Neil froze as a chilling intent surged through him. A human-like silhouette stood lifelessly before him, revealing a terrifying coldness that seemed to devour the life force it surrounded.
"This suffocating chill..." Neil's body turned cold, his gut twisting. "Ragged clothes drenched in crimson hue—the blood of a human or a beast?" Emotions settled on him as waves of restlessness engulfed his thoughts.
"I have to quickly go back... This beast tide is most likely man-made. But who would do something this devilish?"
Swoosh—
His body twisted as he swiftly redirected his path. He couldn't afford to fight something like this monstrosity in front of him, and even if he could, he would simply ignore it as the village was far more important, he had to be fast.
Tak. Tak.
He quickened his pace toward the village, ignoring the monstrosity before him. Fortunately, the figure seemed to have been petrified, like a lifeless statue. "Elder, sister, brother..." His body went stiff as weight settled on him as if an invisible mass pressed down on his heart. He rushed forward, stumbling over branches, falling as often as he leaped.
Eugh—
The feeling of dread grew stronger, and the thick stench of blood invaded his senses.
"Just a little more...!"
His steps grew desperate, like a mother searching for her drowning child. Beasts were drawn to his swift movements but were quickly left behind.
"Persevere! Ignore it!" His voice echoed, filled with hope and anguish.
Thud.
A loud bang resounded.
He tripped over a stone and fell, his face hinting with distortion as the entrance of the village revealed a scene of devastation.
"Where are they?" he called out into the silence, his heart racing.
He rushed towards the manor, where blood-sullied clothing greeted him. There wasn't laughter nor sweepings of the floor, there was but an eerie silence.
He then leaped towards the valley, where joyful laughs used to echo, but what greeted him were piles of fallen debris. Under which were broken carvings, a jade carving with their initials. The symbol of their group, a sculpture of resonating vows, as if it had endured a tribulation, shattering into fragments.
"Shit, shit!"
The village lay in ruins, long gone, walls were breached and houses lay in debris; cracks appeared beneath the reddish marshland. After just that trip, everything changed.
His resolution grew firmer to find the people they'd left, he consoled himself thinking. "I can still save those who are left! They must've gone to escape!" contrary to what he wanted to believe however his heart drummed, each beat a palpitation.
'If I hadn't insisted to investigate, they wouldn't have sacrificed themselves... Where are they?'
He firmly quenched his fist resolution revealed on his face.
'I will find them, no, I must find them!'
At the same time, in the middle of a chaotic forest, Chrove's eyes flickered, revealing his abyssal-like eyes, devoid of light. The darkness that enshrouded his body quickly dispelled, crack-like noises reverberated through the air as he slowly observed himself.
'My body feels strangely stuffed. I feel light as well... I seem to be inside a forest.'
He quickly analyzed, one peculiarity however is that his body was sullied with blood causing him to frown.
'What the hell happened when I was away...'
Confusion enveloped his mind as the foul stench of blood crept into his senses. His face distorted revealing a frown.
'I heard some weird noises before falling unconscious... perhaps the 'Grand Demon?'
'I was just inside a cave earlier and now I've caused a slaughter?'
He had many questions in his head, but suddenly.
Ding!
A bell rang causing Chrove to frown, he immediately took shelter below a tall tree.
[You have successfully awakened.]
A voice echoed within his head, he turned wary as he thought of the chance of ambush especially with his unfamiliarity with the area he was in. The voice was ethereal, its tone varying every passing moment.
He staggered, looking left and right but despite waiting, there was no sign of movement or life. He sighed. 'Am I too anxious?'
Ding!
[You have reached the limit of power that your world could hold.]
[You have been transferred into the northern region of the Linouse minor realm.]
Chrove frowned, his face appeared calm but deep inside his mind were thoughts colliding at a terrifying speed.
'What is this...'
[The creator emphasizes balance. A person cannot exceed the limit of the world they reside in, thus, they will undergo a test. You may think of it similarly to ascension but there's a subtle difference.]
[When a human, demi-human, beast, or any creature exceeds the limiter, a tribulation ought to befall. It was both a reward and a test but whether the creature undergoing the test dies or not will allow them to enter the realm of treasures and death.]
[The sacred realm of treasures and death is a secluded location where fortune and misfortune coexist. Inside, there lay inheritance and treasures, waiting for a new owner. In this realm, however, the difficulty of the predicaments far exceeds the final hurdle of the creature's experience, but as the saying says "Fortune coexists disaster.".]
As though the voice read his mind, it answered the questions he had. He revealed a frown. 'It seems to have the ability to read my mind. Based on the brief explanation it gave alone, I can conclude that... I'm fucked.'
'I have yet to refine the Will which I suppose was my fated encounter, and actually transferred into a realm full of trancendants. But, hehe. This is interesting.'
'However, it is strange... what is this voice and how does it influence me? Perhaps, a being that far exceeds...'
Ding!
A loud clang resounded, interrupting his busy thoughts.
[You have successfully survived inside the sacred realm. Your rewards are being calculated.]
...
...
Ding!
[You may choose one main reward and one sub-reward as a reward for the grand achievement you've gained, and compensation for the losses you bore in your journey.]
---
Main Rewards:
*2x Revival Insignia and 50 years life span
*Constellations Embrace
*Heaven Defying Sword Sheathe
*Demon Sealing Paradox
*Grand Demon Inheritance
...
..
Sub-rewards:
*Photographic memory
*Skillful fighter
*Multipurpose jade tablet
*Perilous Talent
*Insight
---
[Please choose carefully.]