I found myself slightly out of breath, but that was primarily because I had deliberately tried to finish the fight as quickly as possible rather than conserving energy. The aggressive approach had required more overall expenditure, but it had prevented the guardians from adapting further to my tactics.
Silence...
The shrine fell completely silent for the first time since I had activated the trial. Five valuable crystal cores now rested in my storage ring.
After I destroyed all the statues, I waited in the sudden silence, expecting the trial to conclude and the Royal-rank secret art to reveal itself. Minutes passed, but nothing happened.
Confusion and growing worry began to gnaw at me. This was supposed to be the end of the trial according to my knowledge from the novel. I should have received the footwork technique by now.
Silence...
The shrine remained eerily quiet, offering no indication of what I was supposed to do next.
