[PROCESSING FAILED......…]
[SCANNING PARTICIPANT..........]
[PARTICIPANT IN CRITICAL STATE......]
[SOUL STATE----- FRAGMENTED.....]
[BODY STATE----- CHAOS........]
Leo was already at his limits as his soul was crumbling, so he couldn't hear the assessment of the strange voice.
[IMPLEMENTING RECOVERY PROTOCOL…..]
[PATCHING SOUL…..ERROR]
[SOUL SEED DISCOVERED....]
[DISSOLVING SEED...…]
[REVERTING SOUL TO GENESIS...]
[SUCCESSFUL....]
[REVERTING BODY TO GENESIS......….]
[ERROR......…]
[UNABLE TO REVERT SPECIES...…..]
[DISSOLVING CORE...…]
[SUCCESSFUL......…..]
[DIFFUSING BLOODLINES....]
[ERROR....]
[ADAM RUNE DETECTED...…..]
[IMPLEMENTING DAWN PROTOCOL….]
[SUCCESSFUL....]
[STARTING BLOOD TRIAL...…..]
[SUCCESSFUL...…..]
[DESTINATION ---- VERAX...…]
...…]
All this happened while Leo was unconscious. The unknown entity had fixed Leo's soul and body, but at a cost. And Leo was about to discover that cost very soon.
Leo's eyes snapped open as a splitting headache hit him. Grabbing his head, he tried to stand up, but weakly fell back down. He attempted to replenish his energy, only to realize that everything was gone: his core, his connections to dimensions, and even his bloodlines. He was reverted back into a normal human. Well, not exactly normal—tiny spider-like beings made of energy roamed around his veins and tendons. With each passing moment, he felt stronger. Thankfully, his dimensional bots still dwelled in his body.
Leo calmed down to assess the situation, and that's when he noticed something. He felt a sense of wholeness, a completeness that confused him. This feeling came with the fusion of him and Lin. Did it mean Lin was gone? Had his soul been fused back into its original state?
As Leo was busy contemplating this, a screen suddenly popped into his view, and a voice sounded directly in his mind.
[BEGINNING THE BLOOD TRIAL]
[IN ORDER TO PROVE YOURSELF WORTHY OF THE TITLE 'ONE WITH THE SHADOWS' AND ACQUIRE SEQUENCE CLASS ASSASSIN, PARTICIPANT MUST CARRY OUT AT LEAST THREE OF THE FOLLOWING QUESTS]
As Leo listened to the inhuman voice, strings of words appeared in his view.
Name: Hassan-I-Sabbah
Class: ---
Species: Ether Human
[Iron Quest] Assassinate 0/10 beasts
[Bronze Quest] Assassinate 0/10 bandits
[Silver Quest] Assassinate 0/10 generals
[Gold Quest] Assassinate 0/10 kings
[Impossible Quest] Kill 0/1 deity
[Items] Original Blood Drinker, Oracle Cube
Seeing this interface, Leo's confusion increased. He stood up this time and really assessed his surroundings, noticing he was in a strange forest with gigantic trees. He was standing on one of their roots, which was as thick as an oak tree. Where the hell was he?
He focused back on the interface in his vision, looking at the item region. When he looked at the interface that read "Original Blood Drinker," something miraculous happened as a dagger swiftly appeared in his hands.
It was sleek with a slightly curved blade, and one could see blood-colored vein-like patterns all over it, pulsing as though it was a living creature. The handle was coated with ruby-like crystals that formed the pattern of a dragon. Leo was in shock, not because of anything else, but because this dagger was the very first dagger the first assassin, Hassan, used. He remembered the blade vividly. As he continued to observe it, a small screen popped up next to it, reading:
[Item Description] The soul-bound dagger, the very first instrument to commit the very first assassination. After tasting blood, it hungered for more, devouring blood and imparting strength to its master. But be careful; one can drink in moderate amounts, but a little too much might drive you mad.
Seeing this description, a chill ran down Leo's spine. The dagger had a side effect. He quickly dismissed it and moved his attention to the next item. A transparent cube appeared in his hands, small and about the size of a matchbox. The description read:
[Item Description] The remnant of a soul seed which carried an oracle. It has been modified by the sequence to answer any question at the cost of increasing quest requirements.
Leo knew immediately that this thing was the remnant of Lin. Honestly, Leo didn't know how to feel. Lin had been there for him in the beginning phases of his awakening and had guided him all the way through. But due to the backlash of their fusion, Lin had entered a dormant state. Leo didn't really have a strong attachment to Lin, but he felt sad at the confirmation that Lin was gone.
Putting all other thoughts aside, he looked at the cube and asked the first question that came to mind, "What is this trial for?" Leo asked a vague question, wanting to probe how the box regulated its answers.
Immediately, as though to prove Leo's point, the box answered in Lin's voice, "The trial is to help the assassin sequence host to awaken to his original state."
Hearing this answer, Leo looked at the first few words on the interface in his view, reading:
Name: Hassan-I-Sabbah
A thought grew in Leo's mind, but he quickly suppressed it. Right now, he needed to find shelter. Looking at his first quest, he noticed that it had increased due to the question he asked.
[Iron Quest] Assassinate 0/11 beasts
He sighed. He still needed to ask more questions. Looking at the cube, he asked once more, "Where am I?" Immediately, the box gave a response, "Participant has been sent to Verax, the land of titans."
Hearing this answer, Leo had a foreboding feeling. He felt little vibrations coming from the ground—something big was heading his way. He quickly jumped from the root he was standing on. Because of how unnatural the forest was, the grass dwarfed an average human in height. As Leo jumped into a nearby patch of grass, he was directly hidden from sight.
As the vibrations increased, loud stomping noises started ringing out as the beast came into view. It was a pangolin. Saying that this pangolin was plus-sized was an understatement.
The titanic pangolin stood as an awe-inspiring monument to nature's grandeur, its colossal form casting an imposing shadow over the landscape. Its body was encased in a dazzling array of golden, lustrous scales that glinted and shimmered like the purest metal under the sun. Each scale, meticulously arranged, provided a near-impenetrable armor that spoke of ancient strength and enduring resilience. Its head, crowned with elongated, tapering scales, bore an expression of quiet wisdom and ancient knowledge. The titan's eyes, deep and penetrating, gleamed with an understanding far beyond mere instinct. Its elongated tongue, capable of reaching great lengths, flicked out occasionally to sample the air, detecting the subtlest of scents from miles away. As it moved, the ground trembled beneath its weight, each step a deliberate and powerful motion. Its limbs, sturdy and muscular, were equipped with sharp, formidable claws, capable of tearing through the earth or defending against any threat. Despite its immense size, the titanic pangolin moved with a surprising grace, a fluidity that belied its vast proportions. The air around the creature seemed to hum with a soft, ethereal glow, a testament to its majestic presence. As it traversed the land, the golden scales reflected the light in a mesmerizing dance, creating an almost hypnotic spectacle for any who were fortunate enough to witness it.
As Leo watched the pangolin, he remembered the oracle cube's answer. It had said something about the land of titans. Looking back at the pangolin, a shiver ran down his spine. He had a very bad feeling.