Kapitel 97: Three Tests of Worth I — Ambrosya
I kept my head lowered, and King belatedly followed after me. We displayed respect for an intelligence who had been crafted by a god.
"Worthy Adversary... I haven't heard that name in years. I'm surprised that people still know me." A chuckle, filled with the vitality of youth, poured out of the misty figure's mouth, "Raise your head, Caelum Phricius."
I did as I was told, and my demeanour was one of solemnity. This behaviour pleased the figure before me, but he inevitably shook his head with a wry smile.
"This isn't you now, is it? Relax your nerves. Show me your usual colours, I do not mind a little bit of insolence."
I nodded and loosened up, "My thanks,"
"Now, since you have encountered me, it is my duty to allow you my three challenges." Worthy Adversary brought up three fingers, "With each challenge you complete, I will enhance a talent of your choice by one grade."
This being before me was basically a genie with a little twist. The reason why the de Nuantra family soared was that their talents had grown by leaps and bounds using those three chances. Although some failed to complete all three challenges, many were still able to accept at least a single enhancement.
The de Nuantra family patriarch, Thallajin Ayaki de Nuantra, had enhanced his talents enough that he was able to face Eve in the Divine-Grasping realm. He matched Eve's [ Unmatched ] talent in Spirit, absorbing the mana of the Mana Metropolis and clawing his way to Rank A.
"Then, I'm ready to take the challenges now," I spoke, displaying the carefree confidence I always had. An excited smile painted my lips.
"It seems like you have known about me for quite a while. You know what to expect, eh?" Worthy Adversary raised his brows, "Then, I will now send you to the testing grounds. From there, follow the instructions provided by the program system and complete your requirements."
He raised his hand into the sky and let his fingers touch.
"I wish you all the best."
Snap—!
With a snap of the genie's fingers, the world around me disappeared. Darkness engulfed me, becoming all that I could see and feel.
A screen appeared before my very eyes, reminiscent of the famous systems that populated the world of webnovels. Words were rapidly appearing and forming lines of text.
I chuckled, 'Thystaina's style really shows, doesn't it?'
From the ancient intelligence, Worthy Adversary, to the blueprints of the World's System, this was the style that I had given to the god of concepts.
[You have challenged the Three Tests of Worth.]
[Identifying Challenger...]
[Examining Past... ]
[Calculating Original Talents and Stats...]
[Initiating Conversion...]
[Loading World...]
[All processes have been completed! Would you like to begin?]
[Y/N]
I held my hand out and tapped the "Y" without hesitation. I felt a tactile response. There was a small vibration and a click, similar to having a cell phone back on Earth.
[Confirmed Challenger's consent!]
[The Three Tests of Worth will begin in 3...]
[2...]
[1...]
Pop—!
In the next instant, I found myself in a new world.
...
[First of the Three Tests of Worth has begun!]
[Test of Adaptability: Survival in an Unfamiliar World!]
[Completion Requirements: Shelter (x1), Uninfected (Status), Kills (x33)]
[Current Time: 08:00:03]
[Testing Time Remaining: 23:59:57]
Bluish text appeared on a cyan screen before my eyes, obstructing my gaze.
I looked around me, discovering this world was nothing like Emerallia. It was a figment of Thystaina's rich imagination.
I was on an asphalt road littered with rotting limbs and corpses. It was a ruined cityscape, identical to those that you would see in a zombie apocalypse. There were broken glass windows, crashed cars, collapsed poles, barricades, bullet holes on the walls of nearly every concrete building, and many more notable post-apocalyptic sights.
To me, this sight was familiar, but to the people of Emerallia, it was most certainly not.
Uaaargh—
A groan rang out from behind a nearby street corner, prompting my eyes to glance over. There, I saw an iconic being. It was clothed in ragged, half-burned clothes, with eyes of white and a rotting body filled with open wounds, pus, and other disgusting things.
It was a zombie.
I realised then that Sight-Sent Senses was no longer active. Honestly, I was quite relieved. I had no intention to learn about how zombies tasted. Just the thought of it made me retch.
I looked at my hands and flexed my muscles. I was back to being a normal, F- ranked human. I was back to when I first possessed the body of Caelum Phricius. Although it wasn't that big of a change, it still felt weird to return to such an impoverished state.
Even my wrist, where Aventine usually was, was void of any tattoos. I was powerless, weaponless, and alone.
Thankfully, these zombies were the type to move based on sound. They could not see me unless I was right in front of them, moving as if I was trying to attract the attention of a bull.
"Now let's see..." I muttered to myself as I squinted.
I looked around a bit more, actively analysing the situation I had been placed in. It wasn't the first time I was transported into a different world, so my mentality shifted swiftly. I did not have the same sense of disorientation that normal test takers would feel.
Clang— Thud— Crash—!
A series of sounds rang out in the distance, causing the nearby zombie to glance at it. It began moving towards the commotion, leaving me well and truly alone.
'It's them,' I thought.
Without hesitation, I broke into a sprint in the opposite direction. I leapt over piles of debris and corpses, performed parkour over the different natural barricades made out of empty vehicles, and ran past the occasional zombie.
This was how the test always started—with a swarm of zombies chasing after a ragtag group of survivors. It was then up to the challengers if they wanted to join the group or operate alone. This was the first set of questions posed to the challengers.
Lonesome survival, or survival with a group?
I was going to choose the latter option. I was not a combat god, nor was Caelum Phricius' body filled with exceptional talents.
If I had been Virion or Lily, or maybe even the de Nuantra patriarch, Jin, I could've gone alone...
But I was Caelum.
I was weak.
AUTORENGEDANKEN 
perilousindulgence
perilousindulgence Thystaina's creations are fun~
Reviews and Power Stones please~ OvO
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein