Myriad stood near the entrance of the village, just before he entered he heard a voice.

"What is our code."

A strange looking man with bat wings came flying from the sky.

He asked a strange question fitting his appearances.

Instead of saying something like "Who are you?" or "What did you come here for" he demanded something else entirely.

But Myriad knew the answer.

"The shapeshifter transform and changes, it is never eternal and it is always eternal."

"Why do we continue to change?"

Even though he didn't know what was the second question, he already predicted that there would be more questions.

"To see what will end that change."

"What will we do with that ending?"

"Accept it."

"I see, textbook answer on the first question but the second and third questions came from your heart."

"…"

"Very well, no matter what is your reason for coming here, we will respond with our spirits."

In other words,  they would retaliate if he ever does anything.

Compared to what the beggar told him, instead of being a barbarous race, they looked like wise people.

"Follow me, I'll take you to our leader."

They slowly moved towards their goal and enjoyed the scenery, in contrast to the village's first sight, it had a pretty wide space, though there were almost nobody in here since it was night-time, they were all sleeping.

The few people they would meet would have some sort of traits resembling an monster.

"Beautiful isn't it, and yet those greedy beasts tried to devour this forest."

For clarification, 'greedy beasts' signifies the Kingdom's people.

The man with bat wings was called Yor'Wan, after talking with him Myriad realized that he had a deep anger towards the Kingdom and that he was a great warrior.

He deeply respected the elder as if it was his father.

"So what is your reason for coming to this village?"

"To claim the control of your people."

Without a single hesitation he spoke out his mind, Yor'Wan looked at him with slightly annoyed eyes.

"I see, it seems that your people still haven't learned their lessons yet, it doesn't matter, you won't even be able to touch her anyway."

[How arrogant…]

Ena was slightly angered over his cockiness..

[Myriad, you must absolutely win against that Chief and show this shapeshifter his place.]

Though, Myriad didn't really mind, he just casually replied in a standard manner.

"I know."

[Though I must say, I am further intrigued over their special abilities, I've met a few of them before in my life though their skills were of negligible value.]

"Negligible?"

[They had the great power of transforming certain features of their bodies into monsters and acquiring their strength but since they were at the level of my guards, I didn't really pay them any attention.]

"Hmm…"

[Master, you must definitely take their powers and make them yours!]

For some reason, when Ena first heard of Myriad having the special class of taking every classes she had thoughts of him trying to get them all.

So if there was an opportunity for Myriad of getting a special class she would definitely want him to get it.

"We'll see for the future."

"Who are you talking to?"

Yor'Wan asked.

"Just mumbling with myself."

"I see, by the way, how are the adventures of the outside."

Yor'Wan was especially excited over hearing these type of conversations, every time an adventurer would come in this village, he would have unlimited curiosity.

It was normal since he was always in the forest and liked to know more about the world, it was a great chance to increase intimacy with him.

"I don't know much about the outside world."

But, Myriad didn't really feel like talking about Ena and the Prison Break.

So the idea of storytelling was cancelled, they just walked silently until they reached the Chief's Tent, though Yor'Wan still had this disappointed face.

"We're here."

Reputing its name, it was an immense tent that was heavily decorated, fit for the Chief's domain.

Inside the tent was an old woman sitting on the middle of the tent on a wooden throne.

She was surrounded by lit candles that formed a circle except around the entrance.

"You have a visitor, Chief."

She wore a tribal robe and a mantle, the wrinkles on her face and her white hair showed how old she was.

The old lady slowly lifted her head up and squinted her eyes on Myriad.

There was a long minute of silence before Yor'Wan broke it.

"He desires to face the trials."

After a long moment of contemplating she simply nodded.

"You who greed over the control of my people, must face 7 trials."

Her voice was tired and slow.

"..?"

".The first trial has already been passed, the trial of the heart…"

"…"

"The second trial will be a test of your knowledge, if you wish to rule us then…"

The Chief looked at Yor'Wan, who he understood what she meant.

"You must be the wisest.  I, Yor'Wan will be the Witness of your trials."

"Are you ready for the questions?"

The easiest way to calculate a man's knowledge is through a test, when Myriad nodded she started.

"What is so delicate that saying its name breaks it?"

Myriad simply put his finger on his mouth.

The elder nod and spoke.

"Exactly… sometimes… you should just keep your mouth shut."

When she said this, she looked melancholic.

"I see."

"Follow me…"

They walked slowly inside the vast tent, they went next to a sort of line and just stood there.

"How do you make this line longer, without touching it?"

Myriad went outside, took a wooden stick and returned.

He put the stick on the ground to make it seem like it was a line and said.

"This way it looks like the longer one."

"Correct.. instead of looking only at yourself, look at the others and realize how lucky you truly are…"

This time, she slightly turned her eyes to look at his arm.

"…"

"..But don't forget, that the other one may have a better ability than you…"

She showed a small smile and walked outside the tent while they followed her, she then questioned him again.

"What goes up but never goes down?"

"Your time, your age to be more precise.."

"With age comes understanding, and yet, you understand all of that while you are so young don't you?"

"Who knows…"

With a slight smirk she quickly went to the next riddle.

"What instrument can you hear but never see?"

Myriad signaled her by pointing his finger on his mouth.

"Your voice."

"Never forget the most natural of your abilities, for it is the most precious."

This time she looked at his legs and sighed.

Even though they weren't very difficult questions if you had knowledge or logic, Yor'Wan looked rather surprised at the speed of his completion.

"Final question, what is bigger than a house but seems smaller than a mouse?"

Myriad looked upwards, the difference of visible stars in this world compared to the other one was like day and night..

The reflecting light from the stars created from the darkness of the sky made it even more beautiful.

The lone moon which radiated shined brightly as well.

"The stars…."

The elder looked at him with a degree of satisfaction.

"Even though the stars seems so small… they are the tallest beings I have ever seen… are you the same?"

Myriad started at her with impassive eyes and she retorted with a warm smile.

[What's wrong with this challenge? Instead of a trial, isn't it more like a lecture?]

He whispered.

"No… if I would guess, it's more of a reminiscence than a lecture…"

"Congratulation, you have succeeded the second trial, the third trial will be dealt with Yor'Wan."

You have completed the Trial of Wisdom

+5 Wisdom.

The elderly lady went back to her original spot and left the two with themselves.

This time, Yor'Wan looked at Myriad with a slighter higher amount of respect compared to before.

"Do you desire to continue this tomorrow?"

"No, let us do the other one now."

"You should at least eat, it's going to be a long one.."

And then he corrected himself.

"Depending on the type of people of course."

"No."

"Fine, don't tell me I didn't warn you."

He led Myriad in the forest without losing his way.

When they were going there Myriad didn't quite understand how he could know his way without losing himself, when he asked Yor'Wan he only replied with.

"It's the will of the forest that guides us."

Later, they reached the destination, in front of them was a rock.

"This is a sacred stone, used in the Trial of the Will."

"What do I have to do?"

Yor'Wan touched the stone, which turned bigger and bigger until it reached the size of a giant.

"Unrgh."

He lifted the immense rock with his two hands and put so much pressure on it that he formed ten holes the size of his fingers on it.

Afterwards, he put it on his back to carry it.

With another 'Unrgh' sound he returned the stone onto the ground which switched out into its natural form.

"But you need to keep it on your back for far longer than this, this is the reason why it's called the Trial of the Will."

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"I cannot lift a rock of that size."

Myriad based on his calculations of his strength knew that it was impossible for him to even hope to carry such an item.

"Don't worry, this sacred stone will know your limits and will transform accordingly."

Myriad proceeded to touch the metamorphosing object, as a result, it took form of a rather large rock.

Without hesitating he carried it in one brief swoop and put it on his back alike to what Yor'Wan demonstrated.

Needless to say, it was quite excruciating just carrying it, but Myriad without showing any expressions concentrated only into what was needed to lifted it.

Regulation of his breath, perfect placement of the sacred stone, he valorised every bit of information, regardless of the fact that compared to other subjects this one was a little less diversified.

He continued and continued, pain reaching every single part of his body, his bones creaking and his blood circulating less and less with the sheer pressure of the rock.

His legs frequently almost gave away but Myriad knew better than anyone how to tolerate such pain.

Hours passed, yet there was still no signal for stopping this torture, and he still endured..

Yor'Wan didn't even try to hide his surprise, he was extremely impressed.

Originally after the 30 minute count, people gave up or more like they would barely pass, but Myriad stood still for 3 hours.

If 30 minutes was enough for people to have 60%, then Myriad did a staggering 600%!

If he wasn't hearing the breathing of Myriad and the few moments of the staggering he would had thought that he was a statue.

A statue created by the most talented of sculptor.

Even though a feat such as Myriad was extremely rare, after one hour, one couldn't help but feel bored about seeing a young boy carry a heavy weight.

But Yor'Wan stood still and stared at Myriad as if it was of utmost importance.

No matter what he never took off his eyes off him, he was gazing at a warrior and it was only by respect could he see the warrior finally fall, he could never miss such a moment.

Beside, it was his duty as a Witness as well.

Even though Myriad was only a child, he found inspiration on what he has done, he felt that his training which was strict wasn't enough.

Looking at this boy made him think about how much effort he could had put in on his life.

But that's enough about what's going inside his mind, Myriad was close to the brink of execution.

No matter how tough his mind was, his body could not endure any more, he couldn't even feel his body anymore.

Your blood has almost stopped circulating in your arms.

-90% strength

It was done, no matter how hard he tried to keep his body stable, it was impossible.

The sacred stone slipped off his hand and fell on the ground.

For a while he couldn't get up.

"You have completed the Trial of the Will,  I will not hide it, your have a will of iron, your stubbornness could even beat a rock in a match of who blinks his eyes first."

You have completed the Trial of Perseverance.

Due to your unbelievable feat, the whole tribe will know of your success and will respect you.

+10 Strength.

+15 Vitality.

"What's the next trial?"

"It will be the Trial of Strength, you will fight against me, it will be a honour, Myriad."

"Lead the way."

"No I cannot, you must rest for today."

He was right, even though Myriad didn't show it in his visage, he still felt numb and couldn't move his body accordingly, he must have seen this and has decided that the other trial should be postponed.

Even though Myriad could had fought against him, he decided to back off this time, Yor'Wan was a mighty warrior after all, would it not disrespect him to fight him in a injured state?

Afterwards, Yor'Wan invited him to his tent but Myriad humbly refused.

"I'll stay in the forest for a while."

Yor'Wan didn't pester him and let it go while saying.

"I see, do not worry about losing your way, the Will of the Forest will guide you."

"Understood, I will return once again at night, I dare not disturb your tribe."

"Do not feel modest, you are already a part of us."

With that last remark Myriad left to the wild forest, he had no particular goals except that he would like to finish his training with the instructors and find a way to defeat Yor'Wan.

Although he met monsters when he first came here he mostly ignored them but now he thought that maybe he should see them.

Surprisingly there was a large amount of diverse monsters

It followed the main routine of the laws of the jungle but it was still captivating to look.

The predator that followed its prey without ever taking off its stare at it.

The prey who was carefully looking at its surroundings while eating the greens of the forest.

There were even strange plants that were devouring them.

Myriad was most likely satisfied in seeing the beasts so he stared to concentrate on something else.

This was a place where nature dominated the most, henceforth it was the perfect place to train his elemental abilities.

He also wanted to practice most of his theories he thought about since he couldn't before.

He first used Fire Bolt on the ground and saw the damage it had done, compared to the first time he used it, the magnitude and burns it did was a lot higher than before.

This time he tried to used Flame's Enchantment on the Fire Bolt right before it touched the ground.

It left a bigger mark but even though it was a small increase, if levelled properly it could become a beast.

He tried it on numerous of his abilities and most of the effects could summarized thus.

It made Aqua Bubble evaporate leaving a fog, he idealized that it was a great option for leaving a mirage for escaping, even if he could do it with Fire Bolt, Flame's Enchantment was quicker.

It made Rock Budge appear like a meteorite, increasing its damage.

It made Wind Push give out warm air,  he thought maybe that it would be a good idea to use it for blinding other people.

It made Magic Missile look a bit more like Fire Bolt, it seemed like a waste of mana so he refrained on using it.

After finishing a part of his theories, he tried talking to Ena.

"Ena."

[What's wrong Young Master?]

"If someone takes you away, you can teleport right back on my hands right?"

[Yes? Why ask for something you already know?]

"Nothing particular."

He found out about this a while ago when Ena wanted to show him a cool trick, she told him to stand back far away and just let the magic commence.

She instantly teleported on his hands when he was quite far away and she was saying things like.

[Isn't it cool right!? I can do many more stuff just look at me!]

Relapsing on what he was doing he decided to do some training.

First he tried to use Flame's Enchantment on his arm, although it burnt a little he did feel the increase of damage, when he did it on his legs it was the same, although he couldn't run faster.

Then he tried to do something that was a little bit different than before, he equipped Ena and used Flame's Enchantment on it.

Afterwards he used Magical Perception on his sword, there he saw the red hue of the Flame's Enchantment and tried to change its form.

He forced it to move towards the blade of the sword, the reason for doing this was even though Myriad had a huge mana pool, he would try to decrease the quantity needed for using magic by having the same effect.

Since in the future, who knows if he's going to need to modify such things, it was important to start now.

He tried swinging the blade and it looked as if it had the same effect, making it so that the flame would go to the blade was harder than expected, especially if he wanted to reduce the mana cost.

But it was worth it, finishing almost all of his theories he figured out that he would need to use his time now to train.

He first warmed up a little bit to stretch his muscles and then he started to run inside the forest, using the least damaging spells while running.

He didn't even care when a beast was chasing him, he could just use a Fire Bolt to scare it off.

He Wind Pushed every corners while he was running and Rock Budged every stones around him.

He used Aqua Bubble on numerous plants to help them grow while they all increased his skill experience.

Myriad kept running and studying his landscape, after a long and harsh task he received an unexpected skill.

New Skill: You have learned Mental Cartography.

Increases your speed at memorizing maps.

Every time you memorize a map, increases your wisdom.

Map memorized (1) : Forest of Gamaw. +2 wisdom.

"Mental Cartography: Forest of Gamaw."

When he did it an actual map showed up in front of his expressionless face.

It recorded every locations he went through, although it didn't record much else.

It was only useful for the wisdom it gave though, since Myriad had photographic memory.

Oh well, one more or one less, it doesn't really matter.

He also received a few messages signalling an increase of stamina and skill experience.

It was no wonder since almost an entire day passed when he was running.

He rested for 30 minutes and went to meet Yor'Wan.