Viers had been in this place for a long time.

He didn’t know exactly how long but he knew it must have been more than a month. The lack of day and night cycle messed up his sense of time. Viers was sleeping sporadically and unreliably, the tiredness because of the constant walking in an inhospitable desert worn out his body’s stamina and his mind’s sanity.

The rest time he received became less and less generous. He no longer gifted with nighttime. The food and water were given purely as fuel to make the machine known as the body to work despite the abuse it suffered. His food lately was a rock-hard black bread and some nuts. When he thought it couldn't get worse, his water changed. It tasted muddy and unrefreshing.

He wondered why he didn’t get sick or suffer from heatstroke. He reckoned it wouldn’t be strange if his body just shut down like a broken car. Whether it was a miracle or because of this strange space, Viers didn’t really care.

The silver lining in this hellish trial was how thin he became. An extended journey through a desert was a great loss-weight program. And he became friends with his ghostly traveling companion. Viers and Kala forged a stronger bond of friendship during the time they spent together, no longer strangers to each other. They talked a lot about many things, and it helped Viers to have someone to talk to.

***

A humanoid thing was fighting the inclining sand dunes, his limbs were bony and his complexion wasn’t healthy. He was wearing red rags as his clothes, no different than a beggar.

He slipped and fell down the slopes. There, he stayed immobile, his stamina had dried up like water on a desert.

“Hang on Viers, rest time is coming,” Kala said.

“...No,” Viers weakly said with his dried-up throat.

“No? But-”

Viers cut her off.

“I’ll continue without any more of that,” Viers’ voice was weak but his determination wasn’t gone yet.

Viers crawled to the top of the dune, it was the highest dune in the area. He hoped he could see the desert’s edge when he reached the top.

After a strenuous effort, he made it. He had a sliver of hope, despite being denied of it countless times during his stay here; that this was it and he could see the finish line.

What entered his sight was more desert as far as the eyes can see, his disappointment reached the peak.

“Ha… hahah… HAHAHAAHA!”

In his despair and chagrin, Viers laughed.

“BRING IT ON!”

Viers roared a challenge to the sun and stepped forward, his eyes were burning like a madman.

That step never completed, for the ground disappeared and Viers plummeted into a body of water.

Viers was shocked but it was a pleasant kind of surprise. After all the time he spent in a desert, any water was like a gift from the heavens. The pool was shallow, only waist-deep. Viers stood above the waterline after his feet found the bottom.

He was in the middle of a pool with water sparkling like diamonds. Viers happily took gulp after gulp of water to satisfy his thirst.

“Bwaah!” Viers blurted out to breathe, it was a satisfaction like no other. He saw Kala looked at him happily.

“Congratulations, you passed the second trial,” her sweet voice reached his ear.

Viers clenched his fist and thrust it towards the sky. It was the greatest triumph of his life.

“YEESSS!”

***

“Figures,” Viers dejectedly said while looking at his fat belly.

After the scene at the glowing pool, Viers returned to the hall with three doors. His body also returned to fatness.

It was all an illusion, a dream, a soul journey, or something similar. That’s why I don’t get sick and die despite the lack of healing factor and the harsh journey.

Viers took a moment to regain his bearings and conversed with his lamia princess friend. She said he had been in the second trial for almost three months but only a few hours passed in the real world. To Kala’s surprise, Viers’ regret was the return of the fat to his body.

All that diet and slimming effort, was for nothing… shit.

But it was what it was, no use for crying over spilled milk. He took control of his emotions and get his head on the thing that mattered. He had come this far and his last trial awaits. Viers looked at the center door warily.

“…Kala, what’s the purpose of your people making this trial? I mean, you people even prepared a grand gift in the end. You said even if the challengers didn’t succeed, they will still be rewarded based on their results from the lamia treasury. Giving treasures to strangers thousands of years in the future including that super prize. A second Aspect definitely isn’t common even in the Era of the Gods, right? Why did you guys make this trial grounds?” Viers voiced his question.

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

“…For hope,” Kala’risyah replied simply. “The First Apocalypse War, roughly year 900 to 1000, brought an end like no other. The devastation it caused tore the world asunder, countless lives were lost. All gods fell except one and only seven devils survived the war. We barely defeated the devils. After the devils successfully sealed in hell, Goddess Estelle led us to a new era of peace and prosperity.”

“But so few remained of my people it wouldn’t be strange if the lamias went extinct. The Lamia Queen decided to build this place to give power to those who prove themselves worthy, the power to prevent the final coming of the apocalypse. That shall be our legacy, evidence of our existence as a race.”

To combat the apocalypse… Does that mean Armageddon is brewing on the horizon? Of course it is, I’m a reincarnator in a fantasy world. World-ending event is a must. How predictable…how exciting!

Viers was on fire by the revelation, a great doom is coming… and he would be ready for it.

“Well, at least the latest apocalypse didn’t seem to arrive today. Alright, let’s start the last trial.”

“Yes, may the Goddess light your path,” Kala prayed for him.

I think she would darken my path instead because I’m not a good person.

Viers kept his thoughts to himself and opened the center door. They both entered the final trial.

***

It was a black space, except for the sense of standing on the ground, Viers couldn’t see or feel anything.

“Kala?” Viers called but no answer came.

Wreathed in golden light, Kala’risyah appeared in front of him. Her eyes shined with golden light.

“Kal… no, you’re not her. Lamia Queen?” Viers sharpened his eyes.

“Correct, we borrowed our descendant’s soul body to manifest. Welcome, fourth challenger of the trials.” Her way of speaking and body movement was different from Kala.

We? Royal we?

“Oookay, shall we get to the trial, or do we need to talk first?” Viers didn’t panic and nudged the conversation forward.

“We’ve been watching you. Your valor was barely passable but your determination was commendable, yet the most important trial is yet to come.” The Lamia Queen spoke with regality and charisma.

“The last usually is,” Viers was not impressed but didn’t show disrespect.

“We will judge you if you’re worthy of our legacy,” Kala’s voice rang clear but it was not her. “The third trial, the trial of character. Your true self will prove your worthiness.”

Shit!

Viers cursed, he expected this, and he feared it.

A figure appeared in this black space, a white figure. A man-sized puppet.

“You found something precious on the road, you took it. Later on, you met a person searching for that item. What would you do?”

As the Lamia Queen spoke, a scene just like she described appeared before Viers. He saw the puppet walking on the road, took the item and put it in its pocket, the puppet met a person with worried look searching all over the road, that person asked the puppet about the item.

“If the item is useful to me, I will take it. If not, I’ll return it to him.”

Viers’ mouth spoke by itself, he had no control of it and what he was saying. His answer leaked through his mouth without falsehood.

Heh, so this is how it’s gonna be... so be it.

Viers could do nothing except continued on with the trial. He had sailed on a boat and there’s no going back.

“You found a person attacked by a monster on your journey, what would you do?”

The scenery changed when the Lamia Queen spoke. The previous scenery faded away like smoke and a new one took over its place. The puppet was now bearing his likeness and no longer entirely white-colored, it met a lizard-like monster in the midst of attacking other people. The real Viers watched together with the Lamia Queen beside him. It was like watching an opera, with him as the main actor.

“Help if can defeat the monster easily, avoid if the monster if it’s too strong,” the real Viers spoke and the puppet Viers walked away in the scene.

“You found a loved one attacked by a monster on your journey, what would you do?”

Same scenario, but the random person changed into his loved one, Viers had no hesitation.

“Same answer as before,” Viers spoke unperturbed.

“You and your lifelong friend journeyed together. In a cave, both of you found a life-extending magical plant. What would you do?”

“Depends on the life-extending. If it’s so much more precious than my friend, I will kill my friend and take the plant for myself. If the friend’s value is greater, discuss how to fairly divide the loot.”

“You were challenged to a duel you cannot win. Your honor was at stake. What would you do?”

“If the honor in question is not too important, I won’t even bother to show up for the fight. If the honor is important, find a way to win even with a dishonorable method. Poisoning, assassination, bribe, killing the judge, and so on.”

“Your mother is sick, only by sacrificing your life she could be saved. What would you do?”

“I will find a way so she can peacefully pass on. After I became a god or found a resurrection method, I’ll revive her.” Viers spoke about such craziness without batting an eye.

“Your bitter enemy had taken your family and loved one hostage. He demanded you to come to a deadly trap or he would kill them. Your enemy was much stronger than you. What would you do?”

“Take the enemy’s family and loved one hostage in return. If that is not possible, I will let them die, I will grieve for them, and I will bestow my enemy a fate worse than death when I’m able… He will regret doing that, I guarantee it.” Viers’ voice was coated with frozen spite.

“Because you killed a man, that man’s son hunted your daughter. He killed her despite your pleas and you’re unable to catch him. He swore to kill another of your family. What would you do?”

“That won’t happen. I’ll always hide my identity before killing someone potentially dangerous so they won’t know it’s me. And if I killed a father, I’ll make sure his son, daughter, wife, friend, disciple, and every potential revenge chaser dead before they could do so. And I’ll only have a family after I’m strong enough to protect them from something like this so this scenario is an impossibility.” Viers spoke with absolute certainty.

“A devil offered to give you everything you desire, in exchange for servitude. What would you do?”

“No deal, I will never be a slave. Not ever.”

“A devil granted you power because of your actions. What would you do?”

“If the power is controllable, use it. If not, throw it away.”

“A fiend was attacking the kingdom, only you had the power to match it. If you fought it, it would end in your mutual death but the kingdom would be saved, along with millions of its population. What would you do?”

“Find another way to defeat the fiend. If that is not possible, let the kingdom destroyed and defeat it after I became stronger.”

“Devils had invaded the world. What would you do?”

“If their sole purpose is destruction, protect the world and kill them all. If they threatened my well-being and interest, kill them all. If they turned out to be only folks branded as devils by hypocrites, we can chill and hang out, in the premise I’m stronger than the devils.”

“You’re a criminal and a heretic. Because of your foul deeds, you’re hunted by every people, every race, and every angel throughout the world. What would you do?”

“Slaughter them all, until they know the folly of their actions.”

Viers watched his puppet creating mountains of corpses.