[You have entered the 21st trial.]
As soon as I stepped inside the trial, I felt vulgar.
“Cough!”
I coughed, unable to withstand the large amount of shadow energy in the Area.
‘What the fuck?!’
I cursed in my mind as I hurriedly used my mana to make a shield around me.
The density of Shadow energy here was incredibly dense.
My mana surged forth and formed a barrier around me, only then was I at ease.
[Trial of Darkness.]
[You are thrown into a dark forest, with dangerous beasts lurking all around. You need to survive and outrun the beasts. Caution is advised. Stay as quiet as possible and don’t let the beasts touch you and infect you with the Shadow. Do not let the infection rate become 100%]
Darkness, everywhere.
I could make out faint figures of trees but it was extremely hard to accurately discern my environment.
‘Keeping Dragon Eyes active for long would be detrimental for me…’
I thought. Dragon eyes would be able to help me a lot but using it for a long period of time would just hinder me further.
I slowly go blind the more I use it, and if I don’t deactivate the skill the blindness is permanent.
Since I don’t have the Phoenix bloodline right now I can’t even heal from that…So the situation is quite dire.
My heart is beating wildly!
*Thump!*
Something is here!
I could hear the leaves rattle and trees shake…The sound of the wind was eerie.
I looked around and found nothing…yet.
I enhanced my eyes with mana as much as I could…But even the visibility was pathetic.
But it got a little better at least. I could at least see the rough terrain and some of the trees.
They possessed a strange energy and I could feel multiple types of energies behind them.
They were everywhere, every energy was unique…But there was one similarity.
To my shock…The energies were very familiar to me…
Who am I kidding… Of course, it’s familiar. That same type of energy beat the shit out of me for months.
‘It’s Aura.’
I gulped. The entire region was filled with Aura…As expected of Murim. I used mana sense but the dense shadow energy disrupted the skill heavily.
As I cursed my luck, a notification popped up suddenly.
[Shadow Infection rate:1%]
…
…
…
What?
I hurriedly scanned my surroundings and my body…However, I was unable to find any anomaly.
‘What the hell?’
I thought, what the heck is happening? My entire body is encased in my mana and secluded from the shadow energy…So, How?
“Gruhhhh.”
Suddenly, I heard a groan. I turned around and saw a shadow. It was a man covered in robes.
His lower jaw had fallen off, and his eyes had worms inside them. His clothing was relatively fine but the smell was atrocious.
I blocked my nose and pointed the Ame-no-Sakahoko at him.
‘Has it noticed me?’
I thought. Although we were face-to-face he lacked eyes. If he was somehow able to see me he would have already attacked. But he isn’t. He is just circling around me, his head fixed towards me.
I turned my body as he moved, and remained vigilant.
[Shadow infection rate: 2%]
..?
Why is the percentage increasing? I haven’t been attacked!
‘Does it have something to do with the environment…Or Do I just have to be at a certain distance away from the shadow beasts?]
I thought.
I felt a hundred more different kinds of Auras around me, the only thing in common they shared was the corruption of shadow.
The shadow beast, or the Jiangshi stopped. I heightened my senses, prepared for anything.
I briefly used Dragon eyes to view the basic information of the Jiangshi in front of me.
[Name: Chun Soo.]
[Description: A Normal farmer of Murim corrupted by the shadow energy.]
I relaxed when I realized he was just the average Joe, although he may have been enhanced by Shadow Energy he is still fodder.
At least, that’s what I thought. Until it suddenly attacked me.
I didn’t have to block it, the mana shield I conjured would stop it…
Jiangshi rushed at me. But it was different
Unlike the citizens of the empire who walked like zombies, this one ran at me with proper form and even used a martial art!
I fired off an ice bolt and froze the thing out of instinct.
With a large thud, the frozen Jiangshi fell to the floor.
*THUD!*
A chill ran down my spine.
[Kekeke…shouldn’t have done that.]
The laughter of the tower rang inside my head. The previous hundred or so Aura’s turned into thousands…And each one was formidable.
[It seems you weren’t paying attention to my story…How sad.]
Lamented the tower as my shock increased…The number of different aura’s was rising! And none of them were weak!
[Do you get it now?]
It’s cold voice lingered in my mind.
[This is not the empire…but Murim, the world that faced the shadow for years, and even drove it back.]
Ah…Now It dawned on me.
I should have been paying attention. Damnit.
[Everyone here is strong!]
In Murim, everyone has learned Martial arts.
Shit.
***********
[21st floor, Elijah Ardor POV.]
“..!”
Elijah hurriedly blocked the attack of a Jiangshi and ran through the forest, burning the trees with his fire.
“Go!”
He threw his salamander ahead.
“Find a way!”
He ordered, and the little spirit hurried on ahead. Elijah was slowed down due to the constant attacks of the Jiangshi.
[Supreme dragon of fire Agri advises you to be careful!]
“I AM BEING CAREFUL!”
Elijah yelled.
The onslaught of the Jiangshi was brutal! They were not giving him even a moment of rest! When he blocked the attack, another came.
And all of these Jiangshi knew how to fight! And they were quite well-versed in it.
They knew about the art of fighting well!
[Supreme Dragon of fire Agri explains all Murim’s are a world filled with martial masters! Not a single adult is weak!]
“Kuh!”
Elijah barely managed to block an attack, He jumped backward and released a breath of fire.
“Ha…”
He gasped for breath as he watched the havoc his fire created.
*KIEK!*
A cry rang throughout the forest. Elijah wondered to whom it belonged but right now he didn’t care.
[Shadow infection rate:4%]
‘Why is it increasing?!’
He thought. Why was the infection rate increasing when not a single Jiangshi had touched him?!
WHAT IS HAPPENING?!
He was panicking.
[Supreme Dragon Of Fire Agri urges you to stay calm.]
Thankfully, Agri was able to bring him to the right state. But that was only for a moment.
Elijah’s eyes widened in horror as he saw the Jiangshi walk through the flames. Step by step…towards him.
“…”
He stepped back and ran.
The Jiangshi chased after him, ignoring their very bodies which were burning.
[You cannot save anyone here.]
The tower’s voice rang in his mind as Elijah used Draconic transformation to grow wings and fly high up. Above the large trees.
“Finally!”
He sighed in relief as he found some respite in the dark skies.
But that was only for a moment. Crescent slashes of Aura emerged from under the trees and made their way towards him. Elijah expertly maneuvered around the skies trying to dodge the Aura Blades.
‘I can do this…’
He thought. Indeed, he could keep this up for a while until the trial ended. Dodging the slashes would be a piece of cake.
He thought. However, unlike his expectations, it was not as easy as he had thought. Thousands, tens of thousands of Aura slashes came at him like rain!
They filled his vision.
[Dragon Breath(FIRE) has been activated.]
He used his dragon breath to form a shield of fire around him.
“I need to ascend higher.”
He muttered, he unfurled his wings and flew higher up in the sky.
Until…
*THWIP!*
“Eh?”
He suddenly felt something coil around his foot. He looked down.
“A vine?”
He said, confused. Did a Vine just coil around his foot…from the forest?
[Supreme Dragon of Fire Agri urges you to burn it NOW!]
But Elijah was unable to do so.
“AHHHH!”
He screamed as he was dragged towards the forest by the vine.
Now he knew why the Shadow Infection rate was rising. It wasn’t because he was near the Jiangshi…But because he was in the Forest.
The entire forest was alive, it was a shadow beast as well.
Elijah hurriedly tried to resist the vine, he transformed into a full-fire draconian and tried to cut the vine with his tail. 𝑖𝘳.𝒸ℴ𝑚
A hundred more appeared from the ground and coiled around him before he could even try that. Elijah encased him in fire. But the number of vines only increased.
“HMMPH!”
They coiled all around him, extinguishing his fire.
The tower’s voice echoed in his mind.
[I told you, this would not be as easy as it seems…]
He was dragged back towards the forest at a frightening speed, and Elijah was unable to do anything to resist.
[Murim is not for the weak.]
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