At the dawn of the following day, a man clad in full black was perusing an odd artifact in his hands. It was a scroll that contained the biography of quite an influential figure of a distant past. Closing the scroll, he couldn’t help but be amazed at how Kian had managed to get something so valuable.
“I have to say, I never expected to get something of this quality.” He kept the scroll in his inner pocket, carefully ensuring that nothing could ruin the text contained within it. “This should be enough contribution for an entire year. You did well.”
“So are you going to hold up your end of the bargain?” Kian knew his place as this person’s subordinate but that didn’t mean that he would back down and appeal to his every whim.
“I don’t want to interfere more than I already have. Choose something else.”
“You said you would make sure that the Western District won’t have any intruders for the time being. What changed?” Kian clenched his fists in anger. He had been going through numerous contacts and connections to keep his place under control.
“The other Labyrinth Solvers have started working together to bring you down. If I make a move against that then the entire fragile balance that the City of Sin has would immediately fall apart. I can’t just get rid of whoever I want. The upcoming threat isn’t something a single person would be able to handle on their own.”
Kian couldn’t help but gnash his teeth. He understood that despite having the power to get rid of the majority of his enemies, it would do more harm than good. Actions have consequences, if he pushed further than he needed to then he would be destroying his future with his own hands.
“You have made contact with other Labyrinth Solvers, I’m sure of it. All I need is an in-name alliance to stop them from interfering any further. I don’t want to push the expedition any sooner.”
“If an in-name alliance is all you need then I can do that. I just have to warn you, no one will act if anything actually does happen.” The man clad in black walked off.
Kian heard his parting words and started rubbing his temples. Trouble was brewing more than he would’ve liked. The current situation was looking more and more dire by the day. If he wanted to get through this period then he would need to start gathering his own forces.
“The only problem is… who’s left?” Kian was finally facing the consequences of ruling with an iron thumb. He had solidified his position as one of the strongest Labyrinth Solvers of the City of Sin, letting him personally rule the Western District by himself.
Through a mountain of corpses and a river of blood, he had grabbed ahold of this position. Other than those massive organizations and academies, he was free to do as he wished. As such, everyone who had defied him was nothing but corpses left.
One after another, a Labyrinth Solver from the Western District fell. He had given everyone an ultimatum, whether they would die or serve him. The benefits weren’t small as he managed to monopolize most of the resources in the Western District, the only problem was that this was not sustainable long-term.
From the lack of manpower, the Western District had shrunken to the point that it was barely a third of what it used to be. Kian had wished to keep this much territory but failed to do so. The only upside was that within the remaining territory he had, he had full control.
This internal conflict forced the Western District to falter, resulting in the weakest District in the city. With the only person that was able to hold it together being Kian, the other districts had started eying this place, in hopes of consuming it.
If it was any other person, this territory would’ve already been lost. Kian’s reputation was that much of a deterrence against everyone. Unfortunately for him, people have started getting greedy to the point that he was getting backed into a corner.
Too bad he had one singular weakness, his son. He was unable to protect Arin against so many enemies. He cannot escape outside The Boundary since Arin still hasn’t grown that much yet. He cannot stay within the City of Sin since there are far too many enemies lurking within it. He needed to do something to break the status quo.
It was understandable why Kian had been so desperate. He had sent Arin to Seal Academy to receive their protection. He had even created his own personal enslaved army underground to solely protect him. Alongside all other numerous methods.
“With all that happening to me, I still have to look out for when all hell breaks loose. Life’s just putting one weight on my back one after the other.” Kian took a deep breath to realign his thoughts. “But this isn’t enough to make my knees buckle. At least before Arin becomes a Seal Solver, I can’t fall apart. Just have to keep moving forward. Just… keep going.”
Kian disappeared, leaving no tracks behind. A few stalkers arrived at their location, trying to gain anything they could use to further their own organization’s goal. They were about to examine the scene when black crystals suddenly sprouted from below their feet, encasing them in pure darkness.
~~~
Facing the very same trial that had nearly taken his life, Arin had managed to formulate a more concise plan within his mind. He was now aiming for a Perfect Clear.
Using the clues he had gotten from last time and using newfound information he received from another Trial, he was now much more confident in achieving a Perfect Clear.
The improvement in his physique was more of a safety net than anything. The angel was still a creature that he wouldn’t have been able to fight against at all. It served as a blockade that no normal person should be able to deal with.
Of course, Arin was confident that if someone managed to kill the angel then they would be given a Perfect Clear. The only problem was that who was strong enough to realize that goal? As far as Arin knew, even if Fiona came to fight against the angel, she should still have some trouble since Malum was restricted.
A Labyrinth Solver might be able to do it. He still didn’t know just what differentiates a Seal Solver from a Labyrinth Solver. This was a pure guess based on the sheer scarcity of them.
Entering the Maze-level Trial, Arcane Truth, he chose the very same option as last time. The white void colored itself with a grim brick cover as he was placed back in the same cell as last time. Without wasting any time, he tore apart the restraints with sheer ease, bending the cell bars.
He kept the restraints on his person, not making the same mistake as last time.
“Stop right-” The same guard came over to stop him. He was immediately silenced with one motion.
Previously, Arin had ignored the other prisoners but with what he knew, he tore all the jail doors open. He had given every single prisoner here freedom. As he was letting everyone go, he saw the same guy who managed to get the furthest last time.
“Luther?” This man was confused as to how Luther managed to get this strong all of a sudden.
“Get straight to the point. How do we get out of here?” Arin knew that this was the official way that they managed to get out. With this person’s help, he would be able to get out of here.
“You… How did you get so strong?” He was flabbergasted at this sudden change. The previously acknowledged as a wastrel was now casually breaking open iron with his bare hands.
Arin looked down on him, not saying anything else. His gaze was more than enough to let him know the consequences of not following his orders.
“I understand.” Seeing Arin’s personal prowess, there was no point in sending himself to the afterlife. He obediently showed Arin the way out.
The other patrolling guards came forward and were quickly dispatched off. Arin’s current strength was already nearing the limit of the human body. It would be hard to find someone who could match his current prowess except for those special talents.
As the man led the way, the two of them managed to reach the circular staircase and went up. Seeing the same empty royal throne room, the young man showed a relieved expression. He then went to the throne, unlocking a certain mechanism, showing a small trapdoor appear.
With nothing else better to do, most of the prisoners followed right behind them from a distance. They didn’t dare openly follow right behind them since they were afraid of Arin’s brutal strength.
Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.
“Is this it?” Arin looked at the trap door and couldn’t help but be impressed. “I searched this place last time but I didn’t find anything out of the ordinary… Do I need someone who’s specialized in this in the future?”
Arin could see just how difficult the future Trials would be. He specialized in combat and battle, the more intricate matters such as cryptic symbols and patterns, he didn’t bother with them. If he had someone who could do this for him then it would greatly aid him in the future.
“Will Noah be enough for this?” Arin muttered to himself as he went to take the treasure first. They had a lot of time left but it was better if they managed to reduce any risks. The same chest was still lying there, still looking as unassuming as always.
Entering the trap door, everyone else followed right behind him. There wasn’t a single suspenseful moment as they reached the end. As they saw the end of the tunnel, the prisoners rejoiced and escaped.
Arin was quickly teleported teleported back. “Perfect Clear.”
After knowing everything that he needed to do, there wasn’t a need to fight against the angel at all. Taking this route let him easily get a Perfect Clear without any issues at all.
He felt his entire body manifest an extremely dense amount of Malum. This was uncontained, uncontrolled, unowned Malum. The density of such was so thick that even Fiona’s Malum had no other choice but to recede some of its position to it.
Once Arin managed to receive his Fragment then his strength would soar to heights that he had been building the foundation for his entire life. The power he would gain would undoubtedly be earth-shattering.
Seeing Arin leave, Rion immediately came to, bringing along numerous pills and herbs to mitigate any injuries that Arin received. Upon seeing that Arin wasn’t even scratched, he was relieved that he didn’t need to worry about anything.
As per Arin’s order, not a single person other than Rion was here. Everyone was ordered to not enter within an entire kilometer of Arin’s position. They didn’t know why Arin was being so drastic but as per his orders, no one dared defy him.
Before Arin, an entire gram of Essence appeared, floating in mid-air. This powdered substance was the same quality as the ones he had consumed last time. It was safe to say that this was extremely valuable.
Rion presented Arin with a vial. He was trying to let Arin collect his spoils without intervening too much.
“Collect it yourself. After that, leave. I’ll handle everything by myself.”
Rion was taken aback but since Arin had ordered him, he had to follow through it. “I’ll leave some rejuvenating pills just in case.”
Arin didn’t reject the notion at all. He would most certainly need something to accommodate him after he goes in. The danger he was about to face wasn’t something he could just so easily ignore.
As Rion quickly left, he had met up with the rest. Emilia and the rest of the Bind Solvers were standing by, waiting for any orders that may come from Arin.
“Do we just stand here doing nothing?” Emilia saw Rion come back and questioned him. She didn’t understand why there was so much security behind what Arin was about to do.
“You clearly don’t know so shut your mouth.” Rion wasn’t as kind to them as before. Initially, he was advising them on how they should act but they ignored him and even disrespected him. There was no reason for him to react as kindly.
Emilia wanted to duke it out with Rion but recalling just how terrifying his attack was previously, she held her hand.
Rion narrowed his eyes and tried to refrain from sensing the area around Arin. He also didn’t know what was going on there but one thing was for sure, something purely sinister was about to happen. The feeling of fear and dread he had from coming into contact with it made his skin crawl.
He had vowed the moment he sensed that presence that he would never try to know what kind of secret Kian and Arin were hiding. It was the kind of revelation that he felt that only those who could be considered the strongest would know.
Emilia saw Rion acting weird and looked in the same direction. As soon as she looked, everything turned blank for a single moment. She kneeled down, unable to handle the pressure of even being this close.
“T-That… what the hell is that?! What’s going on?!” Emilia was panicking, never before had she felt something this ominous occur before. It was the same sensation of knowing that the world was ending with her being unable to change anything.
Every other Bind Solver in her party felt this omen of death as well. They even took it even worse than before. It was as if the sky was falling down and the only outcome was their demise. The other porters were also pressured but not as terribly as before.
“You don’t want to know.” Rion took a deep breath and created vines, forming a small shelter for them. The dreadful energy coming from this secret wasn’t something that any mortal should come into contact with. “As far as I could tell, only Kian had managed to cause this. And now… Arin can as well.”
Seeing the details of the Maze-level Trial change, Arin took this as his very first step into the world he was about to live. Everything up to this point had been easy, what he was about to face was something that would truly force him to grow.
Trial: Arcane Truth
Difficulty: Maze
Participants: 1
Restrictions: Unable to use Malum
Goal: Take the Treasure
Rewards: Malum
Sephirah: -33
̷̙̤̥̊͑́Ꞡ̸̛̥̖̱̯̈́͜ꝸ̴̦͐̏̿̕Ꙟ̵̤̰̲̤̈́̀͊̾ꓶ̸̨̠̫̰̘̽̋͌̑ⱴ̵̗͈͙̥̑̈́̋̃͗ꭁ̷̩̪̽̒̄͒̔ͅꭁ̸͇̜̀ἒ̴̹̲̳̺̥́̂̆͘͝ễ̴͔̞͂̅̎̀ج̵̻̇̒̀͊ݨ̸̗̺̪͗͒̽̿̕ڠ̸̬̖͊̊ջ̷̴̹͈̫̮͈̏͛̂͋̍̔͊͂̒͝ͅ
֍̸̰̫̮͖̇̇͐́̈́̂́̔۩̴͍͖̮̙͙͑̑̇͌́̓̎̒̾̉͋̆͝ͅڠ̶̡̰̞̩̟̬̪̭̫̬͖̹͈̋̅̃̅̈́̈͝Ⴟ̸̰̜̮̋͌̄̀̿͘ڀ̴̧̛̥̻̟̟̮̣̈́̂́̏̌͛̍̐͐͝ͅᴥ̶̨̢̯͙̪͙͓̬͔̿͛̍ﮮ̷͇̟̻̰͇͌̿͌͋͒́̋͊̐̊̈̌̚ͅﯚ̵̛̜̣̬̎͊͒͆̌̎̾̍̅ﺹ̸̢͖͚͉̤̖͉̬̟̭̈́̅ჭ̷̡͔̤͎͐̆͌́͗̄̅̍̚Ⴕ̵̼̱̘̫͙͆̆̈́̍͝֍̵̢͎̥̻̯͐̊̈́̿̽͆́̅́͝
Ѻ̴̢̭̪͔̤͈̳̩͍̥̥͓͙͛̃͝ԩ̶̧̱̟̣̣̻͖̖̹̭̗̇̈́̓́͝₰̴̤͍̰̦͕̲̬̐̐̇̅̈́́͂̕͝͝ꙮ̸̡̱͓̦̇͐̉̒͠͠ͅⴊ̷̛͓̟͍̗̼̟̯̦̪͓͇̇͛̀͋̀͛̓̈́̌̕ⴆ̴̢̨͈͕̩̙̮̳̳͖̀̾̄͘ᾈ̸̣̙̼̏͝Ꚍ̵̨̧̼̖̮͎͕̲̘̃͂͋͐̾͛̈́͛̕͝ﬨ̶̯̬̥̮̥̳͙͛̓͛͒́͆͒ﷺ̵̢̧̜͚̫̼͓̭̥̣̞̌̑́̐̿͜͜ﮃ̶̢̻̮̓̿ꜳ̶̢̣̜͇͎͙̣̰͚͓̱̱̙͒̒͒̀̊̍̊̏̆̅̒̔͠א̶ָ̧̳̣̼̗̘̒̉͜ﮋ̸̨̧̢̗͎͖͕̹̲̙̞͕́̌̚ͅპ̷̡̦̻̱̘̪̘̰͎̙͚̬͐̏̚̚͝Ჱ̵̡̢̻̲͔͙̿͋̈́́͋̆́ڄ̴̢̆̾͌̏Ყ̶̧̞͎̫̭̞̜̱͚̩͗͆̈́̊̆͆͐̑͂Ჱ̴̡̖͚̜͇͍̓̄͒͂̾Ә̵̛̛̟̹̭̙͔̣̟̲̬̽̀́̈̐̿̇͗͠Ԗ̷̨̪̻͉̯̮̻̉̈́ǂ̵͉̩̜̔̉̀̌ʢ̶̨̺͔͓̮͔̞͚͕̻̮́̇͌ͅ҉̷̡̢̯̩͓̖̘̫̦͍͎͚͋̃́̀̄̀͑͆̒̾͆͠
Arin came forward, the details before him were the same yet he had activated the true danger awaiting him.
“If I recall correctly, I just touch the Sephirah…” Arin reached out his hand, causing the change to be much more drastic than before. Previously, the only change that occurred was the door frame turning and twisting into a more sinister look. Now, the very core of the Trial was forcing him to back down.
Sephirah Trial: Arcane Price
Difficulty: Mazel
Participants: 1
Restrictions: Unable to use Malum
Goal: Kill the Intruder
Rewards: Secret Fragment
Sephirah: -33
̷̙̤̥̊͑́Ꞡ̸̛̥̖̱̯̈́͜ꝸ̴̦͐̏̿̕Ꙟ̵̤̰̲̤̈́̀͊̾ꓶ̸̨̠̫̰̘̽̋͌̑ⱴ̵̗͈͙̥̑̈́̋̃͗ꭁ̷̩̪̽̒̄͒̔ͅꭁ̸͇̜̀ἒ̴̹̲̳̺̥́̂̆͘͝ễ̴͔̞͂̅̎̀ج̵̻̇̒̀͊ݨ̸̗̺̪͗͒̽̿̕ڠ̸̬̖͊̊ջ̷̴̹͈̫̮͈̏͛̂͋̍̔͊͂̒͝ͅ
֍̸̰̫̮͖̇̇͐́̈́̂́̔۩̴͍͖̮̙͙͑̑̇͌́̓̎̒̾̉͋̆͝ͅڠ̶̡̰̞̩̟̬̪̭̫̬͖̹͈̋̅̃̅̈́̈͝Ⴟ̸̰̜̮̋͌̄̀̿͘ڀ̴̧̛̥̻̟̟̮̣̈́̂́̏̌͛̍̐͐͝ͅᴥ̶̨̢̯͙̪͙͓̬͔̿͛̍ﮮ̷͇̟̻̰͇͌̿͌͋͒́̋͊̐̊̈̌̚ͅﯚ̵̛̜̣̬̎͊͒͆̌̎̾̍̅ﺹ̸̢͖͚͉̤̖͉̬̟̭̈́̅ჭ̷̡͔̤͎͐̆͌́͗̄̅̍̚Ⴕ̵̼̱̘̫͙͆̆̈́̍͝֍̵̢͎̥̻̯͐̊̈́̿̽͆́̅́͝
Ѻ̴̢̭̪͔̤͈̳̩͍̥̥͓͙͛̃͝ԩ̶̧̱̟̣̣̻͖̖̹̭̗̇̈́̓́͝₰̴̤͍̰̦͕̲̬̐̐̇̅̈́́͂̕͝͝ꙮ̸̡̱͓̦̇͐̉̒͠͠ͅⴊ̷̛͓̟͍̗̼̟̯̦̪͓͇̇͛̀͋̀͛̓̈́̌̕ⴆ̴̢̨͈͕̩̙̮̳̳͖̀̾̄͘ᾈ̸̣̙̼̏͝Ꚍ̵̨̧̼̖̮͎͕̲̘̃͂͋͐̾͛̈́͛̕͝ﬨ̶̯̬̥̮̥̳͙͛̓͛͒́͆͒ﷺ̵̢̧̜͚̫̼͓̭̥̣̞̌̑́̐̿͜͜ﮃ̶̢̻̮̓̿ꜳ̶̢̣̜͇͎͙̣̰͚͓̱̱̙͒̒͒̀̊̍̊̏̆̅̒̔͠א̶ָ̧̳̣̼̗̘̒̉͜ﮋ̸̨̧̢̗͎͖͕̹̲̙̞͕́̌̚ͅპ̷̡̦̻̱̘̪̘̰͎̙͚̬͐̏̚̚͝Ჱ̵̡̢̻̲͔͙̿͋̈́́͋̆́ڄ̴̢̆̾͌̏Ყ̶̧̞͎̫̭̞̜̱͚̩͗͆̈́̊̆͆͐̑͂Ჱ̴̡̖͚̜͇͍̓̄͒͂̾Ә̵̛̛̟̹̭̙͔̣̟̲̬̽̀́̈̐̿̇͗͠Ԗ̷̨̪̻͉̯̮̻̉̈́ǂ̵͉̩̜̔̉̀̌ʢ̶̨̺͔͓̮͔̞͚͕̻̮́̇͌ͅ҉̷̡̢̯̩͓̖̘̫̦͍͎͚͋̃́̀̄̀͑͆̒̾͆͠
Seeing the goal change, he couldn’t help but feel his blood boil. The danger that had forced his hand previously was now the target of this Sephirah Trial. An entity that had forced him to a corner previously was now the target this time around.
What made it even worse was that Arin perfectly understood… the angel would be much more terrifying this time around. The sheer difference in strength between them was unquestioned. If Arin entered this Sephirah Trial then it was safe to say that his very life would be forfeit.
It didn’t matter how strong he was, it didn’t matter how much potential he had, if he died here then it would be all for naught.
“If it’s the same restriction then something changed. I’ve already achieved the limits of the human body. If I can’t do this then I refuse to believe anyone else can!” Arin roared at the top of his lungs. This was finally the time to show off just how far he was willing to go.
~~~
Within the middle of the Western District, Kian had been keeping most of the threats at bay. He was currently striking a deal with a few other Labyrinth Solvers in creating this in-name alliance. He was acting amicably, no matter how inferior they were to him, he still needed their help.
“Let’s move on to the allocation of resources.” Kian was about to pull out the compensation when he felt something devious loom over him. The sensation of a high-level Sephirah Trial awakening. The only person who could do this was…
“Arin!” Kian dropped everything at hand and ran off. Arin wasn’t supposed to do this so early on. He went as fast as possible, ignoring the shockwaves of destruction he had created. A Sephirah Trial was no joke, even he had to use everything at his disposal to barely complete one.
The other Labyrinth Solvers didn’t expect Kian to run off like that. He even manifested his armor, this showed just how dire it was for him. He was going all out to prevent something from happening.
From the distance, the man clad in black was also surprised at a Sephirah Trial suddenly occurring at a time like this. There were only a handful of people who could sense this disturbance.
“Arin… Let’s see just how valuable you really were.”
Within this limited amount of people, Fiona had her eyes closed, feeling a small breakthrough in her Combat Technique. Her unfocused mind was holding her slightly back. As she was about to attempt it one more time, she felt the weight of the entire world suddenly resting on her shoulders.
She gazed into the distance where Arin had suddenly summoned the Sephirah Trial. She bit her lower lip, feeling extremely bitter. She did not know who had activated the Sephirah trial but that didn’t stop her wariness of it. There is only one thing that this could mean.
“A monster’s trying to exceed humanity’s limit again…”
From the Central District, a certain young man was meditating, honing his craft when he felt this dire sensation as well. His blazing personality showed an immensely gleeful look as he couldn’t wait for the outcome. He managed to pinpoint that this came from the Western District.
“That should be Fiona, right? Hahaha! As expected of my rival! Don’t die on me!” His laugh echoed throughout the entire building, causing some of the poor servants to faint from the pressure.
~~~
Arin touched the entrance, feeling the cold door warmly welcome him to his demise. This was what he needed if he wanted to reach the top. His strength would exponentially increase as this wouldn’t be a defective item like the pen from before.
“Something that’s befitting of the dangers… This better not disappoint me!” Arin wildly rushed in, to be consumed by the Trial door. He was in.
Whether he lived or died, it now depended on him.