Chapter 264

Trials of Champions (I)

Stabilizing the first three rings was rather easy, Cain mused as he saw the third one regaining its initial shape and structure. He immediately moved onto the fourth, his eye peaking into the its Mana structure. This one was twice the size of the last-- just like each previous one. It was a pattern, and Cain shuddered at the thought. A quick calculation scared him as he realized he’d likely peak at the ninth ring-- even if even that.

It wasn’t just the size of the ring’s structure that increased, but also the number of nodes and circuits and possible destabilizing points. At a certain point, it simply becomes physically impossible to notice the ever-minute changes in all of them within the afforded time. Even on the fourth ring he had felt the difficulty spike.

“This is nuts,” he mumbled, frowning. “What kind of a fucking genius do you have to be to clear every ring?”

This trial really was all about the base talent and genius-- something Cain originally didn’t have. As such, he was entirely relying on twenty years of experience... but even twenty years of experience couldn’t buy him a ticket until the end. After all, for most geniuses, Mana control was intuitive, almost like breathing.

While he had managed to essentially sear it into his psyche over the course of twenty years, it still had the upper limit-- and this trial, seemingly, was designed to expose those limits.

What Cain didn’t know, however, that he was quite mistaken in how the rings graded the trial-takers; stabilizing the Ninth Ring was already marked as a ‘once in a lifetime talent’ and since the dawn of trial’s inception, there were fewer than hundred that could do it among the tens of billions that had taken it.

Tenth and especially Eleventh Rings were largely myths and theoretical limits. In fact, there was only a single soul that had ever managed to stabilize the Eleventh Right, and only two that stabilized the Tenth. It was easy, however, to lose oneself beneath the mirror that reflected one’s shortcomings, and Cain wasn’t staring at just the mirror but the entire sky.

Taking a deep breath, he quickly dissipated the straying thoughts. If he were that easily affected by the fact that he was entirely untalented, he’d have long since given up. In fact, there was no reason for him to ponder and wonder; he was untalented. The fact that he could even push himself to Eight or Ninth was already beyond a miracle.

As such, he easily stabilized the Fourth, and then the Fifth, officially clearing the trial. By the Sixth Ring, he began to expend much more energy and focus. The leap from Fifth to Sixth was genuinely massive -- almost like being asked to repair a single broken keyboard versus being asked to repair a room choke-full of broken-down servers. Even if you had the knowledge for it, the sheer whiplash would prevent most from even trying, let alone succeeding. Add onto that the fact that there was a time limit-- namely Cain’s Mana reserves and the uncountable body’s energy. That is, at which point will he simply pass out as though he hadn’t slept for days.

He took almost four times as long to get through the Sixth Ring as he did with the Fifth, coming out of it on the other end much worse off. He was on his knees, his palms shaking, pressed against the cool surface of the plaza, sweat trickling down like rain while he panted.

Exhaustion ran rampart through his veins but he grit his teeth and stood back up, grunting. Closing his fingers into the fists, he stopped the shaking and took a deep breath, looking back up, immediately diving into the Seventh Ring. The sight in front of him exploded, the universe bending and changing as the entire reality was submerged with burning pipes and erupting nodes. It was like a world’s cataclysm personified and he was the centerpiece.

He spread out his senses almost infinitely, reaching the vast, destitute corners beyond sight. The base structure was at the brink of breaking-- at seventeen hundred different points. As a crazed look emerged in his head, he rapidly filtered out the most broken ones, prioritizing them while compartmentalizing the others and layering them based on their threat. It has been years since he had last worked his mind this much, and it showed; soon after, headache surged and his sight grew dreary.

Enduring forcibly, he began putting out fires left and right, reconnecting the pipes, subduing the overheated nodes, fixing what felt like every little thing within the base structure. Hundreds, nay, thousands of minor problems later, the universe around him dissipated and he was back on the plaza, immediately keeling over and falling uncontrollably, thudding against the marble floor.

His body began to spasm out of tiredness while his mind barely seemed to retain some agency. It hurt beyond hurt, but that wasn’t even the worst part-- the worst part was that it felt as though he would pass out at any moment.

“Oh, fuckin’ hell,” he mumbled and cursed himself awake, slowly slithering himself into a seated position and taking a deep breath, pushing down all his own instabilities. “You lot are really sons of bitches, huh?” he took out a cold bottle of beer from his inventory and sapped it whole in one go, barely refreshing himself in the process. It was also then that he noticed a featureless silhouette sitting opposite of him, prompting him to look oddly at it. “Did... did someone spike the beer with some strong stuff?”

“No,” a calm and slightly playful voice replied.

“... oh. So, my mind’s just at a breaking point, eh? Oh well. I gave it a shot, I suppose. Seven ain’t bad.”

“That’s not it, either.”

“You’re real?”

“As real as phantoms can be.”

“And you’re a vague jackass,” Cain sighed, taking out another beer. “I’m not even surprised, honestly.”

“I can see that,” the person chuckled lightly. It was impossible to make any distinctions about the voice, Cain realized. “Are you really satisfied with just seven?”

“... no, of course not,” Cain sighed, looking up. “But everyone’s got a limit, y’know? I might be able to clear the Eight if I get a bit lucky, but past that... nah.”

“I think you can do it, though,” the voice said. “In fact, I think you can even clear the Tenth.”

“Pfft, ha ha ha, damn. Now I know you’re just my brain’s fabrication. Only I can have so much faith in myself, ha ha ha...”

“Funny,” the voice said. “But I still stand by what I said.”

“... who are you anyway?” Cain asked, taking a sip. “Some past trial-taker? Or the trial-maker?”

“Just an observer, I’m afraid,” the voice replied. “You don’t know this, but fewer than a hundred souls have cleared the Ninth Ring in here.”

“H-huh?”

“Of the tens of billions that had found their way through this place, fewer than ten thousand had cleared the Eight,” the voice continued. “All exceptional, generational, magnificent figures. Some of them even mythical.”

“...”

“Two had cleared the Tenth.”

“Oof. And you think I can do it? Man, talk about delusional.”

“One of them died shortly after,” the voice added. “The envy they caused was almost inevitable. The other one now resides as the single greatest Divine Elementalist.”

“... did anyone clear the Eleventh?” Cain asked out of curiosity, and also the feeling that it actually happened.

“Yes,” the voice replied. “One.”

“What happened to them?”

“... who knows?” the voice sighed. “As I said, little one, these figures become myths. Even if somebody does know what happened, who would wring that terror upon themselves? You’ll see it.”

“See what?”

“When you clear the Tenth Ring,” the voice said. “And catch the glimpse of the Eleventh. You will see the infernal terror and, within it, one simple truth that will change your world.”

“Alright, alright, slow down-- first off, there ain’t no way in hell I’m clearing even Ninth, let alone Tenth. Secondly, even if I did, I sure as hell wouldn’t have the energy to look at the Eleventh.”

“Eleven Rings,” the voice said, ignoring him entirely. “Constitute the framework of the Elementalists, little one. After all, Elementalists are one of the three classes to have Eleven Awakenings--”

“--say the-fuck-what-now?!!!!”

“--but, in reality, just like the other two, they may as well have ten like the rest. However, that possibility still stands-- the penultimate peak, one only ever reached by the myths of myths. Not only will you catch the glimpse of the Eleventh Ring, you have to.”

“...”

“It will open your eyes to the reality far more than any battle ever will. If there’s even a modicum of desire within you to climb, to unravel the truths of this place, to catch the glimpse of the infinite possibilities... you have to clear the Tenth Ring, little Conqueror. If there’s no such fire within you, there’s no need to go any further. You’ll have already reached the peak.”

“... I really don’t like others putting on absolute conditions.” Cain grumbled somewhat angrily.

“Oh? You don’t like it? Then clear the Tenth Ring.”

“Why do you believe in me that much?” Cain asked.

“I’m just a reflection of how much you believe in yourself.”

“Ha! I knew it! I am a massive, narcissistic prick!”

“...”

“...”

“Cain Gregory.”

“Eh? My name?” Cain mumbled confusedly.

“Thievery had afforded you a head-start,” Cain frowned, putting on walls immediately. “But it in no way established your limit. Talent... talent is like a wave. Up and down, pushing and pulling. It’s not something set or fixed. In fact, it only ever matters during the beginnings... and the absolute peaks, neither of which affronts you now or ever will. And if it ever does, then it wasn’t an issue to begin with.”

“...”

“Beyond your shallow knowledge of the Crucible, you must have understood it yourself by now-- it is not your speartip, the blade that cuts the front. So, stand up.”

“...”

“Stand up and face the fires,” the voice said as the silhouette suddenly stood up and walked over. It was like an inked, formless shadow, like fire itself, dancing. An arm extended forward and grasped Cain’s shoulder; suddenly, all tiredness seemed to vanish as his muddy mind obtained remarkable clarity. He could almost swear he saw a smile somewhere in there, within the perpetual darkness. “Be the spear-header that others already see you as. The unconquerable. If you wish to help them, help yourself first. While they will be crucial, they will never be the defining factors, no matter how many times you tell yourself that. They will only go as far as you will-- and it has nothing to do with their talents.”

“...”

“For now and for all the eternity, you need to be the fire that lights up their path. A fire that can never be extinguished. The die has already been cast, I’m afraid; I’ve bet on you once, and I’ll bet on you twice and thrice. I’m expecting to see you up here, one day, little Conqueror, adrift among the nameless spires.”

“... you’re the one who gave me that stupid ring, ain’t you?” Cain quizzed, his eyes slanted. “Do you even realize just how outright broken that thing is?”

“I very much do,” the voice giggled suddenly. “But, it’s fun, no?”

“Fun... fun. Why do I have a feeling that’s the elementary point of your entire personality and that the only reason you’re pushing me this hard is that I-- no, we can continue to stir up as much as shit as physically possible. And, well, clearing the Tenth Ring... certainly constitutes as stirring the shit up.”

“Ah, we’ve barely talked and you already know me so well,” the voice chuckled as the silhouette withdrew, slowly dissipating. “I’d have already gobbled you up if you weren’t taken. Unlucky. Well then. Looks like the fun-police is coming so I have to boot. Remember: the more fires you raise, the more I’ll like you and the more help I’ll be able to provide! Don’t hold back! Ai, ai, why’d you kick my door? Tsk, do you know how much that thing cost me? Fine, fine, I’m coming, I’m coming... geez. We haven’t seen each other in a week... I didn’t know you were gonna miss me so much...”

Cain sat stupefied for a long while after; his mind couldn’t quite comprehend all the dots it had connected within such a short span. In fact, it was more confused now than it was tired after stabilizing the Seventh Ring.

“Oh well,” sighing and shaking his head, he stood up. “Let’s give it a go, I guess. I can’t repay that much faith with cowardice.”