The Second Trial (2)
"Are you sure this is really your first time outside the barrier?" I nodded at Gwen's question, playing my part with practiced ease. "Is there something wrong?"
"No, it's just that people usually struggle to adapt when they first step outside the barrier."
Of course I adapted easily; it wasn't my first time. But to her, I was just a seemingly ordinary country boy without a single Holy Relic to my name. Having no way of knowing the truth, Gwen muttered, "Perhaps you have a high adaptability to Chaos."
I had heard those exact words before. Back then, it was thanks to Absolute Obedience, though.
'Still, I'm glad the deal went through.' No matter how much I tried to take a different path this time, it was hard to give up on Gwen. Instead, I hadn't learned Gwen's swordsmanship. I had saved up my SP to inherit Precocious, and I had easily dealt with the bandit who broke into the inn using Libero's Swordsmanship. And Libero's Swordsmanship had been more than enough to catch Gwen's eye. Though I did wonder if it would serve the same purpose as Gwen's own style.
"But did we really need to wait three days before setting out?"
"Yes. I needed some time to say goodbye to the innkeeper, after all."
In truth, that wasn't the real reason. It was because of a certain event I knew we would encounter on our way to the Trial.
"Oh? Long time no see, kid!" It was Ryutmila, a high-grade Hero whose primary weapon was the bow. Just like last time, we crossed paths with her party. But this wasn't the event I was aiming for.
'Unless you're insane, it's best not to get involved with high-grade Heroes.' I had witnessed the sheer power of a Hero at the Gate leading from Basil to Sak. Even that Hero hadn't reached the high-grade tier yet. Knowing that, trying to entangle myself with a high-grade Hero wouldn't be brave—it would be downright foolish.
'It should be right after this.' While I was reviewing my plans, Gwen finished her conversation with Ryutmila. I hadn't been paying close attention, remembering that it wasn't a particularly important conversation anyway.
"Hey."
"Yes?"
"Forget everything you just heard."
"Forget what?" No, this time, I really hadn't heard anything.
"My age... No, never mind." But her words jogged my memory. 'Come to think of it, she was really self-conscious about her age.' Because of Precocious, Gwen's physical growth had halted, making her look like a petite high school girl, but her actual age was... For some reason, I felt like Gwen was glaring at me, so I decided to stop that train of thought.
"I need to harvest a Barrier Fragment from this thing, but I don't know where it is. Could you help me find it?" After Gwen brought down the golem blocking our path, I easily extracted the Barrier Fragment from its remains. Gwen looked suspicious, but since I already had more than a few questionable traits, I decided not to worry too much about it.
'More importantly, what comes next is what matters.' The event I had been waiting for was about to happen.
"This is..." At that moment, Gwen stared off into the distance. I, too, began to feel the ground vibrate beneath my feet. 'It's starting.' An ambush by three golems. No, to be precise, it was an ambush by a bandit group.
'I'll leave the golems to Gwen...' I had my own task to attend to. 'The bandits.' Specifically, I had to find their leader. Right now, he was waiting in ambush, hoping to swoop in and reap the rewards after the golems weakened us. Once he witnessed Gwen's absurd combat prowess, he would hide quietly before being discovered and fleeing.
'It was probably over there.' Pretending to watch Gwen, I kept a close eye on the spot where she had discovered the bandits in my past life. Amyah had a limited duration, so the leader wouldn't be using it just yet. 'Aha, there he is.' I spotted the leader. He was easy to identify because he was missing his left arm. 'Now, I just have to wait for the right moment.'
As the golems closed in, Gwen slashed the leading one with her Holy Relic, Ignis. Now was the time. The moment the bandits' attention was completely stolen by Gwen's overwhelming power, I dashed toward the leader.
'It's a bit of a shame I don't have Wind Authority right now.' Having lost a skill I was so used to made running feel frustratingly sluggish. Still, I managed to reach his side before he could notice me.
"Huh?" By the time he realized I was there, it was already too late. I swung the Gravitus Replicant in my hands. Light when swung, heavy upon impact. It was a sword I had wielded for a long time, so the motion was second nature to me. The blade cleanly severed his neck.
'Last time, this guy mutated into a Chaos Beast and gave me a real headache.' I snatched Amyah from his hand and instantly tossed it into my inventory. Only then did his subordinates notice my attack and shout, "W-What is this guy?!"
I had already planned my escape route. Slashing down a few of them with my sword, I slipped into the archers' blind spot. A few who hadn't realized my strength yet chased after me, but soon, their worlds spun. *Thud.* The last golem collapsed under Gwen's blade. She turned her head and looked in my direction.
"They're both monsters! Run!" Well, even if it wasn't perfect, I was wielding Libero's Swordsmanship. Combined with my seamless use of the Gravitus Replicant's weight manipulation, my skills must have been completely incomprehensible to them. 'Let them run.' Except for one. I pursued a single target among those fleeing through the black smoke screen. It was the one holding a spear.
"Aaargh..." As the smoke cleared, I wiped the blood off my sword onto the fallen man's clothes. It was a shame; Wind Authority made cleaning blades so much easier. I picked up the spear from his limp grasp.
"That spear..."
"Your eyes have been glued to this spear ever since you turned this way. I figured it must have some history behind it." Gwen approached me and carefully took the spear.
"Thank you." She placed the spear into her inventory. It was unexpected; last time, she had driven it into the ground in a secluded spot and prayed over it. 'Unlike last time, does she not fully trust me?'
Back then, I had only given off a slightly mysterious vibe while possessing the knowledge of an ordinary country boy. But now, the sheer depth of my knowledge was bound to make her suspicious. 'It doesn't matter. Gwen is strictly professional when it comes to business.' Our deal was for me to reveal the location of her Holy Relic. As long as that deal stood, she would escort me to the Trial. Just as I was thinking that...
"But did you really need me to escort you to the Trial? Your skills seem more than adequate." She hit the nail on the head. Honestly, the main reason I needed her wasn't the Trial itself, but to secure a Holy Relic. With a relic, reaching the Trial was easy. Now that I had obtained Amyah, I could have made it to the Trial even without her. However, I raised the Gravitus Replicant and said, "Because I don't have a Holy Relic of my own."
"Come to think of it, you seem incredibly accustomed to wielding the Gravitus Replicant. Could it be that you've used the original Gravitus..." Her voice trailed off. Even to her, the assumption that a country boy from the outskirts of Basil had ever handled a 4-star Holy Relic like Gravitus was too absurd. "...Never mind. Let's keep moving."
We finally arrived at the Trial of the God of Regret. Before us lay a lake shrouded in thick fog. I wondered if it was possible to enter another Trial while already inside a Trial... but I would find out soon enough.
"By the way, do you know what we need to do to begin the Trial?" I hadn't known last time, but this time, I did.
"If you step into the lake, you'll be pulled beneath the water. That's when the Trial begins."
"I see. Then let us conclude our deal here."
"Pardon?" I couldn't help but be taken aback. This was different from last time. I had assumed Gwen had simply forgotten about our deal and entered the lake. But thinking about it now, that wasn't the case.
'Back then, from Gwen's perspective, it made more sense to ask after the Trial.' She might have been able to obtain the Rose Sword from the Trial. Furthermore, based on my swordsmanship, she had suspected that I belonged to the Lidval family. Her plan had been to try and obtain the Rose Sword from the Trial first, and if that failed, she would entrust her duty to me.
But this time, she didn't think I was from the Lidval family. Therefore, she had only one question for me. "Where is the Rose Sword?"
Once I told her the location of the Rose Sword, she wouldn't take the Trial. After all, the Rose Sword wasn't inside the Trial. If so, my bond with her would end here.
'It's a shame, but...' It was also true that I had nothing left to gain from her. We were simply parting ways a bit earlier this time. Still, feeling a lingering sense of regret, I asked her one last question.
"If I tell you the location of the Rose Sword, you'll take back the Gravitus Replicant and leave immediately. If you do, I won't have any way to return inside the barrier."
But Gwen coldly refuted my concern. "I saw you put a dagger-type Holy Relic into your inventory earlier. I'll trust that you'll report it to the Holy Church later."
It seemed there was no helping it. I handed the Gravitus Replicant back to Gwen and spoke. "The Rose Sword is..."
'And here I thought I had the upper hand.' This time, I had failed to secure the Gravitus Replicant from Gwen. While there were plenty of other ways to obtain a 2-star Holy Relic, it was still a bit disappointing. Of course, this was something I had prepared for ever since I decided not to inherit Swordsmanship (B). I had secured Amyah beforehand precisely to prepare for the possibility of not getting a relic from Gwen.
'Still, everything is going according to plan so far.' After Gwen departed, I stood alone and stepped into the lake. Now, it was time to see how a Trial within a Trial would manifest.
'Let's see...' My vision sank beneath the water's surface, and my consciousness drifted into the depths. 'Huh?' When I opened my eyes, I wasn't in a desert. I was in a massive chamber. And in the center stood an equally colossal tree.
'This place is...' It was the chamber where I had received my reward from the God of Regret. 'Did the Trial end immediately?' Though to say it ended felt strange, considering I had no memory of it even starting. As I was looking around...
It was a youthful voice whose gender was impossible to discern. Just hearing it made a sudden wave of irritation wash over me. I could never forget the humiliation I had suffered at its hands.
He was as annoying as ever. However, there was something bothering me too much to get angry.
"Do you remember me?" This should have been my first time meeting him in this Trial's world. Yet, the God of Regret spoke as if he knew me. To my questioning look, the God of Regret replied:
"That guy? Do you know the god who governs this Trial?" Just like the God of Regret, the name of a deity likely reflected their nature. If I could at least learn their name, it would be a crucial clue to understanding this Trial.
What a shame. I had no choice but to ask something else. It was also the most important question right now.
"But what happened to my Trial? It didn't even feel like it started."
The moment those words fell, a purple-tinted fruit dropped from the tree above. When I opened the fruit, the familiar Wind Authority was resting inside. 'The first time I opened it, I was so flustered because there was nothing inside.'
I immediately learned Wind Authority. Just like my swordsmanship, the proficiency I had accumulated outside the Trial was recognized, instantly raising Wind Authority to rank B-. As the familiar breeze began to swirl around me, I finally felt at ease. 'Yes, I definitely need this.' The moment I acquired the skill...
In that instant, the scenery shifted. I found myself sitting on the lakeshore.
'Did the god governing this Trial intervene?' Still, I had learned one crucial piece of information: the ruler of this Trial was not the God of Regret. Honestly, I had suspected that the God of Regret might be behind this Trial as well. After all, this Trial dragged up my past mistakes and traumas, which was very similar to the Trial of Regret.
But the God of Regret had made it clear that this Trial was not his doing. He even mentioned that the deity in charge didn't get along with him. Of course, he could have been lying, but for now, it was a highly valuable clue. 'A god who doesn't get along with the God of Regret...' Musing over this, I stood up to prepare for my next plan.
"Then, is the Demon King next?"