Mark's spirits hadn't fled because he had almost died, perhaps not the most reliable, but he still had the word of the spirit guardian reducing his chances of dying significantly.
The spirit guardian was elated when Mark had said he would continue, he probably hadn't seen a creature as stubborn as he was in the face of danger, and that greatly pleased it.
Mark suspected that perhaps completing the trials frees it from the temple, that the cat has grown tired of its duty and now wants something more.
That could explain his eagerness to have Mark go in the first place, and his word to help him avoid death, there had to be something in for it too.
The transparent cat had phased away into whatever corners he watched from, and Mark was left in the hostile plains.
He was walking past a little group of trees, a field of dead grass visible in front of him.
He got to the last rows of dead trees and leaned his left hand on it. His face was contorted in pain as he rubbed his free hand over the wound he had gotten from the aggressive automaton, it bled no more and was in the process of healing. One thing Mark had to worry about less.
He checked through his character sheet, inventory and then quest.
[Quest: You have no quests for you, check later]
As soon as he read the message, a notification rang.
Ding✓
[You've achieved the main objective]
[You've received the reward for completing the main objective]
[Wind of Euses lvl 1]
There was no notification on the bonus objective either being achieved or rescinded. Mark sighed, although killing the Awawk bird was a scary prospect and one he wasn't sure he'd overcome, he had wanted the map that it held and its loot.
[Wind of Euses lvl 1]
Element: Air
Type: Supportive
Description: A soft, ethereal breeze said to contain the first puff of the Northern Wind God. This breeze grants a momentarily ability of flight giving its user a sense of unison with the atmosphere.
Cooldown: 2 hours
Duration:10 minutes
Mana Cost: 0
[To activate, just call out the name, or use a mental command]
"Interesting." Mark uttered once he was done reading the skill.
"Very game-like, flight will certainly come in handy."
He was close to closing his information sheet and moving on when he spotted the 'Stats' tab. He hadn't thought to open it since he had gotten the system, neither was he in the calm state of mind nor had the time.
He focused on the tab, and it expanded, revealing new information.
[Stats]
Health points: 250/310
Mana: 0
Vitality:25
Strength: 21
Agility: 30
Stamina: 291/370
Mark felt that his stats were unimpressive, and the absence of Mana, even the smallest, irked him greatly.
He shook his head and his system sheet went away with it.
It was time to continue with the trials, and win the Temple's great treasure.
He took a few steps when he decided to withdraw a leg of the Silverine Fanged Spider he had hoarded up in his inventory. It was sharp, strong and had reach, a suitable weapon, certainly much better than his hands.
As he walked, barefoot, his feet crumbled the dead dried grasses and the wind swept away the powdery bits.
"The meat bag moves, confident that he's close to escaping this room, how naive, how foolish. Your time has only begun." The chilly wicked voice sang in Mark's mind, he froze.
And around him, black tendrils zoomed from the dead black ground morphing into each other and thickening. Black masses of writhing flesh formed around him in circles and then finally stabilized, taking the shape of Mark himself, his figure, face, except they were black and slimy and he was not.
A dozen stood around him, their black eyes popping and spilling the foul liquid like bubbles from boiling water.
Mark held out the spider leg in his right hand, white light shone in the second and in its place was another spider leg. He was strangely calm, and there was a sense of excitement from within.
A Man, two spider legs in hands, and a dozen enemies in his image.
AGGHHH
They screeched revealing their black gaping mouths, and then stormed forward.
Mark's eyes widened, and multiple lights appeared above heeding his command, and from them came white spikes that rained on his enemies, a move that Mark was getting accustomed to.
'Perhaps, I'll call it the rain of white death.' he smirked thinking of how cringe it sounded.
The spider legs went through a bunch turning them into muck instantly, seven of them.
The remaining five closed up on him. One threw a punch, its arm extending like a tentacle and close to striking his face.
He found little time to shift his face away, avoiding the blow, another swiped a jab to his leg, and he jumped, avoiding it. There was an opening to strike one with his feet but he thought against physical contact.
He swung both spider legs at opposite sides, but his targets withdrew themselves, pulling back their abdomens and extending backwards like they were rubber.
Mark heard a thump and then the light on him dimmed, he looked up, and saw that one was in the sky, coming down at him.
It suddenly spun, and its shape undid itself turning into a piercing mass of black that zoomed at Mark.
The young man jumped, scarcely avoiding the strike, the impact from the blow threw him off balance and he fell to the ground.
He gritted his teeth, and sought to get up when one fell on him turning into muck and sticking on his body.
"Ahhh!" Mark cried, the thing was cold, much too cold that it hurt Mark's back.
He tried to push himself up, but another fell on him pushing him back down and forming with the other, enlarging the mucky black mass on Mark's back.
The muck began creeping on him, extending itself in Mark's body.
They were eating on his energy as he tried to get up but to no avail, three had stuck to him, and a bulbous growth attached itself to his back.