The sound of footsteps drifted into Simon’s ears as he observed his room. He could also heard the sounds of doors been opened and closed, and the murmurs of his classmates settling in as they walked through the corridor.
Simon stepped toward the window of his room.
He could see one of the suspended platforms above. He saw two clan members sparring while others were watching.
And higher still, the central circular plaza loomed like a distant coin suspended in air.
And below...
The mist churned.
He placed his hand lightly against the stone wall, and it was cold and slightly sturdy.
’But an Archfiend might be able to shatter it with a punch. I’m sure the higher quality rooms have sturdier rooms.’
He shook his head slightly and turned back to the room. He approached the door and closed it.
The latch slid into place with a soft click.
Outside, the ravine-city of the Shadowgrave Clan continued to breathe.
Simon walked up to his bed, and he saw that there was a black robe, two daggers, a pair of black boots, and a black utility belt.
Simon glanced at the items for a few seconds before he removed his mask and gently placed it on the bed.
He removed the robes that were given to him as a candidate, then he wore the clothes Initiates like him were supposed to wear.
A few minutes later, he was fully dressed.
The robe was tightly fitted around his body, but not too tight that it restricted movement. The black utility belt was placed inside his robe. The black boot was also his perfect size, but Simon frowned when he noticed that the boots were not the type to make subtle noises.
They were not too loud, but the noise they made when he stepped on the ground was too loud for an assassin.
Meanwhile, on his robe were two symbols.
The first was on his left chest which had the symbol of a fang broken at its tip pointing downward.
On his back was the same symbol, only larger.
This symbol showed his status as an Initiate compared to when he was an ordinary candidate wearing a black robe.
"Not bad I guess."
Simon observed himself for a few seconds, then he looked at the bed where the pair of daggers remained.
He had sent his old clothes into his spatial ring, and the only item left were the daggers.
However...
"How do I hold these daggers without them breaking?"
This was Simon’s major problem.
Back in the second trial when he and Thorgan were fighting the Three-Tailed Alpha Shadow Wolf, the sword Thorgan threw it at him turned to ash the moment he grabbed it.
But when he held the Chaos Blade, no such thing happened.
He had a few guesses in his mind, but no verified conclusion because he had not been able to test his theories for some time now.
"But is it okay for me to test it with the initial daggers given to me by the clan?" Simon frowned deeply in thought, then he sighed.
"Well, I still have to run some tests to know what exactly is going on. Might as well try it out on some free daggers." Simon shrugged, then he approached the daggers.
The daggers were not artifacts and were just normal daggers.
Simon exhaled softly, then he slowly and calmly curled his fingers around one of the daggers.
When he did this, the dagger remained the same and did not turn to ash. However, Simon still had a solemn expression.
He slowly raised his hand, but there was still no reaction from the dagger or his Chaos Wraps.
He finally raised the dagger to the level of his chest, stood upright, and observed it with a slight frown.
"Still the same? What if I-"
Simon gently swung the dagger, but the moment he did that, he felt a warmth emit from the Chaos Wraps, and before he could even react, the dagger turned to ash before his very eyes.
"..."
Simon stared at the ashes on the floor, and the gears in his mind spun as he thought of everything that happened.
’When I held it, the dagger did not turn to ash. There was no reaction from the Chaos Wraps. But the moment I tried to swing it, it turned to ash.’
’Does that means the Chaos Wraps responds to me using another weapon aside from the Chaos Blade?’
’I can hold another weapon aside from the Chaos Blade, but I can’t use them?’
’And is there a limit to the grade of weapons I can’t use? Maybe it’s because the grade of the weapon is too low?’
All these thoughts and many other thoughts appeared in Simon’s mind as he stared at the ashes on the floor.
Some seconds later, he shifted his gaze to the second dagger, then he went to it and picked it up.
The dagger didn’t turn to ash, and Simon was relieved.
’I’m relieved but I still can’t use the dagger.’
Simon inwardly mocked himself, then he gently placed the dagger in the sheath of his utility belt.
"I still need to understand more about these things. Or I might have a tough time in the clan and maybe even outside of the clan."
Simon released a soft sigh, then he went to his chair and sat on it.
He looked around, but he saw nothing, and a part of him could not help but wonder how his room would have been if he had been given the best room like he deserved.
"Oh well. Life has never been fair, but complaining won’t change anything."
"Life is like a game of chess where one has to adapt accordingly to the situation, and I should not waste my energy and I should also learn not to hate the struggles or unfairness I face in life. Instead, I should use the energy to think of how to move forward in this game of life and use whatever I have to my advantage."
"Sometimes... the solution to every problem is always right in front of us and in our palms."