'Well,' Rhian thought as he wiped blood off his face. It wasn't his blood, and he grimaced as his hand came back covered in a black spread. 'This was certainly unexpected.'
The Lycaon was strong, there was no denying that. But the moment he had raised the level of his skill to
His abdomen did feel as if it had been gutted out, but he could care less about that as he stared at the influx of messages that poured in front of him.
[You have killed the
[You have killed 4
[You have earned 3500 species!]
[You have earned the following items:
[1. Ax of the Lycaon (D+)]
[2. Key to ?? (??)]
[3. Ring of Wrath (C-)]]
Rhian bent down and examined the items. He picked up the key and glanced at it, eyes widening when a blue panel appeared in front of him.
[You've earned a Key!]
[Item: Key
Ranking: ??
Grade: ??
Type of Magic:??
Use: to unlock ?? In ␣␣]
It looked painfully generic, like a key to a shed. Rhian pocketed the key in his pouch. According to the terms given by the Contract Administrator, he would have to clear one more trial to be able to access something known as the 'Clandestine Chest' where he could store these items and be guaranteed that they wouldn't be lost.
He picked the ring up.
[You've earned the Ring of Wrath!]
[Item: Ring of Wrath
Ranking: Uncommon
Grade: C-
Type of Magic: Beast-based
Use: helps you to fight a magic beast without inflicting much damage on yourself]
The ax wouldn't help him in any way, and it would just be a hindrance to carry around until he got access to the chest. If he could upgrade it, then he could think about it…
A sudden presence of spirit came behind him, and Rhian instinctively swung Executioner behind his back.
[You've killed 1 wind-based ghoul!]
[You've earned 100 species!]
Rhian stood up and cracked his neck. 'What was that guy doing?'
Should he go check? Technically speaking, the auxiliary trial wouldn't end until they had successfully exited the temple, and to escape, they had to go together. Rhian sighed, running a hand down his face as he thought it over.
'Might as well…'
He took his sword and cut off more of his hair.
[Sacrifice has been received!]
[You may choose any of your skills!]
He paused at the thought of triggering Hurtle Chase. Would he be able to trace the other man's mana? He swallowed.
[You've invested 1000 species in your spiritual energy!]
[Spiritual Energy lvl 1 > Spiritual Energy lvl 3]
He had been in the other's proximity for long enough during escaping the Celestium, fighting through the trial, and some other moments.
'I wonder if that bastard has still used the Golden Thread?' he wondered. He had forgotten to retract the contract, but one check at his contracts told him it was still intact. Aside from that, he could faintly pick up on the other's mana signature.
[
[A few
[
[
[Current Contracts:
Player Recognition (
Temporary (with
'Well,' Rhian sighed. This would make it easy for him to track the other man.
[Mana core in use > 2%]
[Semi-genesis skill, Golden Thread lvl 1 is strongly activated!]
[You've invested 1000 species in upgrading a skill!]
[Golden Thread lvl 1 > Golden Thread lvl 3]
Rhian closed his eyes and thought. There were many stories his mother had read to him when he was younger. A prominent one was the legend of the
'I need much more money for that.' Rhian shook his previous thoughts away as he focused on how that man's spiritual energy and mana had felt.
His spiritual energy felt aged, as if he had existed for far longer than he let on. Rhian could see a light aura light up in the distance, and it was wavering. That mostly meant that the man was asleep. 'At least not dead.'
A golden thread left Rhian's finger and stretched out in the direction of that aura. Rhian waited for a few moments until the thread had successfully touched the aura before he opened his eyes.
In front of him, the Golden Thread had paved a way through the forest. 'Now…'
[You've invested 500 species in the activation of a skill!]
[Earned skill, Hurtle Chase lvl 1 has been activated!]
[Skill timeframe: 2:30 minutes]
'So five hundred species buys me only that much time.'
Wind surrounded Rhian's body as he pushed himself ahead, following the direction that the thread led him to. To contain his speed, he had to repeatedly trigger the Hymn of The Cursed Apostle to cut down some beasts and trees that showed up in front of him. He clicked his tongue, that the trial being breached was probably more his fault than anyone's else, so he really shouldn't be complaining.
[Time left: 1:23 minutes]
The forest was much darker and it was draining him to keep pushing through. And he knew well if it weren't for the thread, he would've gotten lost already. Regardless, he pushed himself through and barely avoided a
It wasn't the most favorable memory as he remembered crying when it was over, and that too in front of Madam Hua. He felt an urge to choose to fight that creature just out of spite. He could win if he got to know what grade the
He rushed ahead and suddenly could see the reason the forest was so dark. The entrance… or exit was closed off by a thicket of roots that prevented the morning sunlight from seeping in.
[Time left: 46 seconds]
He glanced back at the Forest Bear. It was almost three times his height and could very well rip him to shreds if Rhian got anywhere close to it. 'That's merely a death wish. All I have to do s—'
—Roar!
Rhian saw his chance, he dove towards the exit that was closed off by the roots, and his skill allowed him to easily move out of the way. However, the Forest Bear, which was keeping up with him, couldn't stop its velocity and crashed into the roots, being knocked back but causing an opening small enough. The trees began glowing ominously, and the roots began moving.
[You've invested 1000 species in the upgrading of a skill!]
[Hurtle Chase lvl 1 > Hurtle Chase lvl 3]
The bear roared again and Rhian evaded it once more, causing it to slam into the narrow opening. This time, when it slammed, the opening became bigger.
Wind brushed his entire body and in the ten seconds he had left, he just managed to escape through the opening, causing himself to crash land on the edge of a cliff. Just as he was about to fall off, one of the golden threads shot out and wrapped itself around tree bark. He tugged on them, and they pulled him back up. However, the bear had gotten out as well.
'Fuck!' He pushed himself up. 'I almost died.' He gasped as he sat down on the edge and took a gush of air before he looked at his side. Against a large boulder that eventually joined a tall stone wall was 'that' man, asleep with a bunny in front of him.
"Shit," he cursed.
[
He drew Executioner and held it outwards. The bear roared again and charged at him.
[You've triggered earned skill, Hymn of the Cursed Apostle lvl 4!]
A blue aura surrounded him, and he moved fast. With the remnants of Hurtle Chase, he drew Executioner through the bear's thick neck. With a moments wait, the head was dislodged from the creature and fell off the cliff.
[You've killed a
[You've earned 1500 species!]
Rhian tossed Executioner onto the floor and averted his attention to the other man.
[
There seemed to be some sort of translucent sheen that surrounded the other man, and he noticed the sword in the latter's hand before words left his throat.
It was an Ember, perhaps an A grade? But if that was him… and the new sword was there… then… Rhian walked over and slightly leaned over the cliff to see a beautifully engraved door with a magical cover… then the place behind him should be the Temple's Dungeon. Rhian mentally groaned, he had used the other pathway when this had been much more accessible and easy to find.
"Hey," he called out. Sure there was no way this man was asleep in a place like this, and especially through the bear's roars. But then Rhian noticed that the forest had closed itself off again after the roots had dragged the bear's carcass back into it. The man in front of him shifted a little but didn't really seem to stir awake.
"Oi, wake up," Rhian said as he crouched in front of the other man and huffed. "Get your ass up. We have to leave."
The man in front of him stirred again before his eyes opened just a crack. "Oh. You."
"Yes," Rhian breathed. How could someone have such green eyes? They weren't like the Cursed Lycaons', no, they were the shade of emerald with specks of gold. It reminded him faintly of a painting. But he wasn't sure. Looking too long was like standing at the edge of a cliff that had no bottom. The emerald held a horizon that never arrived; the gold specks were suns too far away to warm, only to remind you how small and alone you were in the quiet.
Rhian blinked when the man turned his head to the side. "Me. Any problem?"
"Uhh," the man slurred and closed his eyes again. "Am I allowed to say yes?"
'Does he have to be such a brat about this?' Rhian thought with a twitch of his eye. "Get up you nameless bastard!"
"You don't have to shout, man!" The other shot upright, glaring at Rhian. "What?"
"Nameless bastard," Rhian started sweetly. "It's time for your majesty to get the hell up from his beauty sleep and leave this place."
"Don't call me that," the other said, and Rhian watched in piqued curiosity as the bunny hopped onto the other's lap.
"Then give me a name to call you," Rhian pressed.
[
[
[
The other man rolled his eyes, and Rhian could notice that the skin under his eyes had grown quite dark. 'Wasn't he sneaking out at night?'
"Call me Zane," Zane said, a heavy sigh leaving his lips.
"Zane," Rhian tested the name. "You don't suit that name."
"Doesn't matter," Zane said. "Also, what reason are you here for?"
"We need to head back," Rhian replied, his eyes glancing at the bunny again. Seriously, what was up with that?
"Not yet," Zane murmured. "Did you get what you wanted?"
"A Circe?" Rhian asked. 'No, obviously, I had simply blatantly said that. As much as I want it, it's not possible… at least not at my current level.'
Zane's eyes trailed to the weapon that was in his hand, resting on the grass. "An Executioner?! Are you insane?"
"I was low on choices," Rhian murmured. He was given the option of choosing Yin, but Zane didn't need to know that.
Zane stared at him. "Anyway. You have to put that sword in your inventory or something until you figure out how to sell it off—"
"It—"
"It's controlled by diabolic energy and you know this," Zane said. "I have a possible way that you can obtain the Circe—"
[Conditions have been met!]
Rhian stared at the panel. 'What conditions?'
[
'Wait…'
Rhian looked at Zane with wide eyes and the other man looked back at him.
[You may now access Player's Tryst]
[Would you like to access it?]