The helmet came free with a screech of metal on metal, and Jarren leaped back and crashed hard on the muddy soil. The helm left his grasp and rolled through the grass, stopping on a patch of mud as lightning struck and illuminated the scene.
For a moment, the Gatekeeper stood still, then he pivoted slowly and his bare face was revealed. Jarren, lying on the mud, saw it. It was weathered, hollow, and twisted by centuries of war and torment.
He had long hair that fell over his face, a scar on his chin, and a dejected look of sorrow imprinted in his expression. More than all, he had the face of a man — a true, actual man.
When another blast of lightning came, the Gatekeeper turned his gaze downward. There, on the edge of his sword, caught in the glimmering light of the storm, was his reflection. For the first time in millennia, the knight saw himself, what he had become.
His eyes widened as he pulled the blade closer to his face. He was horrified of himself, he didn't want to see but he could not stop himself from looking.
Jarren watched as the Gatekeeper's once-steady hands began to tremble. Shock was on his face as shame rippled through him like a wave, overwhelming and raw. The warrior staggered back, his massive body deflating under the weight of realization.
Jarren hurried to his knees, watching with heaving chest and heavy breath as the Gatekeeper knelt, the proud posture of a knight crumbling into broken submission. His head bowed, and in his grip his sword trembled as the reflection continued to burn into his mind.
Shame. Disgrace. Murder was not the way of a knight. He had committed numerous murders. He deserved punishment. Penitence!
Aldus Benedict of the Castellan took in a deep breath of finality and acceptance. He took the blade away from his face and tightened his hand around the hilt.
Then, with a final, pained growl, he lifted the sword high and brought it down into his own chest.
The blade pierced through the armor with ease, poking out of his back as drops of glowing silver blood fell to the ground. In that kneeling position, the Gatekeeper died, and his body slowly dissolved into dust and vapor, carried away by the wind and rain.
Jarren was on his feet now, heart pounding, watching it all happen. 'Poor soul,' he thought with only a little compassion. 'Farewell. Death is always better than slavery.'
When the Gatekeeper vanished completely, the sword remained. It fell to the muddy ground with a splash, gleaming brightly in the storm.
'Is it truly over now?' Jarren thought, eyes g the sword. 'Have I beaten the first Trial?'
[You have defeated your adversary.]
The voice of the Inquisitor echoed in the expanse, matched with his Status Cube which appeared and showed the same notification.
[Beast slain: Gatekeeper.]
[First Trial has been completed.]
Jarren collapsed to the grass once again, sitting this time with his arms supporting him from behind as he took in deep breaths of relief. Adrenaline was still coursing through him, but he wanted to relish this small victory, a half-smile on his face.
Then, a new notification came alongside the Inquisitor's voice.
[You have Awakened your Soul Core]
This got Jarren fairly excited as with an Awakened Soul Core, came Techniques, Artifacts and a Discipline, which meant more power to help him survive the Trials.
Starting out as a powerless extra, who wasn't even supposed to get this far, and then having to face a Gatekeeper, wasn't the ideal start. But after defeating the Trial, he was certain he was going to be compensated for such a difficult start.
Unless he was about to fall victim to the same element of trickery that he inputted into the Gates; having difficult challenges and getting mediocre rewards.
Jarren gulped when he thought of this, but went ahead with faith, commanding the Status Cube to show the interface for Power Progression.
As soon as the square illuminated and displayed his PP, Jarren's eyes widened in shock. 'The hell?'
[Name: Deremiah Morcant
Title: —
Echelon: Aspirant
Potential: One Mark
Soul Core: Awakened
Path: Void Path
- Threat Level 15
Artifacts: —
Echoes: —
Techniques: [Writhe of Command], [Pale Reflection], [Mantle of Deference].
Discipline: [False Knight]
Discipline Description: [A knight who is not who he claims to be is no knight at all. Yet if everyone believes his deceit, then none can deny him the right to wield his sword.]]
Jarren blinked, thrice for the sake of it. 'What the hell is a False Knight?! That has to be the most confusing Discipline I've ever seen.'
Disciplines acted as Classes from the common VRMMORPG webnovels and manhwas, except with a twist: Some participants preferred to keep their Disciplines a secret as it could be used against them if discovered by someone else.
Jarren wasn't even sure how his Discipline could be used against him because he didn't even understand what it meant.
The good news at least was that the Inquisitor had kept his word and given him the Void Path, but there was one problem: It was a Threat Level 15 Path, which was the most dangerous a Path could ever be.
Once a participant awakened their Soul Core, they were aligned to a Path. A Path was the journey of progression a person followed based on their energy type, which were Aether and Void.
Since Aether was the main energy of the Mortal Realm, most participants were aligned to the Aether Path, 99.5% to be specific. Void being the rarer and more dangerous energy source was aligned to only 0.5% of participants.
Paths were further divided into Threat Levels, which measured the risk, difficulty, and rewards of one's journey. Each level corresponded to a unique set of trials that forced participants to grow by overcoming extreme challenges.
Threat Level 1 Path was the lowest level, often assigned to weaker initiates. The highest path was of course, the Threat Level 15 Path usually assigned to those with eight to ten Marks, showing extraordinary potential. These trials were life-threatening, involving extremely powerful Paragon beasts, moral dilemmas, and intense environmental hazards.
When a participant arrived at a Checkpoint in their Path, they gained the rewards for defeating the given Trials and then ascend to another Echelon. This was how they grew in ranks and power.
So although Jarren was happy he had gotten the Void Path assigned to him, he knew the Inquisitor had intentionally made it a Threat Level 15 Path, just to make it much more difficult for him.
'That faceless fucker...'