Chapter 005: Path of the Kings - Part 4

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Nimrod is currently standing inside a room. In front of him, pictures portraying his whole life is being shown. Looking at how short and meaningless his life had been, Nimrod began to question his worth. 

'Why am I here? What purpose is there that I should be born?' Nimrod once again looked at his life summary and said, 'Nothing has a purpose. None of the things that happen has a purpose. People work for their whole lives. But they get nothing for the work that they do here on the earth. People are born and they live on the earth. At the end of their lives, they die. But the earth continues as it has always continued.'

What then is life's meaning? What does it give us? Nimrod thought of these questions. Again, he looked at how his life had been and concluded, 'Life makes us tired. It makes us so tired that we could not tell anyone about it. Nothing that we see can ever make us happy. Nothing that we hear will ever cause true pleasure for us.'

Nimrod's negative thinking got better of him. His melodramatic attitude went beyond his control. His situation is hopeless, nothing can get him out of his cowardice shell. Nothing can help him, or so it seems...

*whistle

The sound of a perfect lob resonates in the air. Its destination has been locked, and will sure make impact in T-minus three seconds, two, one...

*Arguuu…

*Clank

*Squaash

A painful groan, followed by an imaginary sound as if a glass is breaking and as if an object has been squash flat can be heard. Of course it only lasted for a short time since…

"Oooooowwww! Wut di heck!" The groan transformed into a very low but comprehensible squick as Nimrod can be seen grasping between his legs. The adrenaline rush jolted him so much energy that he woke up, albeit he is in pain.

*Kyaaaaa!

Nimrod was still sitting with his back on the wall when a terribble scream sounded. That's when he saw a figure feasting on human flesh.

"Abomination!" Nimrod muttered unconsciously. Never did he think that a day will come where he would witness a person being eaten alive. Of course, that was Lucian eating the life out of the Shrine Maiden. Had Nimrod knew that it was Lucian who he had been fighting with moments ago, he would either feel angrier or more terrified. But one thing is certain, Nimrod is now very afraid. Nimrod subconsciously slid away.

*Tick

"Heek!" Nimrod bumped on the sphere that Lucian threw earlier. He wished that the monster won't notice it. Unfortunately, Lucian heard it. He look towards Nimrod and smiled. He is happy that his prey has finally gained its strength. He grinned widely and said to the terrified Nimrod, "I'll play with you later. After I finish my meal." Blood dripping from his mouth as he speak.

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Nimrod realized that it was Lucian who was eating the Shrine Maiden alive. But the realization did not help him calm down but rather heightened his fear. Subconsciously, he reached out for his weapons only to find out that they are all missing. By this time, his wounds opened up and blood began to flow out of his body as he made every effort to go away. His arms skimmed backstroke, then his hand touched the sphere he bumped earlier. Without taking his eyes off of Lucian, Nimrod grabbed the sphere tightly as if his whole life depended on it. Then…

- Item: Mystic Orb

- Ability: ??????

- Item is extracting blood from the user.

- Item compatibility: 100%

- Fusion: Item will be consumed…

- Fusion started. 

- Fusion complete.

"Thank goodness!" Nimrod muttered as he saw his blood flew out his body and into the orb.

_ _ _ _ _

Death is always the worst experience. Normally, that statement is always true, unless you live a life out of the concept of normal.

"If I'd be allowed to choose, I'd rather die quickly not knowing what happened to me than to suffer by being eaten slowly while fully conscious. That guy, Lucian, he is, not human."

Right now, the second door of the golden temple had already lost its color. That means, Nimrod won't be able to use it again. Altough it is also doubtful whether he would use it again given another chance.

Nimrod finally being free from immediate danger, let out his complaints as if he really means it. "How unfortunate! Had I been allowed to do it again, I would surely beat him a hundred times!" Nimrod tried to shake off his fear by acting disappointed and angry. 

Nonetheless, it could be said that what he just experience made him unbelievably mentally tired and weary. Nimrod search for a place where he could sit on to take his much needed rest. "But what just happened to me?" Nimrod clearly remembers the feeling when his blood left his body and is consumed by the item he is holding.

"And the messages, why is it I don't hear it anymore? Does that mean, so long as I am inside the temple, I'll receive prompts as an aide to finish the trials?"

"What about the abilities? How do I use them? How do I check my skills? It would be good if there are gamelike interface I could interact with. I don't care how simple or complicated it looks, so long as it has the right functions." Nimrod is starting to lose himself over fancy dreams and he fall asleep.

_ _ _ _ _

Beside the golden temple.

Under a huge tree, a silhouette is covered in bright light. Apparently, this bright light that is constantly being emitted by the golden temple would land on anything that is not moving and has positive effects on whatever it lands on. As such the flowers and trees surrounding the golden temple has great vitality, the effects of constant exposure for such a long period of time. 

What is not normal however is that the bright light is quickly being absorbed so that a whirlpool of bright light has already been created. Inside the whirlpool, the silhouette remained immobile, seemingly uncaring about what is happening around him. For several days, this phenomenon persisted. Finally, 2 days after, a huge ball of pure bright light went out of from the golden temple. It hovered over the temple seven times, and then…

*whiiing

The ball produced a really sharp sound so that cracks and marks can be seen on the golden temple. Afterwards, the huge ball of pure light drove straight to the whirlpool and into the immobile figure at the center. There was no sound what so ever. All the bright light is gone even as the huge ball of pure light vanished without a trace.

- end chapter -