Infinite Realm

In a dark hall at an unknown location, a young man and a shadow monster were engaged in a fierce battle. Sparks flew off each time the two clashed with their weapons. The young man used a sword to contend with the creature, while the shadow demon used its vicious claws to clash with the sword.

At first, the young man had the lower hand in the battle but as time went on he slowly began to suppress the creature.

*Clang*

The silver sword collided with the black claws as the Shadow Phantom was forced back.

Seeing an opportunity in front of him, the young man hurriedly struck out once more with his sword.

'Die.'

-135 (0/1700 Shadow Phantom (Elite))

The silver sword thrust forward and ran through the body of the Shadow Phantom, exiting from behind. Black mist gushed out profusely from the injury as the young man withdrew his sword.

"Finally." Sato sighed as he saw the Shadow Phantom's figure burst apart into black mist. 

Since he had stepped onto the brown stone bridge, he had encountered an ambush every 30 metres. The very first Shadow Phantom that he faced wasn't much of a problem to him but the ones that came after were much stronger. The second assault saw Sato facing two level 11 Shadow Phantoms and since he was about 60 metres into the bridge, the pressure he faced from the increased gravity and the gloomy black winds made this battle a whole lot difficult than the last. However, Sato wasn't an average player as he had quickly adjusted to the environment and defeated the creatures, though with a few minor injuries.

On the third 30 metres checkpoint, which was about 90 metres away from the stone bridge's starting point, Sato had to face 4 Shadow phantoms that were at level 12. While it started with him being suppressed by the monsters at first, Sato eventually got the hang of it and managed to not be overly forced back on his feet but he still wasn't their match. In the end, Sato was forced to increase his Main attributes with the excess points he got from levelling up. However, he didn't use everything; only using two levels' worth of attribute points from the 25 points he had received. This was because Sato was using this battle as a way to train himself and improve his control over his avatar as well as his compatibility with it. 

Of the 10 points he used, Sato had placed 3 in [Endurance] and 1 in [Willpower] -in order to resist the pressure from the increased gravity and the effects of the black winds- and 4 in [Strength], raising his attack power to another level. As for the remaining two, he added it to his [Agility]. Sato's [Dexterity] didn't need any improvements for now as the boost from his [Astral Sword] made his Attack Speed to be comparable to these creatures. 

The 4th checkpoint, which happens to be where he was at now, had an Elite Level 13 Shadow Phantom blocking the path. Compared to the Common rank Shadow Phantoms, it was a lot more stronger and fierce, and it was even higher in level than the previous ones. There was also the home-ground advantage it had and since Sato was a lot deeper into the bridge, about 120 metres or so, the effects of the 2 hindering factors were a lot worse. At this juncture, just the black wind alone was enough to impede the actions of a level 10 player whereas the increased gravity made things worse. If a level 8 or 9 player were in Sato's shoes, they would find it difficult to contend with even a Common rank Shadow Phantom much less an Elite.

In order to defeat this monster, Sato had to go all out, and apart from [Gratitude of Races], he used every skill in his arsenal to beat it. This was mostly because he hadn't allocated all of his attribute points yet, otherwise, defeating this monster would have been as easy as counting from 1 to 10.

'Just an Elite Rank is the same as a BOSS. The level 10 checkpoint is a whole lot different.' Sato began to lament.

While it was true that the previous BOSS monsters he faced were all Elite ranks, it was understandable since they were below level 10. Below level 10, it is very difficult for a monster to advance past the Elite rank like the Kobold guards were able to. Any monster who could, would either possess an impressive bloodline or their environment aided them to do so. All these factors were almost inaccessible to monsters below level 10 as such, a majority of BOSS monsters below level 10 were usually at the Elite rank. However, even though the BOSS monsters were Elite ranks, they were still stronger than other Elite ranks in the same level.

Past the level 10 checkpoint was a new world for both players and monsters; even NPCs experienced great changes at this stage. Average level 10 and above Elite monsters were basically as strong as a below-level 10 Elite BOSS, if not stronger. To better understand this, if the Elite Shadow Phantom were to face the Elite Kobold Guard while being at the same level as it is(level 9), it would wipe the floor with the kobold's face till it could see its reflection. At the same level, an above-level 10 Elite monster was equivalent to a below-level 10 Elite BOSS. With the boost from the level difference, it was way stronger. Because of this, players would have a hard time facing off against these monsters as fighting any single Elite was the same as facing a BOSS monster below level 10.

After taking a very short break, Sato walked to the spot where the Shadow Phantom fell and picked a black crystal shard that was laying on the floor. He had realised, after the first Shadow Phantom's death, that these creatures dropped loot and gave some Experience points upon their death unlike the monsters in the Main Trials. 

The Experience points were average for the level 14 Sato but for a level 9 player, it would be enough to bring them closer to the level 10 checkpoint. As for the black crystal shard that dropped, it was a low rank [Shadow Crystal], a type of magic crystal. 

'No, wait a minute. This isn't a magic crystal, it's a mana crystal and one of the shadow element.' Sato's eyes widened in shock. Since he had read the books related to Blacksmithing from both the Blacksmith guild in Riverdale and the Caventry's library, Sato was able to differentiate between the two.

Compared to magic crystals, mana crystals were much rarer and way better than the former. They were a higher concentration of mana and much purer than magic crystals. However, due to their rarity, they were much more expensive than magic crystals. Sato had yet to see a store in Riverdale town sell one. Of course, it might be possible that the big stores like Grynx Merchandise had one but didn't keep them up for display.

Based on the intensity of the shade of the crystal, Sato surmised that it was a low-rank one but even that was way better than a magic crystal. This was a lucky boon for him as Sato would have never guessed that these creatures dropped mana crystals after their death. 

A single magic crystal costs at least 20 silver coins. A mana crystal, on the other hand, would have its value calculated in gold coins, even if it were a low-rank one. 

What makes things even better was that the mana crystal's element was the shadow element, a lesser form, or a lesser variety of the darkness element. While it was a lesser form of the darkness element, its rarity and rank were above that of the 5 elements, making it far more expensive than the mana crystals of those 5. In other words, the cost of this mana crystal most likely exceeded 20 gold coins.

'Such luck.' Sato couldn't help but whistle in joy.

After taking his loot, Sato departed towards the end of the brown stone bridge. He was already 120 metres in and though he couldn't see too far ahead because of the black wind, Sato guessed that he was approaching the end of the bridge.

5 minutes later, Sato had walked another 30 metres. The reason why it took him 30 minutes was because the gravity was slowing down his movements and forced him to proceed at a slow pace.

'So what would it be this time around.' Sato kept a clear eye for any strange movements. When he faced the four level 12 Shadow Phantoms at the third checkpoint, he had suffered an ambush at their hands. The 4 creatures had tried to pincer him from 4 directions and while they didn't succeed in killing him, Sato had lost quite an amount of HP at their hands. Ever since then, he began proceeding with caution whenever he neared the 30 metres mark.

After walking for a few metres, Sato had yet to spot any disturbance or abnormal movement. Just as he was about to question himself whether he had calculated his steps correctly, Sato saw a pitch-black structure ahead of him. While the wind was also black, the shades of the two colours were different, making it so that one could differentiate between the two as long as they paid attention. The reason why Sato spotted the structure so easily was because he was at high alert for anything unusual, otherwise, he might not have discovered the object.

'Could it be?' Sato stared in front with a hopeful expression. 

He increased his pace as he headed towards the structure but he didn't fail to glance around once in a while to prevent being ambushed at the last moment.

A minute later, Sato was able to arrive just in front of the black structure and at the end of the bridge. If he were to take the next step, he would arrive atop this weird complex and finally leave the stone bridge as well as the abyss' range.

'Finally, I have made it to the end.' Sato smiled slightly.

Taking that next step, Sato finally left the range of the abyss as well as the brown stone bridge, arriving within the premises of the black altar that held the treasure.