A rumbling of thunder could be heard from the distance as the radiance of its light kept dancing in those swirling black clouds that gathered around on the rugged mountain peak.
Soma and Hina sat on the foldable seat as they held some plates, enjoying their meal. From what happened earlier, Hina was shocked upon witnessing a miracle item that landed on their hands.
Elixir is indeed a miracle item. In the novel, Soma remembered that elixir was a rare and fantastic potion that could heal a person from near death to its normal state. In the current era, no human could concoct it. So, if both of them intend to sell one of the elixirs in their hands, they would be flooded with offers from all over the world. Also, the price of it will be so high that they could live seven generations ahead without working.
However, Soma had no intention to sell it. He already possessed a lot of gold and jewellery, which he collected from the gate. It was so enormous that Soma worried about where he should sell it. Should he ask Mr. Ito for help? Soma shook his head sideways to dismiss the thought, for he could think about that later.
Soma turned his glance atop the jagged mountain peak where the sky met the earth. Covered by black clouds, it keeps crackling its lightning essence, casting an eerie glow from the landscape below. With each flash, the black sky ignites in a brilliant light, illuminating the darkness with its veins of electricity. Its presence invokes awe and fear, a reminder of nature's unfathomable might.
His mind wandered, and he recalled the trial, saying he needed to reach the goal. But Soma feels sceptical about it. There must be something to it that meets the eyes.
"Soma, What's the matter? Are you okay?".
Hina, who kept her gaze watching every Soma movement, opened her mouth because of his halted movement. He didn't touch any food in his hands and seemed to have deep thoughts. Hina knitted her brows in worry because she was afraid that Soma's body still retained some injury he was afflicted with hours ago.
"It's nothing, I am okay".
"Are you really alright?".
"I am fine".
Soma flashed his white teeth to show that there was nothing in him to be worried about. Soma's hand halted in mid-air, while the other hand was holding a plate filled with various sandwiches, which he had prepared along the way. He didn't want to worry Hina any more than this. So Soma took the soft white bread in hand, with its light seasoning and the filling of meat and some vegetables to the brim. They each took a bite of the sandwich in their hands but couldn't properly taste the food.
Their minds were too occupied by the rugged mountain in front of them. They still didn't know what would await them. So the things they could do for a moment were to replenish their energy and focus their body to rest while they could.
Finished with their meal, Soma and Hina began to separate themselves, for they needed to change their torn and dirty clothes into new ones. In his hands, he is holding the silver leather jacket and its long pants. After done with the scanning, Soma and Hina began to split the equipment and items for them to use.
"Hina, you done?".
"Wait a minute. …I am glad I brought some clothes in my storage ring..".
Soma now wears a plain black t-shirt and a metal plate to cover his abdomen, a silver jacket and silver long pants for his lower part and a pair of green boots he got after defeating the Valiant wolf. He feels invigorated because of the bonus stats and the equipment he wears. It gives fifty bonus stats in strength, which come as a set. So, Soma had a boost of strength stats for a hundred.
There is also a small purple gem that hung on his neck before he tucked it under his clothes so that it could not get thrown away if there was a battle. The necklace gives him a resistance to lightning that surely will help him upon witnessing the lightning bolts that keep crackling in those black clouds.
Then, the next item in his possession was one of the worn-out parchment he longed for and his purpose for coming to this gate. He felt a sense of relief and a great accomplishment, for he obtained the most needed item. Without hesitation, Soma ripped apart the scroll, and an emotionless voice began to play its tune in his mind.
[Lightning Magic Level 1 learned]
[You cleared one of the requirements for ascending to the next level:
- Lightning Magic
- ???]
"..It seems it was still not enough".
Soma knitted his brows and felt conflicted, as he was happy and frustrated simultaneously, for the requirements for his level-up still didn't meet its criteria. He is wondering what the other requirements are. Shaking his head sideways to rid the unnecessary thoughts he is having right now, the most important thing is that he must tackle the matter in front of him first.
"Soma, I am done".
Hina's melodious voice reached his ear and brought him back from his thoughts. Then Soma turned his back and glanced at the figure of a beautiful girl in front of her. She wears casual clothing with a pink t-shirt that shows her navel, tight jeans that reach her ankle and a pair of sneakers covered with a silver cloak. Her reward from the Storm Wolf they defeated.
On her waist, Hina put the katana on display. On her right-hand index finger, there is a ring with emerald gems imbued in it. Soma nodded as if satisfied with the sight that entered his eyes before opening his mouth.
"Shall we proceed?".
He extended his right hand to her, and Hina grabbed it tightly, not intending to let it go.
"Okay, This is the last trial. Let's do our best together".
Together while linking their hands. They took their first step toward the next trial, passing the torii gate that stood before them.
[You entered the trial Zone]
A translucent window appeared before their eyes, but they were too focused due to the steep road ahead, not concerning themselves with a single notification.
Each step they took tensed every muscle in their body, leaving the landscape behind, which got smaller as they ascended higher. The air becomes thinner and tinged with the crisp scent of celestial peaks.
Soma and Hina keep their steady pace ascending the stairway. As if not to bore the atmosphere, Soma sometimes threw some minor conversation, which Hina welcomed with open arms.
The distance between the two of them shrunk significantly after they spent their whole months together. Growing together, throwing themselves into the maw of danger with small steps could take their lives away. However, they manage to overcome it and create unbreakable bonds that connect their red thread together.
The long, arduous journey facing the never-ending stairway felt so short, for they were filled with small laughter that liven up the mood and loosened some of their tense muscles while keeping their vigilance.
A gust of wind slammed on their body as they stopped their ascend. Without their noticing, they had already arrived at the maw of the looming peak. Its silhouette was covered by a black cloud, which gave the memory of his first mountain climbing filled with a sombre mood.
Reaching their last step, they stand at the pinnacle of the world, where the air is thin, and the wind blows relentlessly. They could see a formidable crater with sharp slopes, and the center of it was flattened in a circular shape and another four stairways that descended on it from each corner like four cardinal points.
"Soma, look".
Hina pointed her finger forward as Soma followed her finger trace, then found a colossal torii red gate that stood majestically upon another peak before them.
"That was our goal".
"Finally, we could go home".
"Yeah".
Soma shook his head sideways, searching for the potential threats that would hinder their way. Slowly, with each step they took descending the stairway, Soma kept his guard up.
Hina also didn't let her guard down as she kept observing her surroundings beside Soma. Arriving at the flat ground, they started to raise their pace into a slight jog, then when the distance between them was nearing 10 meters from the stairway.
A rumbling voice from the thunder above intensified, sending lightning bolts scattered across the land, sending a hundredth of silver serpent before striking to the ground charred it black.
"Run".
Soma issued his command, and Hina also understood the grave situation they were in. However, as they tried to take their first step to escape the barrage of lightning, their vision was blinded by the sudden colossal flash that struck in front of them. A deafening roar of thunder shook their eardrums, numbing their hearing and halting their advance.
The lighting that poured down like a fountain began to disperse as it disappeared into thin air, leaving a huge silver-blue beast that stood in front of them with its sharp eyes.
[Rank S monster: Raiju]