Lucas lied down on the ground, bleeding from the stump on his left arm, he had but a few inches of his upper arm left. Luckily, the fighting was over, there were only questions and a final test of determination left.
His ring of the church was gone, meaning that he wouldn't get immediate help from them, not that they were present here. It was a loss, but a minor one.
The substance that the flies had deposited in Lucas's body had spread very far and couldn't easily be cured. He already had a similar situation when he reached Rank 1, but this time, the core didn't react.
While his current predicament seemed terrible, he wasn't in any life-threatening situation. Basic Light magic couldn't cure it, because it wasn't a poison or venom. The substance only blocked most electrical impulses and fed of them to spread further. While there were flies that could easily kill a human being, there weren't any here.
All it did was paralyze the being they infected so they could create a suitable nest for their eggs. This was also why Lucas had to burn the bodies and wait until they actually died before the trial recognized his victory.
Time passed as the infection started to lose strength and energy. To keep their prey sedated, the flies needed to give multiple doses. Without it, they could easily get out of it after an hour or so.
Lucas woke up and assessed the situation. Patching up his arm he looked at where his left hand should've been.
'Now how are we going to do that test?'
'We? You talk as if you were going to participate.'
'I know, I know, how are you going to do it now? We don't have any hands left.'
Lucas felt absolutely terrible, the pain and headache was one thing, but just the idea of not having hands anymore terrified him. He just needed to complete the trial, and he would get them back, not that it gave him any peace now.
'Just give me some time, and I'll figure something out.'
'Okay, I'll focus on the next test.'
Lucas sat on the ground and tried to relax, which wasn't easy. He meditated for a bit and tried to get some mana back into his core. Like an empty stomach, it just felt better if the core was filled with mana.
Lucas looked around the room. The fire baskets were still there, the purified air was also present, but the voice from before was nowhere to be heard.
'What the hell do we do now?'
'Assuming the second test started, it must mean they asked a question, right?'
'Yeah, and?'
'It reacts to our voice, no?'
'I guess.'
Lucas looked towards the ceiling and spoke. "Could you repeat the question?", he felt like an absolute idiot for saying that to an empty chamber, especially since it took some time before the voice responded.
[Request received, repeating question]
[Question 1: What was the name of the coin changer's son of your hometown?]
The voice had always felt somewhat stiff, but now more so than before. Lucas stared at the ceiling as he tried to relax.
'The coin changer in our hometown. Was the first question supposed to be hard or did the trial also adjust this?'
'What are you talking about? This shit is easy.'
'Easy? I don't remember his name, although I can somewhat remember his face though.'
An image appeared on Lucas's dome, supposedly the child of the coin changer. But his other half had a different thought.
'It needs a name, not a face, besides, I know it.'
'You do? You?'
'What? I can remember names, his was uh.. his nickname, you know?'
'I do not know.'
'What was it again? Dipshit, no, Dick Darren? No, that's not it.'
'What are you talking about?'
'C'mon, douche..? No..Ah! Dumbass Damian! That was his name!'
'Damian?'
'Yeah, I'm certain.'
'Well, better than nothing.'
Lucas answered the question to which the voice quickly responded, faster than before.
[Congratulations! You have answered correctly!]
[Question 2: What is Gilbert's maid's real name?]
Lucas frowned for a moment.
'This one is so much easier. Does this mean that we're seen as stupid when it comes to this trial? That would be quite saddening.'
'We are stupid.'
'No we aren't, although you might drag us down, we're still smart.'
'Hey, who figured out the Blue Flame? We are stupid, do you know anything about arrays besides the basics of the basics?'
'Well, we're researching that, aren't we?'
'You mean I? And not right now, no. Do we know anything about sword techniques besides the basics we learned from Liam? Do we know how to grow from Rank 2 to Rank 3? Do we know how to fly? Do we know how our aura operates?'
'Okay, okay, I get it. We have a lot to learn, but we still know a ton about monsters, nature, politics and economics.'
'More than what we learned from those dusty books?'
'No, but that's more than enough to be considered smart though, right?'
'Nah, we're dumb, we're only surrounded by even dumber people, that's why we look smart.'
While the statement felt somewhat strange, Lucas fully believed it. Remembering certain fights, he was always the one that won in the end, but rarely through a fair fight. All the spells at his disposal came from someone or something else.
All the power he acquired was through the help of his teachers and companions or friends. He himself didn't do all that much. Being disappointed in himself would only drag him down, if he had to learn and innovate by himself, he would do so.
Every step he made was to live, to survive. Even now, he feared the next Scarlet Moon, for it would bring back the nightmares he so carefully tried to suppress. He managed to stay calm since all his emotions were locked in the personal rune in his dome, but those could easily be unleashed.
Besides that, there were most likely a bunch of groups that were after him. All the nobles he killed on the island and the reputation he left behind wasn't one that was very favored. Luckily, that issue was for Conrad to solve, not Lucas.
"Rita.", Lucas said loud and clear enough for the voice in the room to pick up on it.
[Congratulations! You have answered correctly!]
[Question 3: What is the difference between spells made through Pure Willpower and Runes?]
'A theoretical question this time? I guess the answer is that Willpower allows more freedom at the cost of complexity.'
Lucas himself made use of both all the time. Simple spells like the mist were easily accomplished without any runes. Other spells like the Blue Flame Sword couldn't be done without runes. He rarely spoke them out though, only if he had the time.
Most of the time he used his willpower to visualize the runes and their meaning, so the core produced the correct spell. His use of both was shabby at best, not that he didn't know this. Lucas just never had the time to create an efficient enough system to prepare for everything.
If he could pause time and be stuck in a room for a hundred years, he believed he would become unstoppable. Sadly, such a thing was impossible.
Since his answer should be completely correct, Lucas took a lot of time to explain the differences. Every detail that was remembered by both sides were expounded upon to make sure enough information was given.
[Interpreting]
For once, the voice needed time to process his answer, Lucas could only hope he didn't miss any details.
[Congratulations! You have answered correctly!]
[Question 4: What is the strongest element?]
While Lucas was happy to hear he succeeded, the next question baffled him. Through all his studies and teachings, he was always told that there wasn't a single element that was the strongest.
'How do we answer this? There's no objective truth.'
'I know, again, what a surprise', Lucas could feel the grin from that statement. 'This thing knows everything about us, and there's no objective truth, so it's our gut that we have to listen to.'
'I guess, but even so, what is the strongest element? Our Blue Fire Sword is extremely powerful, capable of overwhelming basically anything under Rank 2.'
'So? Dark magic destroys everything. Just say that.'
'But is also easily blocked. As long as the opponent has an aura of Light, they're practically safe from any damage and can also heal themselves. This is something that almost every mage learns. Thus, Dark magic is rarely a good option.'
'Even so, it is the strongest. You saw what that Griffin did, it obliterated half a forest!'
'I don't agree, while it is destructive, it also costs a lot of mana. If we were to see the consumption of mana and the damage output, perhaps our Blue Flame conquers that.'
'Bullshit.'
'And what about magic that poisons people, what if you created a poison so infectious that it spreads to an entire town or country and kills millions, wouldn't that be seen as more powerful than a single Dark Beam?'
'...'
'See what I mean?'
'Yeah, okay, I get it, but there has to be a correct answer here, so what is it?'
'I don't know.'
'Are you kidding? Then it's Dark magic, easy.'
Debating for quite some time, he couldn't come to a conclusion. There was no correct answer in his mind, not a single element was the most powerful. If you had complete mastery over water and could move the oceans, Lucas didn't think a single Blue Flame Sword or a Dark Beam was going to do much.
If you had complete control over any element, everything paled in comparison. The only element that stood out was Light. Lucas didn't know any offensive spells for Light, although blinding someone was a tactic, it wasn't that much of an attack. Unless you could shine like the Sun, of course.
At a certain point he thought that it was a trick question and there wasn't a single element that was the strongest, but he felt that this also wasn't the correct answer. Stuck with two possible answers, Lucas sat there for some time before risking it.
Speaking from a combination of his gut and intuition, he answered.
[Congratulations! You have answered correctly!]
[Question 5: Who is your mother?]
Succeeding, part of Lucas was stumped. 'What the hell? This shit is just unfair.'
But the other half o Lucas didn't even think twice. "Marie."
'You fool! You just-'
[Congratulations! You have answered correctly!]
Part of Lucas was overconfident while the other felt they were doomed by answering so quickly. It was rare that the side that leaned towards the Light was so impulsive. Lucas had absolutely no idea of who his actual mother was, it could've been a high standing aristocrat, a noble mage, a wanderer, an ugly wench, a prostitute. He had no idea and didn't care one bit.
To Lucas, it was clear who his true mother was. The one that abandoned him might've been his biological mother, but since she cut ties with him from birth, he saw no reason to reconnect. It was her idea to leave him behind.
The person who watched him grow up, the person who read him bedtime stories, the person who fed him every morning and took care of him no matter the circumstances. His mother was Marie, no doubt or questioning. It was the simple truth.
The voice appeared again, this time with a strange faltering and noise between the words.
[Final question: The national school competition of Frigus took place on an island. Who !s $# trµè o#&er of eht !§&#?]
The garbled question, filled with static and incomprehensible words. Lucas didn't know what to think of it, he could interpret the question somewhat. Since it was the last question, he wouldn't be able to answer it.
[C#@&!tu/\\ion!%µ*o$"swered correctly!]
Before his thinking process even started, the voice spoke up again, this time with even more noise. Only the end was pronounced in such a way he understood it.
'What was that?!'
'Couldn't tell ya, thing's freaking out.'
Giving Lucas no time to spare, a final door started to form in the room. Lucas already knew what was next so he ignored the voice and took his time.
Walking into the newly revealed corridor led him to a room with a single jagged rock in the middle of the room surrounded by four fire baskets.
Lucas didn't immediately go for the punch though, without his hand, his balance was off again. So he started to train his swing, it needed to be perfect or else he would be disappointed in himself.
After perhaps a few hours of random swinging, did he have a good balance. Giving control to his other half, most of the work was set up. The movement was ingrained in his body, all he needed now was to be freed from his instincts.
Walking up to the stone, Lucas took a big swing and hit the rock with his ruined arm. The pain was a lot worse than he expected, the stones had penetrated pure flesh and bone, yet it only meant a bigger reward in their head. The pain was easily pushed aside if it meant better gains.
[Congratulations! You have completely passed the first trial!]
[Combat: 3/3]
[Wisdom: 6/6]
[Special Test: 1/1]
[Congratulations! You are the very first to achieve a 100% clear rate! You may choose one of the following rewards!]
[Completion of trial: Tier 1 Body Strengthening]
[Wizard detected: Widening of the Pathways]
[Wizard detected: Grimoire of Spells]
[Full Completion: Special Tier 1 Body Strengthening]
The rewards were all fantastic, the only one that was useless for Lucas would be the widening of the Pathways. A normal mage wouldn't think twice and choose it since it could lead to faster casting and more control. Luckily, Lucas was already rid of that problem.
The grimoire of spells was something that Lucas was debating over, it would be amazing to receive a bunch of spells that most likely outperform his own. Considering the mage that created this space, it was without a doubt a step up from his own arsenal.
Sadly, the only reward that really stood out was the last one. It was clear that you could only get that option if you answered every single question, which was deemed impossible. And Lucas didn't answer it as well, the system that was in charge of the trial freaked out and let him pass.
Hearing the awards play out, Lucas didn't have to think long on what he wanted. Asking for the last option, the voice confirmed before the room started to turn back into the room of everlasting Light. The Light started to change from the rays of light to something with mass.
The substance of Light started to surround him before bathing him in it. The Light felt warm and soothing, as his body endured massive changes, his arms started to grow back as well. Lucas couldn't move at all, but just the feeling of having his hands again made him comfortable.
The light first covered his skin, then it started to bury their way into his flesh. Muscles, nerves, bones, every single artery and blood vessel was touched by the light. Melting into every cell of his body, the light changed something undescribable.
There was no telling how long it took before the Light was finished settling in his body. Gaining mobility again he looked at his hands and could tell they looked a lot better than before. They almost glowed with perfection as they seemed to not have a single blemish on them.
[Playing hidden recording: Congratulations, you are the first to complete the trial as intended. Please spread the knowledge to the others so they can achieve the same reward. The Special Tier 1 Body Strengthening is the culmination of years of experimentation. It is the first building block for later mutations. Since you'll be the strongest among your peers, lead them to victory!]
The voice of the recording was the same as the one he had been hearing the entire time. It felt like a man's voice, somewhat deep, but mostly stiff and robotic.
[End of recording.]
Hearing that, questions began to form in his mind. He had plans for the future, but now he was more certain. If he had to deal with the aftermath of the mess he left in the world above, he would need to amass enough strength to do so. And what he heard next only solidified his goal further.
[Attributes of the Special Tier 1]
[1. Strength increased by 500%]
[2. Damage from spells reduced by 25%]
[3. Defense increased by 300%]
Without getting any time to process the information, he was transported back to the altar. There was nobody around, which kind of surprised him. Still, Lucas was amazed by the rewards he had just gotten.
'No wonder the people here can punch through hide and flesh. If Tier 2 quintuples your strength again, and you combine mana with your movements you can easily kill a beast.'
'I have to say, this was a good idea, especially since we have our greatest assets back. Oh, I can't wait to fight normally again.'
Stretching his arm and hands he looked at them with a smile on his face. Seeing his ring appear again, he wondered how the trial was capable of separating it from him.
Spreading his willpower he found the scholar of this temple and a bunch of people, they seemed to be afraid. Looking further he found some of the soldiers rushing towards someplace.
'The intel Carian got was quite accurate.'
'Get moving.'
'I guess you want to test this out first?'
'Hahaha, of course!'
While both sides of Lucas were always wary of any possible risk and loss, with the rewards he had just gotten, he felt that nobody could stand in his way. He already fought a Tier 2 and won, now he gained a lot more power, he was confident this underground world was starting to become a playground for him.
Switching sides, Lucas rushed out the temple. The people who saw him pass yelled out to him, but he ignored them completely. Talking to them didn't even enter his mind as he was too excited to see how powerful he had become. He found a running soldier and quickly asked what was going on.
"Scholar Carian said that there's a group of barbarians that are after them. The leader of the group is a powerful Tier 2. Scholar Carian decided to evacuate the town before it was too late, he's not far from here."
Following the soldiers, they quickly pointed the way. Carian had taken Thurin with the strongest of their group and left the town some time ago. Some soldiers were left behind to distract and delay the group, while it might've seemed like they were sacrificed, but they knew when to retreat. If they held a single barbarian back, they would be proud of themselves.
The soldiers went to get the horses, but Lucas just enhanced the muscles in his legs and started to sprint as fast as he could. With his muscles already strengthened by the trial and now with magic, he reached a speed that could rival the explosion steps.
With his massive speed, he saw the group in the distance in a mere minute. They were already fighting, Carian and Thurin were keeping the leader in check, but Carian didn't look good. Seeing Lucas approach them with a tremendous speed made his demeanor change in a heartbeat.