Chapter 128: Secret Realm [3]

The first trial was finished quickly. Soon enough, Atlas and Drya's group moved to the next area.Naturally, there was once again a change.

The trial space was an illusion of the outside world. There was a full moon hanging in the center of the sky, and the foliage was more similar to a large jungle than the inside of a cave secret realm.

"Just the same, this trial is slightly different from how it used to be," Drya said.

"It was always supposed to look like this, but back then, the goal was to follow the moonlight to specific locations and activate formations. Now, well…"

She didn't need to say anything more. The moon was still there, but it was not producing any noticeable light. The space was ambiently lit without any sort of specific light source.

"We should still focus on the moon," Atlas added.

"The secret realm is a natural instance that has not been touched by man, after all. It would take more than just a few chance circumstances for the realm to go through an immense change."

The bespectacled man, a demon named Klaus, nodded in agreement.

"He is right. Previously, the moon's position would change consistently to move the light for us to follow. Now, it is still in the middle of the space despite the passing of time. Its size is also many times larger than the moon in our night skies, as if the trial is trying to bring attention to it."

Whoosh!

Two figures suddenly appeared from the surrounding brush.

"There are no signs of life. There are no other groups or beasts in the trial space."

One of them spoke, and the other nodded as his findings were the same.

"Then, it is our job to understand what this new trial entails. Everyone, split into groups of two for now and investigate. Reaper, do you want to move with me?"

Atlas shook his head.

"No, your team has an even number of people. You can work together as you always do. I am fine with moving alone."

"Okay, but take this," Drya responded, passing him a talisman.

"Use it to report in if you find anything notable."

Atlas nodded.

The group split up and decided on which direction each of them would move in. Atlas particularly was assigned to go northwest.

'Hmm…it's not bad.'

Keeping his attention on the moon, he did the job he was assigned to.

He was indeed someone who preferred to work alone, but he couldn't say that having other people around was a bad thing.

The people of Drya's group were becoming friendlier after realizing that he wasn't just trying to leech off of them. They were a well-trained group who knew how to communicate and designate roles. The progress Atlas could make on his own paled in comparison to them.

'It also stems from the support they receive from Ars Goetia.'

Such was the benefit of joining a large Society.

'They are like sects from the past. Only the names have changed in the Tower.'

Even back then, the fact that the Heavenly Emperor was a rogue cultivator was unfathomable to most people. It wasn't that Atlas didn't desire the resources of those influences, but his past self had other reasons for avoiding them.

He was too big of an asset, after all. If he had given his loyalty to a single influence, the balance of the world would have shattered.

In this life, he just didn't get the opportunity. There wasn't a Society he encountered that he felt willing to join.

Divine Sanctuary only accepted beast species. Ars Goetia only accepted demons. The cultures and traditions of their Societies were geared towards these races.

When it came to the largest Society of humans… Sёarch* The ηovelFire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

'Well, Heaven's Gate was never an option.'

Nevertheless, interacting with people like Drya and the people of the Tatsuya Clan made him interested in joining a Society.

'Or…perhaps I could create one for myself.'

The person who benefited most in a Society was obviously its leader. If he could build an influence that stood on par with the Great Societies of the Tower, his entire journey would become a peaceful walk through the fields.

A new goal was established in his mind, but that was a matter for the future. At the moment, he did not have anywhere near as many achievements as he needed to properly start a Society and attract members.

Instead, he focused his attention on the trial. The trial space wasn't very large, so Atlas was able to cover the entire area he was in charge of in a short period of time. He found nothing when he first made the journey, but it was a different story on his return.

He rushed as one with the wind, his body causing the brush to whip back and forth. His eyes scanned from side to side in order to see anything when he suddenly spotted a large and unconventionally smooth slab of stone wedged into a small shift in the terrain.

Arriving before it, he observed the etchings on its surface.

'Interesting…'

It was a diagram of the phases of the moon. It was surely hinting at the trial's mechanisms, but what interested Atlas was the small text underneath.

[Forever Remember Our Glory - Hidden Cloud Sect]

'Is that the same Hidden Cloud Sect from back then?'

In a place called the Earth Spirit Continent, a place ruled by the Divine Cannon Sect, there was once a Hidden Cloud Sect that acted as its arms and legs.

Atlas was once good friends with the head of the Divine Cannon Sect. He had heard much about that Hidden Cloud Sect.

But…

'No, it cannot be them. The Earth Spirit Continent did not look like this.'

There was never a secret realm like this where demonic materials were produced, as such an environment did not exist in that continent.

Yet, Atlas could not rid himself of that nagging feeling.

The tomb left by Kallos, the legend of the Great Mu Immortal that Atlas heard from Horus, and small relics like this that littered the Tower.

The event that formed the Tower, what the world only knew as its "descent," was even more mysterious than it already seemed.

"I think I have a clue. There is a strange stone here."

That was the end of Atlas' communication with Drya's group. What remained on the stone slab was left unsaid.

"We also found something similar. Let's all regroup and then put the information together."

With Drya's words confirming their next move, Atlas dropped his thoughts and rendezvoused with them. Regardless of the mysteries, regardless of their truths, he could not yet entertain them.

He kept this information and doubt in his mind so that when the day finally did come, all of the pieces would put themselves together on their own.

'The phases of the moon, it says… Very well.'

The current priority was getting a Devil Fruit and healing. After that, the goal was to find someone who could erase the mark on his chest.

Rather than those grand issues, Atlas put his mind to those things that had to be done immediately.

And, of course, the first mystery to solve was the nature of this trial space.