Chương 35: 34. The Underwater Pyramid

SIX OF CHAINS (MINOR, CHAINS) (Rarity – Common) SKILLS (1/1): 1 ENTANGLE: (rope weapon required) entangle an enemy in a single action. FOUR OF SWORDS (MINOR, SWORDS) (Rarity – Common) SKILLS (1/1): 1 DIRECT THROW: (sword or spear required) the precision and range of weapons thrown in this fashion is increased tenfold. I examined the cards as they became part of my collection. This was supposed to be an exuberating occasion. Any card gained during a trial was a treasure in itself. Sadly, I didn't feel much joy.

The fear that I had been going about the run all wrong kept gnawing at me. Even stranger, how come no one had discovered any of this before? Or maybe they had? Hey, old man! The sword said. You going to just float here? So, I was back to "old man" again. Gripping the sword firmly, I performed a series of slashes. The slight resistance was still there, but the speed had noticeably improved.

"How far can you see?" I asked. As far as you can. I could hear the smirk in its voice. You're my eyes as long as you've got the card. And your sight is pretty crap.

"Which sight?" I played along.

"Magic or standard?" Both. The sword let out a chuckle. Better work on that. The sword's cheery cockiness contrasted with everything I remembered about the previous run. I had no illusions that this experience would be just as bleak, but at least I wouldn't have to get drunk to find some joy. At the end of the day, the sword was just another stepping stone on my way, like every other card.

"What's your name?" I asked. Wow. Maybe it's not just your eyesight. Can you even read?

"Then I'll call you Serp," I quickly said. I expected some snarky response. Instead, all I got was a long silence. Serp? the voice asked, in a calm, almost pleased voice. I like it. No one has ever named you before, have they?

"Okay, Serp. Let's go hunting." Surrounded by darkness and lacking any landmarks or means of orientation, the only direction I could take was down, and so I did. My slow swimming worked against me. The triton had shown that he could spot me before I him, so it was safe to assume that the other monsters could as well. Hopefully, there wouldn't be any more noble harpoons flying my way. Seconds passed. Then minutes.

More often than not, the early trials were small bubbles of reality with relatively few enemies and short distances when compared to the real thing. This seemed too large. Or maybe it had always been this way? In the past, I had always stayed in the small bubble of safety within the trial world, until Harlequin had forcefully expanded it. Everything around me had turned pitch black to the point that only the aether within Serp provided a semblance of light. Hey, old man, the sword began.

How long have you been in the Arcana?

"Don't know. A few days, I think." There was no immediate response. You've done too much for a few days, Serp admitted almost reluctantly.

"What's—" I abruptly stopped. A speck of light had appeared in the darkness. My immediate reaction was to prepare for harpoons. After a while, when the speck kept on growing, I knew that it couldn't be an enemy, not just one in any event.

"Serp, how good are you at hiding?" I asked. The sword let out a snort of laughter. Figures.

"In that case, get ready for some action." The larger the spot of light became, the more I swam to the side. After a while, the outlines of the underwater city became recognizable. While not anywhere as monumental as the goblin city of the previous trial, there were enough elements to make it grand. It was as Harlequin had left the significant parts of a city and removed all the rest. I could make out the outlines of a palace, a coliseum, a pyramid—for whatever reason—and several tower forts clustered together.

One thing was for certain—this definitely wasn't a kraken. That was a small relief. Even with most of its abilities restricted, beasts as large as that were going to be next to impossible to kill. Rather, I suspected that Harlequin was going for an Atlantean experience. My head on a swivel, I let myself float to the bottom a short distance away. Stepping on hard ground was a real relief. For one thing, it felt a lot more natural. For another, I could use my Boots of Swiftness once more.

The seafloor was composed entirely of rock and coral. I took a few steps to test things out. With the exception of the increased resistance, it was pretty much like walking on land. So far, so good. I thought back, trying to remember anything that could help me during this run. Of all the trials I had been in, a few dealt with sea creatures. Nearly always the area had been on the shore or seaside cliffs. If the general logic held, my task was an infiltration assassination.

Some sneak skills would have been useful, though the Bard's abilities could also be considered passable. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. In all likelihood, I would be dealing with two rings of opponents—possibly two-and a half—before reaching the boss. The outer ring would be composed of tritons. They were to be the common guards that protected the buildings' entrances. The other would be the sirens—the internal guards.

Apart from that, the only thing I had to worry about were the monster leaders. Given the way the city was constructed, it was safe to assume that there were at least two of them: one for every significant landmark. The tower forts were the big question mark. They were distinct enough to be considered separate structures, though not impressive enough to have a leader. There was a chance that the pyramid held the treasure vault. Harlequin seemed rather fond of that cliché.

"Fancy getting some goodies?" I whispered. Blood and goodies, the only way to live, the sword chuckled.

"In that case, the pyramid it is." One major benefit of the current city structure was that, with the exception of the palace, every other building was easy to reach. Technically, a coral wall surrounded everything, but underwater that was as useful as duct tape on a combustion engine. Making full use of my boots, I sprinted along the seafloor. It was an uncomfortable experience, but the boost and the time spent at the gym had made it possible.

I had a feeling that my body would be screaming in pain in half a day, but there were solutions for that. Just in case, I used the Two of Chalice on the remote chance that it would benefit my muscles. As expected, several patrols of two circled every structure. It would be flattering to think that I had been stealthy enough to approach the city undetected, but I suspected the real reason they hadn't seen me swimming down was due to Harlequin's restrictions.

"I'm going for the pyramid," I whispered from the top of the coral wall.

"Anything you'd like me try?" SPONSORSHIP OFFER! A deity wants you to kill all the creatures within the pyramid, and in exchange for a mysterious prize.

"I'll do my best." Assuming it was the same mysterious entity that had been helping me, this could be viewed as a hint. The way I could interpret it was to be thorough.

"Serp, know anything about Arcana keys?" Arcana Keys? The sword wondered. What's that?

"Never mind." Clearly, this went beyond his knowledge. Choosing a moment when the least number of patrols were visible, I rushed towards the pair protecting the pyramid. Even from the current distance, their forms were imposing, towering above the decorative statues along the roads. With stealth being the priority, singing was only to be used as a last resort. Forcing my body to its limits, I charged at the pair, then combined my power thrust with a multi-attack.

The serpent sword pierced each monster half a dozen times before they could turn around. This was way too easy. I looked around, expecting an ambush. There was none. It was at that point that I noticed that the bodies were still there. Common mobs, I thought. Maybe I should have paid more attention to what Harlequin's Sight was telling me. It was stupid to assume that they would be as strong as the triton that had engaged me earlier. The creature dropped two cards, which put it at leader level. Was that it?

Sep urged me to continue.

"Want to cut an opening through the side of the pyramid?" I asked in a level tone. No rush, the sword was quick to reply. I'll leave you to your plan. Little did he know that I was only half-kidding. As with most things in the trial, there was always a trick. In the case of pyramids, there were several ways of going inside. The expected way was through the main entrance. It was straightforward and benefitted those with enough combat skills and abilities.

Some claimed that there always was a hidden entrance on the sides. Finding that, and using a bit of strength, one could bypass all guards and most traps to go directly to the main chamber. Of course, I knew one more way. During one of my past trials, Serqet had demanded that I retrieve a gem from a desert pyramid. She must have valued it a lot, for she shared that every pyramid in existence had a chute right under the capstone. I slid my fingers along the wall.

It was incredibly smooth, tilted at a roughly sixty-degree angle. Climbing that in the open would have been rather challenging. Thanks to my boots and the fact that I was underwater, the effort lasted less than a minute. All the time, I looked over my shoulder to be certain that no other patrols had emerged. Thankfully, they hadn't. Upon reaching the top, I examined the capstone. The connection with the stones beneath was almost seamless.

Even after sliding my fingers over it several times, I could barely feel the crack.

"Ready?" I summoned the serpent blade. Seriously? I thought you were joking. It protested.

"You won't break, will you?" No… But I mean stone? Do you have any idea how uncomfortable that is?

"We all have to make sacrifices." I thrust the blade between the slabs. There was a momentary hissing sound, just as I remembered from the last time I had done this. Then, against all logic, the capstone loosened. Leaving the blade in, I pushed. The massive block of stone slid off as if it were made of soap, revealing an opening the size of a large chimney. A mesh of aether threads filled it up like a filter. Out of caution, I poked it with the tip of my sword. There was no resistance. Here goes. I went in.

The moment I went through the mesh, gravity grabbed me, pulling me down. My feet moved on their own, corking me in the shaft. Unfortunately, all the strength was transferred directly to my body, making it feel as if someone had struck both my legs with a sledgehammer. Gritting my teeth, I looked down. The shaft was completely filled with air and had no end in sight. It was impossible to make out whether there were any side openings. The only way to proceed was to go directly down.

"Serp," I began.

"If I let you go, will you see what's around you?" Sort of. Only an idiot would do that, he said with an audible smirk. That way you'll have to climb down all the way to get me.

"Maybe." I let him go.

"Or I can always summon you again." That's not funny! The weapon panicked. You've no idea what might be down there!

"So, tell me." It was my turn to smirk as I let it go.

"What's down there?" I asked after a few seconds. Nothing's round here! I told you! I need you in order to see!

"You can still feel." It feels like nothing! I'm falling through air and— the sword paused. Wait! I think I passed an opening in a section of the wall.

"Good." I activated the card again, summoning him back to my hand.

"That's all I needed to know. Old man, you're really crazy, you know that?! No way you've only gone through three trials!

"Who knows? Will you behave now?" I took the silence as a yes, then unsummoned the sword again.

"Don't worry." Cautiously, I looked down.

"I'll take care of you. And think of all the treats we might get." They better be worth it, the sword grumbled. You're definitely not a swordsman!

"Why do you think that?" You don't have the swordsman card, duh! Besides, they treat their weapons a lot better than this. I just let out a single chuckle. Clearly, he had never dealt with actual swordsmen. In the course of the trials, participants would go through weapons the same way merchants would go through cards. Blades, even divine ones, were used to breaking point or traded away for something better.

Even Avon had requested a better version of his divine weapon from his deity, and that was after awakening it to level nine. When it came down to it, everything in the Grand Arcana was expendable.

"I promise I'll do better," I said.

"How many spheres do you need for your next skill?" I don't work like that. Every booster helps, just like with you. When I consume enough, I get to the next phase.

"Is it the same with gold?" Gold… yuck. I don't touch the stuff. It's all platinum for me. Of course it would be.

"In that case, if I ever come to platinum, it's all yours."