Odathlaxz wasn't a complete pushover.
He showed the mechanisms behind the third trial he had already designed. He even asked for input from John every now and then.
There was something weird about John. He wasn't able to create an avatar for some reason... but Odathlaxz chalked that up to him being a newborn.
Odathlaxz was confused at John's inability to warp reality. John told him that as he was generating in the calamity realm. He suffered a backlash that made him crippled.
This defect was also left in his records.
Odathlaxz felt bad and made sure to thoroughly explain how to manipulate the trial so John could modify the trial himself.
A special key manifested in Odathlaxz's hands.
"Here, this is an administrator key. It'll help you work."
"Thanks."
As soon as John grabbed the key out of his hand. He felt his brain begin to overload with information. Had it not been for his A.I Chip, his brain would of exploded.
Odathlaxz stopped being suspicious after seeing John casually handle the key. One had to be a hidden existence to not blow up from the overflow from the authority of a universe.
Then John heard something interesting.
"We didn't manage to monitor the first or second trial. I have heard reports of a potential anomaly among the mortals."
John spoke:
"An anomaly, how interesting. What made them an anomaly?"
"Their soul seemed to reform after getting shattered. I was even blamed! Can you believe it? They thought I pulled some trick with the ritual."
Oh... John realized he was talking about himself!
"That's crazy... We need to work harder to make sure such things don't happen in the third trial."
"I'm sure we'll catch them!"
"Yes! Let's get back to work."
Odathlaxz waved his hands and they were soon looking at a giant hole in the ground.
There was logs spaced out that stretched all the way into the ground.
"At the start of the third trial. They will have to cross this canyon. If they lose their balance, they will fall to their death. That's just a warm-up. Then they will have to-"
John gave his advice.
"What's to stop them from using aura? There are better methods of testing them."
The beginning of the third trial was refined.
Odathlaxz said:
"You're quite cruel! I didn't even think of that. We can scrap this idea and have them have to walk across glass and nails barefoot. We'll remove their shoes while they are in limbo. The question is... should we give them three answers in a tutorial dimension?"
This first part of the trial gave people who made it to rank 1 an advantage as their elemental shields could protect their feet.
Or if the person had awakened, they could use aura to form shoes or step on it.
"Nah, they already got the chance to ask questions."
"So it is agreed. They will have to walk a kilometer barefoot on broken glass, needles, and nails."
"There will also be a barrier of spikes pushing them forward. They'll be stabbed to death if they don't move fast enough."
"Initially, there was going to be a thousand batches. But thanks to you optimizing the formations. We can do all a hundred thousand at once. We just need to have their own areas in the second layer of the sanctuary universe."
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
"What about the other races?"
"That's right. We will still do batches. But they will be larger. We will do the entire race at a time.
So began John's job as working as a construction worker for eldritch entities.
A decade passed...
During this decade, John had made many friends in this space. Nobody found out he was a human. This period was surprisingly stressful as he had to to push his body to the limits to keep up with gods. Every few weeks. He teleported to earth to repair his battle suit. As well as refill his aura.
The gods were used to working for centuries at a time. So John disappearing for a few weeks wasn't noticed at all.
Others knew he had an accident when his law was forming causing him to be disabled. But still, he hid his ability to teleport.
It wasn't actually an uncommon ability among gods. The reason he hid it was to keep the support they gave him. He required their help to get around certain areas. His waypoints required him to visit that place in person first.
He often needed the admins to open up a portal to the location he was going to.
Name: Johnathan Time
Age: 111 (21)
Strength: 25
Dexterity: 25
Constitution:80
Perception:1000
Energy:1000
Skills: ["Lvl3 Iron Finger", "Lvl3 Body Tempering", "Lvl4 Fitness", "Lv4 Meditation", "Lv3 Cultivator", "Lvl1 Existence"]
The progress for the third trial had pretty much finished ahead of time.
John was also given authority of the test nodes. So in his free time he would look at the structures and designs of the dungeons.
It was through his access that he got more runic rings. So they weren't as rare a resource.
He could also summon the bosses with the orbs inside them.
In this way he was able to get access to rank 2 layouts.
He was capable of studying the brands. He eventually made his own unique brand that linked to emflowcreagen.
He had become a rank 1 existence!
He had become rank 1 earlier. But this time it wasn't using the brand provided by the trial.
His concept was also slowly growing.
Odathlaxz told John not to say they were finished. He didn't feel like getting assigned to a worst job.
So him and John pretty much did nothing for decades.
John and Odathlaxz made a game where they took out 10 humans from limbo. Threw them in a battlefield and then gambled which side would win.
This was purely for fun.
But one day they were caught.
Odathlaxz was scolded.
John was punished by being assigned to a lower class job. He would now need to be an announcer for a batch.
They were told not to play with the experimental subjects.
Name: Johnathan Time
Age: 137 (21)
Strength: 25
Dexterity: 25
Constitution:80
Perception:1000
Energy:1000
Skills: ["Lvl3 Iron Finger", "Lvl3 Body Tempering", "Lvl4 Fitness", "Lv4 Meditation", "Lv3 Cultivator", "Lvl1 Existence"]
After seeing John's skill with formations. They did a redesign of the second trial. They quickly processed the rest of the humans.
109,874 humans had passed the second trial.
John and Odathlaxz were hanging out, looking off into infinite chaotic space.
"Don't you ever wonder?"
"Wonder what?"
"The point of it all? I have always wondered what it was like to be a mortal. But I never got to experience it."
"Hmm... I've never thought about it. Why do you want to be mortal?"
"I just wish I had a chance to progress from a mortal to a supreme being. Starting at the finish line is boring. I was born as a being of laws. What's the fun in that? If you are born as a human. You can walk a legendary path. In fact, you aren't as limited. What if humans are actually better then us?"
"Why don't you strip yourself of your law and experience it?"
"I would instantly die from lack of lifespan..."
"Perhaps in certain aspects, they are better then us."
"What are you guys talking about?"
Ishiroxz appeared. It was a mutual friend to both Destinatus and Odathlaxz.
"We were talking about what it would be like to be a mortal."
"Probably boring, no?"
Odathlaxz shook his head.
John just laughed. He didn't expect to make friends. It seems he fit more in with these supreme beings then he did with his own race.
Although if you think about it. He is the father of these entities as a concept.
Ishiroxz then started to talk about emflowcreagen.
"I just hope I get to meet him one day..."
John said:
"I'm sure you will. Have you heard what he has been up to these days?"
"He doesn't seem to be doing anything really... I originally thought the trial was its idea. But now, I am not sure. This all seems like a lot of work just to see the process of creating a god."
"It is indeed. I think their is some other motive. Why give mortals a chance to join our ranks?"
"Fair point."
"Destinatus! It is time for you to welcome the mortals. Do a good job! You will be paid 1 GR after the end of the third trial."
Soon John, Odathlaxz, and Ishiroxz stood up and stopped talking.
"You received that message as well?"
"Yep. The third trial is beginning."
A portal automatically opened for John. It had been marked in his files that he was defective. So he was given assistance in regards to various things.
He was occasionally even bullied among his group of friends.
His friends just sent avatars. While John showed up in person.
Odathlaxz had tried to teach John how to create an avatar. But because John wasn't actually a being of laws. He was unable to form an avatar. As generally an avatar is a rank or two below the person that creates it.
John was only rank 1.
Luckily, he was just seen as slightly disabled among other eldritch entities.
John walked through the portal.