Panting, Aaron drained adipose tissue and cycled energy all whilst eating as he spammed [ Spectral Rush ] through the Trial of Travels. The speed increase of his new Skill was nice, and what he truly appreciated was his ability to shift into an incorporeal, ghostly state, since it was surprisingly handy for the Trial of Travels.

  After all, it wasn’t just about speed. There were exploding obstacles flying at him, and all manner of projectiles filled the air, but thanks to his new Skill, only their mana-based damage actually did anything, most of which he could tank.

  Still, it took a few hours and a couple of deaths to finally push him through the eighth stage of the trial.

  For his troubles, he was rewarded a quest token that said it would grant access and teleport him to a communal dungeon that would open three months after the trials ended.

  He was immediately intrigued by the token, placing it in his scabbard with a satisfied grin. He figured there would be many dungeons and quests after the trials, but if one required a special token, it would probably be more valuable, he figured, and was instantly glad that he had pressed on against the Trial of Travels.

  However, that excitement quickly turned to frustration. Aaron was fast, but he wasn’t a speedster. His speed was an element of his combat style, designed to be utilized with perfect footwork and fate-bending, which he was great at. But when pressed up against a pure high-speed build, it simply wasn’t up to par. At least not when attempting trials designed to challenge Tutorial elites.

  That wasn’t to say Aaron was weak, not anymore at least. Between his Class and Profession levels, elevated by his Titles, achievements, gear, and food buffs, he was likely at least as strong, or maybe even stronger than an average peak E-grade stat-wise, assuming either their Profession or Class was lacking. But this trial wasn’t designed for ordinary people to pass, and that was quickly making itself evident.

  Nonetheless, he threw himself against the ninth stage of the Trial of Travels with the same grit and determination that he had shown in everything.

  The trial was deep underground in a collapsing, molten hot course that had lava and other obstacles to avoid. Not just that, though. There were these fire elemental things, and burning imps that shot streams of lava at him, and some even took chase.

  Worse still, almost all of their attacks carried mana, and while the ghostly form he took when using [ Spectral Rush ] did manage to save him from some of the fire damage, most of it still landed.

  This made racing through the level rather difficult, especially when his version of the Skill probably wasn’t the fastest one available.

  Still, this was Aaron Dober, and he wasn’t about to just give up. Dying was of little concern to him, and he continuously threw himself against the extraordinarily difficult trial, racing through the lava-covered underground.

  It was hard, though, and he died several times relatively quickly. And he couldn’t help but check the time between attempts. Hours were sliding past quickly, and he could feel himself getting closer and closer to missing his opportunity at another Title. But he believed that if there were any remaining trials he could finish, this was the one.

  He had briefly considered smashing out some easier trials, but decided against it. Some extra loot and maybe a level or two would have been nice, but it wasn’t anything he couldn’t get later, after the trials. The Title, however, was something he could only claim here, and so it made sense to keep pushing for the Trial of Travels, even if it took every last minute he had.

  And so that’s what he did, racing against lava and fire as he bit down and sped for the finish, only to be killed time and time again.

  There was only so far stubbornness and determination could take someone, however. Luckily for Aaron, he had bucket loads of both, and after countless hours, with incredibly hot flames licking at his behind, he managed to burst through the final leg of the challenge and come out the other end victorious.

  Stage nine of [ Trial of Travels ] COMPLETED!

  You have tested your speed and agility against the collapsing fire world forgotten to history, and managed to reach the finish line alive.

  Quest Rewards: Mana Heart [ Legendary ], Viewing Room upgraded to level 9.

  Experience rewarded for completing a quest stage!

  Ding!

  [ Empty-Handed Energy Monk ] has LEVELED UP!

  42 → 43

  As nice as beating a trial was, the ninth stage wasn’t what he had come for. However, he couldn’t complain about another level. If nothing else, he had a few extra Stat points for his fight against Mo’han.

  Dismissing the notification as he raced back to the dial, he quickly inspected his reward.

  Mana Heart [ Legendary ]

  Stolen story; please report.

  These amazing artifacts pulse with mana, infecting all around with their energy. There are many uses for such items, from burying them in the ground to infuse plants with mana, to using them to fuel powerful constructs; the only limit is one’s imagination.

  He had no idea what he would do with the Mana Heart, but he had to admit that it sounded pretty neat.

  Pocketing his reward, he stepped up to the dial, and… there was no option to select a god. Aaron’s brow arched, and he wondered if he would be up against himself again, not that it mattered. Regardless of what he faced, he would find a means of defeating it.

  Slapping down on the dial, he found himself on another course, but he wasn’t facing himself down. No, he was facing down what he could only imagine to be a god avatar.

  “Greetings, mortal. I am the avatar of Torfus, God of Quickness,” the lanky avatar said, tipping his winged helm and thumping his chest. “And you are my sparring partner today!”

  Besides the god avatar, the level was remarkably average. Just a normal, circular running track in a shadowy arena. Unlike the arena with the crowd, this appeared to be very much within the trials, and he saw no audience, and the seating disappeared into the darkness of shadows.

  “Get ready!” The avatar said, and only a second later, a gunshot sounded.

  Aaron wasn’t ready, and he wasn’t sure it would have made any difference. Because Torfus was more than just quick, he flew through the race course within a blink, flying around so fast that Aaron still felt the gust of wind coming off his previous pass as he passed him again, almost sending him spinning as a tornado formed around the racing avatar.

  There was no energy in the wind, though. It wasn’t a Skill, but simply a wind vortex appearing thanks to how fast Torfus was moving.

  And at the end of the race, Torfus slammed straight through Aaron, turning him into meat confetti as some kind of punishment for losing.

  It was no surprise that the avatar had decided to seemingly unnecessarily kill him. After all, death was one and one with the trials, and for most people, it sucked. It was the punishment that made dealing with the place difficult, so you couldn’t just keep trying over and over again with no drawbacks. But that wasn’t true for Aaron, and he threw himself back into the trial, his determination set stronger than ever.

  But the staggering difference between them only became more and more apparent as he tried to throw himself against the trial.

  Torfus was simply too fast. If Yendal was the perfect martial artist, Torfus was the perfect speedster. However, there was one glaring difference. Aaron had spent the better part of a year perfecting his martial skill, and not only that, but Yendal was his patron god. She actually had reason to want to see him succeed.

  Torfus, on the other hand, had no such desires and was equally skilled in his own realm.

  Several hours passed, and the truth was, he didn’t even get close. No matter what he tried, or how much energy he funneled into it, Torfus lapped him over and over again.

  A day passed as Aaron threw himself against the hopeless struggle, and it wasn’t until he managed to shake himself free from an unintentional trance that he realized how much time he had spent bashing his head against the wall.

  There wasn’t even a line for the dial anymore. Sure, there were still a few people desperately trying to knock out a trial or two, but for the most part, the hallway had cleared out.

  Groups were scattered about, talking and planning for what happened after the trials were finished. The crafting station was abuzz, and he spotted many people coming and going from it. There were also groups walking in and out of the other rooms as they made the most of their remaining time.

  And he realized why when he checked the time on his pocket watch. There were only two days remaining.

  Shit, the meet up!

  It seemed he wouldn’t be beating the Trial of Travels no matter how hard he tried. Torfus was simply too fast for him. To beat him would have required Aaron focusing purely on his speed for a while, and that wasn’t something he could do in a day.

  Somewhat reluctantly, he raced to the crafting station. He desperately wanted to see everyone again before they left the trails, and their meeting certainly wasn’t why he was reluctant to go. No, that was something deep within him. Because no matter how much sense it made, there would always be a part of him that was frustrated beyond belief, having to walk away from a challenge. It was his antithesis, and it brought him pain.

  If anything, he was lucky it was only a single tenth-stage trial he had to walk away from. If he managed to reach the end of multiple trials only to find himself stuck against the final stage, unable to defeat them, he might have driven himself mad with frustration.

  It was a sensation he had to shake free. Determination was his fuel, but there were times when he needed to refuse it.

  Running through the crafting station, making his way through the crowds, he hoped desperately that he wasn’t too late. It would be a sad ending to his trials if his friends had already passed through Mo’han’s portal and left him by himself.

  And when he reached the portal crafting station, his jaw dropped, and he skidded to an unceremonious halt. It was empty, not a soul in sight.

  “Fuck! I’m an idiot!” Aaron face-palmed, and his shoulders sank. He had wasted too much time. Sure, overworking himself and throwing himself endlessly at challenges was something he loved, but he enjoyed the company of others as well. He had just been trying to do what he thought was right. To gather as much strength and power as he could. But this truly sucked. He had shared many moments with these people and had no idea when they would see each other again.

  Kicking the ground, he ran his fingers through his hair and shook his head. He had told himself not to enter a trance, but when pushed up against a seemingly impossible challenge, that just wasn’t something he could easily avoid.

  It was in his blood. He was a dogged battler who would throw himself against anything, no matter the odds. If anything, he should have known better, and it pissed him off to know that he had essentially pointlessly missed out, and now he was left to himself. To mope about until his fight with Mo’han, and for what? He had never stood a chance against Torfus, and he should have been able to see that.

  Idiot! Idiot! Idiot! Why do I always have to be so thick-headed and stubborn!

  “Hey, Aaron!”

  He opened his eyes and turned around.

  They were all there. Mo’han, Voidrin, Talia, Elmira, Clem. There were even a couple from Earth he hadn’t spent much time around, like Joseph Lefiti and Emmy Sharp. Even Mal and his boys were there too, and Elmira had brought along Cairon, who looked like an out-of-place sour grape.

  It was a bigger group than he had expected, but what was a final party to see out the trials without company?

  “Wow, I’ve never seen you smile so much, A-ran!”

  “Hah, yeah, big fella,” Aaron grinned, holding back the wells in his eyes.

  The journey had been long and painful, and it was coming to a close, but there was no finer group of people to see it off with.

  Now was the time for beers and a chance to kick back. To enjoy the second last day, and take it easy before facing off against Mo’han, and leaving for Superearth.

  He greeted everyone, and Mo’han created the portal, lining up the group. They entered one by one, growing rowdier and rowdier by the second, like a bunch of sailors on shore leave.

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