~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The cave unraveled under the pair, astonished gazes, while I was already familiar with this kind of phenomenal.
Well, I experienced a sea of money under someone's butt after all.
Looking at the inside, it was filled with red crystal rocks, forming a cabin from hell; as I sighed, "I can already tell this is not going to be ideal at all!"
Finally speaking, I pretended to be shocked while screaming, "We did it! I told you my luck is divine,"
Chun's eyes sparked with a black glow before sneering, "We still not sure yet," however, his feet contradicted his tone, stepping closer to the cave with no regard for the future dangers.
We peered inside, ambling the cave; I roamed my eyes around.
Nothing caught my sight besides a rounded table with two chairs at the center of the cave; a black boned skeleton with a white robe sat down on the far seat.
«Hm interesting, black bones? Narcos, this cultivator even had time to prepare a chair and a table for his successor, and his from the demonic path godammit! why don't you show me just a drop of his compassion!» I complained.
«Oho! Fair enough! Don't change your decision later,» I chuckled.
Going back to the cave, I advised, "Hi Chun, go and try to sit on that chair; I think that was this original cave owner's attention."
Hearing me, he frowned; crossing his arms, he questioned, "What about you?"
I shook my head in response and uttered, "Fate will decide who's going to get the price; don't hesitate and go-ahead"
My words were more than enough for such a villain to stride ahead, pulling the chair and sitting on top of it.
As his skin touched the seat, flickering lights shined the walls of the cave; by this time, the dead man's corpse started to move, weirdly fixing up his posture.
Gloomy silence roamed, but none of us was afraid of the supernatural events slowly unscrambling in front of our eyes.
The skeleton tapped the red table, making words flash out of nowhere.
{
Hello dear friend, I'm a cultivator from the dark ancient times, one of the strongest to say the least; but mentioning my name would be a waste of time as I estimated the combination of finding this ground, and a suitable noncultivated candidate, would take hundreds of years or even thousands;
Moreover, nobody that saw my face lived to tell the tale.
But you can call me "The smiling ghost."
First thing first, I congrats you for finding your way to my humble cave; if you managed to get through the barrier I previously set up, that's mean you already passed the first trial and have the extremely rare suitable bloodline to cultivate my arts, however, before proceeding to the next trials I should inform you that going back is not an option, weak lineages should never sully our heritage, chaos, and massacres are our source of power and the sole reason of our existence if you couldn't survive then time will take it course, and someone else will replace you.
}
I can see the words written on the table too, almost laughing at my luck, «Noncultivator too? This opportunity is far than fated for him!»
Tapping his finger even harder, the screen changed, and new words showed up.
{
The art I cultivated is called "Yoagui spirit," the bringer of death and disasters. To become a Gui and gain my benefactor power, you need to make some small sacrifices.
Thus, For your second test, you have to withstand the body sacrifice ritual; our bodies are paired; it's fair enough to give the other half to the mighty Yoagui, one eye, one arm, and one leg, is the price. Take your time and remember that perishing is your only escape if you refuse.
}
Finishing reading the last lines, I backed up a few paces, my scalp numbed even though I wasn't the participant, «Holy shit! Compassion? The Heck, I take my words back! This is madness!»
Chun was also utterly shocked as his muscle tensed; the bloodshot eyes and heavy breathing said all the things about how he felt.
The skeleton no longer made any movement, yet his posture looked like his waiting in great anticipation.
A long time passed; the boy sat motionless on the chair while his brain failed to send a message to move his legs.
I saw his panicked state and went closer to his seat, whispering in his ears, "Are you okay?"
My words went right past him; His whole body was shaking from the fear of disabling himself. It was too much of a task to ask a teenage child.
Moving my hands, I jerked his shoulder, bringing him back from his thoughts, before repeating, "Are you okay?"
He finally dumbfoundedly responded with a "Hm?" touching his eyes and leg in a single movement.
He then grabbed his head and urgently screamed, "What should I do now!"
«Fuck! I need to calm him down!»
Tightening my grip on his shoulder, I chimed back, "Get yourself together, you desired strength, and this is your opportunity; it's either now or never!"
Chun's eyes were blank, ignoring my speech as he repeated, but this time, not towards me, but what it looked like space, "WHAT I SHOULD DO NOW?"
A slap resounded in his cheeks before Jin grabbed his collar and shook him, "Snap out of it!"
Slaps rained on Chun's cheeks before he eventually said in a calmer tone, "Stop it hurts, I'm ok."
He deeply glanced at my hands, precisely on my sword, before clenching his fists weakly mumbling, "You do it."
"Huh?" I immediately answered.
"I said chop my arm and leg and extract my eyes out of my eye socket, can't you hear!," he determinedly told.
I wanted to say, "Why me?" but I held back. If he can even get past such mental blockage and fear this easily, what have I have to lose? It just some bodyparts, right?
Hence, I nodded my head, grabbing my sword and a thick piece of cloth, "Put this in your mouth and stretch your left arm."
With no hesitation, he did what I said, taking a deep breath and closing his eyes.
"Start"
My convection had already been set; it was my job to make sure that he doesn't fail mostly since my life and Xp depend on his success; I didn't even count before waving my sword, like I'm cutting butter, snapping his arm from his shoulder, as it dropped on the large table.
A little leg Mark demonstrated on the table screen, signaling the first part has been successfully cleared.
His mind sensing the injury, quickly sent unearthly pain toward his whole body as his screams filled the cabin.
I didn't waste any time and lifted his leg while he waved his remaining arm toward my face, begging me to stop. Yet, My sword already performed the deed, wholly slashing his leg from his bust.
The pain was so great; he no longer could scream; his mouth muscle gave up, dropping the piece of cloth, dissipating blood from his tongue.
And lastly, the eye, I grabbed his jaw and moved my finger toward his eye socket, digging it with all my might; it was the first time I felt such a warm place in my life; it was like a comfortable bed to my finger.
Hooking his eye, I viciously detached it from that linking cord, putting it on the table.
Meanwhile, Chun already collapsed, as fresh blood rushed from his three injured areas, the cord hanging from his eye.
Following the gore feast, the leg and eye marks lighted up before a boom, rumbled our ear sockets.
{
Congratulations, the second trial has been successfully cleared.
}
Looking to the side, I saw Xia, or should I say, Lia, marveling about her brother's misfortune, making the eyes of considerable loss.
Her expression gave me the creeps even more than what I just done, . «Why do I feel like she wanted to cut him herself?»