With Alexandra’s payments finally arriving and the money that Eternal Sword was forced to give up, not that they would mind, I was beginning to accumulate a great deal of wealth. Well, when compared to what I earned before it was a huge amount.

There was no need to compare myself to people like Evanora or the various executives and guild members who wouldn’t spare a lingering thought at what I made. To say I was envious of them would be a lie since I found that the grimoire was more interesting than money.

“Casper Clay?” Someone approached me.

A middle-aged man with a proud smile appeared in front of me with his hand outstretched. The crest of an owl on the lapel of his jacket gave away his guild affiliation with the Red Owl Guild.

“Yeah,” I shook his hand.

And…– surprisingly, there was no one else with him. Just a single representative which struck me as odd. I almost wanted to double-check that he was a guild officiate, but the ring on my hand was meant to warn me of false appearances.

“Is it just you?” I asked, making my skepticism apparent

“Yes, this ruin is a bit of a special case as you might’ve seen in the info we sent over.” As he spoke, we began walking toward the entrance stapled with warnings.

“I’ve read up on it, but I couldn’t be sure if it was just an exaggeration or not,” I replied.

As with most ruins, there was always something beyond the understanding of humanity. Whether it was the defiance of the laws of physics or certain anomalies that made you question your own existence, the ruins were still enigmatic places.

With that said, the one I currently stared at was a difficult one, to say the least. In this ruin, there was a single creature who was quite adept at combat. A guardian beast, they called it if I remember correctly. What awaited me was a powerful creature who rested in a desert-like environment.

The tricky part wasn’t the creature, but the fact that the strength of the creature changed based on how many people entered the ruin as well as what equipment they had. As expected of something that peculiar, a lot of people died at this ruin due to lack of preparation.

“Even if I won’t be fighting it directly, it’s best to go in as few as possible. And–” He flashed a sheathed dagger from underneath his suit jacket. “The only item I’m bringing in is a non-enchanted weapon. My gift is fairly uncommon and perfectly suited for killing that thing should you need my help.”

“Got it.” I nodded.

Inwardly, I wondered if the grimoire and the knife of premonition would affect it. If it did, then I can safely say that I would be in for a trial by fire. However, the point of this ruin seemed to be to test one’s limits. I just needed to be prepared for the chance the artifacts I had would affect the challenge I face.

“If you think it's too dangerous, we have the rights to other ruins which are less worrying. I can arrange a later date to test you if you don’t want to take an unknown risk.”

“No, I think I’ll stick with this one, but thanks anyway,” I said, dismissing his offer.

While there was the possibility of his offer being a “secret” test of my courage, he seemed genuine enough. I couldn’t help but think that the info surrounding my previous ruin clearing must’ve made it to their ears and they were being careful.

“If you don’t mind, I’ll go change,” I spoke while gazing at the eerily quiet entrance of the ruin.

He nodded his head and stepped to the side while I headed off to get ready.

…

We descended the stairs without speaking about much. I didn’t think I’d see him again so it made small talk needless in my opinion. As we moved lower, I felt the air shift, growing warmer with each step.

“We’re close,” he said as we spotted light below.

I stepped out and the first thing that greeted me was dunes of sand surrounded by a huge wall made of sandstone.

“Wow,” I muttered.

Ruins were indeed something special. There was an entirely different world within each of them and it only became more awe-inspiring the stronger the ruin was.

We climbed up a small dune and there it was– the half-buried body of some strange creature.

“I’ll hang back here,” The representative from Red Owl said.

“Got it,” I replied.

“Do not be deceived by appearances, the foe ahead hides a tremendous strength,” The ring whispered to me.

“Ah,” I exclaimed and didn’t approach just yet, but it was too late.

The entire ruin began shaking as the creature stirred to life.

“What the hell?” Behind, I could hear a surprised voice, meaning this wasn’t normal.

“What’s going–” I turned to question him but the sand beneath his feet exploded in a dust cloud and carried him out of the ruin in a flash.

“Shit,” I cursed.

Before I could think about running, the entrance to the ruin was blocked with a wall of sand that quickly solidified.

“How long has it been…” An ancient voice filled the air, speaking a strange language that I was able to understand.

As the ruin continued to change, the dunes of sand shrunk before being replaced with grandiose columns with faded markings inscribed into them.

Further away, viewing platforms began to form on the walls along with tattered banners whose colors had long since faded. The creature in the center also turned into something different.

Its previously dried and sand-covered appearance had undergone a revitalization as if someone had breathed life into it. Tufts of dried fur fell off in clumps revealing human-like skin. However, it stood taller than any human I had seen. At least four meters in height.

As all shred of weakness and age were torn away, a hairless, vaguely human, man dressed in thick armor was revealed to me. His unfocused gaze soon sharpened and his eyes fell onto me.

“I presume you are the cause of this change?” He asked.

His voice, though it was deep, had lost its thundering tone.

“I’m not sure,” I spoke cautiously, quietly reinforcing my body with blood armor.

“Do you know what ground you tread upon?” He questioned me once more.

“I don’t,” I gave a curt reply.

His words were hardly indicative of friendliness, so I pushed out my scarlet blades. Regardless of whether or not he took it to be a threat, I needed to ensure I was protected.

“It all seems so faint, so fleeting... There was once a time where thousands trekked through the deserts of–” His eyes narrowed in deep concentration as he attempted to recall something. “I cannot remember… It has been ages since that time.”

“What are you talking about?” I inquired, keeping an eye on my surroundings as well as his movements.

As far as I knew, there were no sightings of human-like entities and even fewer showed actual intelligence in ruins. The most I knew of were certain bipedal monsters who could say broken words. For the most part, very few monsters of actual intelligence appeared. Seeing the towering man in front of me had to be the first occurrence, but I didn’t stand around in awe. His appearance made me feel more threatened than anything.

“This place is a proving ground and I am its proctor. Countless men and women of varying origin stood where you stand now and faced me. As long as they qualified, they were allowed entrance. However, that time has long since past and I have slumbered here, but I lived an unending nightmare. To be slain by those who are unworthy and to disparage the majesty of this place by killing those who would be too weak to even step foot here in the distant past. I have experienced a shame like no other.”

“So you’re saying I have to prove myself by fighting you?” Seeking clarification, I threw a question out. The statements he made in between were alarming enough.

“You carry the traces of a powerful inheritance and because of it, I am no longer constrained to that accursed form. This is a defiance of the fate which was pressed upon me, perhaps you’ve shared a similar feeling? You, who has clearly altered his own humanity.”

I was stunned into silence by his words which seemed to put a look of curiosity on his face.

“How do you know that?”

“Among the secrets you carry, the change inside of you is one that cannot be hidden from the likes of me,” He replied.

I began thinking.

Was the grimoire the cause? Or was it the two paths I obtained from the grimoire? Maybe it was both?

If any of those questions were true, then it meant whatever time or age he spoke of was one where people were much stronger. To start, the grimoire was obviously a high-class artifact of immeasurable value. The paths I embarked on were even harder to classify. So, it seemed this place had the ability to read potential with extreme accuracy.

“Hear me as I speak, I shall resume the duty I was given countless years ago. Ready yourself for I seek to test your worth... And understand that this isn’t a trial of combat but something greater,” The Guardian suddenly spoke.

“I–” My mind raced but there was no way out of it so I gave a short reply, “I understand.”

I activated my spirit vision and found his soul was filled with a burning radiance that covered his entire body. It would be difficult, I could see that much plainly.

“Are there any bones beneath the sand?” I asked hopefully.

The Guardian nodded and a skeleton rose up in front of me. I touched it, converting it into the form of Wilma’s War Scythe before adding blood runes. I doubt he’d tell me his weakness and his armor seemed sturdy so I decided to place runes of sharpness, reinforcement, and weight.

If I used the Art of Sanguina to create a weak spot in his armor there was a chance I’d land a fatal attack.

“Are you prepared?” He asked in a respectful tone, plunging his hands into the sand, retrieving a huge greatsword. Though for a man standing somewhere over 4 meters tall, it must’ve been the perfect size since it was nearly the same length of his body.

“I’m ready,” I answered back.

I would make my first attack one of my strongest. I needed to draw blood from him and use it to empower my sanguina so I could endure.

“Then we will start,” He raised his sword and adjusted his feet, taking up a basic stance.

As soon as he finished speaking, I circulated my blood launched myself forward as fast as I could. At the same time, several blood arrows flew out from around and me, flying at the guardian from different angles.

He stood without moving which made me abandon my direct charge out of caution and shift into a flow of crows, flying around him as the arrows landed. Consecutive explosions rang out as I arrived behind him and returned to my normal form before thrusting my war scythe forward along with orbs of eroding blood.

I heard something snap but before I could celebrate, I watched in pure shock as my war scythe broke in half and then, I found myself on the ground.

“Huh–” I muttered as I stared at an empty blue sky.

I tried to raise my torso but I felt as my strength had been drained away. It was hard to concentrate, but I knew the fight couldn’t be over so I forced strength into my limbs– No, I attempted to, one hand made contact with the sand while the other didn’t. I felt numbness and gazed at my arm only to see it was missing. Blood spilled into the sand from the spot where my right arm was cleanly severed.

“What…–” I couldn’t help but stare at where my limb should’ve been.

A few moments later, I looked over and could see it sitting near the feet of the guardian along with my shattered war scythe.

“The only way to leave this place is by victory or by death,” He began speaking to me, the blood from my arm still trickling down the edge of his sword. “I will not take your life until you ask it of me, so prepare yourself and come at me again…”

His words sounded distant as I fell over, losing all strength in my body. It was only then I noticed a huge wound across my chest that gushed with blood.

‘I can’t die like this... not this easily.’ My thoughts were of total disbelief but my consciousness faded away.