Chapter 340: New Trait and Trial Completion
Caelus blinked as his vision adjusted to the new environment.
He stood in a vast open field surrounded by towering mountains, the sky above swirling with unnatural colors of purple and gold.
A massive eagle statue sat at the peak of the tallest mountain, its stone wings spread wide as if ready to take flight.
But something was wrong.
He looked around and realized Sylvia and Freya were nowhere to be seen.
Instead, Seraphin Lin stood to his left with her usual blank expression, and Ayame stood to his right.
"We got separated," Ayame observed with concern in her voice.
"It seems the trial scattered us randomly. Sylvia and Freya must be elsewhere." Seraphin Lin said with a thoughtful look.
Another notification appeared before their eyes.
[Trial Objective: Collect all four Orbs of Light]
[Red, Blue, Green, Yellow]
[Deliver them to the Eagle Statue at the mountain peak]
[Only those who complete the trial may claim rewards]
[Warning: Other challengers may eliminate you and steal your orbs]
Caelus studied the information carefully.
"Hm. Not fighting." Caelus was thoughtful. "It is special after all."
Now the Special Gate’s "Special" made sense, didn’t it?
Seraphin Lin nodded.
"We should move quickly."
They set off toward the nearest energy signature Caelus could sense, a faint red glow coming from a cave system to the east.
The terrain was rough and unforgiving, jagged rocks jutting from the ground like teeth.
After twenty minutes of travel, they encountered people.
A group of twelve Shinto Faction members blocked the cave entrance, their talismans already glowing with power.
"Well, well," the leader sneered. "Look who we have here, the traitor’s friends."
Caelus raised an eyebrow.
"Traitor?"
"We know everything Caelus Kross! Don’t play with us!" the guy spat. "You corrupted one of our own and turned Ayame against us."
"I didn’t corrupt anyone," Caelus replied with a grin. "I just offered a better deal."
"You’ll pay for that!"
The Shinto Faction players attacked simultaneously, golden fire shooting toward them like guided missiles.
Caelus didn’t even flinch.
[Adaptation Wheel of the End Activated]
A golden wheel materialized above his head, spinning rapidly as the first fire attack struck him directly in the chest.
The attack dissolved harmlessly against his body.
[Adapted to: Celestial Fire Strike]
[You are now immune to this attack type]
The leader’s eyes widened with shock.
"What?! How did you—"
"My turn."
[Skill Activated: Singularity Collapse]
A gravitational singularity formed at the center of the Shinto player formation, pulling all twelve members toward its crushing core.
They screamed as the pressure increased, their bodies unable to resist the overwhelming force.
BOOM!
The singularity collapsed, and all twelve Shinto players were reduced to nothing.
[12 Challengers Eliminated]
They entered the cave and found the Red Orb floating at the center of a crystal chamber.
Caelus grabbed it without hesitation.
[Red Orb Obtained: 1/4]
The Blue Orb’s signature came from a lake to the north.
As they approached, Caelus spotted movement near the water’s edge.
Twenty Kemetist Faction members had already gathered there, their golden Egyptian robes glinting in the strange light.
"The orb is underwater," one of them reported to their leader. "We need someone to dive for it."
Caelus turned to Seraphin Lin.
"This is your specialty, isn’t it?"
"Yes."
She stepped forward, and a mark lit up on her forehead, glowing with ancient power.
"Dragon of Drowning Hell."
FWOOOOOM!
A terrifying tsunami burst out from her body, several serpentine dragons riding within the massive wave.
The Kemetist members barely had time to scream before the water crashed over them.
The dragons tore through their bodies.
Within seconds, all twenty were gone.
[20 Challengers Eliminated]
But Seraphin Lin wasn’t finished.
She raised her hand toward the lake, and the water began to churn violently.
"Sea Dominion."
[Trait Activated: Sea Dominion]
The entire lake rose into the air under her control, every drop of water responding to her will.
The Blue Orb floated up from the depths, carried gently by the currents.
Seraphin Lin caught it and handed it to Caelus.
[Blue Orb Obtained: 2/4]
With the Blue Orb found, they moved.
They found the Green Orb’s location in a dense forest to the west.
This time, they encountered something far more troublesome.
The Olympian Faction had sent thirty of their best fighters, led by the blonde man who had threatened Caelus earlier.
"I told you I’d tear you apart!" He laughed cruelly. "There are no rules here, and we have the numbers!"
Caelus sighed heavily.
"Do you guys rehearse these villain speeches, or does it come naturally?"
"Kill him!"
The Olympians charged with divine energy crackling around their weapons.
Ayame stepped forward with her serious expression hardening.
"Allow me."
Her nine white tails spread wide as golden flames erupted across her body.
"Solar Flare."
[Skill Activated: Solar Flare]
FWOOOOOM!
A massive wave of sun-fire exploded outward, incinerating everything in its path.
Fifteen Olympians were reduced to ash instantly.
The remaining fifteen stumbled backward with terror in their eyes.
"What the hell is she?!"
Ayame’s fox ears twitched as she prepared her next attack.
The blonde Olympian leader pointed his spear at Ayame with trembling hands.
"You’re the Shinto traitor! I recognize that power now!"
"You can die now!"
He lunged at her with his divine spear aimed at her heart.
Ayame didn’t even bother dodging.
"Eternal Radiance."
[Trait Activated: Eternal Radiance]
Her body became pure light for a brief moment, the spear passing harmlessly through her ethereal form.
Then she solidified and grabbed the Olympian’s face with one hand.
"Solar Purification."
[Skill Activated: Solar Purification]
White flames erupted from her palm, consuming the blonde man’s head completely.
Ayame was a Strong King Rank and with her awakening, she was stronger. The Blonde Man’s meager combat score of 25 never stood a chance in front of her combat score of 27.
His body collapsed lifelessly to the ground.
[30 Challengers Eliminated]
Caelus walked past the carnage and grabbed the Green Orb from a tree hollow.
[Green Orb Obtained: 3/4]
"One more to go."
The Yellow Orb was located at the base of the eagle mountain itself.
As they approached, Caelus sensed a massive gathering of challengers ahead.
At least fifty people from various factions had converged on the same spot, all fighting each other for the final orb.
"This is going to be messy," Caelus observed.
Seraphin Lin raised her hand calmly.
"I can handle this."
"Tidal Wrath."
[Skill Activated: Tidal Wrath]
Water materialized from thin air, forming massive tendrils that swept across the battlefield.
The tendrils grabbed challengers and dragged them into crushing spheres of pressurized water.
Twenty went down in the first wave.
Ayame joined the assault with her flames, golden fire raining from the sky like meteors.
"Celestial Rain."
[Trait Activated: Celestial Rain]
Each meteor exploded on impact, creating craters of molten earth where challengers had been standing.
Fifteen more fell to her attack.
The remaining fifteen tried to flee, but Caelus cut off their escape.
[Skill Activated: Star King’s Sword Vault]
Golden portals erupted around the fleeing challengers, thousands of starlight swords raining down upon them.
[50 Challengers Eliminated]
The battlefield fell silent.
Caelus walked to the center and picked up the Yellow Orb.
[Yellow Orb Obtained: 4/4]
[All Orbs Collected]
[Proceed to the Eagle Statue to complete the trial]
As they began climbing the mountain, Caelus noticed something glowing in a small alcove off the main path.
A stone pedestal sat inside, holding three floating crystals that pulsed with different energies.
[Random Encounter: Trait Selector]
[Each challenger may select one trait from the available options]
[This opportunity cannot be repeated]
Caelus grinned at the unexpected bonus.
"Ladies first."
Seraphin Lin approached the pedestal and studied the options with her blank expression.
After a moment, she made her selection.
[Seraphin Lin has obtained: Primordial Tide]
[Primordial Tide: Water-based attacks deal 10% increased damage. All water within a 100-meter radius can be controlled without mana cost.]
Ayame went next, her fox ears perking with interest.
[Ayame has obtained: Solar Constitution]
[Solar Constitution: Immunity to fire damage. Physical attacks are enhanced with solar energy.]
Finally, Caelus made his choice.
[Caelus has obtained: World Resistance]
[Ding! It has been detected you have obtained a passive trait]
[Converting to a passive]
[World Resistance: Reduces damage from spatial and gravity-type attacks by half. Increases resistance to dimensional displacement.]
"Not bad," Caelus nodded with satisfaction.
They continued climbing until they reached the mountain peak.
The eagle statue loomed before them, its stone eyes seeming to watch their approach.
But they weren’t alone.
Sylvia and Freya stood nearby, both looking relieved to see Caelus.
"Hubby!" Sylvia rushed forward and grabbed his arm. "We’ve been looking everywhere for you!"
"Big Brother Origin!" Freya bounced excitedly. "We knew you would’ve gotten the Orb for yourself, so we just stayed still all this time."
Caelus noticed the blood stains on their clothes and smiled.
"Looks like you two had fun."
Sylvia’s expression turned dark for a moment.
"Some Shinto people tried to ambush us, they won’t be trying that again."
Freya giggled mischievously.
"Sylvia was really scary, Big Bro! She made this guy cry before she killed him!"
Caelus walked toward the eagle statue and placed all four orbs into the slots carved into its base.
The statue’s eyes began to glow with golden light.
[Trial Objective Complete]
[All Orbs Delivered]
[Calculating Rewards...]
The ground beneath them trembled as reality shifted around them.
[Issuing Rewards...]