Jack waited. Minutes passed. The silence of the prison pressed in. Just the distant, faint dripping water somewhere. And the low hum of the pedestal's inactive power.
Jack checked his internal status screen. The floating panels of data he could summon or dismiss at will. Nothing new. Just his old stats. Old skills. And his current form details. Time seemed to stretch.
Then, movement came from the left corridor. Flint Edgecrow emerged. He looked slightly... dustier than before. A faint tear could be seen in the shoulder of his prison-issue tunic.
In his hand, he held a key. This one was brass. Intricate. Glowing with faint abjuration runes.
"Trouble?" Jack asked. His voice still sounded ethereal.
Flint walked to the pedestal. Placing his key next to Jack's. It also clicked.
"Minor inconvenience." He said. "Security measures that reacted to shadow. Had to persuade them I wasn't worth the effort. Got the key."
He glanced towards the right corridor. "The monk is taking his time?"
Jack just shrugged his ethereal shoulder in answer.
They waited. Ten minutes. Fifteen. Twenty. Flint leaned against the wall. Conserving energy. His eyes were closed. But he was clearly sensing everything around them.
Jack remained vigilant. Sweeping the area with his ethereal senses. Not detecting anything amiss. Just the continued oppressive stillness of the prison.
"Maybe we should check on him?" Flint suggested after nearly half an hour.
Before Jack could reply, a figure appeared from the right corridor. Zendo. He looked remarkably composed. Not a single tear in his simple tunic.
His movements were fluid as if he'd been for a walk in a park. In his hand was the third key. This one was silver. Shimmering with focused kinetic energy runes.
"Apologies for the delay." Zendo said calmly. Walking to the pedestal. "The challenge was... introspective. And guarded by forces that respond to agitation. Needed a clear mind."
He placed the silver key in the third depression.
Three keys. Obsidian, brass, silver. They settled into their respective slots on the pedestal with soft clicks.
The carvings on the pedestal flared with golden light. The shimmering energy above it coalesced. Forming a swirling portal. Stable and inviting.
"That's it then." Flint said. Pushing off the wall. "Our exit."
"Looks like it." Jack confirmed.
There was no discussion about who went first. No hesitation. They walked towards the portal. Flint and Zendo stepped into the swirling energy. They vanished instantly.
Jack, as an invisible specter, paused for a fraction of a second. Looking back down the abandoned corridors.
The cells where the evil prisoners remained bound. The silent, empty torture chamber. The directions where Flint and Zendo came from.
This was a harsh place. A taste of realms he hadn't fully comprehended before this trial.
He sighed. And then, he floated into the portal. The golden light enveloped him. It wasn't painful or disorienting. Just a swift, silent transition.
He materialized in a vast, empty chamber. The air was still, quiet. The stone floor was smooth and polished.
There were no walls visible. Just a seemingly infinite expanse of grey. Featureless space stretching in all directions. Fading into nothingness.
He was alone. Flint and Zendo were gone. Not here.
Immediately, the ancient voice resounded in the emptiness. It was the same voice that had guided him through the trials. It was deep, resonant, final.
"Trial of Freedom completed."
The words hung in the air. Just like that? The trial had ended so fast? He had expected to encounter more difficult to handle guards. A scenario where escaping was almost impossible.
But the trial was completed this quickly. No scenario where Flint or Zendo had to sacrifice their life? So that the other could escape?
"Successful Completion!"
The same voice, yet different tone now. A sense of progress acknowledged. He really had completed the trial. Great!
"Proceeding to the Reward Stage."
A black orb once again materialized before him. Another small yet dense artifact with clean energy. Pulsing with a deep, intimidating sky-blue glow.
It drifted closer. Drawn by an invisible current. Moving towards his spectral form.
'This is it!' Jack thought. Bracing himself. His Black Buto incarnation and human incarnation had received massive power boosts. It was now time for his spectral form.
The orb made contact. Touching his ethereal form. Turning into mist and disappearing as it fused into his spectral figure. It felt like a cold bath of freezing mist.
Immediately, system notifications flared into existence in his vision.
[CONDENSED LAW OF FREEDOM DISCOVERED!]
[NO SUITABLE DOMAIN IN POSSESSION!]
As expected. It was pretty much the same with the prize from the Trial of Strength and Vengeance. A condensed law which was converted into other things. Because Jack didn't have any suitable trait for it.
[SEARCHING FOR AVAILABLE UPGRADES...]
Exactly. As what Jack had guessed. The system was trying to figure out some compensation.
[FOR CURRENT INCARNATION... INCREASING ATTRIBUTE: MYSTICISM]
[FOR CURRENT INCARNATION... INCREASING ATTRIBUTE: PASSION]
He felt the change immediately. His spectral form felt more... powerful. His mind felt much sharper. The mystical energies of this world felt easier to grasp intuitively. Another significant surge of attributes. Great!
Then...
[ADJUSTING POWER. EVOLVING A SUITABLE PERMANENT TRAIT!]
[MYSTERIOUS NATURE] INTO [MYTHICAL EXISTENCE]
Mythical Existence? Mysterious Nature evolved into Mythical Existence? Jack was about to check his Status Panel. But the System Notification hadn't ended yet.
[ADJUSTING POWER. EVOLVING A SUITABLE SUPERNATURAL TRAIT!]
[GROOTSLANG'S GEMSTONE DETECTION] INTO [TREASURE DETECTING RADAR]
Nice! The notification had ended. He immediately opened his Status Panel.
[CHARACTER STATUS]
[Name: Jack Night]
[Incarnation Type: Spirit]
[Persona: Jack Mystery]
[Race: Mysterious Specter]
[Class: Mystic Scholar]
[Archetype: Supernatural Entity]
[Power Source: Spirit of Judgement]
[Attributes: Physique (00) *Mysticism (92) *Passion (86) Essence (99)]
[Karma: Positive]
[System Sight Modes: Eyes of Judgement]
[Supernatural Traits: Mysterious Anomaly; Mysterious Mirror World; Incarnation Shift; *Treasure Detecting Radar; Incubus Charm]
[Permanent Traits: Mythical Adaptation; *Mythical Existence; Devourer Physique]
[Characteristics: Mysterious Nature - Paralysis Immunity]
[Characteristics: Mythical Adaptation - Cold Immunity; Pressure Immunity; Shock Immunity; Bleeding Immunity; Imbalance Immunity; Madness Immunity; Poison Immunity; Lightning Immunity; Heat Immunity; Hyper Regeneration]
[Status Effect: Battle Spirit (inactive)]
[Personal Artifact: Spirit Torch; Spirit Cape; Nine-Anchor Portal Ring; Artifact Seeds (2)]
[Mystic Spells: Minor Cantrips - Fire Spark; Dreamy Mist; Cold Light; Lightning Guide; Water Splash; Vicious Taunt; Quick Mending; Glowing Stone]
[Mystic Spells: Grimoire Magic - Lesser Ward; Magic Missile; Healing Chant; Vine Entanglement; Past Echo; Blinding Flash]
Jack looked at the change in his attributes. His [Mysticism] attribute had more than ten point increase. Reaching a robust 92. Granting him an intuitive grasp of esoteric principles. One that previously would have required arduous study.
Equally, his Passion, had made a significant leap. Reaching solid 86. This wasn't just a raw increase in energy. It felt like his very soul had been ignited. This surge in passion made him feel more alive than he ever had.
He immediately focused on the changes to his traits.
[Permanent Trait: Mythical Existence. An inherent quality of being that transcends mortal comprehension, allowing the host to exist partially outside the conventional laws of reality. This trait grants an unparalleled immunity to any type of detection. It also provides high resistance to conceptual manipulation, paradoxes, and existential threats. Subtly warping probability in the host's favor.]
This was a massive upgrade. His old 'Mysterious Nature' had made him hard to detect. But 'Mythical Existence' suggested something far more fundamental. He was not just hard to detect. He was immune to detection.
And he would be less bound by the rules. And less susceptible to things that could unravel a normal being. It was like becoming a loophole in reality itself.
Then, he turned his attention to the other transformed trait.
[Supernatural Trait: Treasure Detecting Radar. An innate sensory ability that allows the user to use supernatural energy wave to scan the surrounding environment for items of significant value, power, or rarity. The radar provides directional and qualitative information about detected treasures.]
Intriguing. This was a far cry from the simple gemstone detection of the Grootslang's Gemstone Detection. This implied a broader scope. Not just gemstones.
It now had more powerful and versatile function. Just like a compass, not for north, but for fortune.
Now what?
Suddenly, the familiar, yet ever-impersonal voice echoed again. Its tone resonating not just in his spectral ears. But deep within his very essence.
"Trial of the Great Cloudfather successfully concluded."
Before Jack could do anything, the voice continued...
"All trial participants will now be returned to their originating points."
It was a sudden teleportation.
A disorienting lurch. A momentary flicker of static. And the ethereal landscape of the surrounding dissolved.
Jack's partially invisible form coalesced. A very faint shimmer. In the dimly lit, crumbling throne room of the Mist Palace.
The air was back to the one with thick scent of dust and decay. The remnants of ancient magic clinging to the stone ruins.
He surveyed his surroundings. His spectral eyes taking in the familiar scene. Now filled by figures he recognized. The ones involved in the archeology expedition to Mist Palace.
He quickly recognized three individuals he suspected activating the trial.
Count Bellcroft. The leader of the expedition. His imposing figure and noble bearing were still visible despite his current condition. Seriously injured. Pale. Bloody. Yet, the aura of dark karma still clung to him like a shroud.
Silas Boulder. The suspicious mercenary, exuding the dark aura of coiled menace. His eyes were darting around the room with unnerving intensity. He was also seriously injured. He even lost a leg.
The portly researcher. The last of the character with dark karma. His face was unreadable. Unlike the first two, he didn't seem to be injured at all. Suspicious.
Those three were the ones Jack suspected to first enter the Trial Space. The ones with the highest possibility to activate the trial. But they were not the only surviving individuals here.
Across the expanse of the ruined hall, there were also others.
Leon Drake, the treasure hunting archeologist who seemed to carry an almost tangible aura of a protagonist. He was slightly injured. And his expression showed one of focused determination.
Dr. Crafton, the seasoned archeology professor. His posture showed exhaustion. But his weathered face betraying no outward emotion.
Chloe Chase, the apprentice of Dr. Crafton. Jack's first human friend. And the inheritor of the Webmother's Shard of Fortune. She seemed to be uninjured. Radiating a quiet, yet potent energy, instead.
There were two other members of the research expedition. Faces Jack vaguely recalled. And four other mercenaries. Their postures and expressions showed a mix of exhaustion and vigilance.
Jack suspected that those people entered the Trial Space much later. When he had completed, or almost completed the Trial of Strength.
That trial, in Jack's view, was the only possible reason for anyone to be severely injured. Other trials should not be as physically demanding.
Unless they were trying to forcefully escape through brute force from the Underworld Prison... in the last trial.