NOVEL FROG Chapter 112: Feigning Death
Like a flock of startled ostriches, Graviel and the group sprinted down the hallway with a mixture of relief and apprehension. The narrow escape from the mechanical beast had left the group shaken, but there was no time to dwell on their ordeal. Ahead awaited the next trial, and once he completed this challenge, along with the two more to come, he would be the master of this pocket dimension and everything in it.
Since the test of combat prowess was already over, Graviel reasoned that the subsequent tests might not demand as much in terms of resources. As long as he remained vigilant and preserved his strength, he was confident he could pass all the trials. Of course, he was a very cautious person; therefore, he refused to let his guard down even for a moment.
Upon entering the second chamber, Graviel’s eyes swept over the surroundings, taking in the sight of ancient runes etched into the walls and the faint, eerie glow of mystical energy that suffused the air. He noticed that because of this energy, there was something wrong with the air in this chamber, though he couldn’t quite pinpoint what the problem was.
Elara, who was usually the quietest, voiced her unease. “The air in this chamber makes me uncomfortable and restless. We should try to minimize our inhalation of it or disperse it entirely,” she suggested.
Graviel agreed with her reasoning, and the others also mirrored his sentiment. Unfortunately, none among them were proficient in the Anemo element, making it take more effort to disperse the strange air that surrounded them. Even worse, the air had a persistent nature as it would return the next moment.
Whatever.
Graviel pushed aside the concern since all he had to do was to clear the trial. Tarrying here would do no favor to their situation. Thus, he focused on finding out what the second trial was all about.
Out of the blue, the two overseers appeared before them. Garry, the male overseer, wore a smug smile as he clapped his hands in satisfaction. “Congratulations on passing the first trial! It has been quite an entertaining sight; I hope you’ll continue to entertain us this time around as well. Oops, I digress.”
An entertaining sight? All of this has been entertainment by the two overseers?! Graviel’s blood boiled at this revelation, but he kept it to himself as Gabrielle took over to explain the second trial.
“Listen well,” Gabrielle declared, “the second trial is about moral principles. You must decide which one among you will proceed to the next trial within fifteen minutes. However, only one person may remain conscious for the next chamber to open. How you choose to accomplish this is up to you, but be warned, if more than one person remains conscious after thirty minutes, all of you will…” She made a gesture of slicing her neck.
“This is absolutely ridiculous!” Jared’s outburst echoed through the chamber, seething with anger and indignation.
“Are you trying to sow discord among us?” Dorian squinted his eyes in suspicion.
The group thus collectively glared at the overseers, suspicious of their true intentions. It felt like they had been played into their ploy.
With a chilling laugh, the overseers dismissed their concerns. “The less you know, the better,” they quipped before vanishing without another word, leaving the group to exchange anxious glances.
The situation had escalated, and a sense of unease settled over them like a heavy shroud.
This had truly become troublesome…
***
Left alone to face the mechanical beast, Rowan was seethed with inner fury.
While it was true that his life was at the hands of the Merlin family, he was by no means an individual with no desire. Ambition burned within him, a desire to ascend to the pinnacle of power, to command the respect and fear of all who crossed his path. To begin with, the only reason he was willing to be their accomplice was because they promised him great power and reward. Yet, here he stood, being reduced to a mere cannon fodder. How ironic.
But he refused to yield!
Summoning every ounce of resolve, Rowan steeled his heart and focused his energy as he squared off against the towering golem. Despite the odds stacked against him, he would take this golem down and emerge victorious, standing alone amidst the wreckage!
As the golem charged towards him with thunderous footsteps, Rowan’s instincts kicked into overdrive. Years of training honed his movements to a razor’s edge, his axes becoming extensions of his will as he unleashed a flurry of ki-infused strikes. Yet again, the golem’s impenetrable armor deflected his blows with ease and crashed against him with its bulky nose.
“Ngah!” A pained cry escaped Rowan’s lips as he struggled to maintain his footing, blood spurting out from his mouth.
Truth be told, the mechanical beast’s variety of attacks was pretty predictable, but its armor was nigh indestructible. No matter how hard he swung his axes, it was almost impossible to even scratch it, much less damage it severely. As a matter of fact, his axes had shown signs of chipping away, as if about to break apart with a little bit more force.
“Damn it! Even if I die here, I’ll take ya down with me!!” Rowan roared. Determined to take his opponent down, he burned his life force and his ki burst forth like a flood from a broken dam.
A Ki Master possessed the ability to burn their life force for temporary explosive power at the cost of their own lifespan. Only when they were at their most desperate moment would they use this technique; it was essentially a last resort. Otherwise, it would risk them dying early. But faced with the indestructible mechanical beast, Rowan had no other choice.
Seemingly sensing the danger of his sudden increase in power, the mechanical beast hovered in the air once more. But this time, it charged a deadly energy between its strange floating appendages. A dangerous yellow ball of light crackled with ominous power, heralding the unleashing of its ultimate attack.
“It’s either you or me! DIE!!” Rowan launched forward like a comet streaking across the sky, the air around him quivering as he passed through. Simultaneously, the mechanical beast prepared to unleash its devastating assault, hurtling the deadly energy toward Rowan with unrelenting force.
Boom!
Shockwaves reverberated all around, shaking the chamber they were in. Surprisingly, despite sustaining severe injuries, with blood gushing from the wounds covering his body, Rowan’s momentum remained unbroken. He swung his ki-infused axes downward right under its head with all his might, sparks flying as they clashed against the mechanical beast’s impenetrable armor.
But this time, Rowan’s efforts weren’t wasted. With a resounding crash, the golem’s metallic surface finally gave way to his axes, revealing its inner machinery to the world.
“Yes! At last! Hahaha!” Rowan went into a hysterical laugh — he was teetering on the edge of sanity.
Even though the mechanical beast still loomed before him, he felt an overwhelming sense of satisfaction wash over him. Even though he would die at the next moment, he embraced it willingly. To fall at the hands of such a formidable opponent was not a shameful one!
Almost in an instant, the mechanical beast struck, crashing its hammer-like tail into Rowan’s torso. His body was flung into the air, crashing against the wall, and sending his consciousness into the abyss.
***
Victor’s impersonation of Felix had been flawless. While his body was lying against the wall like a corpse, he was actually far from being dead. In truth, he was not even the least bit injured. Receiving the attack of the mechanical golem head-on and shouting as he crashed against the wall was all an act by using the spell {Spatial Mirage}. Yes, an act to deceive his former comrades and strike them in the back when they least expected it.
“Hehe. To think they all fell to this little trick,” Victor muttered to himself, a smirk playing across his lips as he surveyed the scene before him.
Rowan’s feat of slashing open the mechanical golem’s armor had impressed Victor. While he was a powerful warrior, he was but an early-stage Ki Master, whereas the mechanical beast could even challenge an Elemental Adept Magus like him. Although he was ultimately defeated, the fact that Rowan had managed to inflict damage on it was already a miracle.
Still, this presented a golden opportunity for him. It was one of the reasons why he had been feigning death until now — to borrow someone’s power to weaken the enemy. Furthermore, it provided him with the chance to test the true extent of his newfound power.
Victor thus rose to his feet and canceled his impersonation magic, taking the mask off his face. “Hah… Being yourself is still the best feeling.” He sighed as a sense of liberation washed over him.
The mechanical beast returned to its initial position as it guarded the passage to the next chamber. Victor had no intention of bypassing the golem, like what Graviel and the others did; instead, he would use this chance to push his limits and gain a deeper understanding of the power wielded by an Elemental Adept Magus.
But before that…
Victor Asteriscus
HP: 100%
MP: 420/420
Power Rank: Elemental Adept Magus
Elemental Affinity: Cosmo (95%) | Anemo (82%) | Pyro (57%)
Mana Aptitude: Inferior bright grade
Meditation Technique: Myriad Elements Method (prototype schematic, -)
Status: Healthy
Strength: (31)
Agility: (30)
Vitality: (31)
Magical Power: (41)
Infused Mana (total): (417 → 420)
Spell Repertoire:
- Aleph: {Blink Step}, {Spatial Mirage}, {Slicing Wind}, {Zephyr Dash}, {Tempest Burst}, {Wind Guard}, {Flame Whip}, {Flame Dart}, {Ember Shield}, {Heat Wave}, {Demonic Eye}, {Blazing Burst}
- Bet: {Warpblade}, {Volcanic Spear}, {Tempest Gale}
Reviewing his stats, Victor was very pleased. Though there had not been any significant leaps since the last time he checked, it was always a great feeling to see that he had improved a lot since a month ago. It filled him with much-needed confidence.
Victor turned his attention back to the golem while flexing his muscles and stretching his limbs like he was doing a warmup before hitting the gym.
With a final crack of his joints, he declared, “All right. Let’s see what you got.”
It was time to go all out.
