As I take a step forward, the world changed once more. I was back to the land where I was cut in half. This time, there is just soil and no grass, not a shade of green in the vast landscape.
In front of me, the armored figure awaits.
What is the plan? Do I just endure? This is not just a ceremony, this is a trial. Is it a trial of endurance?
While I was thinking of ways to get the most out of this Hero's Blessing ceremony, the armored figure rushed forward. The sword in its hand was more visible than before. I took note of that before I was sliced again.
Like before, my senses are extraordinary to a fault. The vicious torture was repeated.
I returned to the real world and just made the first step.
My gaze was placed onto the pope and onto the king. There was such a mechanism in the ceremony and none of you informed me about it?
No, wait. I am thinking this from the wrong perspective. Maybe they have no ill will but only ignorance. After all, I am the first summoned otherworlder and the first to attempt the Hero's Blessing. They only knew that I would feel pain, but not how.
I didn't let the pain I experienced fuel spite and blind me to rage, blaming others. Keeping my cool is incredibly difficult, though. My knees slightly tremble at the thought of experiencing another attack from that sword depicted in the statue.
Now, before I take another step forward, I have to think first. How to get the most out of this trial? Like in a game, the better your performance, the better the reward. If that's not the case, what's important is that I did my best!
I kept a positive attitude as I lied to myself.
The first thing that came to mind was the concept of being a Hero and the concept of a sword. If the concept is the same in this world, the Hero is the personification of bravery and justice. In the context of this world, the leading man of humanity against other races. This means it includes strength.
For the sword, it is straightforward. It is for fighting through cutting or stabbing. Cutting to protect or to kill.
How does this tie to the ceremony for the Hero's Blessing?
Before I concluded anything, I took another step forward and was brought to that world again. I immediately scanned the surroundings. The greenery didn't return, instead, the soil was tainted with blood and corpses wearing familiar armors.
The armored figure stood atop a mountain of corpses and ran up to me.
This makes it more complicated!
For now, I tried to dodge the armored figure's attack. My senses being sharper here should have a purpose. My first thought was that it's so I can feel the pain more but it can also be to sharpen and train my mind.
The armored figure reached me. My body is slower than my mind, so I moved in advance. This was already its third attack, and it moved in the same pattern. I dodged the first attack.
The armored figure was fast, but not fast enough to instantly kill me. Since I had some legroom, I kicked its face before it could attempt its second attack.
Bam*
But it felt like I hit a metal wall. My bones cracked upon impact. The hell? I guessed that defeating it could also be another part of the trial, but how can I defeat something like this?
While I was throwing an internal tantrum, the armored figure stabbed me in the neck.
I returned once more to the real world. Fortunately, I wasn't showing any reactions to the audience. Keeping my cool, I took another moment to think.
Another difference is the state of the landscape. First there was greenery, then there was none, and then there was blood and corpses. Each time, the skies get covered with more clouds, painting a darker picture.
Stages of war.
That's why this makes it more complicated. How will that fit into my working theory about this trial? Not that my working theory is that solid…
A Hero, a sword, and a war. The war against other races, with the hero leading humanity.
Shit!
I have too little information.
From the looks of it, I only have ten or so more steps to go before I reach the statue. Will the last step be when I touch the statue, or will the sword come to me once I overcome the trial?
While I can just walk and endure to see what comes out of it, I may be missing the chance here.
I have to gather more information. I took another step, bringing me back to the blood-stained land. To my delight, the additions are weapons stabbed onto the ground along with the corpses.
The armored figure rushed at me once more. The sword in its hand is more visible than before. This time, I moved before it did. I grabbed a sword stuck in the ground. The armored figure did the same attack, and I dodged it likewise. With the sword in my hand, I stabbed forward at its neck.
Payback time!
Crack*
The blade of my sword cracked and broke like my bones when I kicked the armored figure earlier.
Oh, come on!
I died.
Hmmm… I didn't pause this time and took another step forward. Analyzing the swords on the ground, I found something interesting.
Comparing it from the last visit to this god-forsaken world, the weapons from earlier are in poor shape. This time, it has better quality. Interesting, very interesting.
I took a spear this time. The armored figure would attack the same so, in line with my prediction, I stabbed it in the gap of its helmet. It is a mystery what's underneath that armor. It has two red orbs for its eyes but then it's all darkness like a void within that full-armor. However, as I stabbed the spear in its head, I felt something resisting the blade.
There's something tangible inside!
My hands felt weak. It was a disgusting feeling of stabbing into the flesh of another. But then I remembered that this was not reality, and in front of me was not a human. Further thought also made me realize that my anger against it is greater than my guilt of stabbing it in the face. Even if you are a king, if you cut me to pieces, be prepared to be stabbed between the eyes, fuckface!
The armored figure stopped in its tracks and dropped lifelessly. I immediately attempted to grab the sword in its hands, but the world vanished before I could, bringing me back to reality.
Although I was disappointed that I wasn't able to get hold of that mysterious sword, I was delighted to see that I returned to reality without dying! That's a huge win, baby!
"Urgh…?"
I then picked up a curious groan from the pope.
Following his gaze, my eyes landed on the sword statue. The tip of the sword cracked.
Hooo— it wasn't that complicated, was it?
As the world progresses, the Hero gets stronger, and when the Hero overcomes a challenge, the sword statue slowly reveals itself.
At that point, I stopped putting much meaning behind the trial and focused on defeating the armored figure. In my fifth step, the landscape didn't change, but this time, there are more figures standing beside the armored one.
Each challenge gets increasingly more difficult as well?
I took a sword from the ground this time. When I moved, my body felt lighter and stronger. It wasn't just the world but mine as well. I was getting stronger.
I wonder if this strength will be transferred to the real world. Putting my thoughts aside, I prepared myself as the group of 'zombies' rushed at me. They have no weapons or armor with them, only long claws at the tips of their rotting fingers.
My stomach turns and twists at the sight. It was a disgusting view. You'd think that you get desensitized to the sight of moving corpses due to watching too many zombie movies, but nope. Seeing it right in front of you, moving erratically and inhumanely, just gives you the ick.
The first zombie approached me. I have no idea of its pattern of movement yet so I stayed passive. With my newfound strength, my body was able to follow my thoughts and I dodged a few before receiving slashes when the third and fourth zombies arrived.
Their pattern of attack seemed random but until a point, they are just repeating the same movements in an interval. What's worrying is their numbers.
Furthermore, it should be obvious, but I have zero experience in combat. I felt like my movements were wasteful. If not for my heightened senses, they would've already crowded and killed me.
I compensated by being cautious. When I learned their attack patterns, I counter-attacked. The blade in my hand slashed through one zombie's neck. It wasn't the cleanest cut, but it did the job of separating its head from the rest of its body.
The zombie dropped like it was never alive in the first place. Counting the rest, there are seven to go, excluding the armored figure that is just intimidatingly standing at the back.
If I'm going to put a meaning behind this, this is a Hero fighting against a general and their army. I don't think I'm far off. There is an ongoing war between all races in this world. As the leading force, a Hero should be expected to rush through the frontlines and face an army by himself.
Once the Hero kills all the soldiers, he will come for the head of the general- exactly how I rushed to the armored figure after killing the last zombie. Likewise, the armored figure raised the ethereal sword towards me.
Let's fucking go, mate!
I died.
Shit! The armored figure got a power-up as well.
However, it wasn't without results. I learned some of its movements, and in the next step, I will kill it for sure.