No matter how much he tried to remember the object Hui had held, Nox could only remember his stomach feeling like it was going to cave in at any moment- thinking back, it was probably a conveyed sensation that had been sent by Kuna when the fox's consciousness had just formed in his ability.
Lei tracked Nox's figure as he paced back and forth near the barrier, a gleam of curiosity in her eyes. She turned to So Jiwoo. "Jiwoo, do you know what Uncle is doing?" She felt that this man was well-versed in reading people.
The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.
'This... doesn't seem to be quite right.'
The questioning voice appeared in her mind. It sounded suspiciously like her brother.
So Jiwoo opened his mouth to reply, but just then Nox strode over with unmistakable eagerness on his face. "Jiwoo, let me borrow your hammer."
Number 2's hammer was already considered as So Jiwoo's newest possession.
So Jiwoo took it out casually, "What for?"
Nox explained impatiently, "Breaking the barrier."
Everyone froze at his words.
So Jiwoo's eyes widened fractionally and he handed the hammer over to Nox with a sweeping glance.
Li Daiyu watched the exchange happen from her corner, staring coldly at the nuisance of a hammer. It felt rather disgusting to her because she had been hindered by its curse mark. She snorted when she heard Nox's words. "You must be an idiot. The trials are set by a higher power than you can comprehend."
"You don't really strike me as a devout follower of this so-called higher power," Nox replied lazily, twirling the hammer in his hands. So Jiwoo was right. It was surprisingly light compared to the amount of damage it could cause.
Li Daiyu lifted her chin arrogantly, "I believe in something more real than the mere illusion of faith held by others." The sign of her devotion was branded onto her skin.
Nox pointedly glanced at her covered up arm with a raised eyebrow, understanding what she was implying.
A tap on his shoulder redirected his attention. Victor glanced at the hammer in Nox's hands with an indecipherable expression. "Let me try first."
Nox paused. "Afraid I'll steal it?"
They hadn't tested it out yet. The hammer was useful in the mole's paws, but it could be a piece of trash in the hands of a human. And since So Jiwoo claimed ownership of it, Nox understood if Victor had reservations about him using it.
Still, it was the best option he could think of right now. It was the better alternative to them getting marked up with curses until they couldn't tell left from right.
Victor replied seriously, "The goal of this trial is to test our cooperation. If you get major injuries from the barrier backlash, it will be hard to explain to your companions."
As he watched the puzzled reaction flash across Nox's face, Victor felt an uncomfortable throbbing in his temples. With an irritated shake, Victor reached over and grabbed the hammer with a hand; Nox let it slip without any resistance. His headache dulled slightly as he grabbed the hammer.
Nox let Victor take the hammer, half amused by his overthinking. One had to be wary of everyone around them, but it was just now that Nox understood how cautious he had become.
So Jiwoo pulled Ari back down, preventing the curious girl from interfering.
Victor took a few test swings until he was satisfied.
"Wait!" Nox blurted out just as Victor swung the red and yellow hammer towards the barrier.
He stopped mere centimeters away from the surface, glancing at Nox in question. There was a faint trace of irritation on his face, but it disappeared so fast Nox wondered if he imagined it. "...Try to surround the hammer with your aura first."
Victor paused, closing his eyes in concentration.
A moment later, Nox could see the faint outline of Victor's aura wrapping cautiously around the hammer.
He swung down.
Kkraek!
It smashed into the barrier with a resounding boom, causing the entire cavern to shake dangerously.
"Look!" Lei shouted excitedly. The invisible barrier had been cracked, a sliver appearing with a faintly translucent and shimmering outline. "It's working!"
So Jiwoo jumped up, clapping his hands together. "I should've stolen two hammers," he said mournfully, but the eagerness in his voice couldn't be contained.
Victor swung the hammer until the barrier started to split from its web of cracks.
Bang!
Bang!
Buuom!
With a last flicker, the barrier finally shattered. Clear fragments scattered and quickly crumbled into dust.
Nox shone his phone at the dark tunnel cautiously. He hummed in consideration as he took a few steps forward into the darkness. It seemed like breaking the barrier wouldn't end the trial. Still, they had made a useful discovery.
Lei had a bounce in her step as she swung her own phone around. "Uncle, you're amazing!" She stumbled as she tripped over a rock, straightening herself with a grin. "Doesn't this mean we can break out of trials whenever we want to now?"
Nox ruffled her hair, unable to stop his mouth from curving upwards, "I wish it was that easy."
Using the hammer had been a lucky guess. Based on the two different instances he's witnessed, it seemed like the barrier could remain in place thanks to a special object, or be broken by an item in the trial. But the object itself should be hard to find or difficult to acquire; participants may expend more effort searching for a way to break the barrier than simply completing the trial.
In addition, there could be hidden consequences to forcefully breaking out of the barrier.
[Round 3 has begun.]
Nox was taken aback by the sudden notification, his eyes widening. "It shouldn't be time yet-"
A second screen appeared.
[Round 3 has begun.]
"Uncle!" Lei shouted, pointing towards the dark tunnel in front of them.
He whipped around and was slammed into a nearby pillar by an unruly paw.
"Hruk-" His back hit a stalagmite, knocking the wind out of him. He choked, unable to take in a breath from his rattling lungs. "Kuh…" He spat out a mouthful of blood onto his palm.
A squeaky voice sounded in everyone's ears. [So this is where those brats have run off every day.] Behind her, vague squeaks could be made out.
[-ther you're ruining our fun-]
[Idiot, run while she's preoccupied!]
Nox's phone had been sent flying a few meters away, so Lei's phone was the only source of light. When Nox managed to crack his eyes open, he could make out the pink webbed palm and the dark fur of the paw that slapped him.
Unlike the human-sized limbs of the seven moles, this limb was at least four times bigger, casting long shadows on the ground.
The infamous 'Mother' mole continued talking. [I'll kill you to make some snacks for the troublesome brats after I give them a beating.]
When the paw swiped again, Victor wasted no time and used the hammer to strike the pink flesh of the outstretched paw.
There was a beat of silence, then an outraged squeal rebounded through the cavern, causing a number of rocks to come clattering down.
[Hrreiik!]
[That brat Number 2 dared to lose his hammer again!]
Kuna leapt out of Nox's shadow, his large ears flattened in displeasure.
An overpowering aura flooded the cavern, bearing down on the group. It felt as if gravity had suddenly increased tremendously, forcing everyone to drop onto the ground.
"Wh-what is this!" Li Diayu cried out, her hands supporting her body from slamming into the ground. The loose chunks of rock and uneven terrain dug into her palms, the added pressure cutting her soft skin open.
So Jiwoo and Victor reacted quickly, using an item to wrap Ari in a protective bubble. The little girl had a small frown on her face as she prodded thin protective film around her. Lei braced herself against the tunnel wall, scowling despite the tremor in her fingers.
This happened just as the tightness in Nox's chest eased. He was only able to take in a short breath of air before it disappeared again, doubling the pain in his chest.
Kuna was the only one undeterred by the mole's dominating aura, leisurely lapping up the blood on Nox's palm. His master's blood was rather tasty, but it barely substituting for his missing blood bag. Kuna licked his small muzzle regretfully.
Nox resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Damn glutton," he managed to wheeze out through gritted teeth.
"Chii," Kuna raised his face in a haughty manner, tail swishing back and forth smugly. He would happily let his master struggle.
[Round 3 has begun.]
The message flashed across everyone's gaze for a third time and then disappeared, replaced with a new screen.
[... Error. Unidentified Chaos energy in the vicinity.]
[A violation has been breached.]
A flash of fire roared in front of the group, sending the mother mole's large paw back with a forceful wave.
A second later, the invisible pressure was released and a fat red baby bird appeared in front of them, shaking flecks of embers off of its tiny crimson wings.
"Stupid Mo Qing, I'll kill you for making me work overtime!" The voice was distinctly male, clear and bright with a hint of coquettish complaint in the youthful tone.
Everyone: "..."
So Jiwoo had already gathered himself. His expression became strange when he saw the baby bird, but he asked politely, "And you are…?"
The little red bird, however, didn't seem to hear his question and continued to rant at an invisible figure. "Scum! Trash! See if you can find someone willing to stick with your tyrannical self in the future! You don't even have a life, why don't you do overtime instead!"
Nox wobbled onto his feet, Kuna settling down on his head like it was his natural perch. "Overseer."
The fat bird paused in his rambling, turning to stare at Nox with sharp, flinty eyes. The chick flashed over to his side and gave him a hard peck on the head.
Nox hadn't yet recovered when he was suddenly assaulted by the sharp beak. "Ow!"
Kuna shifted out of the way with a displeased grumble but didn't reach out to bat at the annoying chick.
Traitor.
Lei ran over to block the little bird, already immune to such sights. Nox got targeted by a flying creature the last time they teamed up together, too.
"Hey, stop it!" Her exclamation was followed by sparks of purple lightning. Lei paused, glancing at the back of her hand in amazement. "The curse mark is gone!" Her brother wouldn't kill her for getting a tattoo!
The bird snorted, tiny wings flapping hard to keep his round body afloat. "Of course it's gone. You're no longer bound to the trial thanks to me."
The bird stared at the wronged expression on the black haired man's face, fuzzy head tilted to the side. Although these humans were unaware of the consequences, it was the first time he had seen a human breaking the barrier of a trial this fast. Usually it took them half a year to figure out that trick.
But just like now, they would end up regretting it.
He snorted internally. 'Stupid humans.'
Nox was subjected to another fierce glare. "Come to think of it, you're the main reason why I have to work overtime! I wanted to go back home and watch Pyri's new cooking show but I'm stuck here because the portal is closed!"
Nox stared at the red bird in confusion. Portal… Pyri's cooking show? He's never heard of it.
It seemed like even Overseers had scheduled working hours?
The soft-looking downy feathers on the chick abruptly burst into flames. "Ahhh, Mo Qing definitely did this on purpose! The bastard knows I've been looking forward to it!"
Under the astonished stares from the group, the baby bird transformed with a striking cry. Flames licked across the grown feathers, down the swooping red tail feathers. The baby bird was now fully grown, showing off his elegance to the audience.
Ari let out a gasp of delight, eagerly grabbing onto the edge of Victor's shirt. So Jiwoo's eyes narrowed.
The ethereal aura surrounding the phoenix swiftly vanished as he opened his beak to rant again. "Shitty boss! I'm stuck here for another six months now!"
Nox caught on to the odd wording, ignoring the transformation. "Does that mean there are no other Overseers left?" He exchanged a look of dismay with So Jiwoo.
Naturally, all participants of trials prior to the Eclipse had interacted with an Overseer at least once. Their roles were vaguely outlined at most, but the most important was that Overseers could interfere in times of crisis; if the Cheshire Cat hadn't appeared back then, who knew if Nox would be alive now. And now, the phoenix had appeared to take control.
It seemed like their absence could become a problem going forward.
The phoenix puffed out his chest arrogantly, "I, Xi Feng, am enough to deal with the humans on this plane. But others also work overtime," he confessed quickly, not willing to rob his other hardworking coworkers of their recognition. "Our main job is to stabilize the flow of Chaos energy in this world and let everything else run its natural course. Unstable factors usually come from unusual humans." He shot a pointed look towards Nox.
Nox nodded, not catching the phoenix's glower. It sounded similar to what the Cheshire Cat had described.
Seeing the lack of reaction, Xi Feng added, rather petulantly, "It's a shame we get called in for so much overtime."
Nox: "..." Okay, he got it.
He ignored the muffled laughter coming from Lei and the poorly hidden smile on So Jiwoo's face. Victor released the item on Ari and picked up the small girl, grabbing Nox's forgotten phone as well.
Xi Feng let out a long suffering sigh, the flickering flames obediently settling into his beautiful red plumage. "Forget it, there's nothing I can do about it. I'll take you out first."
A shimmering flame barrier settled around the group, extending to unusually quiet Li Daiyu who was hiding in the corner. She curled in on herself, refusing to let the jewel-like flames touch her.
[The trial has been forcefully closed. Rewards will be calculated based on progress of completion.]
"Still receiving items when they haven't completed the trial," Xi Feng grumbled, his voice becoming distant. "Greedy humans, prepare yourselves."
The flames surrounding them grew fiercer and fiercer, engulfing them whole. The burning inferno didn't harm anyone inside its protective shell, growing larger and larger until the swirling vortex of fire disappeared from the cavern.