"You are the first to kill me, but will you be the first to defeat me?" Aethelmir spoke, his bloodlust and aura reaching a new high as the hulking giant slowly approached Alex.
Alex had considered everything from the past to the present, and the only thing he found common in the previous trials was the importance of the past.
In the first trial, Alex needed to understand the past to move forward, and in the second trial, the answer was the same, just presented in a different, more straightforward way.
While the third trial of the shifting maze was distinct in that its solution revolved around time rather than the past itself, the past still played a crucial role. This was evident in the dragon marks that acted as his guide, arranged from youngest to oldest.
While the age sequence of the dragons was a minor detail and no better than the presence of the thirteen dragons as marks, from what he had seen in the past trials, Alex knew better than to ignore such a detail.
The fourth and final trial had the mask that could represent the past, but Alex knew that the mask was not the riddle, leaving Aethelmir as the sole thing that could represent the past and the fourth riddle.
So, if Aethelmir was the final riddle, representing the past, then there was only one way of defeating him, and it was not by killing him because the past could not be erased.
Therefore, the only way to defeat Aethelmir was by leaving him in the past and moving to the present, and that could only happen if Alex left the trial if not outright the tomb.
When all these dots were connected, everything made sense, but with a mask of unknown quality capable of reversing age being a step away from becoming his, Alex was rightly hesitant to go with his conclusion because if he was wrong, then he would lose one of the best opportunities of his life.
But now that he had exhausted all his options, he had to test if he was right or not, as there was no more time to contemplate anymore.
"I wish to exit the trial," Alex said, his heart racing, not knowing if he had reached the correct conclusion.
Alex watched as Aethelmir slowly approached, his blood-curling aura not calming by the slightest, and once he was a few feet away, he stopped, his pitch-dark eyes staring at Alex, and for a moment, there was only silence.
The silence was quickly broken as Aethelmir's hulking body began to shift, scales vanishing back into his skin, and in mere moments, he reverted to his humanoid form.
"Reverie is yours to keep from this moment forth," Aethelmir said with a calm smile, placing his hand gently on Alex's shoulder.
"Boy, you have one of the best talents I have seen, and it would be a dream come true to give my legacy to you, but I can feel your connection to one of my old friends, so giving you my legacy would be a waste," Aethelmir said, and before Alex could say a word, his body began to dissipate, slowly blending into the surroundings.
"Cronos, you lucky bastard," Aethelmir said aloud with a small chuckle before his own body similarly dissipated into the surroundings.
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Alex found himself standing in a large open stadium, its high walls enclosing the arena with a few dozen spectators scattered in the stands.
Before him stood a giant of a man, easily surpassing two and a half meters in height, his frame a mountain of refined muscles.
The man's appearance was obscured beneath heavy armor crafted from a golden material, his face hidden behind a mask shaped like a human skull, leaving only his cold golden eyes visible.
"Captain, show this bastard who is the rising star of the thirteenth regiment!" an armadillo cheered from the stands.
"There is no doubt, you are the one. At least, a cheap imitation of him," the man said in a deep, resonant voice.
'He is an adventurer just like me, but I don't think I have met someone like him. Yet it seems he knows about me, at least the real me,' Hidden One thought, trying to assess the abilities of the man before him.
"You are not the real one because your pride is too hollow and weak, but I am sure that through you, he will get my message," the man continued, seemingly not heard by anyone but Hidden One.
"I am Zlderic, the champion of Pride, and I know who you are, and now you know about me."
"In the ancient world, I was told to stay away from you, but in this realm where death is not a threat to us, I can fight you, kill you, and no one will question me."
"I am willing to bet anything you desire, fight you at any time you desire," Zlderic said, pausing for a moment before his massive figure appeared before Alex, his golden eyes staring down at him.
"So when you are ready to face the strongest champion of Sin, you can find me in the city of Fraxburg," Zlderic said, and in the next instant, Alex felt his vision turn dark, marking the death of his avatar.
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'Champion of Sin?'
'He likely found me through a wish, but knowing that I won't fall for his tricks to engage in a battle to the death, this must be a way to keep track of me or something done purely by Zlderic to exact vengeance or prove his strength.' Alex thought, realizing that Zlderic could cause issues for him and affect his goal in the empire's military.
'The HriNovelFirealkyr Cohort regiment is given the mission to cleanse the miasmic land of Vozentar, so this could be the opportunity for me to make a name for myself and get close to Lady Elara Winterfell,' Alex thought, considering his options.
Alex was not worried about Zlderic even though he showed immense strength, because no matter how many stats his avatars held, they were still clones and could never hope to compete against true elites.
However, Alex did decide that he would deal with him when their paths crossed, but for now, his sole focus was on collecting all the entry token shards before he could go and claim the sword.