There was no time to waste, Arin quickly touched as many runes as he could. The siphoning of power was instantaneous so the only thing preventing him from getting stronger was how fast he could gather it.
On Elliot’s side, he was trying to do the very same thing as Arin. He was going as fast as possible to ensure that he could gain as much strength as possible. The pressure from both Arin and the remaining time was forcing him to act much more rashly than he normally would.
For the first time in Elliot’s life, he had finally managed to grasp upon a fragment of what power feels like. His veins were surging with strength. He felt as if he could do anything and no one could defeat him. He quickly shook his head as he regained clarity on the situation.
Elliot looked at Arin and saw that his overall speed and strength were well beyond what he had achieved right now. It seems as if this strength was multiplicative instead of additive. This meant that the stronger your base form was, the higher your peak would be.
“Alclair, I’m sorry but I need to ask you a favor,” Elliot mumbled beside him. He then pointed at the golem at the side of the room. “Can you distract the golem?”
Alclair was stupefied, this was not part of the plan that Elliot told him. He wanted to ask but seeing his expression, it seemed as if this was intentional on his end. There was something that Elliot was planning that didn’t involve him.
Even with such a revelation, Alclair wasn’t angry. “I understand.” He had already sworn his loyalty to his friend, this was just him playing his part.
Alclair ran away directly at the golem. He had also been powering up this entire time which meant that his specs were that much higher than before. The golem tried to swing its slow arms at him but he easily dodged it.
Back when Arin glanced at Elliot, he knew that he wanted him to do one particular thing. This meant that Elliot had withheld information from his teammates. As counter-intuitive as it was, getting a Perfect Clear was just far too valuable to give up.
The monsters that the obelisk had summoned were starting to catch up on both Arin and Elliot. Sensing the disparity in strength between their two targets, the creatures summoned from the lower half symbols of the obelisk went after Elliot while the upper half went after Arin.
An ephemeral snake slithered from the side, immediately pouncing on Elliot. With how much power Elliot had stored up, he saw the snake move slower than how he perceived it before. He could see the trajectory of the snake and could even pinpoint where it would land.
Elliot quickly intercepted the snake and grabbed it by its throat, rendering this slighting serpent completely powerless. He gripped tightly causing it to break apart, disappearing into a mist of glowing lights. From the distance, another pathway opened up with the corresponding symbol that the snake had. The lightened pathway was tempting Elliot to finish up yet he knew that there was something that still had to be done.
“Testing me whether can I figure out the puzzle. Mina really helped us a lot here. If not for her doing that one thing we wouldn’t have realized what we were missing. I should scout her out, she’s a talent for sure.” Elliot seriously pondered his options.
“After all, if I want to beat the son of a Labyrinth Solver, I need as much help as I possibly can. I don’t think even Fiona can force Arin into submission.” He glanced at another incoming creature. Feeling much more confident than before, Elliot went to it in a rush.
After quickly dispatching it, the bright shining moon on the floor started to light it up even harder. This was telling everyone that the time was getting near. Once the moon had fully shined, illuminating this room in its white light would be the moment everything finished.
The mysterious youth, Noah, was watching from the other side of the world. He could see a few bits and pieces of the world that the other three were seeing. Other than the aftermath, there was nothing else. He had been watching everything unfold before his very eyes without interfering at all.
“Arin and Elliot’s been trying to build their power up while Alclair started to distract whatever it was that attacked it earlier. Very interesting.” Noah was patiently waiting for the moon to shine its brightest.
From the other side of the room, Arin had been constantly running the entire time, not even paying heed to the horde that was following him from behind. He had a much more important goal in mind, gathering as much power as possible.
“Elliot’s moving as I expected while that guy still hasn’t revealed his true motive yet,” Arin observed the situation as he was about to finally finish gathering the few bits of runes left. At the same time, Elliot had also managed to fill his capacity as well, now it was finally time for the grand reveal.
With two people from the two opposite corners of the room, they both looked at each other and nodded. “Now! Destroy the obelisk!” Arin roared.
Both of them had no hesitation as they both tried to immediately go after the standing obelisk in the middle. Although all the symbols on it had already disappeared, the overbearing pressure that it gave off remained. The very beginning and end of the room, it was quite a fitting ending result.
Ruins… what could it else be than to destroy the obelisk? That girl tore a piece of the obelisk away to destroy her clothing. If my calculations are correct, with such a low-value symbol she should only have a Completion Rate of 50% at most. Arin was so sure of this answer.
Elliot had also seen Mina use the obelisk to make her mark. Arin had tested whether he noticed this key detail. Elliot had the feeling that if he didn’t realize this then his value in Arin’s eyes would plummet to an unsalvagable degree. He needed to be perfect in his decisions.
With two powerhouses rushing in from two different angles, the obelisk would surely be destroyed. It was essentially a forgone conclusion.
“So that’s what it was.” Noah smiled and looked at Arin and Elliot placing all their attention towards the obelisk. “Too bad, I had another plan in mind.” Noah raised his foot and slammed it down on the ground. There glowed a symbol of the moon etched on his feet.
At once, the bright glow from the moon on the floor immediately surged into Noah, completely powering him up to an unbelievable degree. The one last light source from the room was snuffed out. Even the creatures that were summoned earlier disappeared into dust. The golem was no exception, as it was about to slam its hands onto the ground one more time, it shattered and all its power surged into Noah.
Alclair noticed this one key point and gritted his teeth, “Oh no, you don’t!” Alclair shoved his hand into the disappearing golem, siphoning most of its power before it could reach Noah. This gave quite a considerable amount of power.
Countless shocked faces filled the room. Even Sefi was confused about what was happening. At once, she glanced at the only person who could have any possible idea what was happening, Professor Ferial.
Seeing the confusion amidst the classroom, Professor Ferial sighed. She was also genuinely surprised at the fact that this was how it all turned out. “This was supposed to be a month-long exercise… freaks…”
This trial, The Moon Runic Ruins, was a class project that would force them to learn how a Trial works. They were supposed to be cocky and choose the easy way out with some bright ones figuring out there was something hidden within it.
The expected Completion Rate this time around was 40-60%, after all, this was the easiest value to achieve and what most people would generally be able to get on their first try. As for Professor Ferial’s expectations of both Elliot and Arin, she had expected them to choose another approach.
As appealing as Barlot’s Completion Rate of 91%, it was a relatively difficult path that would be nigh impossible to achieve. After all, if you think about it, when doing a maze, even though the path that seems to lead you closest to the end might not necessarily be the correct one. The same logic applies here.
The genuine way to achieve a Perfect Clear through brute force was fighting every single creature alone without powering yourself up. Such a herculean task wasn’t something a Maze Solver could manage, even some Bind Solvers would have difficulty completing this task.
This world was much more cruel than one would give it credit for. This means that those who could achieve greatness despite such troubles would be in high regard.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
Professor Ferial’s attention was placed on Noah for one reason, and one reason alone. He was trying something that everyone else didn’t even consider. This caught her attention after all, these trials were filled with error, and having someone who could think outside the box would be a greatly appreciated Solver to be with.
“Though there are always prodigies outside common sense… like Fiona. If only she wasn’t so kind then the city would sooner or later fall into her hands. Even then, this is quite a coincidence, she did this exact same Trial back then. Hah, if you compare what she did here to what she can do now then it’s laughable that she’s only a second-year student with her skill.” Professor Ferial was getting fed up with how fate was that cruel to favor one person specifically.
Looking back at her class, she could see that everyone was still waiting for her explanation. “Tch, listen here, what you’re seeing here is either a Perfect Clear in the making or a failed defense.”
Barlot noticed the oddity in her words, “A failed… defense? So you’re telling us that the kid in the back who’s always reading his books… is on track for a Perfect Clear?”
Professor Ferial looked at Barlot up and down, “You’re smarter than you look. Anyways, as far as those three, the best they can do is 95%.”
Everyone looked at each other to make sure that they were hearing it right. They had all seen Arin, Elliot, and Alclair do their best in trying to get a Perfect Clear yet the closest person who could achieve it at this point was the one person who hadn’t done anything at all but watch.
“That’s unfair…” One student mumbled out these words.
“Life isn’t fair, Trials aren’t fair. If you want to succeed as a Solver then you should embrace the fact that everything is unfair.” Professor Ferial wasn’t annoyed that someone voiced their opinion. She finally offered some advice. “Use everything to your advantage. Playing fair is the same as shooting yourself in the foot.”
“Now shut up and watch everything unfold. This should be quite interesting.” Professor Ferial noted the time. “Two minutes, can Noah hold out for two minutes? Possibly.”
Inside the trial room, three students were surrounding one person. The person in the middle was quite casual as he placed most of his attention towards Arin, the only person he was genuinely worried about.
“In quite a predicament, aren’t we?” Noah could barely see in the dark yet he could sense any fluctuation in the air. Every single light source in the room was gone except for his vibrantly glowing body.
Arin wasted no time, “Distract him.” Arin immediately rushed forward to try and get past Noah. Noah saw this and reacted accordingly. Based on the amount of power he had accumulated, he was far stronger than the three of them combined. If it came down to it then he could easily get rid of them.
The only problem was that he had no idea just how fragile the obelisk was. If he let up for even a single moment then he could possibly lose it all. Making a mockery out of himself.
Elliot and Alclair knew what this meant even without Arin explaining it. They both rushed in at the obelisk. They were completely ignoring Noah in hopes that they could land an attack at the obelisk, breaking it apart.
Noah realized that Arin’s words were a fluke, he immediately came to stop both Elliot and Alclair first. Even without Elliot realizing it, he was struck by a kick that sent him reeling back to the wall. He coughed out as he tried to check if anything was broken.
As for Alclair, since he was much more battle-oriented than Elliot, Noah had to use two attacks on him. The first one was a direct jab to his gut which Alclair managed to block by raising his knee. As for the other one, it took advantage of Alclair’s weak balance to land a direct hit on his other leg, snapping his femur in two.
Alclair screamed out in pain as one of his legs was broken. Even so, he tried to get one hit back on him to no avail. Noah was just too fast, with his physical attributes being off the charts, even touching his clothes would be considered as a feat.
After grabbing Alclair’s collar and throwing him back, Noah could finally focus on the biggest threat, Arin Theo.
Arin was running towards the obelisk, almost within arm’s reach when Noah appeared by his side, aiming to pierce his body. Sensing danger, Arin jumped to the side, trying to avoid the spear-like hand coming after him.
Noah jumped after him, trying to grab ahold of Arin so he wouldn’t be able to get away anymore. Seeing this, Arin smiled as his plan worked out as he had intended. As Noah was trying to redirect him away, he needed to slam his body away and at that moment, Arin would bring out his Fragment to inflict some kind of damage on Noah.
The following series of events gave Arin that bit of edge. As Arin had much more experience in combat than anyone in the trial, he accurately managed to stab Noah’s thigh in exchange for Noah crushing his other hand.
Arin was sent flying back into the wall with much greater force than with how much Noah used on Elliot and Alclair combined.
“As expected, you can’t just take a loss…” Noah gritted his teeth in pain. From this exchange, it was clear that Arin had the upper hand. This was ludicrous. He had the most power within this Maze Trial yet he still suffered a loss.
As much as one would want to not be able to feel pain, Noah could see a gaping hole in his leg, severely limiting his mobility. He wasn’t adept at handling pain, he had learned a few skills but pain wasn’t something one could just read about. It was something one had to experience.
On Arin’s side, despite in being a much more gruesome state with his left hand being completely crushed, he didn’t even give it attention. With his Fragment in hand, this indestructible pen was about to face off against someone who could quite easily dodge him. This was going to be a rough battle.
Elliot and Arin were ready to try one more time. As for Alclair, he was struggling even more. He was essentially deadweight right now. He couldn’t be useful with his broken leg holding him back. He couldn’t put any pressure on it unless he wanted to experience excruciating pain.
As Arin was coming back in for round two, Alclair and Elliot were conversing.
“Elliot, come here!” Alclair yelled out to Elliot who was right beside him. “I don’t think I can help out anymore. Can you… try to get my glow?”
Elliot knew what Alclair was trying to say. He tried to do so and placed his hand on Alclair's body. After a brief moment, they realized that it wasn’t working.
“As expected, it doesn’t work.” Alclair gritted his teeth and felt completely hopeless. “Elliot… there’s only one way. I shouldn’t permanently…”
Hearing Alclair suggest his own death, Elliot immediately drew a line, “No! This is just practice, there’s no reason to go this far!”
“I knew that you wouldn’t.” Alclair took in a deep breath and made pointed two fingers and shoved them into his neck. “Go get a Perfect Clear.”
The glow held within Alclair’s rune all surged to his surroundings. It would’ve returned back to the walls within Trial yet Elliot didn’t dare let his sacrifice be in vain. He used his etched rune to absorb everything back.
Professor Ferial saw Alclair suddenly do something so insane that it caused her to look at him at a better light. To act like that despite knowing it was safe didn’t just take guts, it also took having a screw loose.
“Alclair Orsten, Completion Rate 0%.” Professor Ferial’s voice echoed throughout the entire Trial.
Back in the classroom, Alclair opened his eyes. He was immediately greeted by a few shocked faces. Such determination to do such an act wasn’t something they would ever see in this situation. Alclair sighed and his gamble paid off. He placed his attention on the screen in front of him and realized that everyone was watching what happened. This made him a little embarrassed.
Noah glanced back and raged, “Dammit! I didn’t think they would be this extreme! Arin I can’t believe you actually forced them to go that far.”
Arin narrowed his eyes and glanced at Elliot, “I didn’t know Alclair had that in him. That changes things a bit…” Smiling, he immediately came forward at Noah, fully going in without any regard for self-preservation.
Elliot didn’t stay there dazed, there was something more important he needed to do. He had to break the obelisk and finally finish everything.
Just a practice for a trial is already this bloody… What happens if it’s real? If Alclair would be willing to go this far… just what would Arin dare not do? Elliot shuddered at the thought.
Noah was faced with Arin’s crazed attacks. For whatever reason, Arin was extremely skilled in the art of mutual destruction. If he would take a fatal attack, then he was sure to inflict a fatal attack back. Even with Noah’s increased physical capabilities, Arin’s Fragment was more than enough to bridge the gap.
Constantly being at an onslaught, Noah couldn’t just leave and go handle Elliot who was directly aiming for the obelisk. He was completely stuck. If only his opponent wasn’t a madman like Arin then he could’ve easily gotten out.
“This is why people call you a lunatic!” Noah wanted to pierce Arin’s chest with his hand yet if he continued on then his head would be pierced by his pen. This caused him to dodge it fully. If he gave out a half-hearted attack then he would only be met with a greater injury than his opponent.
Fighting in this way was extremely suffocating, the only way this would end was if they would take an attack from each other. Seeing Elliot almost reach the obelisk, he needed to end this fast even if it meant losing in the exchange.
Elliot was so close, all he needed to do was take a few more steps and he could finally unleash everything to break the obelisk apart.
The moon below their feet had reached a point of blinding them. The pure white void still couldn’t stop them from stopping their highly tense battle.
Noah was only mere seconds away from finishing his task of protecting the obelisk. He decided to bite the bullet and run away from Arin’s attacks. This caused his leg to be cut off by Arin’s Fragment, causing Noah’s already hindered movement to be even slower.
Noah gritted the pain and faced against Elliot, who was completely unaware. He unleashed one attack to finally finish Elliot off. Far too many things were at stake at this point. Noah was about to grab ahold of Elliot’s chest when an extremely blinding light flashed. Even preventing those who were watching from seeing the outcome.
“Elliot Bandgerette, Completion Rate 0%.”
“Noah Blight, Completion Rate 0%.”
“Arin Theo, Perfect Clear.” Professor Ferial’s voice was a little shaken. Never had she expected this to happen. Such a reversal was completely questionable to the point that she even wondered if there was some kind of mistake.
“Hahahahaha! Arin, you sick man. Taking the fruits of someone else’s labor. You didn’t disappoint me.” Professor Ferial was laughing out loud to the dismay of everyone in the classroom. That one blinding flash prevented them from seeing the final outcome.
Arin slowly opened his eyes, there was still intense bloodlust from within that he didn’t even bother hiding. As soon as someone looked at him, they felt as if their very safety was in question.
“I… I don’t get it. What happened?” Sefi innocently asked as she looked at Arin. She was genuinely expecting an answer from him. Arin gave Elliot a glance. Everyone now looked at him.
Elliot saw everyone questioning him and he weakly sighed. He saw Alclair sitting in his seat and that was more than enough for him. This had been quite a stressful event for him.