Above me is the high arch of a cavern, as large as an aircraft hangar, illuminated by strange luminescent fungi growths. Seeing it right after opening my eyes, I immediately "remembered" what would happen next. The second group test in this Cycle remains unchanged. And, even though about a third of the test subjects will not pass it and will be erased, it doesn't cause me such negative emotions as the meadow with rods of life. Perhaps - because in this trial, those who have performed worse than the others will be erased. We, the test subjects, will not need to decide who of us will die and who will move on.
Getting to my feet, I stretched, warming up my muscles. Beside me, people who had passed the previous test were coming to their senses and looking around. Unlike me, none of them were smiling. And they can be understood. After what most of them experienced just a few minutes ago, they were not in the mood for smiles. However, on some faces, unmistakable relief was clearly visible. Like, for example, it was for a red-haired guy with a broad freckled face. The latter, kneeling, was not looking around; instead, he was frantically feeling his stomach with his hands. With each motion of his palms, his relief became more distinct. Most likely, he had taken his rod of life in battle but had been seriously wounded. In these moments, it gradually sinks in his mind that his wound is healed, there will be no more pain, and he will not die right now. And there were not just one or two people with similar behavior around me, but almost a quarter of... as my "memory" promptly reminded me - of thirty.
While I "remembered" five people in the round meadow by the fire, there were almost twice as many "familiar" faces this time. But I hadn't had a chance to look at everyone when something crashed into me from behind, and small but surprisingly sharp girl's fists began to pound on my back.
"It was you! You did this!!!" Lan Lin, gasping with indignation, with eyes burning in righteous anger, pounced on me.
The "last time" in the second group test, "I" didn't meet anyone from those with whom I went through the meadow of rods. This time it seemed to me at first that it would be the same, but the presence of the Korean girl disproved this observation. However, she was the only one who had gone through the previous test with me.
Twenty-eight pairs of eyes immediately turned toward us. No wonder, in an almost complete silence, and suddenly such screams!
"How dare you!" If Lan Lin possessed the magic of elemental fire, sparks of anger would cascade from her eyes, scattering across the cave floor. "How dare you decide for me whether I live or die!!!"
Catching the girl's hands by the wrists, I didn't allow her to hit me anymore. How ill-timed was her appearance! No, I was even a little glad to see her alive, but now, right now, I was interested in a completely different person. Specifically, in a short, unusually stocky for a Japanese, with his hair cut into a short hedgehog style and calloused hands, seemingly very young guy.
Katashi Atsushi - even the name hinted at his true essence. It meant - hard and diligence. The future leader of the "Tower Shield" guild. The best blacksmith first among us all, and then, in just a year of practice, he outshone the most brilliant artisans of Ain. For two months in the past Cycle, "I" stood with him shoulder to shoulder, holding the position of the head of the third assault squad in the "Tower Shield." For two months then, I withstood the furious pace of life lived by this seemingly inconspicuous man. You must be a workaholic from head to toe to endure so long beside him. I couldn't and left the "Shield" just a week before the Invasion.
Katashi Atsushi - the first of the four who, to "my memory," stepped onto the path of Ascension. One of the trio who killed the Hound in the skyscraper quest. Future God of Labor. One hundred percent one of the Shards. The only one of the Four who lived to the Last Battle and led the Ain armies' remnants into that battle. A battle that we lost.
"You! You!!!" Lan Lin started her second round.
"People stare at us." Sighing, I quietly said in response.
"Eh?!!" At first, she didn't understand me, and then it dawned on her, and she blushed even more, after which she asked, "Let go."
"You won't fight anymore?"
"I won't!" She shook her head, and after I loosened my grip, she added. "As if I need you! Egoist!"
"Liar." I smiled in response, hinting at her broken word.
"I had my fingers crossed!" She immediately started up again.
The farce that had started to wear me out was interrupted by the arrival of a quester. To my relief, this silenced Lan Lin; she changed her expression and took two steps back. She looked at the quester with even greater contempt than at me.
"The task is simple," a deep baritone echoed under the vaults of the cave. "Find the exit and leave the dungeon. You can do it alone, in groups, or all together - it doesn't matter. The higher you climb, the closer you get to the exit. To make this task easier, you will be granted access to the Arsenal." The quester made a slight wave of his hand, and a portal arch appeared in an empty corner of the cave. "The stay in the Arsenal is limited to one minute. Choose quickly, or you will be left with nothing. Also," his voice changed, as if he was now talking about something unimportant, "by touching the Stela of Divine Inspiration, you can choose and receive a Talent Star, as well as your first skill." Next to his feet, the cave's floor cracked, and from it grew a perfectly smooth stela, seemingly created from the frozen and dimmed light of the Sun. "There is no time limit for completing this task."
Having said that, the quester looked at us all with a heavy yet indifferent gaze and disappeared from the cave with a deliberately loud clap.
At first, I didn't want to stand out and draw attention to myself at such an early stage. But the "memory of the future" reminded me of how many mistakes others would make in these moments. Mistakes that would make their future life easier if avoided. And I couldn't resist. While everyone was digesting what they had heard, I took a few steps forward, stood next to the Stela, raised my hand, and said:
"I think the most reasonable thing would be first to choose a Talent and Skill and then go to the Arsenal," having finished speaking, I placed my hand on the frozen light.
The Arsenal, which the quester emphasized, was just a trivial matter. But the Stela of Divine Inspiration was something entirely different. It was a real treasure, unique in its kind. Nowhere else and at no other time would any of us encounter something that would bestow upon us something so valuable, essentially for free.
Talent Stars are not just lofty words but something much more significant. A person's ability in any field or skill can be assessed on a scale from zero to five Stars, where zero is a complete inability to do anything, and five is a true genius, like Pushkin or Homer in poetry. And the Stela of Divine Inspiration can bestow upon you such a Star of your choice. Yes, only in one skill, but even that is incredibly valuable!
In the past Cycle, "I" managed to gain Talent Stars only thrice, including this Stela! And unlike this time, the subsequent two required incredible effort.
The trick of the questers with this Stela is that people don't know what they are really talented in at this stage. To gain such knowledge, one must undergo the ritual of "Self-Knowledge." This ritual is available from the bronze rank, and currently, we barely make it to copper. The trouble is that if you have zero or one point of real talent in swordsmanship, then taking a Talent Star in this skill now will be a failure. Because two Stars in sword is too little to achieve really significant results, no matter how much time you devote to training. It is also useless to increase a skill above five, as this is the limit available to a human. And your choice will only start to benefit you once you embark on the Path of Ascension. The Path, as I remembered, was only available to Shards.
In the past/future, I actually chose sword, gaining a fourth Star in this skill. And only two months later did I learn that I already had a born talent for another weapon, which, even without the Stela, was equivalent to four Stars. So I went through almost the entire last Cycle with swords in my hands, as I then thought it was foolish to start all over when I had already devoted two months to studying sword techniques and skills. It was a mistake because short swords against some types of demons are far from the best choice, and after the start of the Invasion, I still had to retrain in a hurry. This time, I will take a different path.
The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
Moreover, I really hope that for killing the Hound, I will get the same achievement that Katashi once got. Namely, "Monster Slayer," which gives an additional Talent Star to your most developed weapon skill.
My second impulse was to choose Shadow Magic. I already had three "innate" Stars in this magical art, and the fourth would have greatly enhanced my capabilities compared to the last Cycle. But I dismissed this option. Shadow Magic, of course, is wonderful. Stealth, surprise attacks, shadow movement, backstabbing, spying - this list can stretch for several pages. It provides a massive amount of opportunities. This magic is versatile and much more multifaceted than, for example, Fire.
My familiar combination of talents from the "future" looked like paired short swords plus Shadow. As Nate joked about those who had chosen similar skills: "Even in this world, rogues are very popular!" Referring to the "rogue" as a game class of a warrior focused on delivering unexpected, yet very powerful, almost irresistible instant damage.
But Shadow Magic had two significant drawbacks. The first is that Shadows, like Darkness, were considered forbidden throughout Ain, and finding teachers or scrolls with new skills was incredibly difficult. Not to mention altars, which were either abandoned or destroyed many centuries ago. But with my knowledge of the future, I could still "endure" it, if not for the second drawback. The key problem: the perception of many demons differs from ours and… This leads to the fact that more than half of the Shadow skills turn out to be useless against the primary enemy! Last time, this turned out to be a very "unpleasant" surprise for me, putting my life at risk many times. So now I will not choose Shadow. Especially since three Stars will be enough for me to study the basics and most of the skills of this magic.
As soon as my fingertips touch the Stela of Divine Inspiration, the familiar world ceases to exist for me. I float in the boundless cosmos, surrounded by tens, hundreds, thousands of stars. And all these twinkling lights reach out to me, whispering, demanding to be chosen! Hundreds of tempting offers, but I reject them because, while still going through the "Road," I decided what to choose from the Stela.
The star I chose separates from the crowd of others and falls into my palm. A moment - and it merges with me. Like a lightning strike, new knowledge arises in my mind, and I'm immediately thrown back into reality. In my perception, the choice took a minute, but not a second has passed in the cave.
Dozens of eyes are looking at me very attentively. No one dared to touch the Stela until they saw how this touch affected me. And whether it is a trap. I raise my thumb and say:
"That was cool!" After which, I take a step aside.
My words seem to break through a dam, and people approach the Stela one after another.
"What have you chosen?" asked a skinny guy with tousled hair before I even took a second step.
With a smile exuding as much bloodthirstiness as possible, I bared my teeth and brought my face close to his, almost point-blank. I pronounced clearly, loud enough for everyone to hear:
"This. Is. My. Personal. Business." I pressed my index finger firmly against the chest of the ragged man. "Got it?"
"Yes!" The guy jumped away from me, evidently startled. "You could have said it more calmly!"
In response, I just shrug.
It seems everyone understood this scene correctly. Last time the cave was filled with shouts, "I've chosen sword," "And I've chosen Lightning Magic," "And I've chosen archery,"… and the like. But now, no one was in a hurry to share with others the knowledge of the Talent they chose. And that's correct because I've already recognized a trio of very unpleasant individuals. Those who, without the slightest remorse, will use this information against you. Not now, of course, but later; it can happen during future meetings with them.
In fact, I could answer: "I have chosen Knowledge of Runes." For me personally, such a disclosure did not carry any danger. But I considered it more appropriate to set an example for others and hint that personal data should not be divulged thoughtlessly.
Runic Magic. Perhaps, one of the simplest. One could even say primitive. But it seems so only at first glance, while you can't combine separate Runes into Words. After such a qualitative transition, this Magic becomes one of the most powerful. However, to assemble even the simplest Words, you need at least four Talent Stars in this skill. And even with the Star I received from Stela, I only have three in total. But I chose Runes not only because of their prospective power but mainly because their understanding is the key to information! Runes are the building elements, the foundation of the First Language, the Divine Speech. And most of the still hidden secrets of Ain can't even be approached without the ability to read the First Language. Or rather, not to read; this is an incorrect definition in the context of Runes. "Understand" fits better. Because Rune composed in the same way, externally completely identical, they often carry entirely different meanings, depending on what was imbued in them by the one who wrote these Runes. Also, a plus of Rune magic was that the user required very little mana. The energy was only needed to activate a Rune or Word, and then the World itself took over the maintenance of magic. Convenient.
But this talent had a significant disadvantage. The Runes of the First Language are forgotten in Ain. I won't find a teacher and will have to learn everything myself. And even with my "memory of the future," this is far from a simple task. But if I master this Path, the reward will be incomparably greater than when choosing any other Talent.
Having chosen the Knowledge of Runes, I essentially went all in. And I did it quite consciously.
Leaving the others at the Stela, I crossed the cave and entered the Arsenal portal.
I don't know if the questers have seen "The Matrix" movie or if it just happened, but Arsenal strongly reminded me of one of the scenes from this movie. The scene in which Neo and Trinity find themselves before saving Morpheus. "Horizon-reaching" shelves, packed with various guns. But unlike the movie, there are no firearms here, only cold weapons and protective gear.
I don't need to scrutinize and search for something. I know exactly what I need. Stretching my left hand forward, I open my palm and command:
"Baselard!"
A shadow immediately flies off one of the shelves, a moment - and the sheath with the weapon is already in my hand. I gird myself and secure the sheath as it is convenient for me. After which, I take the hilt and slightly "bare" the blade. Bronze - a regular metal of those that could be obtained in this Arsenal, as the memory of the future hinted. And that's not bad either; it would be worse if the blade of this dagger were made of poor-quality iron or, even worse, copper.
But this long and sharp dagger, with its elaborate hilt, which could easily be mistaken for a short sword at first glance, was only a secondary weapon. The inscription "1 of 2" burns before my eyes. The right palm rises in a demanding gesture.
"Short straight single-bladed Yari!"
The requested item immediately appears in my hand. And here is the main weapon. The full length is exactly my height, including the almost half-meter narrow blade, similar to a light, double-edged sword. The material of the tip is black bronze. The best Arsenal could offer, as far as I remember!
My breath is uneven, and my fingers run over the spear in disbelief. Its shaft is carved out of Tal wood!
Jackpot!
To get the foundation for a sixth-rank weapon in the Primary Arsenal?! Unbelievable fluke!
I will have to change the bronze tip, possibly in a month or, with some luck, even much sooner. But this shaft... It can serve longer! Much longer. The Tal tree only grows in the Forbidden Forests of the Sidhe, and getting it is not an easy task. Even a mithril blade would not look alien on such a shaft. Not to mention much less "noble" metals. Well, I may have exaggerated a bit there. For mithril, higher-ranked materials are indeed more optimal. But still, Tal wood right from the start?!
Last time I chose two swords, one made of black bronze and the other from wrought iron - it broke right in this dungeon! "2 of 2" burns in front of my eyes. I take a step back, leaving the Arsenal.
The already familiar ragged guy recoils from me in fright and almost falls on the cave floor. What is wrong with him? This time, there is a friendly and even welcoming smile on my face! I reach out my hand to help him up, but instead of accepting my assistance, he disappears into the Arsenal portal on all fours. It seems I overdid it with my new persona. If people are going to shy away from me like this, it won't be beneficial for me. Probably, I should behave more friendly.
Lan Lin was among the last to approach the Stela of Divine Inspiration. I look away from the girl; I shouldn't be concerned about which talent she will choose. Although, I can bet my new Yari against a rusty gladius that I can guess her choice. But, of course, no one will offer me such a bet.
Alright, I need a darker place now, away from prying eyes. I glance around. In one corner of the cave stands a guy dressed like a typical goth, shifting from one foot to another. All in black, while his face is unnaturally pale as if he applied a layer of white powder. Having stood motionless for a few seconds, the guy in black takes a step into the shadow and disappears immediately. More precisely, he doesn't completely disappear, I can still make him out, but it requires certain effort and exact knowledge that someone is hiding in that shadow. The skill "Cloak of Lesser Shadow," as far as I can judge, is executed at four, if not five, Talent Stars.
This "goth" guy is familiar to me. Familiar in a vague way. I've heard more about him than actually seen him in person. He goes by the name Rahu. An excellent thief and, as they say, a hired killer. A typical rogue in Nate's classification, one might even say, perfect. Also known in the future as the "Executioner of the Forty-Ninth Floor."
Once in the Elai's Tower, an entire squad of ours will disappear. The squad led by the town's favorite, an incredibly beautiful girl named Leizel. Rahu will be blamed for their demise. The whole city will be in an uproar. Shadow Master will be captured and lynched right in the central square. And only after three months those who participated in that lynching will learn that Rahu had nothing to do with Leizel's death. I don't know the details of that story, because in the "past future" I rarely visited the Sun City.
Reputation. It's a double-edged sword. Sometimes it can play against you.
The presence of Rahu on this trial is like a hint given by fate. I definitely need to be more careful with the first impression I make on people.
Rahu appeared from the shadow, then disappeared into it again. He's training. And that's correct. I shouldn't waste time, either.
Having chosen a place hidden from prying eyes, I sat down, made myself comfortable, and, pulling the dagger from the sheath, made the first cut on my left palm.