Chương 110: Too Easy

Susanne ran down the hallway without any expectation of where it would lead. Although she had thought of running in the same direction as the Rat Natalie, Natalie was simply too fast to follow. Thus, Susanne could only run without knowing where she would end up. Right now, her first worry was whether her infiltration into this Shrine, or whatever building this was, had been discovered. Her second worry was whether she could actually find the Item that would protect her inside this grand building.

After running for a long time, Susanne finally reached the end of the hallway. However, the path now split both left and right. She had to decide which way to run to find the Item. Possessing no knowledge, she chose the right side of the path and ran again. There were no rooms on this path; it was merely a plain wall that stretched long. Moving forward without any concrete destination placed Susanne's mind under great stress. Suddenly, she saw a big opening at the end of the path she was running.

Seeing the light, she decided to rush and crash into it. After all, moving secretly would yield no better result. If the enemies already knew she had infiltrated the building, acting in secret made no sense. When the opening was just a few feet away, Susanne slightly slowed her pace and readied herself to attack. Putting her palms together, she tried to blast everything in a single attack, considering a long battle would yield no better result.

Just as the white mist was half-gathered, she exited the path and scanned the whole room. The hall looked empty. Since no one was there, she quickly canceled the skill before she lost her stamina. She looked around the area. The hall looked like a sunken amphitheater, with steps sloping up on all sides. Meanwhile, in the center of the hall stood an obsidian altar. It instantly looked strange, as the hall itself was made of white marble.

A sudden joy came to Susanne's heart because she could see something special on top of the altar. It looked like crimson silk waving in the air. However, there was no air that could make a piece of silk wave.

"Is this the Ritualistic Item?" Susanne muttered. The piece of silk looked very attractive, as it shined with a mist of particles. Susanne was drawn towards the silk, not in an unnatural way, but in an attractive way. Currently, she felt she was in complete control of herself, and there were no enemies out here. This situation made no sense. Where were the enemies or the Deity? Shouldn't the Deity be guarding the item that could potentially defeat her?

However, before she could overthink the weird situation, she needed to check if this was the item the Ratkin mentioned, [Chaos]. Thus, she decided to grab the silk and check it herself, instead of wasting time here only to find out the item was different or just an ordinary piece of cloth. But upon taking a step, she wondered whether any trap would trigger, since altars always came with traps protecting the items placed on them. Susanne wasn't in a position to remove the trap set on the altar.

At any time, the Deity could appear before her and make her a slave. To stop that, she needed this item, so she gathered her courage and walked forward. So far, nothing happened. With a long gap between her heartbeats, she took a few more steps. Still, nothing happened. When she was a few steps away from the altar, she couldn't control her agitation. Fearing an iron collar would appear around her neck at any time, she rushed forward and grabbed the piece of crimson silk. [Concentric Trial] [Congratulations!] [Participant Susanne Gielgud obtained Ritualistic Item: Chaos.] However, before she could check what the item was, she saw a message appear in front of her face. It really is Chaos! Susanne was shellshocked. She had almost thought it would be something else, since it was simply too unrealistic. She had come right to the item she was searching for without facing any enemy or trap. This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

Is this really the item that will save me from the Deity's curse? Susanne did not know. However, since the Trial itself had announced it, she was certain this was the item the Ratkin had mentioned. Disregarding her other thoughts, she brought the piece of red silk close to inspect it. It was about the size of a table cloth, and she wondered how it could possibly help her. The cloth felt soft as it wrapped around her palm.

It looked smooth yet plain, but somehow, she could feel dust particles coming off it whenever it moved. It was a very strange item. She touched it with her other hand and tried to remove it from her palm to see if anything was embedded in its center. However, the piece of cloth did not budge. It was as if it had been glued onto her skin. God damn it, what's happening? Susanne started to panic. She frantically tried to rip the cloth off her hand, but it only became more attached, spreading to her wrist as well.

She tried hard to remove it, but without success. Soon after, she saw the silk start to dissolve into her flesh. The cloth turned into mist particles, seeping into her skin and disappearing completely before she could try any other method aside from clawing her own skin out. Susanne stood still on the altar, not knowing what to do. Was this how the Ritualistic Item was supposed to work? If so, would it actually protect her from the curse? She had many questions, but no answers.

She had half-expected to be discovered by the Deity the moment she laid hands on the item. Yet, the Deity was nowhere to be found.

"Should I search for the Deity now?" Susanne muttered as she looked around, pondering the strange situation she was in. She had easily entered the Shrine, easily found the item she was searching for, and easily obtained it without facing any danger. Did everything not seem far too odd and easy?

"So, you were falling from a cliff for a very long time?"

"Yes."

"Sire, did you see the cliff or the surrounding environment?"

"No. Even while flying, I was unable to see anything aside from a white light. At that time, my eyes were also closed."

"That is a very strange way for your soul to be trapped. Perhaps the Environmental Being the Trial chose for your soul was different, such as something lightweight like a feather or a seed that could fly in the air. We cannot tell where your soul could have been sent. However, the question here is why you were unable to retrieve your senses while you were there."

"Well, I eventually woke up from the Deep Sleep."

"Yes, Sire, I understand the situation. This phenomenon is news to me. I have never heard of a person waking up from the Deep Sleep. Since your soul was split, achieving such a feat should be almost impossible. My understanding is that, by waking up from the Deep Sleep, you broke the Trial Rule that the Trial being set."

"What does that mean, Cecil? Will I not receive any Trial or rewards and exit this place due to breaking this Trial Rule?"

"No, Sire. The being who manages the Trial always treats the participants fairly. You will definitely receive your own Trial and rewards, and you will eventually exit. But as for what kind of Trial you will receive, we will have to find out. Since you were not sent to the Trial or exit you from Concentric Trial once you were resurrected, it means the Trial has taken you into consideration and has already prepared your own Trial for you.

However, since you are a participant who possesses the Strong Soul, you may have to face a different kind of Trial compared to other participants."

"But didn't you say that people with a strong Soul would easily finish the Trial? Does that mean I will easily finish my Trials?"

"I am afraid that is not the case, Sire. The Trial would have been very easy if you were sent to the regular Trial that Active Participants take. However, the Trial did not send you to the regular Trial. Thus, you may have to face a different Trial based on your Soul's strength."

"Well, that is not very nice. My Soul may be strong, but my body lacks strength."

"No, Sire, it is not nice, but do not worry. I assure you that the Trial will be fair."

"So, what should I do now? I do not know what my Trial is. Should I spend more time here to receive my Trial?"

"No, Sire. We may have to pay a visit to the Underground Safe Spot."

"Yes, that is fine. But what do you think of the rumor I heard when I arrived? Do you think that could be my Trial?"

"I am afraid I lack knowledge on that matter, Sire. Killing every monster and finally killing the Leader of the Territory to obtain a key, and then using that key to enter the Second Labyrinth... I have never heard of this. I hope we will get a clear answer when we visit the Safe Spot."

"But are you sure that those people have left the Safe Spot? If not, I will get killed again."

"I can 100% guarantee that all the participants would be sent away from this place."

"Okay, but let us wait for a while. I need to mine all the Faunite Crystals in this place."

"I understand, Sire. Faunite Crystals are a very rare commodity. Mining every single one of them is a wise choice."