"What now…?" I muttered, my voice low and tense.
The ground trembled beneath my boots, dust sifting down from the ceiling. The cavern walls groaned as though straining under some immense pressure.
Then—CRACK!
The wall directly ahead split open, jagged fissures racing across its surface. With a deafening crash, the stone gave way, collapsing in a cloud of dust and rubble.
Where once there had been nothing but a dead end, now a narrow passage stretched forward.
'A path… Was this triggered because I defeated that spider monster?'
A faint thrum pulsed from within, like the steady beat of a heart, brushing against my senses.
'What is this power I'm sensing.'
"No use standing around and overthinking," I muttered under my breath.
With steady steps, I ventured into the newly revealed corridor. The air grew denser with each pace, charged, as though invisible sparks danced across my skin.
Then, I saw it.
At the center of a small, circular chamber stood a stone pedestal no higher than my waist. Resting atop it was an orb—perfectly spherical, glowing with a soft cerulean light that seemed to ripple within its core Thin etchings of runes encircled its base, pulsing faintly in rhythm with the orb's glow, as if anchoring its power to the pillar. Wisps of energy bled from its surface, dissolving into the air like mist, making the entire chamber hum with an unearthly resonance.
"What… is this?"
The words slipped from my mouth before I could stop them. Never—not once in the game—had I seen anything like this. Is something like those hidden fragment?
Drawn closer, the orb's presence grew stronger, its energy thick and almost intoxicating. Every step made my heartbeat quicken, as though something inside it was calling to me—beckoning me forward.
'Could it be… connected to my lightning element?'
I stopped in front of the pedestal. The orb pulsed faintly, waiting, daring me to make a choice. My hand hovered in hesitation. What if this was a trap? What if touching it triggered something I couldn't handle?
But standing still wasn't going to reveal any answers.
I grit my teeth, steeled my nerves, and placed my hand on the orb.
The reaction was immediate. A blinding surge of light erupted, flooding the chamber in pure radiance. The stone walls melted away, swallowed whole by the brilliance. My breath caught in my throat as the world around me unraveled—then reformed.
When the glow finally receded, I found myself standing in an endless expanse of sky. The clouds stretched out infinitely, their soft white shapes mirrored perfectly on the ground as though I stood atop a glass-like sea. Above and below, the azure heavens stretched without end, swallowing the horizon.
It was surreal. A boundless, tranquil field of blue and white—like standing in the heart of the heavens themselves.
"…Where am I?"
The stillness shattered.
The endless expanse of sky that surrounded me rippled like disturbed water, and a deep, resonant hum vibrated through the air. The heavens above darkened, clouds swirling into a massive storm front. Lightning arced wildly within the churning mass, each bolt splitting the sky with a sound like the roar of titans.
The orb's voice—or perhaps the will behind it—resonated inside my head, calm yet commanding:
"Child of Lightning… prove your worth. Face the storm, and be judged."
The glass-like ground beneath my feet cracked, fragments peeling away into the abyss below. In their place rose stone platforms, floating islands suspended in the infinite sky. Some were small enough for a single step, others wide as an arena. They hovered at varying heights, forming a precarious path through the storm.
I clenched my jaw. "A trial, huh…? Why do I always have to go through this."
With a step, I leapt onto the first platform. The moment my foot landed, the storm struck.
A spear of lightning fell from the sky, slamming into the platform with blinding force. The stone scorched black instantly. My instincts screamed as I rolled aside, the crackling energy still licking at my arm. The message was clear: standing still meant death.
'So it's a test of speed and reflexes…'
I sprinted forward, jumping from platform to platform. Bolts rained down like a divine barrage, each one faster, harsher, closer than the last. My body blurred with Dash, the air hissing at my back as lightning shattered platforms behind me.
But the storm wasn't the only threat. From the clouds above, figures began to emerge—shapes formed entirely from living lightning. Humanoid at first, then monstrous—serpents with crackling jaws, winged beasts trailing thunder, warriors with blades of pure current. Their glowing eyes locked onto me as they descended.
"Tch. Of course it wouldn't be that easy."
One lunged, a lightning-forged beast snapping at my chest. I met it head-on, my katana flashing. Arc Discharge roared from my body, electricity lashing outward and colliding with the creature in a blinding explosion. Its form shattered into sparks, but three more surged in its place.
The trial demanded more than endurance. It demanded mastery—of lightning itself.
I gritted my teeth, mana flaring hot within me. "Fine then. Let's see if I'm worthy."
Bolts fell from the heavens again. This time, instead of dodging, I thrust my hand upward. My mana surged, colliding with the strike—redirecting it. The bolt bent midair, arcing past me, crashing instead into a cluster of incoming constructs. They exploded in a shower of sparks.
A grim smile tugged at my lips. "So that's how it is."
The storm didn't ease up. If anything, it grew wilder—bolts striking faster, platforms crumbling sooner, the air itself buzzing like it wanted to rip me apart.
"Great," I muttered, vaulting to another platform just as the one behind me exploded into rubble. "An endless sky, no way down, and lightning trying to fry me… not my kind of vacation."
Another bolt split the air, this one so close I felt the hair on my arms stand. I flung my blade upward, redirecting it again. The shock rattled my bones, nearly throwing me off balance.
"Fuck—!" I hissed, catching myself. My heart was hammering, but at least I was still alive.
More constructs dropped from the storm—three of those humanoid lightning warriors, their blades humming with raw current.
"Of course…" I exhaled. "Because dodging thunderbolts wasn't enough already."
One lunged. I spun, meeting its strike head-on. My katana sparked as metal met pure current, the impact shaking my arms. I kicked it back, then blasted another with Arc Discharge, the explosion scattering its form. The third one tried to flank me, but I pivoted and shoved it off the platform. It dissolved before it fell too far, breaking apart into stray sparks.
But the storm never let up. A dozen more bolts fell in quick succession, forcing me into a frantic sprint across the shifting platforms. My lungs burned, and sweat mixed with the ozone-heavy air.
"Is this even survivable?!" I barked between breaths, leaping a gap twice my size. "Or is this just the gods' idea of a fucking joke?"
For a brief second, I almost laughed at the absurdity—me, running like hell across a floating sky field, dodging thunder, cursing at divine forces. If someone had told me this a year ago, I'd have punched them for being insane.
The storm roared in answer, a colossal bolt striking just ahead of me. I skidded to a stop at the platform's edge, the heat searing my face.
"Shit, that was close…"
I crouched low, chest heaving. The storm wasn't going to stop. The message was clear—it wasn't about defeating the storm, it was about outlasting it. Proving I could run through the heart of lightning and still stand.
"Fine," I growled, tightening my grip on my katana. "If you want me to survive, I'll fucking survive. Just don't expect me to do it gracefully."
I sprinted again, platforms crumbling one after another, lightning crashing all around. I stopped dodging every bolt, instead redirecting what I could, letting others graze me if it meant I kept moving. Sparks burned across my skin, my arm throbbed, but I pushed on, my will screaming louder than the thunder.
"Come on then!" I shouted into the storm, a half-crazed grin tugging at my lips. "Is this all you've got?!"
The storm didn't let up—it multiplied. Every heartbeat brought another platform crumbling, another flash of light splitting the world. I leapt, rolled, slashed, cursed, all while feeling like the sky itself was trying to erase me.
"Fucking hell!" I hissed, as a bolt grazed my shoulder, sizzling through cloth and skin. The smell of burnt fabric and ozone filled my nose. Pain seared down my arm, and my grip faltered.
Not good.
Another wave of constructs descended, twice as many as before—five glowing warriors, blades like jagged lightning bolts.
"Really?!" I spat, blood running from a cut on my forehead. "You assholes couldn't send just one at a time?"
They came at me in perfect unison. I ducked under the first strike, sparks raining across my hair. My katana clashed with another's blade, the vibration nearly shaking it from my hands. The third thrust low, and I barely vaulted over it, landing hard on one knee.
"Shit, shit, shit—!"
They pressed me, and I was drowning under their rhythm. One strike slipped through, slashing across my ribs, the pain sharp enough to steal my breath. Warm blood soaked into my shirt.
I staggered back, vision spinning, lightning filling the edges of my sight.
This wasn't winnable. Not like this.
I clenched my teeth, forced mana into my veins, and shouted:
"Dimensional Veil!"
The world bent. Space warped around me, their blades slowing mid-swing, bolts of lightning curving away as though time itself had stuttered. The pressure on my chest lifted for a heartbeat, and I pushed forward.
I phased through a warrior's strike, appearing on its flank. My katana tore through its glowing core, scattering it into fragments of light. Another tried to stab me, but the distorted veil bent the strike just wide. I countered, cleaving it apart.
Only two constructs remained.
They lunged together. I caught one with a Moon Slash, the crescent tearing it in half mid-charge. The other I barely managed to parry before driving my blade through its chest.
Both dissolved, leaving me panting on trembling legs. My blood dripped on the shimmering platform, evaporating in faint sparks.
"Still… not done, huh?" I muttered, forcing myself upright.
Because the storm wasn't easing. It was condensing.
The clouds above twisted into a vortex, lightning converging into a colossal spear of pure energy. It aimed straight at me, the divine finishing blow.
My body screamed in protest, but I raised my katana anyway. "Fuck it. If I'm going down, I'm going down swinging."
The bolt fell.
For a split second, instinct took over—I threw Dimensional Veil up one last time. The spear hit, the world bent, reality groaned under the force, and the attack diverted just enough to split across the platform instead of obliterating me.
The blast hurled me backward, ripping the breath from my lungs. My katana skidded across the glassy surface. My body felt broken, burns etched across my skin, blood soaking every wound.
But when the light cleared, I was still alive.
But when the light cleared, I was still alive.
The storm finally began to calm. The thunder faded to distant rumbles, the clouds thinning until only endless blue sky remained.
I lay there, coughing blood, staring up at the silence.
"Haaaaa..." "Haaaaa...."
"Ah fuck ! That was exhausting."
Suddenly I heard a voice from above. It was the same one I heard when I arrived here a while ago.
"You have endured the storm. You have faced the judgment… and survived. You are worthy of inheriting the heavens power."