Chapter 7: Conclusion of The First Quest: Showdown at Sylph Hall {Part - 1}
A triumphant smile appeared on Remirg Kryptos's face as he read the notification which appeared before him the umpteenth time.
[CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE SUCCESSFULLY CONQUERED THE TRIAL OF EDEN HALL!]
The sword which he was still gripping in his right hand started to glow. Brighter than all of the lights combined in the hall.
It mysteriously left his grip and started hovering in the middle of the hall, magically.
Remirg looked at it closely as he predicted what was going to be the fate of the sword, for sure.
And it really did.
Deep, countless cracks appeared on the surface of the sword, breaking the sword into several, tiny fragments. In the very next second, it had disintegrated into countless pieces which shot out randomly, each fragment seeking its own direction.
Though some of them left through the passage Remirg had used to enter the hall, some simply teleported out of the solid walls, passing through it like it was a wall of mercury.
A singular part slowly made its way towards Remirg, who, on his bodily instincts, extended out his hands to catch it at the right moment.
It stopped glowing the moment he caught it. He noticed the fragment he was holding was the ruby of the hilt of the sword he had been wielding just a few minutes ago.
Sheepishly pocketing it into the depths of his already tattered, baggy shirt, Remirg looked down upon the newest message he had received from the Simulator.
[THE SWORD OF THE GREAT MONARCH MEMPHIS HAS BEEN SPLIT INTO A 100 FRAGMENTS.
NUMBER OF FRAGMENTS CURRENTLY IN POSSESSION: 1/100
IN ORDER TO RECEIVE MORE OF THE FRAGMENTS, THE PLAYER NEEDS TO COMPLETE MORE QUESTS AND LEVEL UP!]
[YOU HAVE LEVELED UP TO -2!]
Sighing again as his vein twitched at what he seemed to believe a nomenclature, Remirg turned his gaze to bring into view the new passage which had appeared in the wall just behind the magnificent throne.
"Now, I have to take on one last of these goddamn bastards before I get out of here.
In the name of Shiska* this journey feels like as if it had taken days to complete!
Though still I transformed radically and certainly learned new skills. This... "prana particle control" technique may come in handy. It would help me to shadow my presence in the vicinity off any magical beast or even potential mages.... Though I still don't think I would be encountering one this soon...."
Slightly limping on his right foot which still showed signs of a wound even after the "prana particle control" procedure, Remirg slowly made his way out of Eden Hall into the passage.
Unlike its predecessor, this passage, though being thoroughly lighted, was emanating a much darker aura of purple than the previous passage.
"Somehow the construction of these passages foreshadows the kind of hall they are leading to. It somehow depicts what is the "nature" of the upcoming hall.
By the looks of this corridor, it seems that the foe I am going to be fighting possesses serious skills. Though the Simulator did mention that all the enemies I'm going to face are on the same skill level...
Let's just put our faith in luck.
Whatever happens, happens..."
Mark, who just witnessed Remirg's soliloquy was showing signs of uneasiness on the contrary.
"Somehow, the words he just said felt a bit different from what he had originally said. Something... even for a miniature detail, feels off.... It feels strange..."
But his thoughts were interrupted as Remirg Kryptos had finally arrived at the facade of the next and final hall of this Shadow Dungeon.
Instead of opening right into the hall, Remirg emerged on a broad walkway which was hoisted upon two pillars which seemed to go down to nothingness.
The pathway itself was made up of the hardest of ice. Spikes grew out of the edges, imitating the horns of the deadliest monsters.
The path looked like it was the path to hell itself.
Chilly winds blew around the outskirts of the gigantic cuboidal tower it was leading to, the top of which was invisible to the naked eye.
Its facade was gigantic, its height exceeding that of the tallest tower Remirg had ever seen in its life. Its top was embroidered with the same symbol he had encountered first in the Sila hall, right in the middle of the floor.
But this time, it was gigantic in proportion.
It was surrounded by a pictorial representation was what looked like blazing fire, which was glowing the deepest purple, due to the high concentrations of prana it possessed.
Simply awed by the mere construction of the final hall, Remirg Kryptos trembled at the prospects of what was going to happen next.
With a look at the tower with Prana Presence, he was shocked as he discovered that the whole of the tower was enveloped with a bright cyan prana coat, even painting the violet surroundings white with its mere presence.
After having marveled at the Tower's majestic construction, Remirg started making his way towards it, determination flowing in each and every vein of his body with the blood.
His limp seemed to disappear with each step he took.
Arriving at the entrance of the third hall, he saw that the hall was surrounded by exactly ten gigantic, armored statues, just like the ten pillars which surrounded the first hall.
The hall shone blue with the presence of bright blue lanterns floating midair.
The middle of the hall was something unexpected.
In the center of the hall lied a singular dais, kind of a standalone monolithic structure, made completely out of black, charred stone. Over the top of it rested what seemed in all prospects, a smooth black metallic cube.
A staircase surrounding the smooth marble walls led to somewhere up the tower. Somewhere not visible to the naked eye, bringing into prospects the dimensions of the tower.
Upon entering the tower, deep gurgling sounds could be heard far beneath the tower's foundation.
Surely, something had already been triggered upon his entrance.
Nevertheless, neglecting that, Remirg Kryptos moved forward, as he could do nothing else.
Reaching the middle of the hall, he turned around once in a circle, to absorb in the surroundings. In any case he needed to resort to fight. Even though he was just an amateur.
Mark, who was now paying serious attention to his protagonist's affairs, sent him another notification, just as a safety precaution. In case something went wrong.
Meanwhile, Remirg simultaneously received the message from the Simulator.
[YOU HAVE ARRIEVED AT THE THIRD AND FINAL HALL SYLPH. HERE, YOU HAVE TO COMPLETE THREE ANOMALOUS TASKS IN ORDER TO VANQUISH IT.
THEY ARE LISTED AS FOLLOWS -
1. YOU NEED TO FIND "THE PREPARATOR" WHO IS HIDING IN ONE OF THE STATUES. YOU'LL ONLY BE GIVEN THREE GUESSES. FAILURE WILL RESULT IN DEATH
2. IF "THE PREPARATOR" IS REVEALED, THE PLAYER MUST DEFEAT IT. IN ANY WAY POSSIBLE.
3. AFTER DEFEAT, "THE PREPARATOR SHALL PROVIDE YOU WITH "PRANA LOCKET, WHICH YOU HAVE TO FUSE WITH THE "PRANA CORE" OF THE TOWER LYING IN THE CENTER OF THE HALL.
UPON THE COMPLETION OF THE ABOVE-MENTIONED TASKS, THE PLAYER SHALL BE CLAIMED VICTORIOUS AND WILL LIKEWISE BE REMOVED FROM THE DUNGEON AS A REWARD.]
Remirg read the message exactly three times before in order to understand what was going on.
This task didn't ask for any physical power. Yet.
"I first need to find this being called "The Preparator", who seems to be the boss of this hall.
According to the information, he is hiding in one of the ten statues surrounding the hall.
But....."
Remirg looked once again at the ten statues which surrounded him.
Each and every one of them looked identical. All possessing the same armor and brandishing the same form of blade. Even the heights and physical features of the statues were exactly the same.
The person who constructed them made sure they were of the exact proportion. Such was their mastery of the skill of sculpting.
Frowning slightly, he started pacing the circumference of the hall, trying to find minute differences which might be hidden to the naked eye due to the distance from the center.
None the less, even after half-an-hour of careful, Remirg was not able to land anywhere.
The statues didn't show even a goddamn indent of a difference.
Signs of desperation were showing up on his face as he started to lose his temper. At times when even patient investigation could do its trick, it was a habit of Remirg to get desperate.
Clouded by his desperation, he shouted out, "You are hiding in that statue over there!", pointing to a statue which was erected nearest to the entrance of the hall.
The next moment, a deep hissing sound could be heard, which, a moment later, became louder. Loud enough to start shaking the floor.
Simultaneously, a message appeared on his screen.
[THE PLAYER HAS GUESSED WRONG!
GUESSES REMAINING: 2/3]
The instant thought which appeared in his mind after reading the message was quite obvious to anyone.
"God dammit!"
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