are both back to square one, huh?" The owl commented, watching the battle amusingly.

Meanwhile, the corner of Raven's lips rose upward again.

Simultaneously, the Orc Warrior suddenly noticed its eyes turning blurry and staggered.

Also, multiple bluish-purple spots appeared on its fatty skin, causing blisters all over its body.

"Poison? When?" The owl asked in a surprise.

Raven suddenly dashed forward while whirling the spear and appeared before the staggering Orc.

With a radiating sunshine aura, the spear moved like lightning and slashed at its neck.

'A moment of its carelessness is all I need.' Raven looked at the disintegrating Orc coldly and sharpened his gaze towards the Owl.

"Is it over?"

"I wonder." The owl blinked its eyes and added.

"I was planning to end, but you seem still energetic. How about a real enemy this time?"

Raven's face turned pale.

'This owl is toying with me!'

[Endure. That being is far more powerful than you think. The best you can do now is grit your teeth and pass its trials.]

'But I'm already at my limit.' Raven turned his gaze towards the center of the altar and noticed the whole area lit up in reddish light.

[Summoning Magic Circle? Kid, this owl is planning to summon a real being.]

'Real being?'

As he asked, the reddish light started to dim and soon revealed a pale-skinned, black-haired man in his black morning coat. He was around 50 years old, had reddish eyes, and a small chevron mustache.

He also held a black cane in his left hand to support his body and looked around in confusion.

…