CHAPTER 321: SPECIAL REWARDS

Darian instantly activated all the Wind runes he’d gotten from the system, the ones he’d been stockpiling in his inventory. Since he hadn’t fought at all for days, he had tons of them. He used every single one at once.

*Wooosh!*

They shot toward the gate like a falling star.

But...

**ROAR!!!**

A terrifying roar thundered out, unleashing immense power that froze the elemental force and tanked their speed.

Darian saw the portal only thirty meters away — he’d reach it in two seconds — but deep down, he felt he wouldn’t make it.

What did he do wrong? That dragon couldn’t have just woken up out of nowhere.

’Not enough time... with everyone...’

No time to think. His body moved on its own: he grabbed the rabbit with both hands and hurled it toward the gate like a ball, pouring all the Wind power he had into it.

After all, this was a challenge, and their performance would be judged. If at least the rabbit made it home, that would already count as success. As for the dragon...

...he’d just have to unleash everything and pray for a miracle.

It would be a desperate, almost impossible fight... but thinking about it, Darian didn’t feel fear. On the contrary, a burning urge to release his inner demon in battle took over him.

The rabbit’s eyes locked onto Darian’s the instant it touched the gate. Gratitude and happiness shone there, but also terror and despair mixed together.

And then—

"!"

The gate suddenly released a strange pulling force. Darian and the three youngsters felt space itself twist around them and, in the blink of an eye, they were sucked into the portal.

*ROAR!*

The dragon bellowed furiously. It had all happened too fast — it had woken up, and in less than two seconds they were gone, through the entrance.

Darian was startled, but before he could react, the scenery around him changed. A golden light flooded his vision, so bright he could barely open his eyes.

Little by little, his sight adjusted. And when he finally saw the world before him, he was stunned.

It was a peaceful, blessed land. The ground was covered in radiant golden herbs, some towering into the sky, others tiny. The biggest ones reached heavenward, while the smallest, no taller than a palm tree, swayed gently in the breeze.

Not long after they arrived, countless small animals popped up from behind the herbs, peeking curiously at the newcomers. When they spotted the little rabbit, they cried out in surprise and ran over.

The rabbit lit up with joy. He bolted toward them, overflowing with happiness as he reunited with the others. They hopped and ran through the golden herbs, their cheerfulness contagious.

Suddenly...

[Congratulations, you are the first to reach the secret area of the Primordial Challenge]

All four saw the same green screen pop up in front of them, filled with anticipation.

[You will be the first to receive the maximum performance reward of the challenge. This area can only be accessed once all prerequisites are fulfilled. Saving this little rabbit was the first. Finding a way past the dragon, the second. And finally, you had to be cornered and thrown into despair.]

Darian sighed. So it hadn’t been his failure after all. The dragon "magically" noticing them and turning against them had been part of the design.

[In this final phase, thirteen other competitors have failed. Every one of them either charged forward or ran back desperately, thinking only of saving themselves. You are the first to choose to send the rabbit alone, then face an unbeatable enemy.]

[The creator of this Trial designed it after the final battle against the Sovereign of Eternal Chaos. An invincible enemy — the only person in history to ever reach that absolute peak of power. The purpose of this challenge is to find those who don’t fear even fighting the invincible, yet still have a firm and righteous heart, capable of choosing to save a pure creature until the very end.]

’Hmm... my plan was to get a perfect score in the end... but I guess it turned out the same.’

Darian muttered inwardly, but soon felt the three youngsters’ eyes on him. He sighed. Wasn’t he doing exactly this for them, too?

[The four of you are granted permission to attempt the Secret Challenge]

A new screen appeared, making all their eyes light up.

[You can choose not to take it. In that case, when the seven days of the challenge are over, you’ll get the maximum rewards possible for challengers. But if you try, special rewards can be earned.]

[Accept the Secret Challenge?] [Yes / No]

Darian turned to the three, and they instantly looked back at him with excitement. He didn’t even need to ask: they already knew they could never back down from an opportunity. Their lives depended on their own strength, so they had to try.

The four of them accepted, and the green screen appeared again.

[The Secret Challenge is pretty simple: it’s a mental fight. Your opponent will have a power level just a little higher than yours. But it’ll be the most important person in your mind, and you’ll have to fight to defeat them.]

[Whether you win or not, your performance and growth during the fights will be judged. You’ll then get a score, from 0 to 1000. That score will decide your extra reward in the Secret Challenge.]

[Starting in 200 seconds...]

A countdown appeared, ticking down second by second. They all read the explanation carefully.

Darian felt relieved. The three youngsters only had to rely on their own skills to win. This was a chance for them to grow.

When the timer hit zero, the four sat cross-legged and closed their eyes. Then, they felt their consciousness being pulled somewhere else.

...

Darian woke up in a world of complete darkness. Looking down, he saw bright, glowing white ground. He was inside a black-and-white world—an illusion within his mind.

He already had some experience with this, since it was very similar to the training with artifacts that existed in his clan back on Earth.

Suddenly, a twisted, shapeless energy appeared a few meters ahead of him.

"I’ve already faced the final test of that array left behind by the disciple of Heaven’s Will... this one shouldn’t be that much harder..."

He muttered, waiting for the form to stabilize. The person most important to him would appear there. Probably, no matter who it was, they’d still be a little stronger than him.

"Shit... am I gonna have to fight my mom or my siblings?"

And then—

"!"

Wings spread open. A woman appeared before him. She was like a wildflower, but at the same time, breathtakingly beautiful.

Her amber eyes glared at him coldly. Scales didn’t cover her body, letting Darian clearly see her curves. If it were any other woman, he’d never do something so vulgar... but she was different from all the rest. His gaze was pulled toward her like a magnet.

"Shit..."

The illusion of Niara slammed her fists together threateningly. Then, her green scales wrapped around her, forming a complete armor.

Darian thought about fighting her... but his chest ached. He’d rather die than imagine himself hurting her.