[Welcome to the Tower!]
As Kaiju opened his eyes, he was greeted by a shocking, marvelous sight.
He was currently floating amid the dark, crimson haze sky, staring at the forlorn, colossal burg perched on the cliff of the eerie plateau.
Although it was a plateau, it was filled with trees, some had sharp crowns while some were just domes.
It was difficult to peer through the other side, but Kaiju was certain there were hazardous, unknown creatures looming under the crown of trees.
Meanwhile, the other side of the cliff was an abyss – darkness was all that he could see.
Whenever his gaze lingered towards it, his hair stood on end, as though he was attempting to stare at the forbidden, treacherous area.
He distracted himself by staring at the colossal burg that was located on the west. Behind it was the dusk, painting a picturesque, warming scene on the horizon.
Kaiju was filled with conflicted feelings, mixed with awe, fear, and excitement.
He hovered in the sky for a while, until he discovered he was being dragged towards the ground, causing his heart to palpitate in terror.
He glanced below, watching the vast crown of trees growing closer at a rapid speed, feeling like he was a meteorite that was about to pierce through the ground.
"Will I die at this rate?" He was unsure how to react.
His death was already assured, witnessing the quaint, eerie scene already bestowed him a satisfying, warming death.
But dying due to the fall from the sky was another thing.
"Still, isn't it thrilling?" He mumbled.
As he was about to collide to the crown of trees, anticipating another wave of excruciating pain of being grazed by branches, he was startled to discover his physical body seemed to be in an ethereal form.
He passed by those myriads, condensed branches and leaves with no consequences, shocking him to the core.
He was still recovering from the shock when he was frightened to glimpse a lifeless body on the ragged earth.
He could not be familiar with whose body it was…
"Am I in a soul form?" His question was left unanswered as he collided with the lifeless body and his consciousness faded.
***
[Participant! You have finally arrived at the Hellish Trial!
Hellish Trial's Title: The Vladislaus' Burg
Description: Vladislaus, a Nightborn, a baron vampire carrying the pure blood of Vlad, the Impaler, known as Dracula, resided on the burg as the owner, and the master of the Nightborn. The Baron is in slumber, but rumors of his awakening grow stronger with each passing day. The Bloodbound anticipate his return, and the Crimson Knights stand ready. Time is of the essence.
Vladislaus possesses numerous treasures accumulated in the centuries. Bloodstone Chalice, Nocturne Veil, Dracul's Fang, Heart of the Abyss, Ring of the Eternal Night, Crimson Crown, Sanguine Grimoire, Vermillion Phylactery, Glaive of the Blood Moon, and Shroud of the Forgotten – these are all the treasure sufficient for his ascension to become a Vampire King
Mission: Obtain one of Vladislaus' treasures and offer it to Werewolves, or Faeries, or Luminari, or Nephilim, or Angels, or Infernals, or Witches.
Note: Selecting to offer the treasure to one of the races will elevate the affinity with them. Once accomplished, the trial will be completed.]
Kaiju opened his eyes, blinking ambiguously. He was staring at the wall of text levitating in front of him, and as long as he willed it, the genderless voice of the Trial would reverberate on his mind, reading the same thing multiple times.
Kaiju was startled awake because of it, and now, leaning on the tree trunk with his butt aching from the protruding, uneven roots, he was analyzing the Trial's description and the mission itself.
At first, he was exhilarated to discover he could meet vampires and other races, but the excitement instantly dwindled when he realized he was just a mere ant against them.
How else would the system expect him to steal a treasure from a Baron Vampire, certainly sounding mighty and vicious, when he was just an ordinary human from an ordinary race?
Hell, he did not even have a single weapon.
He sighed and stood up, almost staggering from the numb of his lower limbs.
What was a good thing though was his body seemed to have recuperated from the impairment he received from his bullies and his father. The bad thing, on the other hand, was his body was still skeletal and thus produced little to no energy.
Growled!
His stomach grumbled for the lack of nutrients the owner provided, and Kaiju could only smile helplessly.
He saw many fruits, mushrooms, and other foods he could pluck, but then again, he worried if it was poisonous.
The lack of knowledge exasperated him, pulling his hair out to cool down his anxiety.
He respirated heavily and closed his eyes.
"Calm down, calm down, Kaiju."
He swept his eyes to the vicinity and scrutinized each plant, mushroom, and even tilted his head upward to peer examine the fruits.
However, no matter how he tried, even working his brain excessively trying to recall the information the school provided in the wilderness class, there was not a single familiarity he could find to those potential foods.
That was what vexed him.
He was smart, though he tried to keep it lowkey to avoid attention from his classmates, but he realized all those efforts to learn every single thing at school turned out to be futile.
"No, it is not." He shook his head. "No one has survived from the Hellish Trial, from the public knowledge, at least. The school tried its best to shower information about the other difficulty of the trial.
Nonetheless, it should not be useless."
Kaiju believed.
He scrutinized each of the potential foods again and tried to relate the knowledge he carried.
At first, he focused on the fruits, but then recognized he had to climb to get one. With his meager strength and little to no energy, it would be near impossible to acquire one. The tree has a gargantuan size, too.
He shifted to plants, but then again… from what he knew, some plants were alive. What if that plant was actually just an antenna of a flower monster with a big mouth the size of that gargantuan tree?
Hence, due to his paranoia, he decided to eat the mushroom.
Only having to face the possibility of eating a venomous one…