The skeletons clashed fiercely, with Aurianna's forces battling against Leila's for hours. Despite the intensity, Aurianna and Leila enjoyed the fight, smiling as they charged at each other, their weapons colliding.
"Gixo! Shining Star!" Aurianna shouted, summoning a rainbow-colored orb, Gixo, which filled the sky with thousands of magical circles.
"Dane, Shining Star!" Leila responded, her own orb, Dane, transforming from ash to vibrant colors before dispersing.
_________
After training with Leila and Kleizorn, Aurianna returned to the Ruin, where Kiana patiently waited for her to wake up.
"Finally, you're awake!" Kiana exclaimed with joy.
"How was your training with Aquarius?" Aurianna inquired. Kiana's expression darkened, clearly displeased.
"It... was... fine," she stammered, tears welling up. "That old man is so horrible!" she sobbed, and Aurianna sighed.
'Maybe I'm expecting too much from her. I was a crybaby on my first day too,' Aurianna thought before getting up and heading towards the large doors, with Kiana following close behind.
"Are you ready for the next trial, Kiana?" Aurianna asked, her excitement evident.
"What if I say I'm not?" Kiana replied, raising an eyebrow.
"We're going in regardless, you know that, right?" Aurianna scoffed, crossing her arms.
"Ahhh, human, I hate you! But you have a solid point,” Kiana admitted, reluctantly agreeing with Aurianna.
"Here," Aurianna said, tossing a weapon to Kiana, who caught it.
"What is this?" Kiana asked, examining the fork-like weapon in her hand with confusion.
"A trident. I heard it's a mermaid's specialty," Aurianna explained.
"Hey, don't make assumptions! I've never used a weapon like this in my life!" Kiana protested. "What can this even do? It looks like a fork!" she complained, pointing at the trident.
"Well, you better learn," Aurianna said with a smirk, and Kiana gave her a dry smile.
"What is it made of? It seems different from the headset you gave me," Kiana observed, noting the trident's silvery peach color and beautiful craftsmanship. She couldn't help but admire it.
"The leviathan's teeth," Aurianna answered calmly, leaving Kiana staring in shock, her mouth agape. "I had Leila craft it for you.”
“Wait, this is too precious! Selling this could earn you millions of gold coins,” Kiana remarked.
“We're in a life-and-death situation, and you're thinking about money?” Aurianna replied, clearly annoyed.
“Ah, well... I'm sorry,” Kiana apologized, realizing her mistake.
“Thanks for caring about me. You made this so I can protect myself, right?” Kiana asked eagerly.
“Ugh, don’t think too highly of yourself. I gave this to you because if you die, how would I clear this trial?” Aurianna retorted.
‘Straightforward, huh. Horrid human! You can’t even accept a thank you! Humph!’ Kiana thought, crossing her arms and pouting, but she dared not voice her grievance aloud, fearing Aurianna’s glare.
The doors then opened, and Aurianna and Kiana walked in.
[ Welcome to the Third Trial of the Golem Komuceus. ] Aurianna and Kiana read from the screen before them. Aurianna turned back to see that the door behind them had vanished.
“Hmm, another gloomy, dark room!” Kiana complained as they looked around. The room was as large as the previous one, but entirely dark, rendering Aurianna’s night vision useless.
“Aurianna,” Kiana called out, feeling a bit scared. She could see Aurianna’s body glowing, so she made sure to stay close behind her.
“Quiet,” Aurianna warned, immediately placing Kiana inside a rainbow-colored shield with stars floating around it.
“Gixo, protect her,” Aurianna ordered, summoning two revolvers into her hands.
“As you say!” Gixo chirped.
Suddenly, a sword clashed with the shield surrounding Kiana, scraping along its edges. The frustrated attacker jumped back, unable to pierce the barrier.
‘I couldn’t sense its presence,’ Aurianna thought with a frown.
“What the hell, a sword attack? Someone’s here!” Kiana yelled.
“What did you expect? We’re in a Ruin!” Aurianna scoffed, rolling her eyes at Kiana.
“Oh yeah,” Kiana replied, fidgeting with her fingers with a flushed face.
“Gixo, light this place up!” Aurianna commanded.
“Well, that’s my specialty!” Gixo grinned, transforming into an orb and creating twelve mini stars that swirled around, illuminating the entire room with rainbow colors.
Before them stood a giant shadow over ten feet tall, clad in black armor and wielding a large black shield. They looked around and noticed they were in a blood-red, murky landscape, and the knight wielded a bloody sword.
The knight roared loudly, and hundreds more knights emerged from the walls, each wielding different weapons.
Kiana gripped the trident tightly, feeling scared.
“Don't move!” she yelled, her voice amplified by the headset on her head, causing all the knights in the room to freeze, struggling to break free from Kiana's spell.
Aurianna snapped her fingers, and thousands of guns materialized around them, firing at the knights and blasting their bodies apart.
“Did we kill them?” Kiana asked curiously, staring at the aftermath.
“I doubt it would be that easy after fighting that hero,” Aurianna replied coldly. She watched closely as the knights twitched and began to heal rapidly.
The knights reformed and charged at them again. Aurianna immediately fired at them.
“I said stop!” Kiana yelled, but suddenly her throat was pierced, causing her pupils to shrink in shock.
“Shit, these things can attack from any shadow,” Aurianna said with a frown as she grabbed the shadow piercing Kiana's throat and crushed it.
Kiana's throat healed instantly, but she couldn't stop shaking.
“I’m not dead?” Kiana gasped.
“Stupid, I said as long as you're bound to me, you can't die unless I kill you,” Aurianna scoffed, handling the shadows easily and seeming a bit bored by the fight.
“I can’t tell whether that’s a good thing or a bad thing,” Kiana blurted out nervously.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
“Just be grateful, mermaid. Now, let's kill these things. They are shadows, which means their ultimate weakness is light magic!” Aurianna declared with a grin.
“Courtesy Call!” Aurianna shouted, and more than 100 large torrents appeared around the room, blasting the shadows with highly concentrated light magic until they were all extinguished, leaving only Aurianna and Kiana standing.
[Congratulations on clearing the third trial. You will now proceed to the fourth trial.] The message read as a door materialized on the other side of the room.
[Would you like to rest or continue?]
"Continue," Aurianna replied immediately, appearing before the door. Kiana swam quickly to her side.
"Aurianna, we've been fighting for hours! We need some rest!" Kiana insisted.
"And so? We don't have time to waste. I'm moving on," Aurianna declared firmly, clearly having made up her mind.
‘She’s so mean,’ Kiana grumbled inwardly, glaring at Aurianna with resentment.
"But shouldn’t we go to that strange place to train?" Kiana suggested, then suddenly fell silent. ‘Maybe it’s not a good idea. I don't want to see that mean old man again!’
“There’s no need,” Aurianna shook her head. “Until I use Round Table, I won’t go there.”
‘Round Table is my strongest yet weakest attack. Once I use it, my battle power will be significantly reduced, so I have to ensure I have spare training days. I only have three days left,’ Aurianna thought with a frown.
“Actually, eight days now. Since you’re now level 6000, your soul is stronger and can withstand that space longer. You now get ten days a year,” Eva stated, floating beside Aurianna.
“Is this luck?” Aurianna wondered, surprised.
“Nope, just effort,” Eva said enthusiastically, giving a thumbs up.
“Chi, Chi, Chi,” Aurianna giggled happily.
“Well, let’s move on to the next trial, Kiana,” she suggested, walking through the door. Kiana, despite her objections, reluctantly followed.
[Welcome to the Fourth Trial: The Flame Lurker.] The system announced.
Aurianna and Kiana entered a vast room, the floor filled with lava, with only a few safe spots to stand on. Pillars decorated the area, with lava flowing up and down them like streams.
“So hot, my skin is burning!” Kiana hissed in pain.
“Ah yes, she’s not used to it,” Aurianna realized. “Gixo, do your job properly,” she stated sternly.
“Alright, I’ll make this shield heat-resistant,” Gixo sighed, appearing in his humanoid form and sitting on Kiana’s shoulder.
“Is that a lava monster? How interesting. It’s made entirely of lava, which means it probably has a core,” Aurianna observed. From their high vantage point, they watched as the monster moved and interacted with others. The lava monsters, entirely made of lava, appeared as chubby blobs of fire with gruesome teeth, seemingly communicating and enjoying themselves.
"Kiana, debuff them and halt their movements so I can end this quickly."
"But those monsters look really strong," Kiana replied hesitantly, frowning as she eyed the forty-foot-tall creatures and the bubbling water around them.
"No matter how strong a monster is, it always has a weakness," Aurianna said with a subtle smile, observing the monster closely. She noticed an orb in the middle of its chest and grinned. "Hmm, I can use this to teach you a bit, little mermaid."
"Hmm?" Kiana stared at her in confusion.
"Every monster has a weakness. Before fighting, you must determine that weakness and attack it. If not, the monster will easily overpower you, or you’ll have to use overwhelming strength. When you’re not strong enough, find its weakness and strike swiftly," Aurianna explained calmly.
Kiana nodded in understanding. "Oh, seems like someone has been taking their lessons seriously," Eva chuckled, her voice ringing in Aurianna's head.
"Well, I’m learning from the best, so I might as well put that useful knowledge to good use," Aurianna shrugged nonchalantly.
"Humph, seems you’re growing!" Eva huffed, though it was clear she was proud.
"So then, Kiana, paralyze them," Aurianna ordered as she got into a stance.
"Okay! Haaaaahhhh," Kiana began to sing, and magic circles appeared around the lava monsters. The sound waves emitted immediately stopped them from moving.
Aurianna moved swiftly, landing several powerful kicks into the orbs of the lava monsters. Her legs burned, the lava trying to eat through her skin, but Aurianna's legs quickly healed as she stared at the wounds.
"All the monsters turned into ice!" Kiana gasped. 'Is she a dual mage or something? How can she use more than one element?' she wondered curiously as she swam closer to the frozen monsters, watching how the ice trapped the flame lurkers. They tried to burn through the ice but were unsuccessful, and their orbs quickly shattered.
"I’ve fought fire monsters before. The place that burns brightly is where their core is. To avoid unnecessary fights, it’s best to strike there immediately," Aurianna lectured, pointing at the flame lurkers' cores. Kiana nodded, absorbing Aurianna's words.
‘Honestly, a very efficient idea. This human is more knowledgeable than I thought. But with monsters like that teaching her, it’s understandable,’ Kiana thought, crying inwardly.
“Let’s move on,” Aurianna said, turning toward the next door that appeared.
“Wait, Aurianna!” Kiana called out. “Can we please take a short break? Just a few minutes to recover.”
Aurianna glanced back at Kiana, noticing that she was a bit tired. “Alright, a few minutes,” she conceded, sitting down on a nearby rock. Kiana let out a sigh of relief and sat down beside her.
“I’ve never seen anyone fight like you,” Kiana admitted, looking at Aurianna with admiration. ‘Though it actually scares me.’
“It comes with experience,” Aurianna replied, her tone softening slightly. “You’ll get there too, as long as you train well with Aquarius.”
[ You have defeated the Flame Lurker. You may move on to the next trial. ] The system finally announced. Aurianna and Kiana swam forward to the next door, which bore the words ‘Fifth Trial.’
[ Also, how did your level suddenly jump up like that?? (눈‸눈) ] read the screen before them.
“Oh, those two angels are curious?” Aurianna chuckled, staring at the screen.
“Maybe I'm just a genius!” Aurianna declared with a proud smile.
[ That's impossible. No one can jump so many levels in a day!! ]
“Chi, chi, believe what you want,” Aurianna stated with a casual shrug.
[ Humph, do what you want. We don't care as long as you clear this place! ] the angels retorted.
‘I don’t blame them for their questions. This human gets pretty decent training in that strange world,’ Kiana thought, nodding she was even shocked by how much time moved over there but in the real world it was only a few hours. But the memory of the training Aquarius put her through made her squeeze her face in disgust.
[ Anyway. Would you like to move to the fifth trial or rest? ] the angels asked.
“Let’s move!” Aurianna declared, and Kiana sighed, following behind her.
[ Fifth Trial: Dragon Iphranx. ]
Aurianna and Kiana suddenly found themselves in a new room. Unlike the previous one, this resembled a ruined, enormous castle, and they appeared amidst some walls.
They felt the ground tremble with heavy footsteps and heard a tail smashing into buildings.
Peeking from their hiding spot, they stared in shock at the monster before them.
Before them, moving through the ruined kingdom, was a massive dragon-like being over 90 feet tall. It had sharp claws on all four legs and two powerful tails. Its head was gruesome, with sharp teeth and eyes, and three rainbow-colored horns adorned its head.
“Looks like a dragon,” Kiana whispered.
[ Kill the Dragon Iphranx. Use the god-slaying arrows around to kill it. Solve the riddle to find where they are and how to use them. ]
“It’s as powerful as a Grand Human, nearly reaching the level of a Primordial Human,” Eva warned as she noticed Aurianna was ready to fight it.
“That means I can kill it!” Aurianna said with a grin.
Eva looked at Aurianna for a moment before sighing. “Do you know what its body is made of?” she asked.
Aurianna shook her head. "It definitely has a strange body, and it looks very strong."
"Because it is," Eva replied, her tone displeased. She watched from her void space screen, a frown plastered on her face. "I didn't think I would see beasts like this here."
"What kind of monster is it?" Aurianna asked, her curiosity piqued.
"Monstrous Tier 1 Regal creations," Eva spat with disgust, her eyes fixed on the Iphranx through her screen.
"Wait, but how?" Eva suddenly realized as she examined the Iphranx more closely. "Only Tier 1 Regals should be able to make this. Why does it have the aura of a Tier 6 Regal but the power of a Tier 1 master?" she wondered, her hand trembling.
"And this one has three horns. That's bad," Eva burst out.
"Eva, are you okay?" Aurianna asked with concern.
"I am, but this Dragon Iphranx is special. You can't kill it with your current strength," Eva shook her head.
"I see. So what can I do?" Aurianna asked, watching the monster pass by them, Gixo's shield covering them.
"Use the weapons they mentioned. That should work," Eva suggested, displaying an image of the god-slaying arrow on her screen. She nodded in approval.
"How come I can't kill it, but a mere weapon can?" Aurianna pouted.
"Some weapons are like the primal weakness of certain monsters, made specifically to kill them in a few attacks. Whoever created these has dealt with this monster before," Eva explained, and Aurianna nodded.
"But it means you'll have to distract it while Kiana activates the weapons," Eva added.
"I'm fine with that," Aurianna said.
"Be careful. This is the devouring type of Dragon Iphranx, so no matter what, don't get too close to its mouth. That thing can damage souls," Eva warned, and Aurianna nodded.
"Understood. Don't worry, I'll make sure we end this quickly," Aurianna stated, summoning a revolver into her hand.
"Aurianna?" Kiana called out. 'Is she done talking to that lady?' she wondered.
"First off, let's locate where the weapons are," Aurianna stated calmly as she concentrated her vision.
"Okay, I've found them!" she declared, spotting four images of extremely large arrows in different parts of the kingdom.
"That fast?" Kiana blurted out.
"She has super vision," Gixo answered, realizing Kiana was curious.
“You seem to know a lot about me all of a sudden,” Aurianna chuckled, turning to Gixo.
“Well, it’s only natural since I’ve integrated with you,” Gixo replied with a grin.
“Whatever,” Aurianna rolled her eyes.
“Eva, can these weapons truly kill it?” Aurianna asked, seeking confirmation as she remained skeptical.
“Yes. These arrows are actually made from the body of a Dragon Iphranx, so there’s a high chance they can kill it when activated. However, given the size of this kingdom and Kiana’s swimming speed. She's fast but not very fast, I doubt you can complete it quickly. Translating the ancient text I found, you only have four days to kill it,” Eva stated calmly.
“I see. Pity Gixo isn't a movement-type Shining Star; otherwise, I’d have him move her around,” Aurianna sighed.
“That means I’ll have to teleport Kiana to the locations and lure the monster close to the arrows. But if that beast is smart enough, that won’t be easy either,” Aurianna speculated, then sighed again.