Chapter 206: Lower Realm Evaluation 5!
Inside the chamber, Tessa quickly assessed Gastro's injury. "You're bleeding, but you'll live," she said brusquely, her focus already shifting to the progress they had made so far, she needed to check her glowing orb to know if she had been successful on her gamble .
Meanwhile, back outside, Zuri dusted himself off, the laughter gone from his face. He glanced at Liam, who stood with his arms crossed, staring daggers in the direction of the now-sealed door.
"They just left us!" Liam spat, his voice laced with disbelief and anger.
""Bloody traitors," Zuri growled, his hands clenching into fists. "I hope their ancestors feel this betrayal in their graves!"
Liam joined in with venom. "Not just their ancestors—their future generations too! May their descendants stub their toes for eternity!"
The two continued their tirade of increasingly elaborate curses, each one, more absurd than the last. Meanwhile, Tessa and Gastro, blissfully unaware of the colorful commentary being hurled their way, focused on their own survival.
Tessa stepped forward into the new open landscape, her breathing steadying as the glow of the orb brought back her attention from the strange new surroundings. The air was heavy and tinged with the metallic scent of mystery, the new area revealing jagged, uneven terrain.
She reached into her satchel and retrieved the progress orb, its surface shimmering faintly. She checked it, and text scrolled across its translucent surface:
Progress Evaluation: 45%
Pass Percentage: 25%
Tessa's heart leaped with joy. "Finally," she muttered to herself, her lips curling into a small smile. The pass percentage had climbed from 0%, confirming her strategy had worked.
Her moment of triumph was interrupted by Gastro, who slumped against the rocky wall. His breathing was labored, and blood continued to seep from the gash on his thigh.
Tessa frowned and moved toward him. "Let me take a look at that."
But before she could reach him, a soft golden halo began to form over the wound. The light pulsed gently, and before their astonished eyes, the gash closed itself, leaving behind smooth, unblemished skin.
"You healed…" Tessa whispered, her voice tinged with disbelief.
Gastro stared at his leg in equal shock, flexing the muscle as if testing its strength. "I—I don't understand. How is that possible?"
Tessa's analytical mind kicked in. "It must be part of the assessment system. Injuries inflicted by the door guardian are probably healed automatically once you pass through safely."
"That's one less thing to worry about," Gastro said, relief washing over him. He chuckled, the sound light and genuine. "I thought I was done for."
Tessa gave him a small nod. "Good to know the system isn't completely heartless. But we can't afford to relax yet."
Gastro straightened, his usual jovial expression returning. "So, what's the plan, boss? I followed you into death once, and now I'm your loyal soldier for life."
Tessa smirked, her eyes scanning the new landscape. The terrain stretched endlessly, with towering, jagged cliffs and shimmering pools of what looked like liquid silver scattered across the ground. Strange, glowing plants sprouted from cracks in the earth, casting an otherworldly glow.
"First," she began, "we figure out what this place is. Then we find the next door."
"And what about Zuri and Liam?" Gastro asked, glancing back at the sealed entrance behind them.
Tessa shrugged, her voice indifferent. "First of all, Zuri was an asshole and so was Liam, secondly, if they're smart enough, they'll catch up. If not…" Her words trailed off, but the implication was clear.
Gastro nodded at the first part of that sentence in agreement, but for the second, he raised an eyebrow but said nothing. He understood Tessa's ruthlessness—it was what had kept them in progression so far.
As they ventured deeper into the strange environment, Tessa's grip on the situation tightened, her resolve hardening like tempered steel. Gastro, trailing slightly behind, couldn't help but silently thank his stars for choosing her as his teammate. Without her sharp instincts and unyielding determination, he knew their progress would have been a fraction of what they'd achieved so far.
The first quarter of their journey was behind them, but the path ahead promised to be even more grueling. The challenges seemed to compound with every step, as if the environment itself were alive, testing their mettle.
Following the map's convoluted directions, they navigated the winding landscape. The terrain bore subtle yet undeniable evidence of life—footprints in the dirt, discarded fragments of unknown materials, and faint traces of warmth lingering in the air. Yet, despite these clues, no living being revealed itself.
Suddenly, a brilliant light appeared ahead, its radiance slicing through the shadows like a beacon. The light was hypnotic, a swirling blend of fluorescent hues that seemed to dance and pulse with a life of its own. Gastro's eyes lit up with wonder, and before Tessa could stop him, he took a step toward it.
"Wait," Tessa hissed, grabbing his arm.
"What? It's just a beautiful light..." Gastro replied, his voice distant, as though the light had wrapped itself around his mind. He tried to shake her off and take another step, his expression dazed.
Tessa's eyes narrowed as realization dawned. Gastro's reasoning had vanished, replaced by an unnatural compulsion to move toward the glow. She felt the pull herself—a subtle, insidious tug at her consciousness—but she tore her gaze away just in time to escape its enthralling grip.
"Gastro, stop. It's a trap," she said firmly, but her words seemed to bounce off him like pebbles against steel. His daze deepened, and it became clear he wouldn't listen.
With no other choice, Tessa acted swiftly. A sharp blow to the back of Gastro's head rendered him unconscious, his body collapsing limply into her arms. She dragged him to a concealed spot behind a cluster of jagged rocks and crouched low, her ears straining for any sounds beyond the ominous hum of the light.
"Why aren't they coming? They should've fallen for the mind control by now..." a guttural voice muttered from a hidden side of the door edges, its lintel marked ominously with the label Panel 2.
"Hmmm, one of them must've succumbed. There's no way both resisted. So why haven't they stepped forward? Could something be interfering?"
Tessa's heart pounded as she listened to the voice continue its rambling monologue. The door guardian, she realized, relied entirely on the hypnotic light to lure in intruders. For now, it had no idea they were still out of reach. She glanced at Gastro, hoping that his mind would reset when he woke. If he remained under the spell, he would become a liability.
After five tense minutes, Gastro stirred. He groaned, rubbing the back of his head where Tessa had struck him, and fixed her with a look of bewilderment.
"You knocked me out?" he exclaimed, incredulity etched across his face.
"You were under the spell of the door guardian," Tessa replied, her tone matter-of-fact.
"A door guardian?" Gastro blinked, realization dawning. "So we've reached another checkpoint? That means... if we pass this, we'll be halfway through!"
Tessa nodded but didn't share his enthusiasm. The difficulty here was leagues beyond what they'd faced so far.
"This isn't just another checkpoint," she said, her voice low and serious. "The traps are more insidious, and the guardian is no ordinary obstacle. We'll need to think carefully if we want to get past it unscathed."
Gastro's jaw tightened as he absorbed her words. Whatever lay ahead, they would have to face it together—with sharp wits and unwavering trust in each other.