These words... The carriage... the coffin. Zach's seen it all. Wait... is this... Zach gripped the edges, gritting his teeth; a second later, the coffin was launched into the air, hitting the calm surface of the lake in a violent splash.
Water bled into the box.
[PARADOX SYSTEM INTERFACE]
[Objective: lead humanity to victory against the Thyxar]
[Difficulty: hard]
[Consequences for failure: death]
[Chances left: 9]
[Thread wisely, seeker... the cycle of despair begins now]
[Path: Path of Iniquity]
[Trial rank: 1947]
"I've seen this before..." "The academy—was that all a dream?"
[Name: Zachariah Oliver Keal]
[Age: 17]
[Class: Shifter class]
[Sequence level: Earth]
[Existence pool 0/100]
[Soul essence 100/100]
[Skill: Shadow Morph
User can transform into any animal imaginable. Beware, the stronger the animal, the more soul essence it'll drain]
-
Zach paid more attention to the system screen. "Chances left..." Zach mumbled.
At the time, Zach didn't think much of it, but now he saw it. It wasn't just tracking time; it was tracking his life.
Nine remaining... Does that mean I have nine more chances to clear this trial? That would be the most plausible thing.
Zach remembered everything—the knight, the academy, his death—all of it.
Zach arched his body, kicking off the coffin lid. Water flowed in a torrent, and Zach instantly turned into a fish, swimming frantically to the surface.
[81/100] He gritted his teeth. Somehow, when the trial reset, his soul essence reverted too.
The huge serpent in the deep noticed him too late, and Zach burst out of the water in his human form.
He coughed, standing up. "Oh... what do we have here...?" Zach anticipated that.
He glanced forward to see the two familiar Thyxars glaring at him. The familiar oasis reminded Zach of the first time he saw these two; he felt powerless.
"I think we left one alive," the reptilian hissed. "You think..." Zach cracked a smirk.
The beastly one raised a brow. "This one has a silver tongue..." He pointed at Zach.
Zach didn't notice it before, but now he could see piles of metallic coffins at the back of the carriage.
"Why would they put humans in coffins before tossing them away? Better yet... why would they want to go through all this trouble?"
Previously, Zach hadn't asked any questions because he was in the moment, but now it felt like everything was happening in third person.
"Hey, you..." Zach pointed at the reptile. It would be nice if he asked questions before the knight arrives.
"What is your goal? How did you guys get past the border fleet?" Zach tucked his head to the side.
"If the trials are going to give me another chance," he smirked, "then who am I to refuse it?"
The two monsters looked at Zach in a daze, utterly confused. Zach could tell they didn't expect this from a border guard.
"Do you remember killing this one?" The beastly one glanced at the reptilian.
"I don't know... I think so?" The reptilian pondered.
"No need for wondering who killed who," Zach snapped them out of their daze. "It won't matter if your heads are rolling on the floor."
The two monsters exchanged a look, caught between confusion and irritation. To them, it looked like an ant was standing up to a giant in its final heroic attempt to save itself—it was both ridiculous and annoying.
The Thyxars spoke like they were watching a spectacle. The reptilian one touched its blade.
"I think I'll end this foul month here and now." "Do it," the beastly one leaned back against the carriage.
Zach opened his arms. "Then come kill me, you prick." This seemed to hit a nerve, as the Thyxar dashed towards Zach with speed, waving its huge sword.
Zach kept his eyes open, noticing a shift in the underbrush behind them.
'Here he comes.' The distance flashed, and with a wave of light, the Thyxar's arm was sent flying in the air.
Zach scoffed as the Thyxar backed away, looking in the distance. 'What took you so long?'
Through the bushes, Ingrid walked through, wielding his sword in hand.
Zach previously wondered what the veteran skill was, but now he knew—those silver flashes that glinted just before the lizard's arm got cut off.
Zach was a very practical person, practical enough not to get out of line. He knew if Ingrid had been a second late
He knew if Ingrid had been a second late, his head would be rolling.
"Tch, you're dead now." The reptile's shocked expression was met with Zach's cold reply.
"He must be a star knight." The beastly one barked, leaning off as he faced the intruder.
"I'm the reinforcement sent here by the Persian Emperor himself," he said.
This was replaying exactly like it did in Zach's previous trial.
"The next thing was the clash..." As expected, Ingrid hunched forward and launched, and soon enough, both were caught in an explosive battle too fast for Zach's eye to see.
When the trial reset, it took away his soul essence he acquired, but it couldn't take away one thing from him—and that was his experience.
Despite training his perception, Zach still couldn't perceive the battle.
The air cracked as each clash sent tremors through the ground; the ground shook and parted under pressure; sparks flew everywhere.
But Zach couldn't tell what was happening. If Zach took the normal approach, going through the academy, waiting for the evaluation, becoming a gold-star knight, and then fighting the fiends, he would die again.
At least he needed backup. The battle heated up; the Thyxars were splitting the air.
The strike was a blur; the steps were ripples. Then Zach saw it—the knight twisted, planted his feet, and lashed forward with his blade like a whip.
"No way... the Algera Thrust?" Zach covered his ears, and a loud boom rippled through, shattering the reptilian's defense and leaving a gaping hole in its chest that oozed with blood.
The tall Thyxar collapsed dead as the knight, with graceful movement, slashed off the other beast's legs, making it fall to its knees.
"You know, you guys put up quite a fight."
"Y... you." Ingrid then, with a single wave of his blade, ended the Thyxar's life.
It seemed like the Algera Thrust was some sort of compulsory move for all knights to have. That was pretty rational though, as the ability to conjure up energy with a strength that mimics the power of arc lightning from one's body was truly genius.
Zach wondered what kind of man His Majesty was. Ingrid sheathed his sword, looking at Zach.
Zach wasn't even sure that the middle-aged knight was going to win the duel, but he had to take his chances.
"Sorry I arrived late; the message didn't get to the palace in time." Zach was actually shocked that a knight would apologize for anything.