[The Trial of Stars has been completed]
[Total Number of Survivors: 18]
[Star Distribution: 15 Black, 3 White]
[Those who achieved the White Star Level will be given a benefit during later trials.]
The four notifications came in quick succession, mostly outlining information that was already known. The main thing people focused on was the last notification.
The gazes of all those who gathered on the hill congregated on the Damien trio's location. The greed in their eyes was obvious, but they didn't dare to move.
For one, the trial had already ended so there was no point even if they were able to steal the latter party's starlight. But the main reason was the fact that they weren't sure of the other party's strength. To be able to achieve a White Star, they obviously weren't simple. And on their way to the rendezvous point, they had heard a great many rumors.
It wasn't worth the risk even if only a sliver of those rumors turned out to be truth. If all of those rumors were true, the strength of these three was truly unfathomable. In this tense atmosphere, another set of notifications rang out.
[The Primordial Undying Tree pans its gaze over the participants.]
Damien felt the gaze that the notification spoke of. In fact, it was intensive as if the gaze was specifically focused on him.
Within that gaze, he felt an odd sensation. 'Is it…warning me about something?' He had no way to be sure.
[The second trial will be administered individually. When the participants are ready to begin, they may declare their readiness to be transported to the location of the next trial.]
"That's it?"
"There's no explanation?"
"What do we do now?"
Various hushed murmurs rang out. After all, the first trial came with a sufficient description on both the contents and clear conditions that were attached to it. For the second, however, they were just being thrust into unknown territory.
But there was nobody to question. The Primordial Undying Tree only spoke to them in notifications, so how were they supposed to question it? In the end, the geniuses steeled themselves and began declaring their readiness one by one.
As the number of people standing on the hill decreased, Damien looked at Feng Qing'er and Qing Tan with a smile.
"I have to say, I had a lot of fun working with the two of you. If we have a chance to meet again after this trial ends, I hope we can continue being allies instead of enemies."
Feng Qing'er rolled her eyes. "What's with the formal tone all of a sudden? After all of the life-or-death struggles we've been through together, are you doubting our character? Hmph, even if I beat you up later, I'll do it fair and square. Don't worry about that. Anyway, I'll see the two of you on the other side!"
With a cheerful declaration, Feng Qing'er's body became illusory and disappeared from the Trial World.
Now, only Damien and Qing Tan remained. A small silence enveloped them for a while.
"Do you know what I want to ask?" Damien asked lightly. His gaze was on the horizon in front of him.
"…Mm."
Qing Tan looked over with wide eyes. After hesitating for a bit, she let out a sound of affirmation.
"I don't expect you to answer it right away, but I hope you can do so before anything happens. Those words I said before, you should understand who they were meant for."
Qing Tan turned her gaze to the horizon as well. She had a complicated look in her eye. In the end, she couldn't do anything besides sigh in resignation. Immediately afterwards, she changed into motes of light as she left the Trial World.
The sun was already starting to set. With the threat of demons completely eliminated for now, the Trial World seemed to have entered a time of peace. An aura of tranquility permeated the air.
Damien stood in this atmosphere with his eyes closed, taking in the feeling. It was only many minutes later that he opened his eyes again.
'Haa…I really hope things aren't as they seem…'
The Primordial Undying Tree, the Nox Demigod known as the Demon God, the power struggle going on within the Primordial Undying Realm…he didn't want to add anything else on top of that.
But there was nothing he could do besides continue forward. After steeling himself and circulating his mana in preparation for the next trial, he declared his readiness.
The feeling of spatial mana enveloping his body soon overwhelmed his senses, leaving nothing else but darkness on all sides.
***
Darkness.
On all sides, there was only darkness.
The walls, the ceiling, the ground, they were all enveloped in darkness.
Even after his eyes adjusted, it didn't seem to get any better.
The uniformity of it all made him uncomfortable. It wasn't something he was used to.
"Haa…haa…haa…"
The sound of his heavy breathing was the only thing he could hear. But he preferred it that way.
It was much better than what he was forced to listen to at other times.
"W-what do I do?"
When his voice left his mouth, it was cracked and barely sounded human.
He didn't recognize himself anymore.
Who was he? Why was he alive? Why was he here?
He didn't want to think anymore. Thinking would only lead to further harm.
"I-it's all a dream. A nightmare. T-this isn't happening."
He was feeble. He was weak. He already knew this. They told him about it so often that it had been ingrained in his mind.
For him to be thrown into such a situation, it had to be a dream.
He stumbled through the darkness.
His steps didn't carry a hint of strength.
He weakly collapsed on the floor.
"I-I can't do this. It's too much…it's too much…if I just sleep...it'll be over, right?"
To wake up, what did he need to do?
He had never lucid dreamed before. Why did his first experience have to be so traumatic?
They say that escaping a lucid dreaming state was easy, but he didn't think so.
They said that it was impossible to feel pain in a lucid dream, but he didn't think so.
"Sleep…sleep…if I do that, then I can escape right?"
His body had already collapsed.
He tried to ignore how vividly he could feel the cold ground against his back. How realistic the jagged edges of those rocks felt as they pierced his skin.
He closed his eyes.
"M-mom…I miss you…"
The face of his mother. It was good that he could remember it. Didn't that mean he'd wake up soon?
He closed his eyes.
He tried to divert his attention from the current situation.
"There's…too much noise…"
He couldn't sleep.
The noise wouldn't let him.
"I want to go home…I want to wake up…"
It was an earnest wish.
He was pleading to anyone who could hear him, but unfortunately, there were none.
He opened his eyes.
The uniformity of the place made him uncomfortable. He couldn't get used to it.
The walls, the ceiling, the ground, it was all rock. Even if the rocks looked different in some places, and had different textures when they came into contact with his skin, it was all still rock.
"I…I can't do this…"
He wanted to go home.
He wanted to go home.
He wanted to go home.
"Survive…? Is there even a point?"
He couldn't accept it. He wanted to wake up.
But no matter how many times he tried to escape this nightmare, he couldn't.
Today marked the second day.
The second day that he was trapped in this dungeon.
