Chapter 116: Ancient Ruin Exploration (1)
Just as Ash stepped into the dark passage of the ancient ruin, the door behind him quietly slid shut, just like it had opened. It sealed the entrance without making a sound, locking him inside.
Then, slowly, small fire lamps along the wall began to light up one after another, pushing back the shadows and filling the passage with a soft, warm glow.
Why does this feel so familiar...?
Right... the dungeon exploration. The way the lights lit up, the air, even the silence—it’s the same.
With that thought, Ash moved forward, his pace quick and steady. The path was straight and wide enough for five people to walk through side by side.
He wasn’t worried. In the novel, this part of the ruin was described clearly in a single line:
[As Ray moved along the empty passage which was devoid of any disturbance and traps, just a normal passage.]
So Ash kept walking, step by step, while Eclipse rested calmly in his hand. As he moved forward, new lamps lit up ahead, lighting his path without pause.
After about two or three minutes, the narrow corridor opened into a wider space.
It was a small open area, roughly the size of a basketball court. The floor was smooth and solid, carved with old patterns and symbols that seemed to serve no purpose other than decoration.
Though it was open, the space was surrounded by a glowing blue barrier, like a shield stopping anyone from entering.
And instead of fire lamps, the air was lit by floating orbs of light, slowly drifting above the ground, casting a calm, bluish hue across the area.
Ash stepped forward and stared at the space ahead.
Now what...?
Just as Ash thought that, a soft flash of light appeared in front of him, and slowly, a large holographic dragon began to take shape, its glowing form hovered above the ground with a faint blue shimmer.
[Welcome, Challenger. You are the first person to appear here in the past thousands of years. Until now, no one has managed to discover this hidden Trial Site.]
Ash’s eyes narrowed slightly as he looked at the glowing dragon. For a moment, he was caught off guard by its sudden appearance, but as soon as he noticed that it was a hologram, he let out a quiet breath and relaxed his shoulders.
Looking at the hologram’s distant gaze, Ash thought,
So it’s just a pre-recorded hologram? Damn, it really scared me for a second back there.
And the theme is based on trials, huh? That’s not bad at all. It probably means I have a good chance to increase my stats through these trials.
The mechanical voice continued in the same calm and steady rhythm.
[There are six trials that you must go through. If you die during any of them, it will count as a real death. You cannot leave this Sacred Ground until you have cleared all six trials.]
Ash tilted his head slightly, a faint, amused expression appearing on his face.
Death, is it? Can I even die after having Rune of Life and Death with me? I don’t think I’ll be dying here, not anytime soon, he thought with a quiet smugness.
[After completing each trial, you will receive a reward.]
[If you manage to complete all six trials, a bonus reward will be granted.]
[This is a one-time-clear trial ground, made for the chosen one. Once cleared, no one else will ever be able to undertake the trials again, and this spirit will vanish completely.]
Ah, so that’s the reason why nothing was ever found here in the story. Looks like one of the demons completed all the trials already and wiped everything clean...
Also, did he just say chosen one? Don’t tell me this was something made for Ray, but the demons stole his opportunity.
If that’s true, then that means that dumbass also lost many opportunities in the novel. It just wasn’t mentioned.
Suddenly, he felt less guilty for stealing Ray’s opportunities.
But do I even feel guilty? No, I like stealing his opportunities.
Ash thought this with a small smile forming on his lips, a hint of satisfaction filling his eyes.
[Now, Challenger. You will proceed to your first trial.]
[Trial One: Dodge and Survive.]
[Initiating...]
As soon as the voice finished speaking, the glowing blue barrier that had covered the area began to fade away slowly, revealing the path ahead of him in clear view.
Dodge and survive, huh? That sounds like something related to reaction or movement... something that tests agility or speed.
Just then, a shining arrow made of pure light appeared in front of him, pointing towards the open area, as if guiding him towards the next part of the trial.
Without wasting any time, Ash calmly followed the glowing arrow until he found himself standing right in the center of the circular grounds.
**
[Trial One: Dodge and Survive.]
[Normal Clear Condition: Dodge all the destructive beams of light and survive for 30 minutes.]
[Perfect Clear Condition: Dodge all the destructive beams of light without getting hit and survive for 1 hour.]
**
The same cold, mechanical voice echoed through the chamber. It held no emotion, no hesitation.
It was like listening to a machine reading out an ancient rulebook, a voice that had repeated the same thing countless times for challengers who never came.
Ash raised an eyebrow slightly and let the words settle in his mind for a moment before speaking.
"What does Normal and Perfect Clear Condition mean exactly?" he asked, not even sure if the voice would respond.
But the hologram did reply, as if the question had already been predicted and programed in it long ago.
[Normal Clear Condition means that even if you are hit during the trial but somehow manage to survive for 30 minutes, you will pass the trial and proceed to the next one. However, the reward granted will be significantly lower.]
[As for the Perfect Clear Condition, I believe you are smart enough to understand that on your own.]
Ash nodded slowly, taking in the explanation as the pieces began to fit together inside his head.
I see. So it is like that. Even if someone gets hit, they can still pass as long as they survive. But only those who avoid everything completely will get the best reward. I wonder how the demons cleared this trial. Did they manage a perfect clear?
There was no answer to that. Ash didn’t know. And there was no way to find out now.
[Let the trial Commence]
As soon as the mechanical voice faded, the ground beneath him trembled lightly, and the smooth wall around the arena began to glow.
The symbols that had looked like random decoration just moments ago suddenly shifted and changed, revealing their true purpose.
From the walls, several small cannon-shaped emitters emerged. Each one was no larger than the palm of a human hand, but something about them felt far more dangerous than their size suggested.
Ash glanced at them calmly, then stored Eclipse back into its ring form. There was no point in holding onto a sword in a trial meant for dodging.
Instead, he began to loosen his body, gently stretching out his arms and legs as his breathing steadied.
"Let’s do it," he muttered under his breath. His heart began to race, and the blood in his veins surged with energy. Whether it was excitement or fear, even he wasn’t sure.
The cannons began to glow slowly, gathering energy deep within their cores, and seeing that, Ash whispered the words.
"Lightning Reflex."
As soon as the words left his mouth, mana surged through his body. There was no need for delicate control this time.
The pure mana was converted instantly into crackling lightning and began to stimulate every nerve in his system.
Every neuron sparked to life.
From his brain down to the very tips of his fingers and toes, every part of him became alert.
A string of golden symbols, woven together like a circuit of glowing white mana, bloomed from the crown of his head, forming a delicate band of light that circled just above his forehead, rotating slowly, as if syncing to an unseen rhythm.
The world around him slowed down.
He could feel everything—the slight tremor in the air before a blast, the shifting mana in the walls, even the subtle warmth radiating from the cannon.
Let’s see how far this lower version of Omni Thought can take me, he thought, a faint grin tugging at the corner of his lips.
And then all hell broke loose.
***
Almost instantly, one beam was fired. Ash calmly dodged it by stepping to the side. Then, another beam followed, and he once again avoided it with the same composed ease.
The scene continued like that for about two minutes—single beams being fired in succession, and Ash dodging them without much effort, almost as if his body had already adapted to the rhythm.
However, the pace soon began to shift.
The speed at which the beams were fired started to increase. This time, two beams were launched at once—one aimed straight at his head, the other targeting his leg.
Ash moved swiftly, adjusting his leg slightly while tilting his head to the side at the same time. It was a clean dodge, executed with the kind of calm that only comes from complete focus and trust in one’s reflexes.
The same pattern continued for another two minutes. Then, right on cue, the number of beams increased from two to three.
As he watched the trio of beams heading straight for him—one aiming for his eye, another for his heart, and the third for his leg—Ash thought to himself while moving his body to dodge.
Is it increasing by one beam every two minutes? If that’s the case, does that mean during the last two minutes of this trial, I’ll have to dodge thirty beams at once? Damn, this trial is seriously tough.
He performed a quick cartwheel to avoid all three beams. But almost immediately before he could land, another three beams shot toward him.
Without hesitation, Ash stopped his cartwheel mid-motion, pushed his body into the air using the momentum, and twisted around to dodge the incoming barrage.
It was a close call, but his body responded just in time.
As he landed, panting lightly, he noticed something.
Whenever a beam struck the ground, it wasn’t leaving behind damage or scorch marks.
Instead, the energy was absorbed into the surface. The intricate symbols etched into the floor glowed faintly each time, pulsing in sync with the beam’s impact.
It’s recycling the energy... he realized. That’s how it can sustain the trial without running out of power.
He didn’t have long to dwell on it.
Because the beams kept coming,
He continued to dodge every attack, sometimes, the beams missed him by no more than a hair’s breadth.
Sometimes, they passed so close he could feel the static buzz ripple across his skin. But no matter how close it got, his body kept responding.
His reflexes saved him again and again, each movement executed with instinct and clarity.
The pressure kept increasing, but so did his awareness, and even in the chaos, he never allowed fear to take over.
***
A/N: Hello Readers, let me know if y’all wanna see the full deep-dive on each trial 🔥⚔️
Or should I keep it short and sweet, and just speed through? 🚀💨