[Veiled Trial: Temple Lord's Dungeon
Grade: B-
Conditions: defeat the challenge given by the Temple Lord.
Time Limit: ??
Failure: ??
Reward: the amount of time you've survived in the dungeon will be added as a percent to the amount of coins you earn]
[Time spent: 05:14:53]
Zane couldn't feel his lower back, he couldn't really fight properly with the bunny which he was unable to risk dropping, and with this body, he was more susceptible to taking damage.
Blood dripped down from his left temple, trickling down in a way that could only be labeled as 'sick'. Zane glanced at the Dao, which looked so much more withered than it had been when he'd first found it. It appeared that one of his skills wasn't compatible with it. He sucked in a breath and used Wisteria to catch the body of the creature that charged at him and swung his sword to kill it.
[You have invested 3000 species in 'Electric Flame lvl 3'!]
[Electric Flame lvl 3 > Electric Flame lvl 6]
[You have invested 1,000 species in stamina!]
[Stamina lvl 5 > Stamina lvl 6]
The issue wasn't with killing the magic beasts, it was with the beasts that wouldn't stop coming towards him. His eyes narrowed at the message that rang in his ears.
[Your mana core's susceptibility has grown exponentially!]
[You may now directly access your mana at 2%]
Zane mustered mana into his palm and retracted Wisteria so he could directly land a hit on the creature behind him. The golden aura of his mana spread through the creature's body, highlighting where it stood long enough for Zane to kill it. He swung Dao in its direction and noticed the telltale message.
[Some
'Yeah?' Zane tried to stand straight but only had it result in him tumbling slightly.
[Your fatigue has reached it's limit!]
[Zane has done enough]
"Not yet," Zane murmured, biting into the wound on the corner of his lip and activating Wisteria. He swung the whip that was transfused with his mana. It struck at least two incoming opponents, giving him their location long enough for him to kill them.
[Time spent: 05:23:18]
The bunny wiggled a little and Zane inhaled through his nose as he glanced at his side. "It's fine, I can manage it."
[Zane has exhausted much of your mana. Zane needs a break]
"It is alright," he murmured, but a blow at the side of his head caused him to fall down. He grabbed Dao and swung it where he presumed the opponent was. 'Great.'
Shen wasn't wrong, he couldn't continue for longer.
As he was about to land another blow, the spiritual energy around him suddenly disappeared. Zane frowned.
He didn't lower his offensive stance as he glanced back to the man who sat on the throne.
[5 hours. Impressive. You have great intuition, player]
"Where's the catch?" Zane asked.
[Fuuf. You're so quick to assume I only mean harm]
"Convince me otherwise." Zane knew that the other man was correct. He was simply there as a medium through which other Watchers could contact the players. And these 'watchers' were like The Hermit, they were the producers of swords and other amenities—and since the System's repercussions didn't allow for them to hand higher grade items, they handed them out through the Lord of The Temple.
Beyond that, the temple lords were bound to a 'contract' that didn't allow them to harm the player. Often times, they conducted 'votes' for the watchers, and according to the watchers suggesstions, they tweaked the trials and their changes accordingly.
[It appears there's three watchers who've offered you a contract]
Unlike the sponsorship contract, these contracts were more minimal. It meant that if you chose the item that was produced directly by them, then you'd be obtaining the 'genesis' or 'semi-genesis'.
Wisteria was an exceptional case. Its genesis didn't lie in any particular nation, as the idea of a whip as such wasn't completely original. However, special properties of this Wisteria were what made it unique enough to earn the title of genesis. That was precisely why he'd been surprised to find The Hermit watching him.
Generally, when an item was deemed 'genesis' it became greatly sought after, thus leading the creator to immense power. For someone as powerful as The Hermit to watch him was not making sense. But then again, The Hermit was rumored to be an actual hermit who acted on impulses.
That being said, when one was given a 'weapon' contract, it was implied that they would honor said weapon. As in, depending on the grade, it was often the case that the player wouldn't easily be able to transition to another 'weapon'. However, it completely depended on the watchers. For example, Zane doubted the Hermit gave two shits if he possessed another weapon like Wisteria. But there were those
"I see," Zane murmured.
[I shall show you the contracts now]
[Item: Vale
Rank: semi-genesis
Grade: B+
Type of Magic: ice-based sword
Creator: Blue Night Musician
"Of the greatness in between Ourea and Pontus"]
[Item: Oracle
Rank: semi-genesis
Grade: A—S
Type of Magic: light-ether-based sword (*breaking of this sword can be made into a spear and shield)
Creator: The Sentient Aegis
"From beginning to end, one thing is perpetual along with its creation that is neither defined nor said"]
[Item: Ember
Rank: genesis
Grade: A+
Type of Magic: fire-based
Creator: Mortal Statue Empress
"The first weapon was made to defend oneself; for slaughter, for might"]
Zane blinked and suddenly felt a slight pang in the corner of his head.
〈"Did you get sponsored?" Rynn asked, her eyes wide as she noticed the sword in Zane's hands. It was completely black, sleek obsidian and its hilt was wrapped in red and black bandages. In fact, as Zane gently ran his finger on the flat of the blade, the thin lines glowed orange under the little mana that passed through his finger.
"Yeah," Zane replied, carefully placing his sword down next to it's sheathe, watching the lines on the blade diminish like embers.〉
He looked at the image description on the sword and noted that unlike the flashy looks of the other two swords, Ember was a simple black blade. Oracle was shining as if it was screaming its own light within it and Vale had a look that appeared majestic, whereas it's use was too simplistic. Zane swallowed. Did he want the same blade he possessed in his past life?
"Ember," he said.
[I see] Ma Chao replied, and he raised a hand. Suddenly, there were messages piling in front of him.
[Deducting 5% of species earned]
[You've earned 10,000 species for defeating 50
[You've earned 5,000 species for hunting 4 monsters!]
[Total time spent: 5.30 hours]
[Total species earned: 15,000]
[Adding an additional 8,250 for survival]
[Total species earned: 23,250]
[Total species: 43,250]
[You've earned a 'genesis' item!]
[
Zane blinked. 'Emperor?'
[And here is your blade, player] Ma Chao extended his hand from the ceiling in Zane's direction.
A small black twist in spacetime was seen in front of Zane, making the man swallow nervously. The last time he had been next to such a vortex, he had been knocked out and tired. However, this seemed different from
As the darkness crept away, it left black sparks, which lessened to reveal a red and black bandaged hilt whose 'blade was hidden away behind an obsidian sheath. He was inclined to ahold of it but eventually decided to let the repercussion shards subside.
[
[
[
'The answer is simple,' Zane thought as he glanced at the image description of Oracle still hovering beside him. 'Light-based ether weapons often have 'good' watchers that sit behind them. And when it comes down to the elements of the trials, nothing is inherently good, thus, if I had to kill someone innocent, the sword would harm me in return.'
He'd seen that happen to some of his own companions in his previous life. When it had come to slaying a watcher who'd descended into Draknir, who, despite their actions had been favored by the 'good' watchers with greater power, the 'light-ether' based sword had betrayed it's weilder as the watchers refused to bless it.
Zane's eyes flitted back to Ma Chao, who seemed to have been studying Zane. "What would have happened if I'd chosen a tarot card?"
Ma Chao's lower lip quirked. [So you do know about the tarots?]
"I happen to," Zane replied. "What would have happened?"
[Countdown: 5 minutes]
It would take that much time for him to be able to touch Ember.
[Well] Ma Chao began, and the four tarots appeared in front of him again. Ma Chao lazily lifted his hand and they were moved to circle Zane. [Do you see something odd in the design?]
Zane stared at them. 'Of course,' he thought. The celestial compass was… off. The arrow pointed to the south rather than the north, east and west were the other way around, and there were three additional smaller hands.
"Yes," he replied.
[The tarot cards that do bring fortune are kept sacred and for royalty. Thus, the propagation of backward tarots is common. Judging by your current moves… you would have chosen 'The Tower']
Zane swallowed. While sure, the backward or cursed tarots were common, drawing doom with them was on par with drawing luck from the original tarots. 'The cards were from the major arcana?'
[And it's upright, and I'm assuming you know the original meaning of the card, do you not?]
There were twenty two cards in the major arcana, [The Tower] was one of them. If it was pulled upright, then it depicted abysmal destruction. And considering the cards were already cursed, then it could be assumed that the worst of the destruction would arise—however, since the cards were pertaining to a single person, then the 'destruction' would be impacting them the most.
"Yes," Zane replied.
It was good that he hadn't chosen any card. Ma Chao turned the card, and Zane was faced with a runic depiction of a tower—it was a spire… with something rotating on top of it. [The original cards have the Eye of God].
"Are you sure I would have chosen this?"
[Why would I lie to you, dear player?] Ma Chao asked, his delicate finger beginning to play with the end of his braid in his lap as he moved on his seat. [You will wage war]
[Countdown: 54 seconds]
"I will prevent it," Zane replied.
Ma Chao shrugged. [That's what they all say in the face of power. Achieve it, and things turn out differently]
Zane watched as the black shards around Ember dissipated and caused the sword to fall. "Perhaps," he murmured as he picked it up. The weight of the sword was great, but that only promised the momentum he'd get in a swing.
[
[
Zane swore he remembered these two watchers—he wasn't sure how, but he knew them. Once this trial was over, he'd figure something out.
[That is a good sword, player]
Zane glanced at Ma Chao and nodded. He didn't… in particular like Watchers, but then again, there were those who were an exception. The pain in his body that he'd somehow ignored up until then exploded as he took steps ahead, however, he forced himself to walk to the Dungeon's exit.
The moment he was out, he leaned against the boulder and pushed himself to sit down.
[Activating Stigma,
[Error]
[Failure to activate stigma due to lack of medium of exchange]
[Is Zane alright?] Shen asked.
Zane nodded. There were gashes on his body in places he couldn't even pinpoint. 'Dammit, I need to get elixirs.'
[Does Zane know the greatness of the sword he possesses?]
"You mean Ember's 'genesis' story?" Zane asked as he tried to focus his mana near the wounds. It wouldn't heal him completely, but it should help placate the pain and at least cause the blood to dry and make a protective layer. Maybe after that…
Wait.
[You've invested 1,500 species in the activation of your stigma!]
[Stigma,
[Time limit for Stigma: 60 minutes]
[Shen means that] the bunny jumped out of his protective hold and sat on the grass beside Zane. The sun could be seen rising on the horizon. Perhaps it was just him, but he'd never seen such a beautiful sight recently. He was sitting close to the cliff, and in the distance, the flat disc of light could be seen peeking up.
[Shen also means to thank Zane]
"There is no need," Zane replied. "Because of your aid I have this stigma and this sword."
[But still…]
"Well, you could help by telling me Ember's story," Zane murmured.
The bunny hopped to sit in front of him. [The origin is based on the revelation that had been passed down by those who possessed the 'genesis' of the skill of prophets…]
However, Zane was unable to hear further, as his eyes were closing and he was leaning against the soft grass. Sleep never came so quickly. One hour, that was the amount of time he could utilize to rest.
—
[
Ma Chao ran a few fingers through his soft hair as he stared at the four cards from the deck that were hovering in the air in front of him. It was a generic test that all the Temple's Dungeon Lords had to commit to before they put forth a challenge that would impress the creators of the weapons. Rather, only those who respected the system to some extent did so.
Thus, the cards that were pulled from the deck were the ones that gave an introspection on the character of the player that would appear in front of them. Of course, the reason that the player would have to choose was to simply eliminate the player who was stupid enough to fall for the trap.
'Survival of the wise,' Ma Chao thought. However, his eyes were set on the four cards in front of him. He hadn't lied, but neither had he told the truth.
The cards that evaluated the player were as follows: The Tower, Nine of Swords, The Hanged Man, and ␣␣.
Ma Chao glanced at the ceiling. [Did you want me to give a look at his abysmal future?]
[
[
[
Ma Chao stared at the 'censored' card in apprehension. However, that wasn't what was bothering him. He swallowed and crossed one leg over the other. [The card the player chose… ]
Ma Chao had been the Lord of this dungeon for as long as he could remember. If he put that relatively, it'd be around a hundred and forty years. He was free to leave, of course, but then what was he to do? He'd seen the other end, the one where watchers lay, and the end of the players. Being a temple lord was the only place where he was partially safe.
He'd seen trials be repeated, had seen countless foolish deaths, but regardless he was glad about one thing. 'Someone interesting to rid him of his boredom.'
The Tower surely depicted a catastrophe and would be enforced if a player were to actually choose the reading. But somehow this was more chilling. That player was about to choose the third card. [Death].
The problem with the card of [Death] was that it was purely outside any meaning. Whether the card was cursed, it always foretold change or the ␣ of something. There was no curse to amplify what death implied. And in the hundred and forty years of Ma Chao's analysis, he had come across players who chose cards directly from the major arcana, who lasted for days in the dungeon, but never had this card been drawn.
Ma Chao closed his eyes as he rested his head against that of the throne seat. He had exerted much energy in regular talk. He opened his eyes and fanned the [Death] card. Likewise, he glanced at the sky. 'Wouldn't want to contact them so soon, right….? '
He snapped his fingers and the cards dissipated. '... What would be the composition if I added ␣␣?'