"What is it, Master Isilindil?" A mercenary asked out of curiosity. "But why would something like this happen?" Isilindil on the other hand didn't answer the question directed at him as he mumbled beneath his breathe.
"It would seem that a dangerous predator is about and similar to other contestants, we are required to finish the Matoreas test as soon as possible cutting it off a day earlier than it should."
His face was ugly and it was understandable. He had finally gained a huge haul and now his streak was brought to an end because of some monster. He knew that the rumored creature at the begin was a ruse but it seemed that it became real.
"But that won't make me stop with my progress! We leave this forest by the end of tomorrow." His voice firm and resolute. 'It is just some random creature, what danger could it actually pose to me?'
...
Julian on the other hand was out minding his own business when he was hit with the same notification similar to Isilindil's. Those who had mana communication stones were all relayed the same message.
"A highly dangerous creature is loose thus the Matoreas will be forced to come to a close! You may all retreat however should any of you die because of failing to heed to such a warning, consider it your own fault."
He was slightly annoyed with his demeanor altering because of this. He had been busy during the day enabling him to rack upto seven hundred and fifty points.
Earned from killing three tier beasts and three tier two monsters as well coupled with his three hundred points landing him in his current position.
He felt content however he knew the fact that he had yet to encounter a tier four beasts meant that either Vivienne or Isilindil had already slain them making him fall short. But he didn't have the advantages they had.
Lacking an infinite source of power like Vivienne or having the help of high tier experts like Isilindil. He had to do everything himself with no exceptions whatsoever. 'I'm so close to making a breakthrough into the fifth array however if I use the spoils that I earned, it could guarantee my breakthrough into the fourth tier.'
'But given the sudden development, I'll have to reserve such an option for after the competition. Not to mention it would be too time consuming for me to start leveling and solidifying the tier wasting at least a week disqualifying me from the second half of the Sphin trials.'
Not far from him was a stray Lionara. It seemed rather young and as a test to this, it was on the second tier which could be considered a solid haul for other contestants however it was substandard to him.
In a flash,his body appeared right on top of it and with a swift arc of his sword, he was able to decapitate it bringing it's life to an end. But unlike the former parties, he had a trump card of his own.
A faint hazy blue boat appeared in his palm as his figure rested back to the fire he had set up. A manuscript appeared in his hand as the boat floated right above his head, a calm and cool sensation washing over him.
'With this artifact from that individual, I'm able to master techniques ten times faster regardless their difficulty and it can be used in the heat of combat, able to see through illusions and calm the mind. Also amplifying the movements depending on one's mental state.'
'Not to mention it acts as a passage way to a small world should I be in a difficult situation and act as a defense artifact but it has one slight flaw.' Despite all the advantages that it came along with it, there was a deadly flaw as well.
'It manages to cut my lifespan to a third. That being is rather selfish but there was no other way around it. If not I would still be on the third array.' The effects were mind bending but for such a price, it would truly make one wonder whether it was worth it to begin with.
But for him, an elf, he had the lifespan of four hundred years as a base which got higher with how strong one got. Given that he was already in the third tier, his lifespan could extend to six hundred years but with the rapid decomposition of his soul, it was reduced to two hundred years.
Given that he would grow stronger and stronger, he could counter the effects of the artifact but that would mean that he could never stop training till he became the strongest being.
'At tier seven,the effects of the artifact should be neutralized restoring all the years that were calculated to be cut out of my lifespan or so that is what that being said but I would be a fool to blindly believe so.'
'It would seem that they are grooming me to gain power perhaps to kill me or something much grander.' He couldn't deduce at the moment but he would strive to get stronger at the moment and later on find a way to have it removed from him.
"I wonder how my sister's doing?" He mumbled as he stared deep into the ember fire which cackled the wood as it gave signs of dying out.
Julian however was unaware of the pair of crimson eyes that pierced through the darkness and onto his figure.
...
'This isn't good! I've barely been able to make it into four hundred points! I'll be disqualified at this rate considering the announcement!' Lirale concluded as she looked at her stone mana storage artifact.
Between the four parties at the top, she was the one who was the farthest away from not only breaking the threshold of making it into the five hundred points requirement but also the least as a general.
She looked at her comrades who were more than caterers than contestants arranged by her family to aid her due to her sudden position.
A faint sigh escaped her lips as she contemplated whether she would have to step down from the Sphin trials or the Matoreas test as a whole. She had been anticipating this test if her skill for her entire life and here she was, about to watch it flash away from her eyes.
Due to the notification, she knew that she couldn't stray that far off from the camp thus she secluded herself, taking a little detour by perching herself high up a tree.
'If only my injuries weren't as bad as they were. I would have broken through the required points.' Her injuries have been holding her back as she couldn't exert her mana in a way she usually would.
Looking into the forest, she could see the faint lights all over the place, she waited before something strange happened. "Ahhhhh!" Within the night that it was, dead and calm, an ear piercing scream could be heard reign through the night.
More lights of various campfires could be seen light up all over. Looking at the source of the noise fell silent as fast as it perturbed the calm and silent night. Contestants were baffled upon hearing this, some thinking that they had encountered a strange creature while others mused that it could have been an attack from another party.
What remained after wasn't the shouts of joy and victory but rather a strange and ear piercing scream that reigned through the night. 'What is that? What kind of creature would make such a sound?' Lirale couldn't rack her brains to decipher what a creature was as she made her descent.
The other members woke up as the sound of multiple alien screams could be heard all over the place which was amplified with the scream of the contestants making the entire forest fall into unrest and turmoil.
She wasn't planning on staying here for long enough as she made her way towards Bramblewood. A look of defeat washed on her face as she realized that she had failed in making the required points to progress to the next half of the Sphin trials.
*Stab*
One of her party members of four was shot down. Given that the rest were in front of him, they couldn't identity the cause forcing them to come to a halt. The lights they had came from the torches that they had. Given that there wasn't a fire user participant in their group , they couldn't lit up the night thus they were forced into using their senses.
But the result was as equivalent as not looking at all given that they couldn't sense anything in the darkness.
*Rip*
Another met her demise, her torso split into two from the stomach and the result was two halves of her body strewn carelessly on the ground. 'Why can't I sense anything? If they are using mana into their attacks, there should be at the very least traces of it to begin with.'
Recalling her encounter with Vivienne, she changed her output but the chances of another being like her were low. "Lirale..." A soft cackle could be heard echo through the night which made her entire body freeze.
'Is this one of the antics of the creature or an individual trying to mascarade as one?' She couldn't tell at the moment. "I could give you the required points to advance into the next section of the Sphin trials for a small fee."
"Who are you?" She could decipher that the other party was feminine but the chances of them masking their actual voice was high. "The prize isn't that high at all. Just let me track down Vivienne and I'll help you." Her body grew tense as she heard this.
The memories of how Vivienne won was something that had been deeply etched into her memory. "What makes you think that I'll agree to such an offer?!" The voice wasn't frustrated but rather amused. "Because we both know that if you leave right now, you won't qualify for the next part of the Sphin trials."
"Vivienne on the other hand has already broken through the pass mark and already into a thousand points as we speak. All you have to do is help me find her and I'll give you the required points to proceed." Lirale was caught in a storm of emotions.
She had been training for the Sphin trials for nearly her entire life and now when she had the opportunity in her hands, it was about to slip away from her. But then again she couldn't blindly trust someone she didn't know much less be tied to the deaths of multiple contestants.
"Show your face! Or are you a coward?" One of them spoke to which no answer was shot back.
"Ahhhh!" And with that, Lirale was left to fend for herself in the darkness with her source of light being a torch that lay not too far from where she was. "Do you accept?" The voice rang once more making her overcome with emotions of sorts.
"..." Her mouth was wordless as the screams kept on going. 'The chances of this individual manipulating me are there meaning that she need me to get to Vivienne but why. I can't tell whether she's lying or not but I can't go back to Bramblewood like this.'
She knew that the other party wanted something from her but what was something she wasn't sure herself but she was certain that they would hesitate to kill her off so casually given that she was the only one alive.
"I accept." She sighed as she looked around. The source of the sound was indiscernible which made her eyes looked all over the place in a frantic manner making her look like a lunatic.
A strange calm was present before a pair of pitch white eyes were presented to her. A faint sense of fear and trepidation overcame her however she remained firm and an individual could be seen on the beast that was visible in the light of the torch.
The individual was fully masked in a strange substance she couldn't deduce but she could tell that she wasn't simple.