บท 8: Chapter 8: A monk

I passed out in that room before I even look around...

'How embarrassing...' I thought while looking at my watch. I would've died if there was any danger here. It was eight o'clock at night, and I had slept for over ten hours on the hard stone of the temple.

I crawled to the nearby wall to lean against it, thinking about the puzzle I solved a while ago. It was effortless, but the circumstances made it almost impossible without using a mind-enhancing skill—the first handle referred to art, the second to magic, and the last to science.

Perhaps the point is that we must use all of these aspects to achieve true success... Unfortunately, magic is not my field. The password is "Unity is formed in diversity." I am trying to understand what it means.

I don't have to think about this right now. I felt while looking at the door leading to the next room, the fourth trial. I got up with incredible difficulty. Most of the bones in my body were already broken, and standing was impossible, but I did it somehow.

I was limping, and my back was bent like a non-human creature, and I was dirty with rotting blood, dirt, and the remains of snow. If I encountered a human now, he might mistake me for an alien. I hope never to reencounter any creature. Even an ordinary human child might be enough to kill me now.

I sighed as I crossed the door. I entered a strange room, and the door behind me disappeared.

There is no way to escape anymore...I didn't know what awaited me, but nothing was ordinary in the room. The left and right walls were mirrors, and the ceiling was decorated with countless lights. The floor was paved with white tiles, and a wooden sign hung before me.<Mind's Maze>A maze made of one path, great… there is absolutely nothing weird about it. The simpler it is, the scarier it is.

I walked slowly and cautiously. A strange feeling crept into my heart when I looked at my mirror reflection, but I still crossed successfully. "Hmm?!" I became speechless when I found myself in the same place. I came back here without noticing.

I tried again, walked halfway, then walked around, and got the same result. I used the Lantern and still got the same result. After the fifth attempt, the contents of the wooden sign changed strangely.<The maze is in your mind; fix your thoughts to pass the path>

"For God's sake..." I was speechless. This was an impossible request...Fortunately, I expected something like this too. I pulled out a black device from my space ring. It was my phone, of course. I looked at the data I had previously entered and did not hesitate to click <Confirm>

The Creator's points decreased from 5.001 to 2.001, and a white pill appeared on my hand. I swallowed it without hesitation and noticed all my thoughts quickly leaving my mind. Ultimately, all that was left in my mind was one goal: to pass through these stupid trials.

This pill forced all unnecessary thoughts out of my mind and made me completely calm.

Cassian's figure strolled across the tiled floor, walking as if he were neither excited nor frustrated. He seemed to be just walking to walk, without any unnecessary thoughts in his mind. Ultimately, he crossed the path successfully, but he was still in that same emotionless state.

He crossed the door and entered the final trial room. It was completely black, an empty, aimless scene like space or void. Familiar white shapes appeared from the void, but Cassian did not stop at any of them.

In the end, he was forced to stop. Even though he was emotionless, he couldn't help but shudder at seeing his parents standing before the door.

"T-this can't be happening-" Cassian's body fell to one knee as if he was devoid of a soul. He did not feel anything due to the effects of the pill, but he couldn't stop trembling when he saw the two people in front of him.

"H-how! Why here and now?!"He looked at the woman before him, who looked exactly like his mother. "Son, memories always find their way to their loved ones." His father touched his shoulder and supported him as he spoke. Cassian's body trembled more and more after every word.

"We are a reflection of your heart. We are here because you always carry us in it." Their sweet smile was more and more tormenting to him, and in the end, the effect of suppressing emotions couldn't stop the torrent of tears. He had been deceiving himself ever since he came to this world, saying that the reason for his sadness and anxiety was nothing but the tragic end of this world, but he always knew that that was nothing but a cover he put up for himself to stop thinking about them...

"I will come back to you no matter what. I will not lose you! I-I won't.." His father's smile disappeared. He bowed before him, placing his right hand on his shoulder, "We believe in you." His mother also came over and leaned down to meet his eyes,

"You will do it, so please die." Cassian's body trembled—what a terrifying, heartless trial. Of course, this possibility didn't escape his mind from the beginning. He stopped the blade in one hand, ignoring the pain, and his firearm appeared in his other hand.

The sound of two gunshots echoed in space...

=+=

The effects of the pill ended by force after the end of the trial, and I was attacked by both psychological and physical pain. The psychological pain prevailed. I crossed the door of the final trial before the effects of the pill ended, and my reward was waiting for me.

I didn't move, not because of the pain, but because I needed to think a little. 'Whoever initiated this trial is a sadistic patient who deserves to die!' I wanted to mishit him. How dare he play with my feelings like that? How dare he make me remember them?' How am I going to get past them?' I knew my return was impossible initially, and I tried to be busy with other things, but now…

I remembered his words. "We believe in you.." It was indeed an illusion, but it was his voice! It was his body! Whoever the maker of the trials was, he made me resolve to return to them no matter what, and I hate him for it. I will suffer much more in the future than I suffered today just to achieve this goal.

"Aren't you going to say anything? About how pathetic I looked over there?" I looked at the bald monk above me; he had been waiting for me since I passed the final trial. He was wearing the robe of some Chinese sect and looked at me with friendly eyes.

"Pathetic? Quite the opposite!" The monk spoke in a young voice and hastily helped me stand.

"You are exactly as I wanted you to be!" This man may seem young, but I knew the truth.He's from the 21st century...

***

=+=

The monk took me to a strange place; it looked like a jungle, and monkeys roamed everywhere. I walked with great difficulty, even with him helping me, and we finally reached a large wooden house.

" Please take a seat" The monk pointed to a chair, and I did not hesitate to accept his offer. My feet began to shake strangely some time ago .I sat down, put my hands on the wooden table, and bowed. It may sound impolite, but I sent all my noble actions to hell a while ago and didn't care much. The monk poured a strange type of tea that looked like water, which I, with my previous knowledge of potions, recognized immediately.

It's an ethereal healing potion. He seems to have noticed the condition of my feet...The monk spoke as I drank the 'tea.'

"Can I ask you a question?"

"Go on, please." my mood improved slightly when I reconnected my feet completely; I Felt it.

"If we brought a house, for example, and gradually replaced the stones from which it was made, at a rate of one stone per day.".

"After a long time, when everything in the house has changed, is it the same house?"

I tilted slightly and thought for a few seconds before answering.

"no." The smile on the monk's face expanded.

"So, if someone intentionally commits a major crime and changes after a few years, does he still have that charge?" The question is philosophical, and I may have thought about it before. There is no right answer.

A person can change after a robbery or assault, but I doubt that he will after committing a massacre or something like that. However, it is unclear whether he will be charged. Every action must have consequences. Otherwise, the world would be in a big mess.

"they may change, but their spirit and base are the same. And they will repeat the same deed unless they receive an appropriate punishment." It is possible to consider whether they changed after the punishment carried out."

The monk suddenly stood up, knocking the table over and spilling the tea. Fortunately, I had already drunk my cup. Looking up from where he stood, I felt a slight change in the surrounding environment. The monk's smile became exaggerated, his peaceful appearance vanished in the wind, and he seemed to have gone completely insane.

"As I expected, you fit the position!" his voice changed, too.