Chapter 1401: 1401. Golems

Noah wasn't underestimating the trial. Some of the features described by Don worried him greatly, but he couldn't give up on that chance to prove his power and seize the best reward of the second layer.

Don watched as Noah dug a cave near the edge of the landmass and secluded himself. He had no words to express how reckless Noah's behavior was, but he had already explained everything he could.

Noah wasn't even part of the Legion, so Don eventually gave up trying to make him change his mind. If Noah wanted to risk his life and waste time over an impossible trial, he was free to do so.

Don soon left, and Noah remained alone in that distant part of the separate dimension. The light radiated by the Divine Deduction technique shone on his mental sea and improved his mental capabilities as he reviewed what Don had explained.

The trial wasn't easy. According to Don, the underground structure contained hundreds of golems at the peak of the middle tier. Moreover, Noah wouldn't be able to restore his "Breath" and mental energy unless he cleared an entire area.

The challenge also forced the contenders to destroy one golem per week. Failing in doing so would reset the trial to its original state and make all the previous efforts go to waste.

Noah knew that his power was off the scale, but he wasn't delusional. His abilities could allow him to defeat a single peak middle tier creature, but he didn't have the power to face hundreds of them at the same time. The limitations on his recovery were also a major issue, especially when he considered that the golems would always know his position.

'I won't immediately succeed,' Noah thought. 'I need to study those golems and develop an offensive pattern. My black hole will take care of my exhaustion, but I will eventually need a proper rest at some point.'

The trial sounded impossible to overcome for a single existence, but Noah had a crucial advantage. He wasn't alone. He could count on three divine companions that could multiply his battle prowess.

Noah's workshop and the dark world could even relieve some of the pressure created by his numerical disadvantage. He was probably the only liquid stage expert in the world who could have a chance in that test.

'How long do you need to reach the middle tier?' Noah asked through his consciousness.

"I'm close," Night replied. "Leave me a bunch of that darkness and focus on a strategy. I'll make sure to be ready before the trial."

'That's impossible if we count the period of hibernation,' Noah replied bluntly. 'Still, don't worry about it. I can complete my preparations only after I learn more about these golems.'

Night went silent after that reply and focused on eating the special darkness that Noah had continued to create to nourish his companion. Its breakthrough was approaching. It was almost time for the Pterodactyl to surpass its previous peak.

Noah also stopped minding the creature as he focused on absorbing the rewards gathered through the second layer. The many pills and potions were almost useless to him, but it was a waste to eat them only to obtain the energy that they contained. Yet, the same didn't apply to the Steeled Boar's corpse and the Uwan's fruit.

'Is this really as poisonous as Don claims?' Noah thought as he studied the spiked fruit in his hand.

His instincts didn't sense any danger coming from the fruit. They only felt the immense energy that it contained, and traces of hunger resurfaced in Noah's mind as he continued to study it.

'I guess I can only try it,' Noah concluded as he took a small bite from the fruit.

An awful taste spread through his mouth as he gulped that moist material. Energy began to flow out of the piece and disperse through his body, but the black hole promptly intervened and isolated that phenomenon with the dark matter.

Noah felt strange when that energy tried to reach his tissues. It didn't seem any different from the usual primary energy that he absorbed every day, but his insides wanted to reject it before it could even land on their fabric.

There was clearly something strange about the fruit, but Noah didn't need to understand its features since his black hole would take care of the matter. Its cycles of purification would turn that strange primary energy into something that Noah could safely absorb.

Noah ate the entire fruit in one bite after confirming that the black hole had successfully purified its energy. His body grew quickly as power came out of his fourth center of power and flowed inside his tissues.

After the fruit, Noah ate the Boar, except for its skin. He could use that material for his fake cores and other creations, so he preferred to store it at the moment.

His body improved steadily, but it didn't reach the halfway mark of the middle tier. Even the rewards from the inheritance of a rank 9 cultivator weren't enough to meet his requirements. Only nutrients far above his level could give him the power needed to experience substantial improvements.

His body was only the first of his preparations. Noah didn't know any traditional method to improve his dantian and mental energy more quickly. Still, he had accumulated a large stash of Soul Stones through his adventures in the Immortal Lands.

The raw laws contained in that currency allowed him to cultivate smoothly and slowly restored the first ability of his ambition. His individuality couldn't make him cross ranks again at its current condition, but forcing it to grow would improve his foundation. It would also deepen his reserves of energy, which was Noah's main intention.

Night hibernated while Noah trained. The Pterodactyl remained inside the separate space and fell asleep as a gravitational pull unfolded from its figure.

The creature continued to absorb energy even after its breakthrough began, and Noah didn't hesitate to fill its surroundings with the special darkness required.

'It's time to enter,' Noah concluded after he met the limits of his training.

The biggest issue in that process was that he had never fought the golems, but he planned to solve it soon. Once he gained that information, Noah could modify the workshop according to his needs and understand which attacks it was better using.

Noah interrupted his training at some point and moved to enter the cave under the cliff. An ominous aura began to leak out of the entrance once he stepped on it, and multiple appeared in the range of his consciousness.

The insides of the cave were pale-azure and seemed to carry metallic properties. The walls, floor, and ceiling of that underground structure differed from the barren lands on the surface. They were so sturdy that Noah couldn't even leave a mark on them when he used his Demonic Sword.

Supreme Thief had done that on purpose. The underground structure's layout was one of the trial's difficulties, and that mighty existence didn't want to leave any loophole.

A tunnel stretched from the entrance and led into a large underground hall. The ceiling was less than seven meters tall, barely enough to contain the tall figures that filled the area.

When Noah reached the end of the tunnel, he saw those humanoid golems turning toward him and sliding their heads on the ceiling as they began to converge on his position.