“Really,” Klaus muttered, standing on a narrow bridge suspended 200 meters above the ground which was made of lava burning rather hot—very hot, in fact.
However, while that was a shocking sight, what dumbfounded Klaus was the creatures circling overhead.
“Wraiths.”
One hundred of them to be exact each Tier 5. Klaus had managed to weed through the trial from level 21 and was currently inside level 32. He had expected many things after going through so much already, but wraiths weren’t one of them. Clearly, Lucil did not hold back on this one.
***
When he arrived at the 21st level, it was a scorching hot dune of sand with large stones scattered everywhere. Tier 5 Sand Shades were waiting for him. These sand shades were phantom-like creatures that appeared only in the shadows cast by rocks and objects.
Klaus didn’t linger.
He quickly disposed of them, making his way to the next level and then the one after that, all in similar environments. After pushing through that trial, he appeared in another one.
It was an ice cavern with a frigid, chilling air. The moment he arrived, he felt like it was made for him. Every ice elemental wielder felt that way in this place.
Just as in reality, where someone in an environment sharing an affinity with their element would experience a boost when fighting there, the same was true inside Oracle. In fact, the only artificial aspect of Oracle was the respawn after death.
So the moment Klaus arrived there, he felt right at home. Of course, he couldn’t linger, so he immediately went into action.
From level 24 to 27, he battled hundreds of Frost Bats, a rather unique set of monsters. These large, icy bats attacked using two skills. First, they screeched—a form of ice sonic attack. Those with low mental strength and poor resistance to ice were doomed to fail at this level.
Second, they emitted a freezing mist that slowed down their targets’ movements. From there, they would either freeze them in ice or use their pointed legs to scratch you until you couldn’t take it anymore.
While they weren’t individually very powerful, when they swarmed—as they often did in large numbers—it was easy to get overwhelmed.
Of course, many struggled hard, but in the end, they all managed to pull through. Even Danny and the Brute Fighters. They somehow managed to wiggle their way through.
Throughout the trial, Klaus found out it wasn’t only about having the strength to kill higher-tier monsters, it was more about having the intellect to know which approach to take when facing different situations.
In that regard, the Dark Tower was doing exactly that. Everyone was using their brain along with their strength. So despite the frosty situation that was rather terrible for the fire wielders, none of the 5000 washed out.
After which, from Level 29 to 31, it was a dense jungle with vines hanging everywhere. The air there was very hot and humid. The moment the disciples appeared there, they could hear something slithering through the thick foliage.
Of course, almost all of them knew what they were the moment they heard the notice. They fought Jungle Serpents through from level 29 to level 31.
The Jungle Serpents are massive, green-scaled snakes with venomous fangs and the ability to camouflage among the vines.
This trial of course was meant to test their reactions speed. The jungle serpents strike quickly from above, so this forces them to be quick on their feet to react to any situation.
In this place, too many struggled, but with the choice to rest a while after each level, some chose to use their minutes. However, not all of them stayed there. Klaus was the first to appear at the 32 level.
***
He looked at the wraiths, and a smile began to play on his lips—a sight that left the instructors in the observation room dumbfounded as they watched over the trials.
“How I wish I could see how Danny and the other heavy hitters would handle this level,” Klaus muttered, a wicked smile spreading across his face as he watched the 100 wraiths dash toward him.
The three 23-inch Void Piercing Needles appeared, and before the wraiths could even reach attacking range, they were all obliterated.
Klaus didn’t move a single step. Below him was scorching hot lava; above, he was surrounded by wraiths. It was the kind of trial that many were bound to wash out from.
Not that they were weak—it was just that the setup was almost unfair. The bridge was narrow and fragile. Although Klaus didn’t know if it could break, he didn’t want to find out.
Aside from that, the wraiths were incredibly fast, which meant that if you weren’t quick enough, you could be overwhelmed.
Danny and the other brute fighters, especially those using heavy weapons, were bound to have a hard time. If you fell into the lava, you were done for, and if you failed to kill the wraiths, that was just another problem.
“On the other hand, Daniel has the fire element in his favor, and Miguel has lightning. Danny, on the other hand—well, I guess we’ll see how that goes after the trial… Hehe,” Klaus chuckled before moving on to level 33.
The same pattern continued through to level 36. On Level 37 though, the scene changed.
***
Inside the observation room, 5,000 screens with green outlines displayed the participants. Suddenly, one screen flashed red, indicating the first person had washed out. On closer inspection, he could be seen falling into the lava after failing to defend against a wraith attack.
Shortly after, more screens began turning red, as more participants started washing out. The first person was eliminated at Level 35, where they were attacked by hundreds of wraiths.
Before Level 37, over 500 participants had already been washed out. The narrow bridge and relentless assaults from the Tier 5 wraiths proved too much for many.
Most of those who failed were people with a slower killing speed. They were required to display quick reactions and adaptability but couldn’t handle the pressure, leading to their rapid elimination.
Contrary to Klaus’s expectations, Daniel and most of the brute fighters pushed through; even Danny managed to advance. It was a rather miraculous feat worth applauding.
Danny has an unusual elemental affinity for his class. While someone with his class would typically possess elements like fire, lightning, ice, or even earth, Danny awakened the light element, which many considered useless.
Even Klaus couldn’t help but laugh when he found out. However, one person thought differently.
The senior within Klaus’s Soul Sea said that Danny had a unique type of light element that, when awakened, would prove incredibly powerful.
Of course, the senior wanted Klaus to break through first and settle his Karma before adding any more karma to his resume. But he did say that if Danny ever managed to awaken his light element, his potential would skyrocket.
For now, Danny could only rely on his axe for heavy hits. However, his ability to push through from level 32 to 36 caught the instructors’ attention. They recognized his potential with the axe and added his name to the list of candidates the academy intended to watch closely.
***
Back inside Oracle, Klaus, who had entered Level 38, was immediately hit by the scent of decay.
“A graveyard,” he muttered.