Archibald and Wolf had finally reached their destination. Their journey took a bit over six months, but they were finally there. Before them towered a huge oak. The mighty tree looked like it loomed over the entire forest. Its trunk was wider than any building Wolf had ever seen, which wasn’t saying much. The intertwined roots sticking out of the ground like a cluster of snakes, thicker than the most ancient trees father and son ran across during their trip. It was without a doubt the biggest, most majestic tree Wolf had ever seen in his life, as long as it was. And after this journey he considered himself an expert on big majestic trees.

At the oak's ground level stood a jarring triangular hollow in the trunk. The hole was clearly a manmade entrance that was opened with three perfect sword strokes. Despite the passage of countless years, a strong Sword Aura still radiated from inside the hollow. It was clear this was the work of a great Sword-Saint.

“Dad, I think you’ll have to wait somewhere around here. I don’t know how long I'll stay inside. I think it could take more than a week.” Now that he was about to be separated from Archibald for the first time, Wolf wasn’t afraid for himself. Instead he worried that something might happen to his father.

Archibald was staring at the three sword marks with a deep frown. That aura was somewhat familiar and made him feel uneasy deep down inside.

“Son, listen to me carefully. If you don’t want to enter this place we can turn around and leave immediately. I won’t get angry. That Sword Aura is very strong and very sharp. The man that made these cuts has probably killed a huge number of manlings and Monster Beasts. The ones he had slain with his own hands likely number in the millions.” Archibald’s problem was that he only knew of one elf that could fit that description.

That person was known as Lonely Eagle. He was an elven Sword-Saint that was more than a millennia old. Lonely Eagle single handedly brought the incredibly powerful Wolf clan to ruin in a matter of days, just a few decades ago. He had also brought the Northshield duchy to a point of collapse even without taking direct action. Those were just the things Archibald had personally experienced.

There were countless legends surrounding this elven man. Some of the feats attributed to him were even greater than single handedly bringing down the elven imperial clan. Allegedly, Lonely Eagle had ventured into the demon lands for several months. There he alone slaughtered hordes upon hordes of demons before safely coming back home. Lonely Eagle was also rumored to have slain a Great Red Wyrm, which was a deed far more difficult than toppling the Empire of Elf. It was a feat that officially netted him the title of World Power several centuries ago.

“Everything will be fine. We’ve already come all this way…” With those words and a determined look Wolf bravely walked towards the entrance into the tree.

“Wait up.” Archibald called out and tossed a ring towards Wolf in an arc.

“Put that Ring of Holding on. You’ll know how to use it as soon as it’s on your finger. There’s enough water and dry rations in there to last you a month. I even keep some utilities inside, just in case.” Wolf caught the Ring of Holding. After putting it on his thumb his face brightened and he grinned.

“Thanks Dad!” Wolf exclaimed before venturing into the tree’s hollow.

The tunnel sloped downward, growing ever deeper. Even though it started out in the side of the tree, it extended underground for some fifty-odd meters. The tunnel was actually the first trial. The deeper one went, the stronger the Sword Aura got. It was so sharp that it could cut apart a person’s soul. About half way through the Sword Aura became strong enough to easily snuff out a normal person’s life. Wolf felt no danger or pressure as he advanced down the hallway. The only thing the boy could feel was a sense of familiarity. The Sword Aura washed over Wolf like gentle spring rain, going straight through him without doing even the slightest bit of harm.

The sensation was blessedly comfortable. Wolf had a feeling that if he could stay here for a longer period of time he might even recover some memories of his past life. However, Wolf wasn’t the least bit interested. Based on what he had seen when he was one year old, his past self was a real meanie. Not to mention he hated his dad without even getting to know the man… He was… an ignorant peasant!

In the deepest part of the tunnel Wolf saw several bleached skeletons lying on the ground. Those were probably the people that didn’t know their limits. They pushed themselves too hard when they should have returned. Wolf glanced at the bones without much emotion before ignoring them completely. To seek power is to risk one’s life, but to die from not knowing your own limits… The disdainful thought passed through Wolf’s mind without the boy even being aware of it. Something about this place had caused that mean streak, which was slumbering deep within, to stir.

Finally, Wolf reached the end of the tunnel. There he found a spiral staircase leading down. Unlike the tunnel, this part wasn’t carved out by a sword. A more conventional building technique was used. Both the stairs and the walls were made from hewn stone. In the tunnel, there was still some dim light. It was enough to see. The staircase going down seemed to descend into pitch blackness. Elves could see perfectly fine in complete darkness. Wolf wasn’t a pure-blooded elf, but his night vision was rather good. Once his soul grows further he’ll be able to see like a pure-blood elf. As for now, after giving his eyes a moment to adjust, there was some faint light down below by which Wolf could see.

The stairway was surprisingly long and it took a while to reach the bottom. After hopping down from the last step Wolf found himself in yet another long hallway. The whole place glowed with faint fairy lights. At least that’s what it looked like to Wolf. The floor before him was paved with bluish-green flagstones, looking kind of like a forest floor. The walls were hewn from yellowish-green slabs of rock, probably also some kind of attempt at imitating a natural environment. Whatever the aesthetic idea was, it had missed the mark. Wolf would’ve carved it better. He was sure of it.

No matter what the intent was, Wolf could only see a faintly glowing chamber. As for the light, it was coming from those stones. They weren’t naturally luminescent. Each slab had some runes engraved into it, pulsing with energy. The light was merely a byproduct of whatever the runes were there for.

Wolf took a step forward. As soon as he touched the engraved flagstone an emotionless metallic voice rang out from the depths of the hallway.

“Greetings Young Elf. I wish to welcome you as the… fourth person… to make an attempt at acquiring Honored Master’s legacy. I am the artifact spirit left in charge of the trial. I can guarantee that there is no possibility of me being biased. It is also impossible for me to deviate from Honored Master’s wishes and instructions.”

“To acquire Honored Master’s full legacy all that Young Elf is expected to do is reach the end of this hallway. There are also two doors along the way. Once Young Elf reaches them they may freely enter the chamber beyond. Once Young Elf is finished inside they may choose to leave this trial or press onward towards the Honored Master’s legacy.”

“In this hallway every fifty meters Young Elf will meet an opponent Honored Master has defeated before. The first Monster Beast will be chosen based on Young Elf’s age. The Monster Beast will be one that Honored Master had defeated when he was ten years younger than Young Elf is, or when Honored Master was nearest to that age. The next monster will be the one that Honored Master defeated a year later. After Young Elf defeats five monsters in this way they will be rewarded and considered an In-name Disciple of Honored Master. After Young Elf defeats ten monsters they will be considered a Personal Disciple of the Honored Master. After Young Elf defeats fifteen monsters they will be considered a Legacy Disciple of the Honored Master. Young Elf may begin the trial at their leisure.”

Ten years younger than me? Huh. I wonder how that’s going to work?

Wolf wondered as he started down the hallway. After moving roughly twenty meters there was a stone shelf with swords and daggers. Wolf browsed the weapons for a while then chose the smallest dagger. Compared to the boy's tiny body, the blade was somewhere between a long-sword and a great-sword with an oversized handgrip. He waved it around a couple of times before nodding with satisfaction. For the first time ever Wolf had a real sword. Kind of…

It’s a bit too heavy, but I guess it’s good enough.

The weapon Wolf now had was so-so, but definitely better than a stick. Tightly holding the scramasax, Wolf went down the hall. As soon as he touched the runic flagstone fifty meters away from the entrance a wolf solidified in front of the boy. The wolf wasn’t a Monster Beast. It was a common wolf with light gray fur and vicious-looking fangs. The illusion snarled at the boy very realistically. Wolf was fascinated by the sudden appearance of an illusory opponent. He just stood there, transfixed as he tried to find any difference between the illusion and the real thing. Seeing that the boy had no intention of initiating combat even after five seconds had passed, the wolf charged. The beast reached Wolf in two bounds. As it moved its figure flickered a bit, as if confirming that this was just an illusion.

Wolf was unnaturally calm despite a snarling beast coming at him. He didn’t think and acted solely on instinct. Wolf made a sidestep. With a pivot he brought down the dagger onto the charging wolf’s neck in an attempt to behead it. While the movement was instinctual and made Wolf appear as if he were an executioner it was completely ill-suited for this situation. The dagger’s blade was short, and Wolf’s slash lacked power. The only thing he managed to do was leave a shallow scratch, barely piercing the wolf’s fur and drawing blood.

Seeing the results of his effort Wolf frowned with dissatisfaction.

I’m too weak to use fancy swordplay… When you’re weak, you should borrow strength…

Wolf’s mind was racing as the illusory beast turned around and pounced once more. This time Wolf didn’t dodge. He observed the beast soar through the air and the time seemed to slow down. The glint of vicious teeth, saliva, all of it seemed incredibly real until they flickered like a candle in the wind. With an all too real glint of steel, Wolf stabbed the dagger, arm and all straight into the snarling maw. The wolf bit down as the blade dug its way to the beast’s brain.

For a moment Wolf felt sharp pain in his arm. Blood started flowing, but a blink of an eye later the illusion ended. The pain was gone. When Wolf inspected his arm he could see that there was no blood. Even his clothes remained undamaged. He flexed his right a couple of times and moved his hand to double check that he wasn’t hurt.

“Congratulations Young Elf. Young Elf has passed the first test and is on the right track to become a disciple of Honored Master. Don’t be overconfident. The first test was the easiest. The tests will get more and more difficult.” The mechanical voice sounded once more with those choppy lines.

Wolf nodded and stopped examining his arm. He was perfectly fine.

The artifact spirit must be making these illusions. I wonder how many different monsters it has?

After fifty meters another wolf appeared. This time, using his previous experience, Wolf simply stabbed the illusory creature in the same self-mutilating manner. Then another wolf appeared, and another and another. Once Wolf had defeated his fifth namesake a hidden door appeared to his left.

“The In-name Disciple may enter the room to claim their reward.”

Artifact spirit proclaimed and Wolf followed the instructions. Inside the room were one hundred small stone pedestals. Atop each of them was a ring, surrounded by a shimmering dome. The two pedestals nearest to the door were missing their prize and lacked the protective barrier.

The nearest shimmering globe disappeared, leaving behind a ring on the pedestal.

“In-name Disciple may claim their reward.” Wolf didn’t really need the artifact spirit to make the proclamation. Without hesitation he picked up the Ring of Holding and inspected it the same way he inspected the one his father gave him. Inside he found three bottles with a liquid that looked like blood and two scrolls.

“Every In-name Disciple will be awarded three Light Healing Potions, a scroll with a technique to gather Internal Energy and a scroll on basic sword arts Honored Master practiced.”

Potions were useful. Two scrolls were probably not too valuable, but were worth reading at the least, if only Wolf knew how to read…

The boy pocketed this new Ring of Holding and left the room. As he went down the hallway he killed five more illusory wolves. Killing his namesakes was kind of depressing and made Wolf wonder whether Lonely Eagle had ever slain anything other than common wolves… At least he went through them quickly and without suspense…

Just like before, a door was revealed to his right and the metallic voice echoed in the empty hallway.

“Congratulations Personal Disciple. Personal Disciple has passed the second test and become Honored Master’s Personal Disciple. Personal Disciple may enter the room to claim their reward.”

This room only had twenty-five pedestals with rings. None of which had been disturbed.

“Personal Disciple may claim their reward.” Wolf snatched the closest ring even before the artifact spirit finished saying its lines. Inside he found five more potion bottles, a metal vial and three scrolls.

“Every Personal Disciple will be awarded five Moderate Healing Potions, a scroll with the second tier of the previously acquired technique to gather Internal Energy, a scroll on advanced sword arts Honored Master practiced, the elixir of Magma Marrow and a manual describing the use of the elixir of Magma Marrow.”

The last scroll piqued Wolf’s interest. He retrieved it from the ring and unfurled it only to realize that he couldn’t read what it said.

“Um… Artifact spirit sir, can you read this for me?” Wolf asked sheepishly.

After a moment of silence a metallic Yes echoed in the room.

Wolf waited for a while without anything happening. “Um… Artifact spirit sir. Can you read it now and aloud so that I can hear what you say?”

After a moment of silence the metallic voice started reading the content of the scroll.

Archibald's lessons:

The world of Masterpiece has only one language, which all manlings speak. Monster Beasts use a series of growls and screeches to communicate with each other. Once their sentience is high enough they all understand the language of manlings. When Monster Beasts evolve even further they gain the ability to speak the language of manlings.