Chapter 55
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Translator: 8uhl
Chapter: 55
Chapter Title: Trial of Wisdom
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Dealing with the imps themselves ended without much difficulty.
After lightly dispatching the last imp, Yeon Sung-hun examined the wall blocking the passage.
Thud thud-
'...It's not just thick; it's been magically reinforced too. Breaking it down is out of the question.'
Even with the potions he had on hand, the situation would be the same on the other side, not just here.
Even if Han So-yul or Choi Yeon-ah stepped up, it would be impossible.
'It even has a pretty powerful reflection effect. I hope they don't push themselves and get hurt.'
Considering the personalities of those left behind, that was likely to happen.
At least it was fortunate that he'd handed over some of his potions beforehand.
With Choi Yeon-ah there, and excluding Kim Jun-su, everyone else was experienced, so even without him, there shouldn't be any major issues.
"...If anything's a problem, it's more this side than that one."
Yeon Sung-hun muttered softly as he glanced over.
Not far away, Lee Ha-na was stiff-faced, watching him carefully.
She knew it too.
The fact that if she hadn't gone too deep, she wouldn't have gotten separated from the other raid members.
If she'd been alone, that would be one thing, but she'd dragged Yeon Sung-hun into it with her.
Lee Ha-na couldn't bring herself to look up, her guilt weighing on her.
Yeon Sung-hun said nothing to her about it.
He'd been caught up in it too, but this incident was close to an accident.
Not only Yoon Ga-ram, who was in charge of detection, but even he himself hadn't noticed the trap right away. It wasn't really Lee Ha-na's fault.
Of course, it was true that she'd gone too deep into the passage, but he had no intention of blaming her for it.
To nitpick, it was also Yoon Ga-ram's fault for not detecting the trap earlier, and his own for not giving proper instructions.
This wasn't a situation to argue right and wrong.
The important thing was to rejoin the other raid members as quickly as possible.
Yeon Sung-hun deliberately called out to Lee Ha-na in his usual tone.
"Ha-na."
"Y-Yes? Yes, Raid Leader!"
"Why are you so tense? Act normal."
"But..."
"It's not your fault, Ha-na. We just got unlucky."
Lee Ha-na hesitated, lips trembling at Yeon Sung-hun's firm headshake.
"...But because of me, Sung-hun got dragged into this too..."
"It's fine. It's better that I'm here with you than you being alone. More importantly, let's focus on rejoining the others first."
"Yes...! Got it!"
She seemed to regain some energy, nodding vigorously.
Yeon Sung-hun nodded lightly in response and peered beyond the passage.
There was light, but the other side was pitch black, impossible to see.
Complete darkness.
'Is there a magic circle over the entire passage?'
No other special effects, just obscuring vision, but considering the passage's size, it wasn't something to take lightly.
'This place is definitely connected to my past life too.'
He hadn't grasped the details yet, but Yeon Sung-hun now clearly recognized some link between the rifts and his past life.
'Maybe not right now, but someday I might find something related to the empire.'
He didn't know when that day would come, but he'd already prepared his mind for it.
'That's not what's important right now anyway.'
Yeon Sung-hun let out a short chuckle and shook his head.
He examined the passage once more.
If rifts were tied to his past life, this labyrinth was likely one of the ruins from somewhere on that continent.
'The problem is, from the passages alone, I have no idea which ruin it is...'
There were no distinctive features in the architecture or decorations.
He—Faust—wasn't an archaeologist to begin with, so he didn't know much about such ruins.
"...Guess I have to dive in and find out myself?"
Yeon Sung-hun muttered softly and clicked his tongue.
"Let's move slowly. It's better than just waiting here for the raid members."
Lee Ha-na nodded in agreement.
With that, the two cautiously advanced into the dim passage.
They didn't have to go far before discovering a massive iron door blocking the passage.
It looked at least 5 meters tall.
Overwhelmed by its size, Lee Ha-na let out an involuntary gasp.
"It's huge... Really huge... Why did they make the door this big?"
"Who knows. Let's take a look first."
As he answered, Yeon Sung-hun scrutinized the iron door closely.
Soon, he spotted writing on one side.
"Hm."
"Strange writing. Um, do you recognize it?"
Recalling how he'd easily deciphered the text in the king's tomb before, Lee Ha-na asked expectantly.
Yeon Sung-hun shook his head at her question.
"No clue. I don't know this one either."
"...Oh?"
He shrugged at her slight disappointment.
He wasn't lying.
The script on the iron door was completely unfamiliar even to Yeon Sung-hun—Faust.
'Ancient language? Or some other heterorace tongue?'
Elves or dwarves came to mind, but it was unlikely to be theirs.
He'd had plenty of interactions with them during Faust's time and encountered their languages often.
'Maybe an ancient heterorace language altogether.'
One thing was certain: he had no idea what language it was.
Yeon Sung-hun clicked his tongue briefly and examined the door again.
'Just a massive, thick door?'
No signs of magical devices or traps.
He even used mana to check thoroughly, but still nothing.
Stepping back from the door, Yeon Sung-hun pondered.
'What was the creator of this labyrinth aiming for?'
At face value, it seemed most likely a tomb, but there were too many inconsistencies for a simple one.
For starters, unlike other tombs, this labyrinth didn't go all-out to exclude intruders.
There were traps and monsters, but they were manageable with a bit of care.
Recalling what they'd encountered so far, they seemed less like barriers against intruders and more like...
"Tests."
"Huh? Sung-hun? What did you say?"
Ignoring Lee Ha-na's puzzled voice, Yeon Sung-hun kept thinking.
'The passage sealing probably wasn't just the left path.'
The center and right likely had the same conditions, but they hadn't sealed because no one like him or Lee Ha-na had gone deep into those.
'Splitting into three paths, each with different trials...'
He'd seen similar setups multiple times in the empire.
The empire itself had training grounds like that for knight proofs and such.
That explained the labyrinth somewhat, but it didn't solve everything.
'It's some kind of training ground, but that doesn't guarantee survival.'
It was just his guess, after all; it might not be a test site at all.
'Maybe the creator just wanted to torment intruders.'
He'd narrowed it down, but lacked concrete evidence; nothing was confirmed.
Yeon Sung-hun shook his head lightly and called to the quietly waiting Lee Ha-na.
"Let's go in."
"Yes! I'm ready!"
With her energetic reply, Yeon Sung-hun opened the door.
Despite its massive size, it opened far more smoothly than expected.
Without a sound, the door revealed a vast chamber beyond.
Larger than a typical gymnasium.
Several thick pillars, glowing lights, and in the center, a massive statue.
"Must be at least 10 meters."
"...Incredibly detailed."
The statue, over 10 meters tall, was as exquisitely crafted as Lee Ha-na said.
Not just distinct facial features, but even the folds in its clothing were vividly sharp.
As Lee Ha-na quietly admired the statue's craftsmanship, Yeon Sung-hun surveyed the entire chamber.
'...As expected, the whole chamber is one big magic circle.'
The pillars everywhere served as its axes.
No immediate effects visible, but since he'd spotted it, should he smash them?
As Yeon Sung-hun fiddled with a potion in his pocket, debating, Lee Ha-na, still eyeing the statue, suddenly tilted her head.
"That statue's ears are really unusual."
"'Ears'?"
"Yeah. They're super pointy."
Yeon Sung-hun whipped his gaze toward it at her words.
Pointed ears, just as she described.
He let out a low gasp.
"...An elf?"
"Elf? Like from fantasy novels?"
"...A bit different, but similar."
Lee Ha-na tilted her head again at his slow nod.
"Elves exist? I thought they were just novel stuff."
"With monsters popping out of rifts, why wouldn't elves?"
"...True. Even if an elf came out of a rift, it wouldn't be weird. I just hope they're not our enemies like the monsters..."
Her soft mutter was swallowed by a sudden noise.
Rumble—
The chamber shook violently as something heavy moved.
Lee Ha-na hurriedly drew her sword in panic, while Yeon Sung-hun kept his eyes glued to the statue.
Creak— The statue's closed eyes slowly opened.
Bright blue glow fixed on the two.
"[Nabas Du An Keda?]"
"...What?"
Lee Ha-na was bewildered by the calm, toneless voice echoing softly.
Regardless, the statue continued.
"[Turuk Mak To?]"
"...What is it saying, Sung-hun?"
"[Gana Dara Maba Sa.]"
"...Ancient Elvish?"
Whether the two understood or not, the giant elf statue kept spouting incomprehensible words.
Yeon Sung-hun vaguely recognized it as the language ancient elves had used, but he couldn't grasp the meaning.
'Spouting language only elder high elves would use.'
He clicked his tongue briefly and shook his head.
He still couldn't understand, but at least he knew this place was tied to elves—ancient ones from eons ago.
'The good news is it doesn't seem hostile toward us right now?'
Realizing the elf connection made that truly fortunate.
Even by Faust's past life standards, elves weren't to be taken lightly.
Especially certain high elves with near-immortal lifespans—they were monsters in their own right.
Thus, the statue not treating them as enemies was a great stroke of luck.
"[Nar Gal Du Do?]"
As Yeon Sung-hun sighed in relief, the elf statue continued speaking.
Neither he nor Lee Ha-na could understand, but they could tell it was asking them something.
Lee Ha-na glanced warily at Yeon Sung-hun while listening silently.
"Sung-hun, is this okay?"
"At least it's not showing hostility yet, so that's good. But we can't stay like this forever..."
Yeon Sung-hun trailed off with a start.
A strange mana had begun flowing from the statue.
Lee Ha-na, sensitive to mana, felt it too.
Tense, they stared at the statue.
Then its voice echoed again.
[...Have you come to take the trial, visitor of another kind?]
"...Did it just speak our language?"
"...Must be using translation magic."
"...How...?"
While Lee Ha-na panicked, Yeon Sung-hun clicked his tongue.
Whether programmed or not, for the statue to cast advanced magic like translation alone meant it wasn't to be underestimated.
Even without immediate hostility, utmost caution was needed.
Moreover, recalling what it had said...
[I ask again, visitor of another kind. Have you come to take the trial?]
The statue pressed the silent pair again.
Lee Ha-na glanced at Yeon Sung-hun, not daring to speak.
After a pause, Yeon Sung-hun replied.
"What is this trial?"
[The trial is ordeal. The hurdles, hardships, and adversities young elves must overcome to grow further.]
"...So this place is for that trial?"
[Indeed. A place to welcome visitors seeking the trial. Will you take it, visitor of another kind?]
"Can non-elves take this ordeal too?"
[No issue. You are qualified.]
"I'm qualified? What about Ha-na then?"
[Only souls belonging to 'Eaia' may take the trial. Souls from outer realms lack qualification.]
Lee Ha-na tilted her head repeatedly, clueless to the implication in the calm voice.
Unlike her, Yeon Sung-hun, vaguely grasping it, frowned quietly.
'Soul from an outer realm... Can this statue peer into the essence of souls?'
Far more advanced than expected.
Even to him, it was near the continent's pinnacle.
'No, for a statue alone to be this level... Fitting for an elf ruin.'
Yeon Sung-hun clicked his tongue and spoke.
"What if we don't take the trial?"
[This is a place for the trial. Once entered, there are no exceptions.]
"...Even though we didn't enter willingly?"
[No exceptions. I ask once more: will you take the trial?]
"...Totally rigged. Only one choice from the start, yet it kept asking?"
The statue said nothing to Yeon Sung-hun's wry chuckle.
It just mechanically repeated the question.
After a silence, Yeon Sung-hun asked quietly.
"What happens if we fail the trial?"
[You will pay the price.]
"...What 'price' is that?"
[It varies by individual. Some will offer their most precious possession; others, their most trivial.]
"Figures the lofty elves would beat around the bush like this."
Yeon Sung-hun clicked his tongue and glanced at Lee Ha-na beside him.
"...That's the deal. What do you think, Ha-na?"
"...Not sure, but to pass through here, we have to take the trial? No choice then."
"...Yeah. No choice."
Yeon Sung-hun nodded in agreement with her, then addressed the statue repeating its question.
"Fine for me, but what about the unqualified one? Can she take it together?"
[If accompanied by one who is qualified, no issue. Cannot claim the reward, but may challenge together.]
"...Convenient. Speaking of reward, what's that?"
[You will know upon passing. Will you take the trial?]
"...Fine. No choice anyway. Let's see this trial."
Rumble— The chamber echoed at Yeon Sung-hun's calm response.
As the two tensed at the sudden vibration, the statue's voice rang quietly.
[Very well. The trial for the visitor of another kind and their companion now begins.]
Rumble— Mana surged wildly amid the fierce shaking.
[This place holds three paths: wisdom, valor, will. The path of wisdom. The trial of wisdom now begins.]
With the toneless voice of the statue, the ancient elf trial commenced.