Alex materialized at the edge of the [Garden of Destiny].
“Looks like I’ll spawn here every time,” he muttered, scanning his surroundings.
Behind him, there was nothing but endless light, blinding and ominous.
He decided against testing what would happen if he touched it.
Instead, he turned forward and headed deeper into the garden.
It was the same as last time: the intricate statues, the explosion of colorful flowers, and the winding paths leading to the center of the divine sanctuary.
As Alex walked, he noticed something unusual.
In the middle of the garden, Kaelios, the [God of Destiny], was moving.
The god wasn’t meditating or lounging like before.
Instead, he was engaged in combat, facing off against a glowing dummy.
“Huh?” Alex blinked, watching the scene unfold as he drew closer.
Kaelios wielded a radiant sword of light, his movements fluid and precise.
The dummy mirrored the god’s strength, retaliating with equal ferocity.
The battle was a flurry of glowing strikes and parries until Kaelios landed a clean hit.
The moment the sword grazed the dummy, a glowing wound appeared, and from it, light began pouring out like liquid energy.
Alex’s sharp eyes caught on immediately.
The god pressed the advantage, exploiting every new wound he inflicted.
Each strike seemed to sap power from the dummy, weakening it further.
After landing five successive hits, Kaelios snapped his fingers.
The dummy froze. Its glowing body trembled violently before erupting into a blinding explosion of light.
“…What was that?” Alex muttered under his breath, committing the scene to memory.
Whatever that ability was, it had incredible potential.
If Kaelios was using it, there was a chance Alex could learn, or counter, it in the future.
He tucked the thought away for later.
As he stepped closer, Kaelios finally noticed him.
The god’s piercing gaze locked onto Alex.
“How did you get in here?” Kaelios demanded, clearly surprised. “The entrance to my domain is sealed.”
Kaelios had expected for Alex to be forced to climb the [Tower of Destiny] again if he wanted the blessing.
Once reaching the [Tenth Floor], then he and Kaelios would be able to speak.
“I have my ways,” Alex replied with a shrug. “Let’s skip the small talk. I’m ready for your blessing.”
Kaelios tilted his head, then broke into a wide grin.
“Straight to the point, huh? I like that. But you do realize it’s not going to be easy?”
Alex crossed his arms. “I figured.”
As said before, if the hardest Tier 7 advancement task was to receive a [God’s Blessing], then he was ready for the difficulty.
Kaelios’ expression grew more serious.
“Every god who chooses a potential [Chosen One] requires them to pass a trial. It’s the only way to prove you’re worthy of carrying our blessing.”
Alex remained silent, his mind already racing.
He knew about the risks from the book.
And he also knew that gods didn’t take these decisions lightly.
Choosing a champion was a massive gamble for them.
If a god’s [Chosen One] died, the god would lose half their power for two weeks, a devastating weakness.
Even Alex planned to aim for that weakness, that way he could potentially kill every single one of them without mercy.
This vulnerability made the gods incredibly selective.
And because of that, each trial was brutal.
Some gods tested survival skills, throwing their chosen into endless waves of monsters.
Others demanded displays of strength, endurance, or wits.
There were even trials where candidates had to spar with the god themselves, surviving for only a few seconds.
Failure meant death.
Thousands of hopefuls had attempted these trials, believing they were special, only to perish.
Alex understood the stakes.
He wasn’t Kaelios’ [Chosen One] yet.
Right now, he was just a nominee, a candidate with a 99.99% chance of dying.
At least, that is what he thought Kaelios saw him as.
Maybe he was wrong, and Kaelios truly believed that Alex would be destined for greatness.
Even so, Alex clenched his fists.
He wasn’t about to back down.
Kaelios, noticing his resolve, smirked.
“Good. You’ve got some fight in you,” the god said.
Then, with an exaggerated flourish, he raised his hand.
“Now… let’s spin the wheel!”
Alex blinked, “The wheel?”
Before he could ask further, the sky shimmered.
A massive, colorful wheel descended, crashing onto the grass and flowers.
It stood towering at 100 meters, its sections brightly painted in various colors.
“What the hell is this…?” Alex muttered, staring up at it.
A glowing panel appeared before him, displaying information.
[The Wheel of Destiny]
[This wheel determines the trial for Kaelios’ nominee. Whatever it lands on, you must complete it to receive the god’s blessing.]
Kaelios didn’t even give Alex a chance to study the wheel.
“Let’s go!” the god laughed, summoning a giant hand made of light.
With one swift motion, he spun the wheel with tremendous force.
FWHOOSH!
The air erupted into a powerful windstorm.
Alex staggered back, shielding his face.
The sheer force of the spinning wheel made the ground tremble.
After a full minute, the wheel began to slow.
Alex’s [Cursed Eyes of the King] activated instinctively, revealing the sections of the wheel before they were visible to the naked eye.
Ten sections spun before him, their tasks now clear.
He read them quickly, and his eyes widened.
“Hey, Kaelios!” Alex called out, his voice sharp.
“Yes?” the god grinned, clearly enjoying himself.
“Why is one of the tasks to kill a level 1 Demonized Rat?”
[Really Easy: Kill a level 1 Demonized Rat]
Kaelios chuckled. “Because I felt like it.”
Alex frowned.
These rats were the weakest enemies in the game, found in the novice villages.
Was this seriously how Kaelios judged his nominees?
Another task caught Alex’s eye: [Easy: Bring me a fruit.]
And then there were the harder ones:
[Really Difficult: Spar with me for 10 seconds.]
[Really Difficult: Speedrun through the Tower of Destiny in 2 hours.]
The wheel’s tasks ranged wildly in difficulty, from absurdly easy to almost impossible.
Your next journey awaits at My Virtual Library Empire
Before Alex could finish reading, the wheel stopped.
Kaelios and Alex both looked up at the result.
The wheel had landed on:
[Impossible: Defeat the Abyssal Titan.]
[Location: Abyssal Wasteland.]
[Restrictions: Must fight alone. No allies allowed.]
[Time Limit: 72 hours.]
Kaelios burst into laughter, “HAHAHAHA! AMAZING! YOU TRULY ARE CHOSEN!”
Alex stared at the result in disbelief.
“What… is this?”
Kaelios snapped his fingers, and the other nine sections of the wheel transformed.
They all turned red, displaying a skull symbol and the words [Instant Death].
Kaelios grinned.
“This wheel? It’s a test of destiny itself. If the wheel lands on anything but the impossible task, I consider it a failure. Their destiny isn’t good enough for me.”
Alex’s mind reeled. “What kind of logic is that?!”
Kaelios ignored the question, clapping his hands together.
“You, however, landed on the impossible task. That’s a sign. Your destiny is exceptional,” he said, his grin widening. “Don’t disappoint me, kid. I rarely get nominees like you.”
Alex swallowed hard, his thoughts racing.
The Abyssal Titan must be no joke if even high-tier players struggled to take it down.
But there was no backing out now.
Kaelios’ gaze burned with excitement, “Now go. Prove your worth.”
In an instant, Alex’s vision blurred, and the garden disappeared.
The trial had begun.