CHAPTER 23: CH 23: THE COMBAT TEST [4]

I ran. No plan, no strategy. Only pure survival instincts.

And just as I thought something sped up behind me as it split the mist apart.

Quickly I threw myself sideways on the floor as a gigantic arm splashed on the ground just beside me. The floor cracked and the tremors on the ground ran through my very bones as I ended up bleeding through my nose.

Scrawling up from the floor, I ran again. But this time with steps as wide as an isthmus and as light as a feather.

Because as per my observation, this beast was tracking me with the help of sound.

First with the arrows and then with my footsteps and my body movements that made loud sounds.

And when I was least expecting it, a series of soft breathings echoed around me. And then just like the last time, four blades struck at me.

Quickly pulling out an ice javelin, I embedded it into the first figure who once again dispersed into black smokes.

’I was right...these are shadow assassins. Viable opponents for someone like Henry.’

But I didn’t have time to think as I blocked the second attack. But the javelin shattered instantly and I quickly struck at the shadow with my enhanced fist. The second shadow vanished.

I couldn’t block the third dagger as it bit into my shoulder blade, sending an excruciating pain down my entire arm.

Before the fourth one could strike me, I positioned myself backwards as the dagger went past my chest...only to dig deep into my right calf.

Despite all this I jumped as the gigantic arm returned back. And with the punch meant for me, it unknowingly vanquished the rest of the two shadow assassins.

I was bleeding. I was paining all over my body. And yet... without a choice, I composed my breath into the faintest sounds possible and stood still, waiting for the giant to go away.

For just a moment, my step faltered as it moved by an inch.

Just by an inch....

And suddenly...

*Flick*

Yellow lights penetrated the dark mists for a second.

For only one second....but that was enough to make my eyes bulge in pure terror. My breath involuntarily turned erratic and my heart beat vehemently within my chest.

Because what stood in front of me couldn’t be described in any simple words.

A gigantic pool of muscles reaching heights of over 10 feet with arms as thick as a banyan tree and skin as red as a blood moon. Jagged veins protruded from every single muscle of its body and its eyes...those two hollow entities of darkness, fixed on...

Me.

That’s when I realised it could see through light as well and I have stepped on a trap...as an arrow passed right through the other arm.

The lights turned off.

But the enclosed dimension or wherever the shithole I was in turned chaotic. Two collosal arms slammed down on the grooved floors wherever it could.

Arrows and light flickered every few seconds as I ran and ran and ran through the mess. Sometimes a stray arrow would find its way towards me and the other times I would dodge them.

The arms were very fortunately quite far away by now. I could tell even from a distance that one punch was all it would take to squish me into a pool of dark blood and organs.

The most annoying thing however were the shadow assassins.

Their attacks didn’t follow any order or pattern unlike the other occupants of the room, traps included.

Nor did it follow any leadership. Just plain showcase of assassination. I would not have survived so long had it not been for the ice gear I made in this short time.

Using the abundant mana in the air, I had wrapped a thin layer of ice all around my body. Then I piled up another layer on top of it.

Then another...and another. Until it became so strong and compressed that even the sharp edge of the sneaky daggers couldn’t find its way into my flesh.

In one of my hands I held a shield made of ice, which was as strong and durable as my armor and in the other one, I held a spear.

Though due to its lack of any pointy tip, one could probably call it an ice staff.

An idea suddenly struck me. But as I looked over to the thrasing of arms, I bit my lips in a state of nervous contemplation.

My plan could throw away the shadow assassins off my back and also potentially bring me close to completing this test.

Logic says I should do it...but it also risks a greater endangerment from the titanic monster.

Should I do it...?

But then my brows srunched up in anger and I questioned myself.

’When did I become such an insecured brat? In the first case, it’s not even my fault that I am right now standing here, in the middle of nowhere fending off some horror straight out of an epic fantasy.

Fuck of all my reservations and my cautiousness. Fuck that old bastard for disrupting my mind processings with his ramblings, fuck off the nepotism and the council members and mainly...’

"FUCK YOU, GODDESS!! YOU LISTEN ME??WHRREVER YOU ARE, YOU CAN WIPE OFF THAT SERENITY OFF YOUR FACE AND TRASH OFF THAT BEAUTIFUL BUT UNDESERVED FRAME OF DIVINITY!!"

The room had practically stilled. Even the Titan seemed...almost hesitant.

But I...I didn’t care for all that as I ran with the shortest steps possible, enough to cover the maximum possible area on the tiled floor.

And in the process, lights kept flickering on so often that I can now practically see everything around me.

Starting from the jagged stalagmites hanging on the ceiling to the archaic tiles on the floor, now covered in mosses and linches...to even the titan running behind me.

The positive thing? Shadows cannot form when light covers the entire empty space. And thus, no more surprise assaults from those sneaky bastards.

But the negative feedback? Oh just a monster that looked more like it was rolling on the floor rather than walking and an endless array of arrows, all poised to kill me. Nothing much troubling...

That was when I saw the red line.