Vale felt something stir inside his abdomen. With a startled gasp for air, he clenched his stomach and stared, wide-eyed, into the darkness around him, questioning what was happening. The feeling was not exactly painful, yet not exactly painless either. As if a burning star had manifested inside him, a surge of energy radiated from within.
He felt the strange energy fill every fiber of his being—every muscle, every joint, and every bone became infused with it. Then—Vale felt his mind, thoughts, and emotions shift as the surge of energy reached his head. His mind became clearer and sharper.
As the energy radiating from his stomach spread through every part of his being, he felt stronger, faster, healthier—and even smarter. Every part of him had become more than it ever was.
The transformation grew stronger with each passing second, its effects only intensifying. Vale basked in the exhilaration of this change.
After several more minutes, the radiating sensation began to subside, the surge of energy eased. As Vale calmed his racing heart, he welcomed the cooling sensation that replaced the intense burning.
Then—he heard a whisper from a familiar voice.
[ Your Trial is Complete. ]
[ Please accept your Rewards... ]
[ You have received an Ability: Vine Bind ]
[ You have received a Relic... ]
Vale's eyes widened. He placed a hand on his chest, trying to steady his heartbeat, but to no avail.
"W-What?! A Relic?!"
Relics were extremely rare. Unlike Artifacts, which were already rare yet attainable, Relics were said to have been used by gods or demons themselves. They were not just scarce—they were practically unattainable. Relics belonged to myths and legends, not to reality. The power they commanded was said to surpass even S-Rank artifacts—it was beyond what mortals could comprehend.
[Relic: Four-Eyed Raven]
"...A raven? Like a bird?"
Vale lingered for a moment, unsure of what the voice meant. He had never heard of a living creature being classified as a Relic, but before he could ponder its significance, the voice continued.
[You have received an Artifact: Titan's Ring]
However, Vale was lost in thought, his expression betraying none of the excitement expected from receiving such rare rewards.
Just as he received his final reward, a sudden realization struck him—he was going to live. Good news, one might think. But for Vale, whose death had come by assassination, it was more complicated. Who had killed him? Would they try again?
Uncertain of what awaited him upon his return, he steeled his mind for the worst.
Brushing aside his sour mood, he decided to summon his status window to examine his new ability, as well as the Relic and Artifact.
*****
Name: Vale
Core: Dormant
Core Rank: [ E, 4/250 ]
Artifacts: [ Ordinary Katana, Titan's Ring ]
Relics: [ Four-Eyed Raven ]
Abilities: [ Vine Bind ]
Unique Ability: [ Ravenous Spark ]
*****
His focus then shifted to his new ability—Vine Bind.
Vine Bind Ability Description: [ A trap that binds the target with indestructible vines. ]
"A trap...not bad," Vale muttered, nodding in approval.
Although he wasn't particularly thrilled about a trap-type ability, he knew that strategy and preparation could defeat most opponents, even those stronger. Properly utilizing his new ability could significantly enhance his combat prowess.
Since there was nothing around to test it on, he decided to leave that for when he returned to the living world. His attention shifted again, moving toward his most exciting reward—Four-Eyed Raven.
As he did, no text appeared before him. Instead, he felt a surge of energy from within, and before he knew it, a black raven materialized in front of him. Its four eyes stared deeply into him. The bird was the same size as an ordinary raven, with nothing but the additional pair of eyes setting it apart.
Just as he was about to dismiss the Relic as underwhelming, his vision split. Suddenly, two images formed in his mind—one from the raven's perspective, the other of himself.
Confused by the sudden revelation, Vale attempted to take a step back, but with two different angles of himself flooding his vision, he stumbled over his own foot and fell backward. However, he never hit the ground. As his legs flailed upward, he began floating in the endless sea of darkness.
Unsure how he could both float and stand in the void, Vale twisted himself back into a standing position and cautiously navigated toward the raven.
He could see more—perhaps too much. The raven's four eyes covered nearly everything around him, and when combined with his own vision, it allowed him to see in all directions at once.
Vale shut his eyes. His head was already spinning from the overwhelming influx of information, so he dismissed the Relic.
"This will take time to adjust to..."
With his vision returning to normal, Vale sighed in relief. The raven's power placed too much strain on his mind for now. Taking a few deep breaths to steady himself, he summoned the status window again and focused on his next prize—Titan's Ring.
Titan's Ring Description: [ Worn by a titan of Varkhul, the ring provides decent protection against all physical attacks. ]Titan's Ring Attributes: [ Moderate Physical Damage Reduction ]
"Physical Damage Reduction..."
A wide grin spread across Vale's face.
Rings and other accessory-type artifacts were exceedingly rare. Obtaining one during his first trial was incredibly lucky. Compared to his previous rewards, this was by far the most exciting.
Vale was ecstatic. A reduction in physical damage meant that in any future battle, the damage he sustained would be significantly lessened, greatly increasing his chances of survival.
As he basked in the joy of acquiring a valuable artifact, Vale's thoughts drifted toward his unique ability, Ravenous Spark—the very power that had helped him survive the first trial.
As his mind focused on the ability, a dark spark manifested before him.
Vale's eyes widened slightly, surprised at the sudden change. The Spark was much larger than he remembered.
"Is it because it consumed an S-Rank Core?"
The dark spark, now the size of a ripe mandarin, hovered in the sea of nothingness. It seemed stronger—if such a thing could even exhibit strength. Vale wasn't sure why, but he had an odd feeling that he should continue feeding it.
Just as he dismissed the Spark, everything around him shifted. The emptiness collapsed in on itself, and before he could react—Vale's mind was pulled away once again.