CHAPTER 93: INORGANIC ANIMATION

Maximilian saw the fatal flaw in the masked man’s stance; there... at the left rib cage, an opening revealed itself.

It wasn’t a baited opening. This one, Maximilian had earned.

He had noticed that area was the masked man’s strongest point of defense, which was precisely why he focused on breaking his posture first, to force this vulnerability to appear.

All for this one opening!

Slash!

A swift, diagonal slash struck toward the rib. The masked man seemed to notice—but it was too late.

Slash! Clank!

The blade cut into muscle and bone, but the clanking sound at the end made Maximilian frown.

The cut hadn’t gone deep enough to be fatal.

He watched the masked man retreat, clutching the wound on his left side. Blood seeped between his fingers.

Though it wasn’t a killing blow, the injury was enough to hamper the masked man’s overall combat performance.

Maximilian noticed the rapier in his opponent’s hand; it was wriggling and almost alive. The weapon had clearly been damaged: the blade was uneven and cracked, its tip lying on the ground.

"Inorganic Animation... that’s your EF ability. You used it to extend the rapier, to defend yourself from a fatal blow," Maximilian muttered, realizing what had happened in that split second.

The masked man said nothing. He stared at Maximilian in silence, then turned his gaze to the broken tip of his rapier. That weapon had been his treasure, his companion since he was alive.

"We will meet again in the second round."

With those final words, he raised the rapier and slit his own throat, ending his life.

Maximilian’s eyes narrowed.

This masked man was resolute. With the injury and the broken, He knew he had no chance to win... so he ended it himself, aiming to turn the tide in Round Two.

Maximilian knew that if it hadn’t been for his luck, getting the Supreme Sword Master (Katana) package beforehand, he might have been the one to lose under the special rule imposed by the trial master.

But... was it really luck?

He remembered that Atherna gave him the subquest that led him to obtain the Supreme Sword Master (Katana) package.

Was she trying to help him?

He didn’t know the exact rules or limitations of the trial, but somehow, he had received the exact skill needed to counter it.

[Congratulations! Max, you passed the first round of the third trial! (ﾉ≧∀≦)ﾉ ]

Atherna congratulated him.

"Thanks, Atherna," Maximilian said, smiling at her kindness.

[Huh? What for? (づ｡◕‿‿◕｡)づ ] Atherna asked, though her voice didn’t sound truly confused.

"Nothing, I just wanted to say thank you. Thanks for loving me," Maximilian said with a gentle smile. There was no need to spell it out any further.

[Why are you saying that now? You silly. (*´∀`*) ]

Seeing the message, Atherna seemed happy.

Maximilian could only smile; this was his way of thanking her for her quiet care.

-The Third trial of the Trial of Soul, 1st round Concluded -

Round: 1st Round

Type: Trial by Combat

Trial Master’s Special Rule: Sword Duel

Status: First Round – Passed

– Trial Master –

Name: ???

Villain Name: The Hundred Face

EF (Evolution Factor): Inorganic Animation

Skills/Abilities:

- Master of Disguise

- Master of Acting

- Master of Fencing (Rapier/Saber)

- Butler Mastery (Coffee/Tea brewing and all skills related to butler duties)

- Master of Etiquette

[The reward for passing the first round of the trial will be randomly selected from half of the trial master’s skills and abilities, rounded down.]

-Reward-

– Inorganic Animation: The ability to control any inorganic object or entity, animating it to move or act independently. The object must possess sufficient mass to perform such animation.

- Master of Acting

- Master of Fencing (Rapier/Saber)

With a new round of rewards, including EF, Maximilian felt a surge of new knowledge and skills enter his mind.

After a brief moment, he was transported from the mindscape back to the real world.

He got up from the bed, recollecting what he had gained from this trial session.

The trials were becoming more perilous. The Trial Masters were no longer passive, they wouldn’t wait for him to absorb their skills and abilities. They were now actively seeking ways to outwit him.

This time, under the special rule that forced him to fight using only sword techniques, if Atherna hadn’t helped him, he might have already lost.

With that in mind, Maximilian asked.

"Athel, can a Trial Master propose a rule that forces me to compete in something they can do but I can’t? Like fighting using magic?"

[No, they can’t. The basic rule for proposing a special condition is that both the Trial Master and the participant must be capable of what’s proposed.

"That’s why most of the time, it ends up being trial by combat—because killing each other is something humans can inherently do," Atherna explained.

Hearing this, Maximilian let out a sigh. If that was the case, then he felt relieved.

After that, Maximilian experimented with a new ability, Inorganic Animation.

He tested it on a paper water cup sitting on the table nearby.

The white paper cup started to move like a human. Maximilian saw the cup’s bottom shifting as if it were legs, moving it toward him.

No, the cup didn’t sprout legs or anything; it was merely moving its base as if it were walking.

Next, he tested it on a sheet of paper, trying to make it extend like a spear.

From what he observed, the paper could move and change shape. Starting from the flat sheet on the table, the center of the paper mass began to rise upward, pulling material from the rest of the sheet as it extended into the air.

In the end, the paper stretched up and touched the ceiling. But that was all it could do. The paper, or rather, the thin line of paper, couldn’t extend any further.

Maximilian then tried canceling the power, but the paper didn’t return to its original shape. It remained a thin, fragile strand that tore apart with only a slight touch.

From what he had tested, it seemed that once the ability was canceled, the object wouldn’t revert to its original form after being changed.

He also discovered that Inorganic Animation, aside from allowing objects to move, could be used to reshape them. For example, he could use it on a door, making it slide to the side or open a hole for him to pass through.

This ability was pretty broken. Imagine using it on a vault door.

After an hour of experimentation, Maximilian looked out the window and noticed it was already nighttime. Since it was getting late, he decided to postpone his operation to destroy the Atlas statue in the city center until tomorrow.

— ??? —

At the secret base, Luther Rook observed the experimental subjects inside rows of biospheres.

Row upon row of biospheres contained humanoid subjects curled up in fetal positions. Each experimental subject showed characteristics of a mutant, but some parts of them also bore features of mutated beasts.

However, some of the biospheres contained what looked like glass statues; no, they weren’t statues. They were once-living mutants with beast-like traits, now partially or entirely turned to glass. Some had the head of a wolf, a rhino, or wings of mutated birds.

Yet all of the subjects with mutated beast characteristics showed varying degrees of glassification across their bodies.

There was another section of biospheres on the opposite side of the lab. These contained subjects that were part mutant and part human, with only slight characteristics of mutated beasts.

On this side, none of the subjects within the biospheres showed any signs of glassification.

At Luther Rook’s side, a researcher was reviewing a report on the tablet in his hand.

"Mr. Rook, from our latest experimentation results, all of the subjects with human parts, especially those who received transplanted human livers, show significant resistance to the overdose of Xeno Isotope derived from mutated beast parts," the researcher reported.

"But we’re running out of experimental subjects fast. At this rate, it might not be enough to produce satisfactory results for the Khan to approve more funding," the researcher added.

"Got it, Doctor. That means we need another wave of chaos to gather more experimental subjects," Luther Rook replied with a nod before walking into a guest room.

The room had become a safehouse for various villains and mutants who had been smuggled into the city.

Inside, the villains enjoyed their downtime, gambling away their hard-earned cash and drinking alcohol.

Among them was NecroTox, also part of the group.

The moment Luther Rook entered the room, all the villains’ eyes turned and focused on him.

"Ladies and gentlemen, tomorrow night, we begin the operation!" Luther Rook announced loudly.

The cheers of the villains in the hideout rang out. They had been hiding in the city for far too long and were starting to grow bored. Moreover, the news that Photon Fury had been defeated by a new villain had already spread among them. The one hero who could easily crush their plans had been ousted from the city.

They couldn’t wait to cause havoc.

As for Luther Rook, he hoped to meet the villain who had beaten Photon Fury. If he could gain that villain’s cooperation, this city would soon be his.