Ash was sweating profusely, unsure what the image would do to him. When the image took a step forward, Ash pushed himself back.
Eventually, the image sighed. "Well, I can't do anything about it now." He ran his hand through his hair and continued speaking.
"Well, how was it? Your death."
Ash thought for a moment, then looked at the image with a blank face and a small smile. "I-It was exhilarating. I know I was betrayed, but that whole battle was just too fun. And that was just one battle."
His pupils glowed as he spoke, "I want to know more, more about myself. More about King Louis."
"You crazy fuck." The image held his hand out to Ash. "You want more? Then go get it, take hold of my hand, and go to the ABYSS. Get more powerful, complete the trials, and gain all your memories, every single one of them. King Louis."
Ash stood up and rubbed his black robe. "I'm Asharion now, not Louis." He grabbed the hand with a smile. "I don't know who you are, but just wait and watch, I'll definitely get stronger, way stronger than you are."
The image looked shocked. "Oh, let's see if you can keep your word or just fall into the pits of the Abyss."
Their bodies began to glow, and a huge gust of wind swept from their hands. Ash slowly began to disintegrate until he was gone.
"Oh no, I forgot to explain to him the basics of his abilities and life in the Abyss." He then shrugged. "Oh well, he'll be fine."
A pleasant sound rang in his head:
Congrats on completing your first trial, Deceased Asharion.
The system has evolved.
Rewards for completing your trial -
Alias - Demon of Myst. Ebon Shroud.
Ash woke up in a grassy plain, but this time it wasn't endless and flat; there was a tree on top of a small hill.
He looked himself up and down; he was wearing the same black robe, but this time it looked brand new and even felt a bit tougher and polished.
'System open.'
The beautiful black screen with a golden flower-like outline popped in front of him. It was a bit bigger and more organized; it had different resources. The system had a new red bar at the bottom of it, with a title called Sanity bar, and in another tab, he had an inventory.
He didn't bother with these things right now, but turned his attention to the two rewards he got. Even though he had never used the system before, it felt like he knew how to control it properly. Knowing this, he held his first reward and spoke, "Inspect."
Alias - Demon of Myst
Ability - Grants the wielder the ability to turn his body into small, fine particles as if becoming a dense white fog.
Rank - Epic
"Demon of Myst, that's a cool title. But this ability, I never heard anything like this from that stupid mirror."
He looked at his rough hands. 'Let's try it... But how?'
Ash kept trying for another ten minutes, but nothing happened. He slammed the ground in anger. "Couldn't you at least tell me how to use my powers, you stupid Mirror?"
Well, there was nothing he could do about it now, so he just moved on to the next reward he got. He held the reward and softly spoke, "Inspect."
Ebon Shroud
Type- Weapon
An item made from black steel by an experienced blacksmith. The sword is tough and durable.
Rank - Legendary
Grade - 1
"Whoa, a legendary sword." His eyes glowed, and his mouth opened wide. He instantly brought out the sword.
A polished black katana, with shiny red marks on its blade and mist-like characters engraved on its handle, formed in his hand, while in his other hand, he held a beautiful sheath which matched the sword's design.
Two sparkles formed in his eyes. "Look at it, such beauty." He slowly stood up and started slicing the air using his sword.
His eyes went up to the lone tree on top of the small hill. He stopped swinging the marvelous katana and then walked towards the lone tree.
The more he walked, the view that stood on the other side grew clearer and more visible, and when he reached the peak, a gust of wind blew onto him, making his robe fly back.
From the peak, he could see a huge town nearby. The town had a medieval fantasy type theme. It looked beautiful from far away; the buildings were about the same height, and all of them were built of wood. They probably got all that wood from the forest next door, while the other side was just greenery.
"What a view."
"You're right about that."
"Ye, it almost feels fa..." Ash turned his head around to see a person squatting down next to him. He wore a nice suit with a top hat and fine shoes. The man held two cards in his hand.
Ash took a deep breath and spoke calmly, "And who might you be?"
The squatting man turned towards Ash, revealing his fair skin and two beautiful jade-green eyes.
The man then brought his two cards together and made them form into one. He then showed the card to Ash.
It had a Joker on it, who was bowing while holding his hat. "You can call me Joker."
"Joker? Is that really your name?"
Joker stood up and rubbed his suit. He was taller than Ash by an inch. "Oh, aren't you a bit short?"
A vein popped in Ash's head. "ME short?? You're just an inch taller than me."
Joker chuckled. "Aww, making excuses now? Shorty."
He jumped off the hill, spreading his hands and legs as he fell.
Ash clenched his sword. "Let's see who the short one is, you damned clown."
His whole demeanor changed. He stopped being calm and instantly jumped off to chase the one-inch taller man.
Whoosh.
Both of them fell down very fast.
Joker landed on one of his hands. He then pushed himself up, doing a flip to land on his legs, and then started sprinting away.
He heard a small thud behind him, making him look back.
Ash was sprinting right behind him, rage on his face.
"Come here, you clown!"
Joker smiled and brought his hat down, covering his eyes. He then stopped in his tracks and turned around.
Ash also stopped and got ready for what the gentleman would do next.
Joker smiled. "Shorty, I have to leave now, but we will meet again one day."
He took a card out of thin air and threw it in the air; the card expanded in size. He then jumped on it and flew away with great speed, leaving Ash alone.
He gritted his teeth. 'That clown, the next time I meet him, I'll definitely kill him.'
He then slowly walked towards the town, and when he entered a ten-meter radius of it, the system popped up again.
Rosania Town
"Wow, it even tells me the name of each town, that's helpful."
He kept walking, and in front of the town gate, there was a fairly large carriage parked outside.
He saw a man in the carriage speaking; he wore a torn robe covering his body, and his eyes were hidden by a hood. Behind him, there was a lot of gold, and he was even spinning a gold coin on his finger.
The man then threw the coin in the air and caught it. He then showed the coin to Ash.
"Would you like to trade?"