CHAPTER 24: CH 24: THE COMBAT TEST [4]

"I am not seeing things...it really is there."

No matter how many times I kept switching on the lights, the red line remained. Static. Unmoving.

"It’s not a mirage..." Because my obsession wasn’t towards the red line but for the door.

Yes, a door that was a few hundred metres away from the red line.

And on the red line, written in black ink were the words "Way to Exit" and an arrow directed towards the door.

I finally found the exit to this nightmare.

But my happy thoughts couldn’t last long as another hand slammed down beside me.

In the spur of the moment, I stilled and the lights switched off.

With careful consideration and a stroke of luck, I pulled away from the position. Not towards the line but back from where I had just come.

And there I stood quietly as the titan growled and at times slammed down his hand.

I waited and waited, as the steps of the monster receded until they remained nothing more than a part of my imagination.

Then with deliberate motions, I stepped forward, slowly and carefully. One step at a time.

And soon enough without activating a single trap I had reached a good distance.

’The red line must be somewhere here...’ I tried to recall the line from what I had seen minutes ago.

Suddenly, the ground emitted a red glow.

No...as I glanced left and right, I realised it was the red line that was glowing. Faintly.

And I was standing right on it.

A moment later, the glow faded away into darkness.

But...

*Flick*

The entire room lightened up, even when I had removed my leg from the red line in a hurry.

And this time, it didn’t look having any intent to switch off.

As I looked ahead of me at the door, I gulped in silence. For right in front of the door was the monster, who looked as if he was guarding it.

And naturally it had spotted me and had guessed my plan to reach that door.

Before any of us could move, a slight tremor suddenly ran beneath our feet. With each passing second, waves of rumblings passed.

I found myself in a peril as my body was on the verge of losing balance. Across from me, the monster was stomping on the ground as it found itself wobbling on its feet as well.

All of a sudden, the trembling stopped.

But that stillness lasted for only a fraction of a second as a loud crash resounded in the enclosed area.

I looked behind me and to my sheer horror, the tiles of the floor at the far end of the wall, the one where I had initially landed, started collapsing on itself.

A void opened up in the space where the tiles had disappeared...and slowly but surely, the void increased in volume as the other tiles collectively started collapsing.

If it went on, the entire floor would collapse within moments. But before me stood the monster.

And very unfortunately it didn’t look to be adamant on moving away.

"I don’t have a choice." I said softly as I dashed forward, closing in the attacking range of the monster.

And just like a braindead, it attacked. And missed completely as his huge palm landed on the already weakened floor.

The area collapsed into the void as the giant’s arm got stuck in the hollow space. Not wasting any time I summoned an ice menhir out of thin air, while propelling myself on top of the structure.

Now at the same level as the giant, I grasped my spear tightly and jumped across the space covering us.

"Double Slash!" I bellowed out as I felt the skill activate and my hands move in tandem with it. In a flash, I was in front of the hollow eyes of the giant.

I stabbed them repeatedly and as quickly as my skill granted me.

Multiple double slashes ended up making its eyes a complete mess as the giant trashed and wailed on the ground in vain pain, it’s arm still stuck in the gaping hole on the floor.

"You were such a nuisance, let’s get rid of you." Saying that, I touched the ground as the land under the giant turned icy...and slippery.

The next moment when it tried to stomp on the ground, it slipped on it.

And rolled forward uncontrollably as it fell into the void with the uncountable broken tiles.

A notification suddenly appeared in my vision.

[ Mana Meter: ◻️◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️◼️]

[~Ding~]

[Endurance: F --- E]

[Congratulations, you have reached the First Order.]

[Prime: Zero Order --- First Order]

[Capacity: F --- E]

My lips curled up in a satisfying smile as I turned the knob of the exit door.

I have finally levelled up...and I think I now know how the Order increases.

As the last of the tiles descended into the hollow void beneath it, I stepped out of the room.

∆∆∆∆∆

Once again, my vision swam as I suddenly felt a mild nausea. But then few seconds later it stopped.

A momentary darkness flooded my surroundings before I saw myself abruptly falling on the the runes of the ground.

At this point, arrows were sticking out of me and a few of my bones were certainly broken. But in whimpers and soft gasps I lay on the ground, gritting my teeth to hold back the pain.

And like the last time, the runes glowed again as they sucked away the blood seeping out of my injuries.

I felt a comforting presence looming over me as all my injuries stitched back into flawless skin.

I opened my eyes and stood up from the ground.

I met two pairs of eyes; one lazy and completely uninterested in my ordeal, another one was surprisingly staring at me with wide eyes. It was Arlott.

Why was he so shocked?

"Well, you certainly took your sweet time." My eyes flitted back to the third presence in the room.

Cormac Nightshade leaned against a pillar, watching me. It seems that at some point of time he too had appeared in this room.

But..."How much time did I take?" I asked in curiosity.

To which Reinhard smirked and replied, "A lot more than me actually. While I was done in only 40 minutes, you took over two hours..."