It is soon my turn to be tested.
The majority of those who failed are old, have disabilities, or have illnesses.
Eri passed the test with flying colours, she seems unscathed when she exits the door.
The duo cultivators went in for a minute or two before a large explosion can be heard. They came out instantly after the explosion.
Julius, well... He probably fought against a simple slime but was still injured in the process.
It is now my turn.
The guards gave a snickering smirk before asking me to enter.
I enter and a knight guides me down the long corridor. However, unlike letting me fight one of the monsters in the cages in this long corridor, we reach the end of the corridor. There is a heavy metal-plated door at the end.
The knight pulls the door open with all of his might. The door is very thick, about the width of half an arm.
He gestures for me to follow him.
Down here, it's not ordinary category 1 to 3 monsters anymore. From here on, the monsters I see are all category 5 and above.
There aren't growls or roars anymore but instead glares. Everyone down here has intelligence.
"Are you afraid? You can back off now if you are." Says the knight.
"It's okay," I reply.
"Tch. Being a cocky bastard just because you won against children. Don't blame me for your death."
"I won't."
We stop at the end of the corridor, revealing a large cell with many scratches on it. The faint smell of blood in this cell...
There's a dark figure at the corner of the cell.
"Hey! Dark elf. If you defeat this man, we will let you out. How about it?" The knight shouts.
The figure starts to twitch a little.
It turns around to reveal a distorted face, a body full of whip markings, burns, bruises, and scars.
What did these bastards do?... Is my father also part of this?
Upon closer inspection, this dark elf abomination has two gold earrings on her right ear and she is a female.
...
She stares at me. The knight opens the cell door and I enter. He then locks it, trapping me with this dark elf.
He passes me a coin with a button on it. "If you are somehow still alive and managed to kill the dark elf, press this. Although I doubt you will be, don't be so arrogant in your next life." The knight says before he left.
Truth be told, I like this knight. His personality is way better than the other knights, his tone is much more respectful too.
!!
Without warning, the dark elf attempts to scratch me. I dodge in time as she scratches the wall instead.
!!!
The wall of made of titanium yet it was scratched so easily by her.
The dark elf trembles as she constantly bites her lips. Her burned and distorted face growls at me.
...
-----------------
Past Loi, 26 years old.
Divine Land of Fairies.
-----------------
"Fuck." I mumble as I hide behind a rock.
A purplish sharp crystal is pierced through my tricep and the bleeding isn't stopping.
The Divine Land of Fairies. A rocky and barren place filled with minerals of all sorts. This place is a gold mine but a dangerous one. Fairies guard the crystal and are very hostile against any humans.
I've heard of a person called "Julius Linux" conquering the Land of Fairies despite being just a Stage 9 Qi Condensation. When asked how Julius said that Fairies hate several things:
1. The colour red
2. The smell of blood
3. Corpses
4. Monsters
So after finally breaking through to the 9th stage of Qi Condensation, I decided to try gaining a fortune. I place a bait of corpses at one end of this place. But due to my bad luck, the smell attracted a nearby group of fairies on patrol and they attacked me before I was able to escape.
I cut off a part of my clothing and wrap it tightly on my biceps, attempting to squeeze the artery.
"Shit..."
I grit my teeth as I endure the pain.
Fairies can materialize crystals anywhere and attack people from all sides. Not to mention, the crystals can induce a paralyzing effect if in contact for too long.
I can't pull out the crystal or my bleeding will worsen. Shit.
My safety is my priority, fuck the crystals.
I hold my breath once I sense a fairy near.
...
...
The fairy flew past me as they look around. They are aware of my existence and are hunting me down in groups. I need to get out of here.
I hide from one rock to another until I get to a steep mountain.
!!
At that moment, my right arm becomes numb and I try to hold in my agony.
My vision is slowly disappearing, I feel like sleeping.
I smash my head against the rocky mountains.
!!!!
Huff huff...
Shit... I almost went unconscious...
Blood drips down from my forehead but at least I am still awake.
Suddenly, an explosion occurs behind me.
!!!!!!!
I take cover behind a large rock. When the dust clears up, a large purplish crystal about the side of a small cabin is seen protruding from the mountain.
The fairies?!! Shit.
I look up in the sky to find 4 groups of Fairies, each consisting of about 7-8 fairies.
What the fuck?! I'm not some big shot, you don't need to send so many after me.
I trudge along the base of the mountain as a barrage of crystals flies toward me.
Tch.
I reach the edge of the mountain to find that it is a rocky cliff, it's a long drop.
However, there are signs of nature below, indicating the exit of the Divine Land of Fairies.
I gulp. It's all or nothing.
I attempt to channel mana and cast a spell.
"ARGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!"
I scream in pain as I force the mana to channel through my injured right arm to reach my mouth.
With a clenched fist, I roar out loudly at the Fairies.
The noise was loud enough to cause distress to the fairies, they start to cover their ears in retreat.
I take the chance to jump down and plunge my blade into the walls of nature. After slowing down my momentum for a bit, the blade broke. I quickly take out an artifact that propels me upwards to mitigate the fall momentum and finally, I throw a monster artifact that spawns a slime.
I land into the slime and managed to survive the fall. However, the impact from the height was too large and the slime was split into many pieces, dying.
...
I cough out blood as I grab my right arm.
I can't feel my body anymore...
I look back at the cliff. It is about 400 metres high. It's a miracle I managed to survive...
I trudge through the forest, thinking of my family to hold on to life.
With bloodstreams on my path, I wasn't able to hold on as I collapse to the ground.
...
Is this the end? Fuck... I...
Suddenly, I see a faint figure. It has darkish purple legs.
Dark elves? Shit...
Dark elves are known to be hostile against any humans they find... Why is my luck so bad... I can't...die...
...
I am dead, or at least I thought I was. Until I feel the itch on my skin.
I open my eyes to find myself lying on the grassy floor. I am still in the forest, but my wounds were patched up and healed.
The sky has turned dark, how long was I out?
Those dark elves... Did they save me?
...
--------------
Present
--------------
I smile at the dark elf.
One instant, she was in front of me and the next, she is suddenly behind.
!!
I duck in time to avoid her attack. A dark elf's speed is no joke.
She proceeds to attack me one after another, not giving me any time to rest.
If it was an ordinary, sane dark elf, I will be having a lot of trouble. But this current one has lost her mind.
If I'm not wrong, she is trying to vent her anger out on me. I'm a human after all.
Her attack patterns just consist of reckless charging and scratches.
As she charges toward me from the front, I duck and punch her stomach.
"ACK!"
She flies towards the wall and grasps her stomach as she coughs.
I draw my sword and walk toward her.
...
She is not fearful of death. Death is a release for her.
I stand directly in front of her. My shadow looms over her as she tilts her head up. Her eyes are dead, there is no hope left.
I drop my sword and kick it away. Squatting down so that our face is at the same level, I say "I can get you out of here."
Her eyes didn't move. She doesn't believe me.
...
"I can easily kill you right now, but I won't. I will get you out and heal you. Let me show you something."
I take out a piece of deathworm meat from my storage ring and rip it apart.
I show her the red tissues. "Deathworm's inner tissue has a similar colour to ours. As long as you are willing to lend me some hair, I can fake your death. Meanwhile, you can hide in my storage ring but it will be a bit tight and cramp inside."
She looks up and sees me. Now that I have finally taken a good look. Her nose has been burned as well as her cheek. Her jawline is crushed such that her entire lower face is shifted to the left. The tip of her right ear is slashed off while her left ear is pierced.
...
I touch her shoulder.
"Neel," I mumble.
A green aura seeps out from my hand and surrounds her body.
Minor injuries were healed and she starts to relax. Her eyes close as she goes to sleep.
I place her in my storage ring and prepare the fake corpse.