"I see…"
Lucas rubbed the bridge of his nose, wearing a troubled expression.
"I suppose I can't ask you in advance what's the content of this next test?"
In truth, he was a little unconfident with this one. His knowledge about the soul was quite lacking… to say the least.
[No. Even if you use the deal, We cannot do so, unfortunately.]
"I didn't plan to anyways. But now that you reminded of it, I suppose it's time you should hold your end in our agreement."
Lucas raised his brows, staring at the ancient statues outside the arena.
[We have no problem answering, as long as it is not related to our Master and the All-things challenge.]
Hearing that, Lucas smiled.
Earlier when he was preparing for the Test of the Body, he struck an agreement with the voice that if he successfully completes a challenge, he can ask a question for the voice to answer.
"It's definitely not."
Lucas reassured, his hand waving.
"My first question then: where is this place located? Or where am I exactly?"
The voice felt that it was an odd question but answered nonetheless:
[This place is situated on the other side of the world. It is the lands beyond the Soul Continent, most commonly known as the "voidlands" the land where no more stable life exists.]
"No more stable life exists… then how about the Soul Continent? does that mean that there are humans in the 'Soul Continent'?"
[I'll take this as your second question. There is. The Soul Continent is a place dominated by the collective forces of humanity. It is a place with a long history and depthless wonders.]
"...Then how do you reach this Soul Continent?"
[Simply put, you normally can't with your current power. To arrive in the Soul Continent, you must cross the Red Sea, which is an impossible venture. Your only hope is to use an Origin Crystal.]
[That was your third and final question, the agreement has been finished. We are no longer permitted to answer your question, Seeker of the Soul. We will come back within an hour's notice. Prepare yourself.]
The voice said before drifting away to nothingness.
However, Lucas didn't pay it any heed as wore a contemplative expression. His mind was thinking about the information he had just learned.
With all things considered, he had benefited a lot from the agreement. There was a lot to think about from the information presented to him.
To start off, it was reassuring that he wasn't transported to a ruined extinct world like he had thought. There were humans out there with a functioning community.
Other than that, it seems the place he was transported to was, to put it mildly, a dangerous and troublesome place. Not that he would complain about being reborn or given another chance, but his starting location wasn't the most ideal, to put it lightly.
'Maybe that's intentional…'
He was on the other side of the world and unless he obtains something called "Origin Crystal" then he was effectively stuck in this place until he gets strong enough.
Which was worrying, since the voice said there was no more stable life that exists within this place.
Lucas' adapted a curious expression.
Interestingly enough, the voice used the word "stable life" instead of just saying there was "no more life". That small difference implies that there are indeed some life forms within this place.
However, these life forms as they exist are at the very least considered to be not "stable life" or "unstable life" by the voice.
But what exactly constitutes as unstable life?
If he were to go by the data and information he had obtained before coming here, then there was one conjecture likely to be right.
If he considered the data he obtained, he figured that the life forms in this place are no longer "pure" because they are "corrupted" as a species.
Evidence of that was the Corrupted species that he had fought previously. The Corrupted Rhino and the Corrupted Leopard.
They were no longer pure life forms. They were corrupted from the outside and inside. It made sense why they desired his Soulforce instead of meat and flesh.
"How troublesome…"
Lucas sighed before shaking his head.
That also meant that starting from now… he had to assume every life form he meets in this place is a hostile entity.
***
After resting for an hour, Lucas stood up and patted the dust off his clothes. He put his hand on the back before staring at the ancient statues outside.
At that moment, the ancient voice returned.
[An hour has passed, Seeker of the Soul. Have you prepared yourself for the Test of the Soul?]
"Is it going to be difficult?"
Lucas hummed.
[It depends on you. It will be straining to the soul and mind. The Test of the Soul measures three things: talent, knowledge, and comprehension.]
Rumble—!
At that moment a rumble occurred in the temple.
As though a mechanism activated, the ancient statues outside the arena moved and paved an entrance to the stairs for the next floor.
Lucas raised his head, staring at the opposite end of the room.
At the opposite end, a long stairway was unveiled.
[Beyond those stairs is where the Test of the Soul will take place. You may proceed, Seeker of the Soul.]
Lucas nodded and walked up the stairs.
The stairs were not long, only taking a few minutes to walk up.
After a while, he reached the end of the stairs and stepped into the next stage.
Upon entering the room, Lucas suddenly widened his eyes.
The new stage was mystical in nature. Merely by entering inside, he felt his mind be cleansed and purified in a state of clarity.
As soon as he entered the room, a sharp voice resounded:
[Welcome, Seeker of the Soul. I am the supervisor of this Test.]
[Soul is the essence of life. It resides within the body. It is regarded as limitless, immortal, everlasting, and without end. It is the reflection of the true self.]
'Huh? A new voice?'
Lucas raised his head.
At the end of the room, a gigantic statue of a sparrow deity stood and covered the stairs to the next test.
The sharp resounding voice that seemingly came from the gigantic statue continued:
[However, the Soul doesn't end there. It is our connection to the metaphysical realm—the universe. Through the Soul, we communicate with the spirit world.]
[In the Test of the Soul, our Master has left ten monumental stones containing the mysteries of the world and the power of laws. To pass the test, in under two hours, you must understand and create at least five soul arts from the stones.]
In the middle of the room, ten large monumental stones stood tall.
Each monumental stone possessed differing colors that made them distinctive from each other, the first was red, the second was blue and so on.
[The runic language is how beings translate the powers of the word through the soul in using words and symbols. In this test, your talent or the "purity of your soul" will serve as the medium for understanding the runic language. The higher it is, the clearer the language is to you.]
On the monuments, a strange and mysterious language was written down.
When Lucas stared at the monumental stones, he could feel his soul wildly vibrate. As though hungry for something, the vibration of his soul got stronger each second.
[Runic language is essentially the truest form of communication. It is the language between the world and the soul. Thus, your knowledge about the world will be instrumental in how fast you can understand what is written down.]
Soon enough, his mind and body followed. As though symbiotic, all at the same time they echoed a desire. A hunger.
Lucas' smile widened.
It was a feeling he knew too well.
[And finally, your comprehension will determine whether you can derive a self-created soul art from it or not.]
[That is all—Seeker of the Soul, you may begin.]
At that moment, Lucas walked up to the monuments with a wide smile.
It was his insatiable curiosity that couldn't wait to devour all knowledge present