Chapter 121: Ancient Ruin Exploration (6)
Just as Ash stepped on the last, the 50th step, the heavy pressure surrounding him finally vanished, and he was able to breathe properly again, as if someone had lifted a mountain off his chest.
Fuck, that was a little hard...
Carrying a total weight of 500 kilograms while also enduring fifty times gravity—it wasn’t just a challenge of strength, it was a merciless test of willpower.
His bones had literally started cracking after the 40th step, each movement sending waves of pain through his body.
He had to practically crawl up the last ten steps, dragging himself forward with all the strength he had left.
If it hadn’t been for the Rune of Life constantly healing his damaged bones and muscles every few seconds, there was no way he would have been able to complete the trial.
It would have been impossible.
Now, feeling the enormous weight finally vanish from his body, he let out a long breath, his muscles relaxing from the unbearable tension.
A deep sense of relief washed over him as the burden disappeared like it had never been there.
And just then, as if it had been waiting for the exact moment he completed the trial, a mechanical voice echoed through the space once more.
The holographic dragon had returned,
**
[Congratulations, Challenger, for perfectly clearing Trial Two.]
[For climbing all the stairs without dying, you will be rewarded with...]
**
[ Reward One: Prime Shard]
[ Description: Increases your stats by +4 points randomly.]
**
[ Reward Two: Unnamed Gloves]
[ Description: A mysterious piece from a nameless equipment set. These gloves will only reveal their true power when all six matching pieces are worn together. Until then, they remain nothing more than ornamental gear with no special effect.]
**
[ Reward Three: Eye of the Cursed God]
[ Description: An eye belonging to a Divine God who was cursed by the Abyss, transforming him into an Abyssal God. At the time of his death, this eye was the only thing that remained.]
**
Breathing heavily, he stared at the three rewards floating in front of him. The first two, he had already guessed—they made sense given the nature of the trial. But the third one... that was something he hadn’t seen coming at all.
Eye of the Cursed God...? What even is a Divine God? And what exactly is an Abyssal God supposed to be?
He had absolutely no clue.
Not even the faintest understanding. But just from the brief description, and especially from the word "curse" embedded right in the name, he could feel it—this wasn’t some ordinary item.
No, it definitely felt dangerous, probably something dark and ominous.
And now, connecting the dots in his head, he was almost certain that this object must be the reason behind Miraak’s strange and sudden rise in power.
His eyes narrowed slightly as he stared at the golden-black orb floating silently in the air.
It didn’t release any energy. There was no strange aura, no divine pressure, not even a flicker of light.
It just hovered there calmly, as if it was simply waiting to be claimed—silent, still, and yet strangely unsettling.
Ash hesitated for a moment, uncertain whether he should touch it or not. A quiet conflict stirred in his heart, as curiosity clashed with caution.
After the hologram told him he could take the third trial whenever he wanted, it vanished—but Ash remained conflicted.
God...? I knew there was a Demi-God rank, so obviously a God should exist, but an item from a God, and cursed at that...
He didn’t know if he was lucky or unlucky.
Ash had never been fond of gods. In his previous life, he never believed in them, and he didn’t want to believe in them now.
To him, a god was just a concept—a being who wielded more power than anyone else.
Just that.
If a God Slayer sword exists, that means gods can be killed, and if they can be killed, then they are not really gods. They’re just powerful beings.
To me, a true god has to be untouchable, unbreakable—beyond any mortal reach or blade. If they don’t meet that, if they bleed and fall like anyone else,
Then all that worship and fear? It’s just smoke and mirrors.
They are nothing but fake gods.
So, with that thought steadying his mind and reinforcing his will, Ash reached out and wrapped his fingers around the orb.
And in that tense moment... absolutely nothing happened.
No eerie wind, no surge of dark energy, not even the slightest flicker of change.
Everything remained calm, almost insultingly so.
All that buildup... and for what? Tch, talk about anticlimactic, he grumbled internally, exhaling the breath he hadn’t even noticed holding in.
His shoulders loosened slightly as the tension drained from his body.
Holding the orb carefully now, almost like he was afraid it might suddenly activate if shaken too hard, Ash stared at it for a moment before speaking in a low, thoughtful murmur.
"Eye of the Cursed God... what a poetic name, seriously. Today’s been one hell of a lecture. Hah... I even learned new words today. First, a Divine God. Then, an Abyssal God. And finally... Abyss itself."
Abyss.
A word that tasted like ash and felt like it held stories no one should know.
That one word carried a weight that instinctively made his chest tighten.
It sounded like the kind of existence that didn’t just destroy things, but erased them from memory, from time, from meaning itself.
Whatever it was, it clearly wasn’t something nice. The name alone told him that much.
"Well... whatever. I still have to clear the trial first. Thinking about this kind of stuff can wait," he muttered, shaking his head to push away the creeping unease.
With that, he tried to store the ’Eye of the Cursed God’ in his space ring.
At least... he tried to.
"...Hmm, don’t tell me this thing’s got restrictions," he muttered, his tone a little sharper now as he tried again, willing it into storage with more force.
But again, nothing happened.
"Ah, damn it. If I have to carry this thing on me, and some demon catches a whiff of it, they’ll come running like moths to a flame."
Grumbling to himself, he carefully slipped the orb into his pocket, making sure it was secure and hidden as best as he could manage.
Then, without wasting any more time, he slipped on the unnamed black gloves and crushed the Prime Shard in the palm of his hand.
The moment it shattered, a faint warmth pulsed through his body as the shard’s energy dispersed and quietly merged into him, increasing his stats without fanfare.
**
[ATTRIBUTES]
Strength – 185 → 189
Agility – 185 → 189
Vitality – 185 → 189
Intelligence – 185 → 189
Stamina – 185 → 189
Charm – 185 → 189
Mana – 185 → 189
—
Closing his status window with a flick of his hand, he finally let his body drop to the ground.
The exhaustion he had been holding back washed over him all at once.
Without wasting any time, he brought out some food and water from his space ring, quickly eating to fill the emptiness gnawing inside him.
After satisfying his hunger and drinking just enough to calm the dryness in his throat, he reached into the ring again and pulled out a bed.
He didn’t bother setting it up properly—he just needed rest, nothing else.
And so, he laid down and slept.
He wasn’t even slightly concerned about being attacked in his sleep. If something did manage to kill him... so what? He would just revive, simple as that.
That was the reality. And right now, more than anything else, rest was more important than fear or logic or even planning.
He slept soundly for five hours without interruption.
When he finally awoke, his body felt light, his mind clear, and his energy fully restored.
Stretching once, he stood up, packed everything back into his ring, and walked forward—
Toward the next trial.
***
When he arrived at the Third Trial Ground, he found himself standing in a compact area, smaller and more confined than before.
At the far end of the room stood five doors, each marked by a different symbol, each radiating a distinct presence.
On the first door, there was a symbol of fire—bold and vivid, like flickering flames frozen in time.
On the second door, there was a symbol of ice—faint and cold, as though the air around it was touched by frost.
The third door had a sword symbol—sharp, clean, and carrying a dangerous intent.
The fourth door bore a dark green symbol shaped like a droplet—clearly indicating poison.
And the fifth door had a lightning symbol—unstable arcs of static energy dancing across the surface.
Just as he began to think about what each door could mean, a familiar draconic hologram appeared again, materializing out of thin air with a low hum.
Its deep, powerful voice echoed through the room, delivering the instructions calmly yet firmly.
[Now, Challenger. You will proceed to your Third Trial.]
[Trial Three: Endure and Survive.]
[There are a total of five doors in front of you. Each door corresponds to a specific trial—Fire, Ice, Poison, Lightning, and Sword.]
[Your task is simple. Enter each one and endure whatever lies within... with your own body.]
[Normal Clear Condition: Endure and survive through at least three of the five doors.]
[Perfect Clear Condition: Endure and pass through all five.]
[Good luck, Challenger.]
With those final words, the hologram flickered... and vanished into the air like mist in the wind.
And Ash... he just stared at the five doors in front of him, his expression dark and unreadable. For the first time in a while, even he found himself hesitating to take the next step.
To hell with endure..? Who in the hell came up with this damned trial? The first two were fine, even interesting—but this? Did the creator have a fetish for pure torture or what...?
Although his mind was filled with curses and complaints, he didn’t speak a word.
Instead, he turned and walked towards the door marked with the fire symbol. If things got too out of hand, he could always use Omni Thought. That alone gave him some comfort.
Thinking that, he stepped forward and entered the room.
The moment his foot crossed the threshold, a scorching wave of heat slammed into him like a living beast.
It felt like the air itself was trying to cook him alive. Sweat began to pour from his body instantly, soaking his clothes and stinging his eyes.
The scene inside wasn’t what anyone would expect from just a fire symbol on a door.
There was no floor.
Instead, a vast lake of bubbling magma stretched out before him, radiating a heat so intense it made the air shimmer.
Scattered across the molten surface were small, uneven stone platforms, barely large enough to stand on, arranged in a broken path as if daring him to leap from one to the next.
The message was clear: jump and pass.
The walls weren’t any more merciful. Jets of fire shot out from cracks and vents at random intervals, and the walls themselves looked like they had been forged from solid flames.
Ash sighed quietly, the heat already making it hard to breathe.
This is my life now, huh...
And with that final thought, the door behind him creaked shut and sealed with a dull, echoing thud.
***