“These memories!! 10 years of looking at the surroundings without a single thing happening!!” Oakensoul bellowed in fury. “You’re only around 14! How can you have 10 years worth of memory of doing nothing!?”
Eros smiled and said. “It’s none of your concern. As long as I gave the ten years worth of memory, you need to give me what you promised.”
Oakensoul’s face twisted from anger, his mocking grin was nowhere to be seen. Even though he was obviously enraged, he still transmitted large quantity of natural energy to both Eros and Keya.
Glittering motes of light covered both Eros’ and Keya’s body, as it nourished them completely. All the hunger and weakness they felt vanished instantly, and their faces showed signs of increased vitality.
While this was happening, Eros’ expression also turned serious; he suddenly raised his hand which made numerous threads appear, then quickly he pulled one and said. “Tremble in fear!”
Once he did this, Oakensoul’s face suddenly turned into one of terror. Even he himself could not understand what happened. But in that quick moment, Eros summoned the wind and with it, leapt to grab one of the fruit growing on Oakensoul’s branch.
Without hesitation, Eros pulled the fruit and shouted. “Now! Attack with strongest ice element you have!”
Keya was startled for a very brief moment, but because she was watching everything with focus and was also preparing to assist Eros, she was able to attack at the fastest time.
Surge of energy came from Keya, and a large image of an elemental ice spirit appeared behind her. It was a female with long deep blue hair. Its face looked lifeless, and the aura of coldness it possessed seemed limitless.
The area around Keya froze in an instant, and briskly, she used it to attack Oakensoul who was still filled with unexplainable terror.
Eros was also about to land, and in his hand was the fruit he stole from Oakensoul’s branch. It seemed pretty normal at a glance, but in Eros’ perspective, it was the key for them to leave the place!
Eros blinked his eyes and his view of the entire place changed. The fruit in his hands now seemed like a tiny soul frozen in a crystal shaped fruit. And the other fruits on Oakensoul also represented different elements, some fire, earth and even wind.
For the past month, Eros didn’t idle around. Even though he only closed his eyes and sat motionless, it was unknown to both Keya and Oakensoul that he has been studying the elements in the whole place.
And as a result of a month of complete focus, a new ability was birthed from his desperation. It was a skill that allows him to perceive any living and non living entity’s elemental composition.
“With this gone, your tolerance towards ice element is nil!” Eros said as he unleashed his energy and said “Krustallizo!”
Along with Eros’ spell, Keya’s attack also reached Oakensoul body. It rapidly froze Oakensoul from the tips of its branches to its roots down below.
“How… how did you know about the fruits and this… Such pure elemental magic from a kid.” Oakensoul said while staring at Eros in disbelief.
With Oakensoul frozen, Keya quickly dashed forward along with Eros. Their goal is the entrance behind Oakensoul.
“Keya Hurry! He’s about to break free!” Eros shouted.
With Keya’s speed, she reached Eros in an instant, and together, they reached Oakensoul’s side. However, at that very moment, innumerable cracks appeared in Oakensoul’s frozen body. And in a blink of an eye, the ice shattered like a brittle glass, dropped from a good height.
“You’re dead! Dead!! Dead!!!” Oakensoul shouted, his eyes burning with hatred. “You dare use such cheap tricks on me! You even stole a fruit from me!”
Eros eyes flashed with resolve, he grabbed Keya’s hand with a firm hold. Then his left eye turned pitch black and a red symbol slowly appeared on his pupils. Indicating his use of Orcus’ curse.
Eros’ energy spiked like mad. Even Oakensoul froze from shock. When he recovered, Eros was already near his back.
But even though Eros was already in front of the gate, Oakensoul’s expression was still calm and confident.
However, that confidence quickly became uncontrolled rage, when Eros turned facing him!
“Krustallizo!” Eros chanted calmly.
Oekansoul’s body started to freeze again. It was apparent that his tolerance to ice element was almost nonexistent.
“You think you can trick me?” Eros said with a smile.
“You!!” Oakensoul could only utter those words as his body slowly freezes.
Eros then again leapt towards Oakensoul’s trunk and said. “This is the location of the real exit!”
Then in a blink of an eye, he touched Oakensoul’s back and it felt like water as his body slid past without any resistance. His vision became dark, but he still held on tight to Keya’s hand.
When his vision returned, he saw numerous trees and scarce ruins. “We’re out?” Eros asked himself. Then he coughed blood, and fell on the ground limply. Only after a while did he regained footing. Using Orcus’ curse is still extremely taxing.
Keya’s muddled view also cleared, and, in haste, she glanced around, then smiled wide. “We’re out! Based on the plants here, we’re probably at the edge of the Ruins of Kivel. If nothing goes wrong we can return to the Kingdom of Sheles in five days!”
Upon hearing Keya’s words, Eros sighed. He knew that if the fight with Oakensoul lasted longer. He would obviously lose.
With everything settled, Keya curiously asked. “How did you manage to find that the exit is in his body?”
“Luckily that stupid tree answered two of our questions, if not, I would have no idea that it was on his back. When he said that he was a gatekeeper guarding a treasure, it came to me that the gate behind him might lead to the said treasure and not the exit of the place. So I came to conclusion that the exit might be somewhere else behind him. Good thing my hunch was right.”
“Eh… Is there really a treasure?”, Keya asked.
“Maybe, but we are not strong enough to dream of catching a glimpse of it. So forget it.” Eros said flatly.
Keya sighed inwardly and said, “Even in such situation, you managed to deduce such information, unlike me who randomly asked a question.”
“It all just came to luck. Besides, your question was also a great help.” Eros said. “Let’s go.”
“Uhmm. Let me ask this one last question.” Keya said slightly hesitating.
…. “Uhhh. Why did you not leave me there? It would have been easier for you to escape alone.”
Eros then stared at Keya deeply and said. “I honestly thought about leaving you to die at first. But since you never said a word about giving up on me and trusted me until the end. I am now convinced that you are not my enemy.”
Keya’s already nervous expression suddenly brightened up and she gave Eros a tight hug.
Eros remained silent, and didn’t say a word against Keya’s affectionate reaction. But his face remained without any expression.
....
“Are you sure we’re heading the right way?” Eros said. “We’ve been walking for two days now.”
“Yes, I am now getting more familiar with the place. Even though I haven’t been here before, I have studied enough records of the ruins of Kivel.”
“Alright then.” Eros said slightly worried.
In the past two days, they haven’t encountered any enemies or any creature that lurks in the forests. However, this silence did not give Eros any reassurance. It felt more like they were being led to a dangerous encounter.
They continued to creep in the forest, maintaining a slow pace. Even though they wanted to reach the Kingdom of Sheles and exit the borders of the ruins of Kivel at a faster rate, it was impossible with their current strength.
As they journeyed on, Eros noticed that the surroundings became more silent. His senses told him that even the humming of small insects were not present.
He spread his energy to check for any living entity, and to his shock he found nothing but scarce insects who appeared to be scared to approach where they were standing.
Eros stopped his steps and tried to check the surroundings thoroughly. And only after a few breaths, his eyes became wide with fear.
“What’s wrong?” Keya suddenly asked when she saw Eros pause for a moment.
“Dammit! We’ve fallen for an illusion!” Eros shouted.
When he said those words, the illusory image of the forests surrounding them suddenly shattered revealing the real forest with slight difference. From the looks of it, such illusions would shatter once the victim discovers it.
Keya’s eyes widened from what happened, and especially as she stared at a large monster in front of her. At a single glance, it looked like an ordinary gigantic snake, but on its forehead, a face of an old man appeared, filled with immeasurable killing intent.
“Run!” Eros again shouted.
Both of the two quickly leapt to flee, but the snake was also fast to react. In no time, it was only a meter away; mouth wide open ready to devour its prey.
In Eros mind, he thought. “I need to survive! Should I sacrifice Keya to stay alive?”, Even though he already gave Keya a nod of approval after witnessing that she was now his ally. She was still his previous enemy, so sacrificing her would be something Eros could consider for his own safety, especially at a moment that he knows they would surely perish.
However, before he could finish that train of thought. A thunderous explosion resounded behind them and when they look back, the body of the snake was flung several meters and there are burns on it from a sudden attack.
Opposite the direction of the snake, an elf stood. He was familiar to Eros. This caused both him and Keya to say. “Sir Ruven!”
“At last I found you. It’s good that both of you are still alive.” Then with a wave of his hand, he swiftly pulled both Eros and Keya towards him, and flew upward away from the snake who seemed to be preparing to attack them.
“That creature is at least at a level of a grand wizard. I cannot fight it head on while protecting both of you, so it’s best to escape.” Ruven said while flying without stop.
“It’s good that you found us. Is Lady Meira and her team alright?” Eros asked.
Ruven’s face turned sour as he said. “No.”
His answer made Eros frown, but what followed gave Eros a slight sigh. “She survived but badly injured. Four of her students also died. And the last one named Janos survived, but lost his legs and sight, he might also die any moment.”
The whole journey, Eros and Keya was silent. The excitement they felt was washed away by the news of several elves death.
The mission was supposed to be only gathering information stealthy, but they never thought that they would end up in such a calamity.
Soon they reached the Kingdom. With Ruven’s speed and strength it was simply a matter of short time. Both of them were directly sent to the Castle of Sheles to give their statement on what really happened.
There, the emissary of the ruler, Saevel, welcomed them. He gave a heartfelt smile from seeing them both alive. Without much pleasantries, he requested them to report on their mission, which Keya gladly did without hesitation.
Keya calmly recounted everything that happened and Eros simply nodded in agreement. From all the information they gave, there was not a change in Saevel’s face. It was as if he already knew everything and was simply verifying something.
“So what Meira gave us before she collapsed into unconsciousness is the same as the information you hold. Only that you were trapped at that spell formation and was forced to fight a creature named Oakensoul.”
“We apologize but we have no more other useful information.” Keya said with her head bowed slightly.
“It’s fine. It is best that both of you came back alive since this mission is not meant to end up in such a way. Luckily Ruven found both of you even though he has no order from the kingdom to be on that area.” Saevel replied, and he pulled out a pocket and slid it to the table. “This is your reward. You can go and rest now.”
“No order?” Eros asked, puzzled.
“Yes, he said that since both of you are students of Ronsorth, he secretly went to the outskirts of the ruins of Kivel to check if both of you really perished. But along the way he found both of you just on time.”
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Eros didn’t say a word for a while, and decided to put what he was thinking at the back of his mind.
Both of them picked up the pocket and directly left the place. Eros did not delay and went back to Ronsorth while Keya went back to her family to report.
….
“Eros! What happened?” Eris said extremely worried.
“It’s nothing; we just met with some accident.”
“I looked for you everywhere, and no news about you was given even by Sir Ruven and even Sir Conall.”
“Yes, the mission this time was unknown to anyone except those included in the mission itself. I also received a good sum of magic crystals which can aid me for a while. With this I can focus on climbing the False Tree of Life and hope to gain enlightenment to reach the wizard realm!”
“Ah!” Eris was slightly shocked as she asked. “You’re already that close to breaking through?”
“No, but I can feel that I will be able to do it at the top of the False Tree of Life!”
…
Surrounded by several elemental soul beasts, Eros sat motionless at the False Tree of Life. Beside him was Eris, also doing her best to not to get detected by the numerous elemental soul beasts.
“You’re doing really great Eris.” Eros said with amazement. “You truly are a genius. I can only do this because the unique curse in me gave me some idea, but you can also do it with only my guidance.”
Eris didn’t reply, since she was obviously preoccupied by simply maintaining her focus. So Eros simply glanced down the tree and sighed as he thought. “Even though nothing seemed to change, I can feel that the kingdom is preparing for some form of war. In the past days, I rarely see any masters leisurely walking in Ronsorth.”
“The spell formation we dispelled, the odd movement of the beasts near the ruins of Kivel, a group of grand wizards operating covertly, and even that worship statue… I think everything is connected and it leads to something big! Maybe even the reason for everything. But I am too weak to meddle in their affair, and it is none of my business since what I want most is to leave this plane.”
“If not for Sir Ruven, we might have already died. I should be careful more, or else everything would be for naught….. But Sir Ruven.” Eros then shook his head and focused on his training instead.
Time passed, Eros and Eris continued to climb up. In only a month they advanced further than they previously have. With the help of Eros’ magic crystals they were able to carry large amount of high grade medicine and other items that could help them.
However, along the way, both Eros and Eris seemed to have met with difficulty, and they decided to stop and go down the tree.
“It seems like I still lack knowledge to dare to reach the top.” Eros said while glancing at the direction of the hall of knowledge. Then with a grin, he said. “Maybe it would best if I reach the top of the Hall of Knowledge first.”
When Eros and Eris got down, everyone stared at them with awe. His name was also engraved at the twentieth place, far surpassing everyone of same age.
He was now without doubt considered a genius. There are even talks that he is better than Hagen who is also shooting up and beating everyone on his path.
Ignoring the buzz of conversations, Eros went to meet Firo, and after a short talk, Eros went back to his room to rest.
As day’s passed, Eros didn’t come out of his room and locked himself up as if preparing for something grand.
Outside, rumors suddenly began circulating that Eros is planning to reach the highest level of the Hall of Knowledge. Some didn’t take it seriously at first, but as time passed by, the rumors somewhat became more pronounced up to the point that betting on how high Eros could reach on the Hall of Knowledge became a thing for common mages.
As usual nobody knew where it started, but everyone just followed along with the trend, especially when Lensa and Keya’s statement both made waves. “Oh. Eros said that?... I accept that I would lose against Eros in a battle of magic, but for the Hall of Knowledge, I don’t think he can do it easily.” Keya said with a charming smile.
After the mission of dispelling a spell formation, Keya’s treatment to Eros completely reversed that even her most trusted aid, Sheera, does not know if everything is just for show - To lure Eros into another trap in order to relinquish the feeling of loss from the Eros’ last blow.
However, even though the mention of Eros’ name could give Keya a smile previously rarely seen, admitting that Eros could pass her on the Hall of Knowledge is something that she could not simply acknowledge. Being at the thirtieth place is her pride and greatest achievement, so she would never accept that It would be that easy to reach her level at the Hall of Knowledge.
As for Lensa she simply said that she would not let Eros pass her, and focused on climbing higher. The hall of Knowledge consists of several levels but no student knows how much levels there are, since there is only one person who actually reached the highest floor. And that was none other than Ronsorth himself.
Even Etfeus does not know what is in the top floor, and the highest level ever reached by a student of Ronsorth was the eighteenth floor. So rumors of Eros claiming to reach the top is really bumptious. But some still have reservations that he might actually make it, because reaching the twentieth place of the False Tree of Life is also something they thought he could never achieve.
In a month, Eros was not seen anywhere, but the rumors never died down. So after seclusion of thirty days, when Eros went out, he was quickly followed by a crowd.
“Is he going to attempt to top the Hall of Knowledge now?” One mage said.
“I don’t know, but I hope he only reach the fifth floor. I’ve bet a lot of magic crystals on that.” Another one said.
A female mage then interrupted, while staring at Eros passionately, “I believe he will reach the tenth floor. He’s a genius after all.”
After the female mage said those words, one mage shouted in rage,“No! He’s just all talk. There’s no way he’ll beat Lady Keya!”
Upon hearing those, many other expressed their opinion, and some simply wanted to express their hatred.
Eros didn’t even bat an eye to all of those mixed flattery and insults he simply walked towards the Hall of Knowledge, eyes brimming with confidence.
“Fryr, I need to thank you this time.” Eros thought as he stood in front of the Hall of Knowledge and looked up to see the top of establishment. However, even how much he stare, there was only one floor representing the whole building.
“I wonder how they manage to stuff several floors on a single floor building.” Eros said with a smile. “But it doesn’t matter; I will try to learn it later.”
Everyone was in a commotion when Eros actually stepped foot inside the Hall of Knowledge. There were shouting and people running to get a proper view to observer what’s happening.
“So he’s really going to do it! Quick go and try to place our bet, I think the betting ends the moment Eros talks with Sir Etfeus.” An elf ordered.
“Seems like Firo did great as usual. I hope we earn much more than last time, since I will need it to enter the wizard realm.” Eros said with slight tone of amusement.
Etfeus grumpy expression quickly lightened and he stopped tapping his pen at his work table when he saw Eros walking towards him. “Eros! I haven’t seen you for a long while. Are you here to try and rise at a higher floor?”
Eros nodded and replied, “Indeed, I have come here to do so. I would like to see how far I could go.”
“Oh! Good luck then. I hope that you can reach the floor you’re aiming for.”
Eros quickly ended the pleasantries, and entered the second floor. There, he stood in front of the wall filled with problems, and in a flash, he was surrounded by numerous onlookers which made Etfeus almost burst out from rage. But to avoid being kicked out, everyone never said a word and simply observed. Unfortunately, only those who have access to the second floor could actually view what Eros was doing. So those who have no such privilege could look at the ranking board placed at the lowest level of the Hall of Knowledge, to follow on Eros’ progress.
Staring at the board, everyone wasn’t yet filled with anticipation, since everything just started, and it would obviously take time for Eros to ascend. However, opposed to what they expected, Eros’ name rapidly went up on the list, only stopping at 800th place. But that rank was not what shocked everyone, it was the words beside his name, which says, 3rd floor.
“He…. He made it to the third floor that fast? What happened there?” One student said with shock.
On the second floor, everyone was more shocked. The pace Eros answered the question this time was abnormally fast to the point they couldn’t believe what they were seeing with their own eyes. And before they knew it, Eros already left and entered the third level of the Hall of Knowledge.
“How in the world…” One elf murmured as if he could still not accept how simple it was for Eros to reach the third floor.
Those who have access to third floor quickly followed behind, not willing to miss Eros’ godly performance.
However, before they reached the third floor, Eros has already answered half of the question required to reach the fourth floor which caused them more shock than they have ever experienced their whole lives.
“Incredible!!” Was all they could say.
Even Keya and Lensa who were staring seriously at the ranking board could not help but frown. Back then they were actually doubtful if Eros could achieve what the rumors claims, but now they were faced with reality that Eros really is a monstrous individual just like what some says.
Both of them were located at the highest floors they respectively reached while waiting for Eros to challenge their achievement. But right now they could not remain calm and simply watch. They started answering the questions in an attempt to advance and widen their lead to Eros who was catching up fast.
Fourth Floor!
As he watched, Etfeus’ face would oftentimes reveal great astonishment that has never been seen by many students. “I can’t believe this.” Etfeus murmured, and decided to observe on how high Eros could reach.
While everyone was expressing different reactions on Eros’ actions, Eros on the other hand was answering without any expression. His left pupil have long since turned pitch black but no symbol of Orcus came out. For some reason, something seemed to be suppressing it to a certain extent.
However, even though it was suppressed, Eros’ was barely conscious as he did the test. On the past, every time he used the curse, it would erupt and could only be used once. But this time, it seems like he found a way to prolong its usage and minimize its backlash.
After being stuck in a certain level in the False Tree of life, Eros had the time to study the curse magic Fryr bestowed on him. In no time he realized that the curse magic he inherited from Fryr seemed to have a lot in common with the curse in him. This in effect made him able to understand the curse slightly and use it without using taxing himself greatly.
Even though he have yet to master the curse magic, being able to suppress the curse from going berserk whenever it is activated is now possible with his current understanding.
With the curse of Orcus at work, Eros cleared the fourth level without making a single mistake. This increased the level of shock everyone was feeling. Even Eros himself was starting to feel respect for Orcus’ unparalleled knowledge.
As he proceeded to the fifth floor, fewer were able to follow behind. Access to such floor is extremely difficult. The books in the floor were also more bizarre, some were extremely large nearing a persons’ mass, and some were extremely small as if they were grains compared to a grown man’s hands.
Even though, the peculiarity of the fifth floor of the library could cause many to gasp, Eros didn’t even glanced at them and proceeded to answer the questions extremely fast, as if everything was irrelevant.
This time, all those who placed a bet that Eros would fail to ascend to the fifth floor almost burst into tears. The amount they wagered was something that they worked for years.
“Eros how could you push me into poverty!” One elf exclaimed.
“This is scam! How could he move from one floor to another just like that?” Another one added.
Then several more cries were voiced out, but they could do nothing but accept that they lost without doubt.
Those who bet that Eros could only reach the sixth floor or seventh floor were now feeling anxious. By the speed of Eros’ progress, it won’t be long before they suffered same fate as those who lost.
However, even how much they prayed that Eros would fail to ascend; it was all useless, especially when they saw Eros’ progress. He now reached the sixth floor, proving that it wasn’t even a challenge.
Many fell on their knees from the pain of losing much wealth. It was now evident that the gambling event on Eros’ ability to ascend the Hall of Knowledge was something extremely popular and widespread.
Time flew by fast, and many were broken hearted as Eros hastily ascended. Currently, he reached the sixtieth place in the ranking and set foot on the 7th floor. At this floor, Lensa was waiting to defend her honor.
When Eros stepped on the 7th level, Lensa was still trying her best to answer questions to advance further. But for some reason, she seemed to be having a hard time to do so.
Eros didn’t bother her and quickly answered questions. Since there were two of them answering at the same time, the questions seemed to be lacking, causing Eros to unknowingly answer questions Lensa was not able to answer previously.
Upon seeing this, Lensa could not help to sneak a peek at the answer and sigh heavily. “I concede.” Then she stopped answering and focused on watching Eros answer questions easily, that previously she had extreme difficulty.
“So he’s really leagues above me.” Lensa sighed again.
In no time, Eros answered enough to proceed to the next floor leaving Lensa behind with slightly bitter expression.
“Look! She overtook Lady Lensa! If he also beats Lady Keya, he would be the best on his age group!” An elf said with slight tone of disbelief.
Many who lost earlier on their bet became interested to observe again since Keya was the youngest in the history of Ronsorth to reach such a level on the Hall of Knowledge. This face off would decide who would be considered the true genius of the generation, to be crowned as the best.
As opposed to Lensa, Keya welcomed Eros with a smile, but Eros seemed to ignore her and proceeded to the questions. Keya pouted and followed suit, it was as if he was trying to challenge Eros by answering at the same moment.
However, the moment they started, Keya eyes widened. The speed Eros answered was beyond her ability. She have seen Eros answer on the first floor back then, but she knew how exceedingly harder the questions are in the eight floor, so she thought that it was impossible to replicate the act he did. But she was completely wrong! Eros was answering the questions at the eighth floor with the same speed as he did on the first.
Not even ten breaths passed and Keya completely gave up. She could now only stare at Eros with wide eyes. “Is he really just a boy? At that level of knowledge, he could rival even my master.”
Even Etfeus who followed behind from the first floor up to this level could not help but still feel astonished. Such feat was even difficult for him, especially when doing it in such a rapid speed.
Then after a while, many went into an uproar, since Eros’ name displayed that he reached the ninth floor. Completely exceeding Keya’s ranking as the top 30!
“He did it!” Many said, but their tone widely differed. Some sounded excited, but most seemed to be filled with regret; obviously they made the wrong bet.
Keya was left on the eighth floor since she can’t follow anymore. But even though she was thoroughly defeated, she wasn’t one bit dispirited. “So the way he handled the spell formation back then wasn’t a fluke. I guess I was a fool for aiming for his life.” Then she smiled coquettishly before saying, “I guess I should now seriously aim for his heart.”
Eros on the other hand continued ascending to higher floors which stunned even the grand wizards of Ronsorth. Even Connal, Ruven, Almon and other leaders went to the Hall of knowledge to check on Eros’ progress.
When Eros finished answering the questions at the fifteenth floor, everyone was stunned, including those grand wizards. The fifteenth floor was something extremely hard to complete, even the best of the grand wizards were stumped at that floor.
Eros at that moment calmly withdrew his hands on the wall filled with questions, making everything seem a facile feat. After which, he continued on his ascent.
Etfeus followed suit, but to his shock, he was not able to proceed further! When his feet touched the tread of the stair, his body shivered from fear. It was as if a force threatened to throw him out of the Hall of Knowledge, if the forced his way without possessing the requirement to proceed to the next stage. With this, he realized that they already reached the fifteenth floor and he wasn’t qualified to proceed to the next floor!
He stopped his struggle and watched Eros walk up; eyes filled with emotion and even slight trace of envy. “Such gift…” Then he shook his head and sighed, “Accomplishments couldn’t really be said to be commensurate with how long you lived. Some are just born to break the norms and soar to the top.” Again with another sigh, he preceded to the ranking board to observe. “Even though I am unable to see the view from the top, I am glad that I will be able to see someone climb to the top.”
Eros continued on. This time, no one could directly watch his actions. His name also rapidly climbed up to the top one spot on the whole Hall of Knowledge, and has superseded all those geniuses from many generations of all ages. Those who were watching were too stunned to be stunned more. Even Firo who started the whole rumors about Eros, felt that he underestimated his friend.
“Can he seriously reach the top?” Firo said with mixed emotions. “I should’ve placed all of my magic stones on him reaching the top floor.”
Eris on the other hand was smiling; it was already given that she had placed all her trust on Eros on believed that he could reach the top.
Surrounding Eros was a dim library filled with dust and dilapidated books. This time it looked like a normal athenaeum, but if one was to stand there alone in the whole room, he would feel that the books and manuals are observing his every move. Some even exhibits an aura of hostility as if attempting to devour anyone with the slightest opportunity.
However, this actually did not bother Eros the slightest, since the aura of Orcus’ curse made those books wary. Also, his consciousness is barely hanging on. What pushed him to continue is just his will to reach the top, and his new ability to control and suppress the curse at a certain degree.
Eros answered as usual and ignored everything. When he finished the last question, the books suddenly made an unusual noise, and attacks came from different directions!
Eros’ barely conscious self, could not remain calm. He withdrew his use of the curse and felt as if his body was about to burst. But to avoid the impending death, he had no choice but to endure and dodge.
BOOM!
Luckily, Eros was able to avoid death, but he was riddled with wounds and blood flowed out the orifices of his face. He again gritted his teeth, and rushed towards the next floor, and in no time he was blasted again, but to thanks his unending luck, he did not perish, but instead, thrown into the next stage!
When Eros stood up, his eyes went wide. He immediately realized that this is the last floor!