Ragon couldn't understand what was happening as he fell straight into what felt like an endless abyss.
"He didn't tell me this was going to happen! What the heck!" Ragon screamed uncontrollably as he plunged into the pitch-black environment.
It seemed like it would never end, but suddenly he saw a faint glimmer of the bottom. After what felt like an eternity, he could finally see it. As he got closer, he didn't know what to think. In a moment of instinct, he used the vihuela he was holding, striking the strings. The sound wave sent him flying upwards, spinning through the air until he landed on his feet.
"Hmmm! I never expected that I could learn the music arts!" Ragon smiled, thrilled to be using the music arts for the first time.
He had always heard of warrior gods who fought with music, but it had always seemed strange to him. He never thought he could master it in just a few minutes. It was truly one of the aspects of being a god.
Ragon scanned his surroundings, still enveloped in darkness. Then, in an instant, the cave came alive as purple flames illuminated the space.
"Hmmm... I wonder what will happen this time around," Ragon mused as he moved cautiously through the cave.
"The old man isn't here; I thought he would be following me," Ragon whispered to himself.
As he explored, he noticed stone figures of men seated in chairs. He could barely see their faces, but as he approached one, it sprang to life, its eyes glowing bright purple.
Suddenly, it swung its hand at Ragon's face. Out of reflex, he raised his vihuela to shield himself, but it was instantly destroyed.
Ragon stared at the shattered remains of the vihuela,
"Too bad I wouldn't be able to understand music arts any longer" Ragon who bent down while the stone figure lunged at him with surprising speed, its glowing purple eyes fixated on him. Ragon backflipped to avoid the strike, landing gracefully a few feet away.
"Great. They're fast too," he muttered, shaking his head.
Ragon and roughly gauged there strength and he could tell that were all four star warriors. He quickly raised his hand, summoning a glowing orb of divine energy. "Let's see how you handle this."
The figure charged again, and Ragon hurled the orb at its chest. The impact sent it stumbling backward, cracks spreading across its torso as purple mist seeped out.
As Ragon prepared another attack, the other stone figures began to rise. Their glowing eyes locked onto him, and they started advancing in unison.
Ragon smirked, raising both hands as golden energy crackled around him. "Alright, if you want to do this the hard way…"
Because he was one with his elements, just as he had thought Thera, he didn't need the incantation time required to use a basic spell. One thing he didn't realize was that he was using advanced spells that took time to cast instantly.
His connection to his element felt like a cheat system. He summoned a spiraling wave of energy that shot forward like a gale, slamming into the two nearest figures. They staggered under the impact, with chunks of stone flying off their bodies.
One of the figures retaliated, swinging a massive stone arm at Ragon. He ducked under the blow and countered with a blast of energy from his palm, the golden light colliding with its head and shattering it completely.
"Nice try," Ragon said with a grin.
Two more figures rushed him, coordinating their attacks. Ragon leaped into the air, flipping over them as he conjured a glowing whip of energy. With a flick of his wrist, the whip coiled around one figure's leg, yanking it off balance. As it fell, Ragon pulled the whip taut, causing it to explode in a burst of light.
The remaining figure swung at him with both arms, aiming to crush him. Ragon summoned a glowing shield, blocking the attack with a resounding clang. He pushed back, using the momentum to roll to safety.
"Not bad," Ragon muttered. "But let's turn things up a notch."
He raised his hand, summoning a glowing circle in the air—a sigil of divine magic. The circle released a barrage of golden arrows that rained down on the figures, piercing through their stone bodies. Purple mist erupted from the holes as they staggered under the assault.
Ragon charged forward, He slid between one figure's legs, delivering a concentrated blast to its torso. The force shattered it completely, leaving only rubble behind.
The last figure stood its ground, its eyes glowing brighter as it released a pulse of purple energy. The wave knocked Ragon back, sending him skidding across the ground.
Ragon gritted his teeth, quickly regaining his footing. "Alright, big guy, let's finish this."
He clasped his hands together, summoning a massive, golden spear of energy. He focused all his divine energy into the move. He immediately hurled the spear at the figure. The impact was devastating, piercing through its chest and detonating in a brilliant explosion of light. The figure disintegrated into dust, leaving behind a swirling cloud of purple mist.
The mist surrounded Ragon, seeping into his body. He felt his divine energy surge, warmth and power coursing through him like a river.
"This… this energy," Ragon said, "Hmmm... I guess it's good for my cultivation."
He immediately sat on the ground, crossing his legs as he began to direct the flow of purple energy into his body at a rapid pace.
Few minutes later...
Ragon had absorbed the last drop of the energy, the cave began to shift. The rubble and dust faded away, revealing a chamber illuminated by soft, golden light.
"You've done well," a voice echoed through the chamber.
Ragon turned to see a younger version of the monk standing before him,
"Who are you?" Ragon asked, his guard still up.
The monk smiled. "I am Ashar, the creator of this trial and the guardian of this legacy. You just passed the first level of the test—congratulations!" He was indeed surprised that Ragon had managed to take down so many stone puppets, all at four stars, in such a short amount of time.
Ragon crossed his arms, his curiosity piqued. "You're the same monk I saw earlier?"
"Yes," Ashar replied. "He seems to have divine energy. He is definitely a child of a god. This is a one-time opportunity for my legacy; after all, I didn't ascend to godhood, and he will surely have more chances than I did," Ashar thought.
Ashar didn't want Ragon to know that he was aware of his origin. "You just passed the first level of the trial. Now you're a few steps closer to inheriting my legacy."
Ragon tilted his head, intrigued. "Your legacy? I definitely wouldn't want to inherit your pitiful legacy," he sighed, unwilling to compromise his pride.
"I'm a god why would Inherit a mortals legacy" Ragon thought inwardly.
Ashar was furious to hear this from Ragon. After all, when he was alive, he had various individuals at the peak of the immortal realm who cowered at his feet, begging him to teach them. Yet here was a young man at the star stage like Ragon, calling his legacy pitiful.
Ashar clenched his fists in anger, frustrated that Ragon seemed serious about standing his ground.
"Old man or young man, all I want are treasures that can be used to train beginner-level star warriors and mages. I don't need legacies that have to do with someone abstaining from sex," Ragon said, searching around as if uninterested in what the phantom would say next.
"You~ Why would you say such?"