Chapter 574 - 573: The Path of Trials

Chapter 574: Chapter 573: The Path of Trials

Kase swung his axe at the glowing motes floating in mid-air.

The giant axe, emanating a frigid chill, struck the coalesced gas and stopped dead in mid-air. It looked as if he had simply raised his weapon above his head.

The frost on the axe blade seeped into the airflow ahead, turning into white threads that twined around each other in the strong wind.

But in the next instant, a spray of blood erupted from his broad shoulder. The airflow had punched a clean hole right through it.

"Argh!!" Kase roared, raising his axe and pushing forward.

The blue flames on his body burned ever more fiercely, like a roaring furnace fire.

The Hunter wrestling with the Half-Orc was forced back a few steps, momentarily overwhelmed by his opponent’s immense strength.

’To be able to punch right through Kase’s body... this Hunter’s power is truly frightening. I wonder what it would feel like to take a direct hit from that.’

Colin frowned, steadied his mind, and continued casting.

Another Guiding Bolt flew out from the Holy Emblem Orelia held high, striking the Invisible Stalker in the chest.

WHOOSH, WHOOSH, WHOOSH!

Three golden rays shot out again. Two of them grazed Kase’s body and barely managed to hit the Hunter, while the last one struck the floor.

Colin uttered the final syllable of his spell.

Three Force Darts bypassed Kase and slammed into their opponent. The red Force Field Energy tore right through the surging winds.

SCREEE!!

A sharp cry, like a woman sobbing, came from ahead, followed by a strong gust of wind that blew in their faces. It took several seconds to die down.

"Got some kick to it." A stream of scarlet blood flowed from Kase’s shoulder. "Weeds, wood, wind... what other weird stuff have we fought?"

Orelia hurried forward, reciting a prayer and beginning to use a Divine Art to heal the Half-Orc’s wound.

"Thanks, Kase," Dorn said to the Half-Orc. "I’ll treat you to some private-stock Dwarven brew when we get back."

"Hmph. You’ll have to throw in a pork knuckle or a leg of lamb, too." Kase licked his lips unconsciously.

After speaking, Dorn took a glass bottle over to where the Hunter had dissipated. After rummaging around on the ground for a bit, he picked up a strange white substance, stuffed it into the bottle, and sealed it with a cork stopper.

Colin asked, "Is that an Elemental Essence?"

"Yes. A fresh Air Elemental Essence. If you don’t collect it quickly, it’ll dissipate," Dorn said. "We can give this to Donkexes and his crew, right?"

"No problem." Colin looked at his companions. "Should we keep going today?"

"I can’t use any more Tier Three Magic," Ale reminded them. "But I can use Energy Spellcasting via Metamagic. Is that necessary?"

"No need." Dorn glanced at the hall ahead. "The fact that you’re asking, Colin, means we shouldn’t press on. I suspect there’s bigger trouble waiting for us."

Colin followed his gaze.

Opposite the entrance to the hall was a tightly sealed stone door.

Behind that stone door could be the exit to this dungeon, but it could also hide a monster even more terrifying than the Invisible Stalker.

"Then let’s go back to where we just ate and rest for a while. We can continue tomorrow," Colin suggested.

"Sounds like a plan. Kase’s wound is healed now, anyway," Dorn said.

The group returned to their previous camp.

Since the tent was still on Big Hoof Treasure, they had to sleep in their bedrolls for now.

It was still a while before bedtime, and since they had just eaten, no one was hungry. They rested where they were, passing a few hours before finally turning in.

After a night’s sleep, the party packed their belongings, extinguished the campfire, and returned to the hall they had reached the day before.

As they headed down, Dorn, who was in the lead, took a copper coin from his purse. With a flick of his thumb, the coin spun a few times in mid-air before falling into the stream of water around the stone platform.

"What are you doing?" Kase asked. "If you don’t want that copper coin, you might as well give it to me."

"I’m checking if there are any Elemental Creatures in the water. I’d rather not get ambushed when we cross," Dorn said. "Looks safe, though."

The group crossed the stone platform and arrived in front of the stone door.

This stone door was incredibly thick. If not for the seam running down it, one could easily mistake it for a solid stone wall.

Colin stepped forward and pushed with all his might, but the stone door didn’t budge. Kase and Ale came up beside him to help, and only then did the stone door reluctantly grind open.

Beyond the stone door was a reasonably wide corridor.

Colin swallowed, holding his dagger enchanted with [Light] as he slowly advanced.

He hadn’t gone far when another stone door appeared ahead. This one, however, was shattered, its panels lying in pieces on the floor. Above the doorframe were carved some words in the language of the Ancient Empire. Colin put on his glasses and saw that they read "Path of the Murmurer."

Colin took a few more steps forward and looked inside the doorway.

Inside the doorway was a spacious hall.

Within the hall was a shallow pit, about a meter deep, surrounded by tiered seating that resembled the audience stands of an arena. Inside the pit were various training structures made of steel.

These training facilities were mostly things like vertical ladders, low walls, and suspended rope bridges, looking much like an obstacle course.

"Professional training equipment."

After Dorn made this assessment, he led the group toward another large door on the far side of the training room.

When they reached the door and looked closely, they saw that while a corridor should have been behind it, a deep pit had been artificially carved out, cutting off almost the entire passage.

Colin looked down, but even with the help of [Light], he couldn’t see the bottom of the pit.

The pit was about forty meters across. Floating above it were several two-meter-diameter discs, which formed a path to the other side.

"I’m guessing this is where the Murmurers held their exams. It seems to be a test of physical coordination," Colin said.

Dorn stepped forward and glanced at the pit. "I’m guessing they didn’t need many living candidates. This style of test reminds me of the Gray Dwarves and the Drow."

With that, he raised his hand and threw a Spiritual Dagger.

The Spiritual Dagger traced a silver arc through the air, flying smoothly to the other side of the pit. After a flash of silver light, Dorn’s figure appeared on the opposite side.

The Dwarf stood on the other side and waved smugly.

Colin looked around but didn’t sense any trace of Magic Radiance.

"Colin, should we jump across?" Ale asked, looking eager to try.

Remembering how clumsy she had been with a crossbow, Colin quickly said, "Since no one—and no Magic Array—is watching, I think we should take the easy way out."