NOVEL NEXT Chapter 221: Clearing Floors (1)
A timer materialized on the air afterwards:
[Time Remaining: 01:00]
'Survive? Let's see if they can survive me in five seconds.' he thought with some amusement.
The goblins emerged from the shadows, snarling and jabbering in their incomprehensible tongue.
"RAGH! HOKKA EITK!"
Five of them, each bearing weapons like rusty swords, spears, and makeshift clubs, encircled Kyle with menacing glares.
Kyle smirked under his mask as felt no urgency or threat, he shifted his stance ready to move, and as if on cue, the goblins charged as well, their guttural cries reverberating through the air.
>WHOOSH!<
Kyle's body moved in a flash, even without using any skill. His agility far exceeded anything the goblins could comprehend.
Before the first goblin's spear even came close to him, Kyle sidestepped, his katana slicing through the air in a single fluid motion. The goblin didn't even have time to react as its body crumpled to the ground in a puff of smoke.
The second goblin swung its club, aiming for Kyle's midsection. But to its shock, Kyle wasn't there. A blur of motion later, its head separated cleanly from its shoulders. Another puff of smoke.
The third and fourth goblins tried to coordinate their attacks, lunging simultaneously. But Kyle ducked low, sweeping the legs out from one while impaling the other through its chest. Both disappeared into smoke almost instantly.
The last goblin froze in fear, its glowing red eyes darting around as it tried to comprehend what had just happened.
Kyle didn't even let it breathe. With a simple flick of his wrist, his katana severed the goblin's weapon arm before the blade followed through, cutting it cleanly in half.
[Time Remaining: 00:52]
Kyle straightened up with his katana resting by his side, and glanced at the timer.
'Tsk. 8 seconds,' he thought with some annoyance. 'I should've finished faster.'
[Trial Complete. Floor 2 Cleared.]
The same radiant orb appeared, accompanied by the deep voice.
[Rewards Acquired: Ascension Orb, 10* Tier-2 Mana Core, 5* Tier-3 Mana Core, 700 Gold Coins]
Kyle inspected the rewards briefly before storing them in his inventory. As before, he kept the Ascension Orb in hand, channeling his mana into it.
[Ascension Initiated. Prepare for the third trial.]
The forest dissolved into a new environment, this time an open desert under a blazing sun. The voice boomed again:
[Third Trial: Defend the Oasis.]
Kyle scanned the area and spotted a small, glimmering oasis surrounded by sand dunes. As he approached, the sound of skittering grew louder.
From the dunes emerged a group of monstrous creatures, their insectoid bodies glinting under the sunlight.
Scorpions the size of wolves, their stingers dripping with venom, crawled towards the oasis with alarming speed.
[Giant Sand Scorpion]
[Tier: 3]
[HP: 500/500]
There were seven of them in total.
Kyle smirked inwardly. 'They sent bigger bugs this time. Let's squash them quickly.'
The scorpions charged, their legs kicking up clouds of sand as they moved. Kyle waited until they were close enough before springing into action.
His movements were a blur. The first scorpion lunged with its stinger aimed at his chest, but Kyle sidestepped effortlessly, slashing his katana upward. The scorpion split cleanly in two, vanishing into sand and smoke.
The second scorpion attempted to flank him, but Kyle anticipated the move. With a sharp pivot, he drove his blade through its head before yanking it free in a spray of sand.
The remaining scorpions hesitated briefly, their primitive minds struggling to process what had happened to their comrades. Kyle didn't give them the chance to regroup.
He dashed forward, his speed making him nearly invisible. The third and fourth scorpions fell simultaneously, one bisected through the midsection and the other decapitated in a single strike.
The last three scorpions tried to retreat, but Kyle was relentless. He closed the distance in the blink of an eye, dispatching them with brutal efficiency.
Kyle wiped the non-existent sweat from his brow, the desert heat having no effect on him.
[Trial Complete. Floor 3 Cleared.]
[Rewards Acquired: Ascension Orb, 20* Tier-2 Mana Core, 5* Tier-3 Mana Core, 1,000 Gold Coins]
Kyle stored the rewards without hesitation. He inspected the new Ascension Orb briefly before channeling his mana into it.
[Ascension Initiated. Prepare for the fourth trial.]
This time, the chamber morphed into a sprawling battlefield littered with broken weapons and scattered bones. The deep voice resonated once more.
[Fourth Trial: Defeat the Undead Horde.]
The air grew cold as skeleton warriors began emerging from the ground, their bones clattering together as they rose.
[Skeleton Warrior]
[Tier: 3]
[HP: 300/300]
There were ten of them, each wielding bone swords and shields.
The skeletons advanced in unison, their movements unnervingly synchronized. Kyle didn't wait for them to close the distance. With a burst of speed, he darted forward, his katana slicing through the first skeleton's ribcage with ease.
The second skeleton swung its sword, but Kyle ducked under the strike and countered with a slash that shattered its spine. Bones scattered across the battlefield as it crumbled.
The remaining skeletons attempted to surround him, but Kyle's agility made him untouchable. He danced between them, his blade a blur as he dismantled their brittle forms one by one.
He could have killed them all easily, but he preferred to do it this way. 'This might as well be a test for me,' he thought after sending his blade through the last skeleton.
[Trial Complete. Floor 4 Cleared.]
The radiant orb appeared again, accompanied by the voice.
[Rewards Acquired: Ascension Orb, 30* Tier-2 Mana Core, 10* Tier-3 Mana Core, 1* Tier-4 Mana Core]
He picked up the Ascension Orb and channeled mana through it once more.
[Ascension Initiated. Prepare for the fifth trial.]
The chamber began to dissolve again, but this time Kyle felt a faint sense of unease.
'I hope it gets better this time,' Kyle thought.
After the world reassembled, Kyle stood in a grand circular chamber, its golden light pressing down on him with an oppressive weight.
[Fifth Trial: Solve the puzzle]
[Time Limit: 10 Minutes]
Kyle's eyes darted across the chamber. At its center stood a towering obelisk inscribed with shifting runes and its presence radiated authority and danger.
Three smaller pedestals surrounded it, each holding a glowing crystal: one red, one blue, and one green. Above the obelisk, three interlocking golden rings rotated erratically, their movements unpredictable and discordant.
[Time Remaining: 09:58]
'A puzzle? That's new,' Kyle said within him. He moved closer, narrowing his gaze at the strange setup. There were Tmthe crystals, the obelisk, the rings, but what was the connection?
'No clues. They must want me to piece it together myself.'
Kyle tried to think through the steps. Perhaps the crystals needed to be placed on their pedestals. But in what order? And how did the rings factor in?
'Damn it. I don't have time to fumble around like this. I need to...'
Then he remembered about [Inspect]. He decided to give it a try to see how much it helped.
[Central Obelisk]
[Status: Inactive]
[Hint: Align the resonant frequencies of the crystals to stabilize the interlocking rings. Crystals must be placed in a sequence to harmonize with the obelisk's rune cycle.]
That was all he needed. Even a novice at Rune Making could figure out the correct rune cycle of a rune.
'Lets do this,' Kyle thought with a smile.