Eric made his way out of the tunnels, staggering the whole way. He had one hand clutching his frigid neck, and the other near his wounded side, trying to somehow sooth the pain.

  The hole that had been torn through his side was slowly being diminished in size, his body somehow fighting to repair itself. But the dull pain remained, his blood and muscles rushing and pounding for a connection through the missing section of his torso.

  Each step felt like a battle, his half-dead body refusing to give in, driven only by sheer will and whatever was helping his body recover.

  Bloodline assimilation increased!

  ????????????????: 51%

  “Right,” Eric muttered with great difficulty, “that.”

  Eric’s mind was a tangled mess, but it didn’t take a genius to piece together the events that had transpired. It was obvious that it was only thanks to the assimilation he was experiencing that he remained alive. Even now, as he walked through the tunnel, he could feel his body fight with increasing ferocity, the speed at which it repaired itself slowly increasing.

  The assimilation… it’s… increasing my regeneration, he thought, though that very thought had to fight through his addled mind in order to be fully formed.

  He could feel something poking at the edge of his mind, almost making a connection, promising the truth behind what he was going through. However, it was hard and far too vague to make sense of it. It was almost like grasping at air, no matter how solid it seemed, it was never fully there. It wasn’t due to some mystical or special reason, his mind was just too jumbled to make sense of everything that was going through it.

  That being said, he still blamed the easiest target in his mind. “Fucking… cultivation,” he muttered through labored breaths.

  Step by step, Eric was nearing the exit of the tunnels. Soon, the clouded, and what he guessed was artificial light that was inside the tunnels, began to weaken until it disappeared completely. Whatever structure lay behind the overgrown foliage seemed to have no more of the light sources. However, that was only the end of the artificial light, soon the light from the sun began to enter his line of sight, the tunnel’s entrance coming into view.

  “Fuck… great…?”

  Eric didn’t actually know where he was heading. He only began to walk through the nearest tunnel since he lacked the energy and mental capacity to actually analyze his situation at the time that he decided to do so. Even now his mind still struggled to function properly.

  Warning!

  Portal time remaining: 9:54

  He ignored the system window; he was already doing everything he could, a warning wouldn’t suddenly make him capable of more.

  As the light grew stronger, he slowed his pace, stopping when he was only a few steps from the exit. An extreme level of caution took over his body as he considered the possibilities. The two that had left me like this could be nearby, he told himself, taking a single step back. If they are… then I’ll be dead the moment I step outside.

  When he thought about it, nothing had changed in the few minutes he had been walking. While the assimilation was a great boon, it wasn’t an avenue for victory. If he wasn’t capable of dealing with them before, now it was basically guaranteed that he would die the moment they saw him. They will make sure I stay dead this time.

  Bloodline assimilation increased!

  ????????????????: 65%

  Without noticing it, Eric lowered his hand that up until a second ago, he had been using to clutch his frozen and crackling neck. As if signaling his recovery, a warm sensation began to envelop him. Blood began to rush through his veins, their once interrupted circulation having been restored once more.

  Eric rested for a moment, his resolve slowly building, though there was something odd about it, it felt… alien, unnecessary. When he was ready to leave, he took a deep breath, not having moved even a bit forward ever since he stopped. Once more summoning one of the gifted swords from his storage ring, he tightened his grasp, steadied his heart and took a step forward. As soon as his foot touched the ground, everything began to tremble.

  ----------

  Moving his arm around, Mercer freed it from the burning sensation that had engulfed it after the lizardman had decided to attack the unknown being that appeared to have been taken over by the spores.

  “I think I know what got those two so riled up,” Wu Ling said, her eyes peeled and alert to any possible movement as she caught her breath.

  “Yeah, what?” Mercer asked, still flexing his now recovered arm, testing its functionality.

  Wu Ling stopped for a moment, she eyed Mercer up and down, inspecting him closely.

  “What?” Mercer said with a frown.

  “It makes sense that you didn’t notice it, you barely even changed,” she said, her tone casual but with a hint of mockery.

  “Notice what? Give me an actual straight answer, you orphaned—” Mercer cut himself off mid-sentence as he lifted his arms and crossed them, blocking a kick that was directed at his face.

  “I was getting to it,” Wu Ling said with a smile that barely lasted a second before quickly turning into a scowl. “Our attitudes,” she said simply, turning to face forward once more. “Think about it. You know the history of those two. Do you really think that either of them would stop their fight, for even a second?”

  It was now Mercer’s turn to stop in place. He was about to consider the question, but he didn’t really have to do anything as he already knew the answer. With a light shake of his head, he answered. “Not unless some great danger popped up.”

  “Exactly, my simple-minded friend.”

  “I’m going to—” With narrowed eyes, Mercer was ready to retort but was once more cut off.

  “And that is why they attacked that guy,” Wu Ling began, “Think about it. There is no way they don’t know us, especially you.” She made a quick turn and pointed at Mercer. “They should at least know me by association. And considering their resources, they probably know more about our abilities than we do.” She shuddered as a brief glimpse of their power flashed through her mind.

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  “They know what we can do and more importantly,” Mercer added, catching up to Wu Ling, both physically and metaphorically, “they know of our resources. They know we don’t have anything that can manipulate them. Especially to that degree.”

  “Exactly,” Wu Ling agreed. “You said he was behaving oddly, right? That human, I mean”

  “Yes,” Mercer answered. “It was like…” He took a small pause, thinking about what to say next. “It was like he hadn’t gone through his first evolution yet. His movements were,” he gestured curiously, his hands conveying the difficulty he felt in coming up with the right words, “they were erratic. One moment he had the strength and precision that he should have and the next he didn’t.”

  “Maybe he’s a mage,” Wu Ling said, proposing an alternative.

  “No, didn’t you see? He brought a sword. Also, even if he had low physical stats, which I doubt, he should’ve still been stronger,” Mercer said, a puzzled look on his face.

  “And you have never seen anything like that during your studies?” Wu Ling asked, her expression also puzzled but considerably less so.

  “No, never,” Mercer answered. After a brief pause, he clicked his tongue. “Well… another oddity lost to the unforgiving multiverse.”

  “Eh,” Wu Lung muttered with a shrug. “You’ll find something else.”

  With that, their conversation died down and they sharpened their senses, both having sensed that it was the appropriate time to do so. As they ran down the tunnel, that had become a maze, a maze that they ignored by simply walking forward and destroying anything in their path, they were ambushed by a system window that genuinely surprised them.

  Warning!

  Portal time remaining: 9:51

  “Shit!” they said in unison.

  “Hurry!” Wu Ling shouted as she increased her speed.

  With every blink that Mercer took, the farther and farther away Wu Ling became, until she almost became a speck in the distance. Luckily, she appeared to have reached her destination and haltered her advance, standing still as she waited for Mercer to reach the same spot she was at.

  As Mercer approached, he noticed that Wu Ling was gesturing frantically. Squinting his eyes, he quickly realized that she was asking him to be silent or make less noise. There was none of the usual playfulness or nastiness accompanying the few words he could make out, so Mercer quickly realized that she had found something that required her to be serious. Maybe our objective, he thought.

  Upon approaching Wu Ling, Mercer saw her gesturing for him to get down. He quickly realized that there was no floor in front of her. She was just crouching at the end of the tunnel, where it ended in a wide opening that was clearly designed to be that way. A tall window?

  “There’s our target,” Wu Ling whispered, pointing at something in front of her.

  Hurrying to the edge, Mercer confirmed that what Wu Ling was pointing at was indeed their target.

  In an expansive opening before the two, a space that soared at least ten stories high—with six below and about three above from the floor they where they in—three giant mushrooms stood ominously. The tallest of the three reached at least five stories, its cap clearly below Mercer and Wu Ling. Large, bubbling green boils dotted the cap, constantly bursting and releasing a thick cloud of spores, so dense that they became momentarily visible. The small spore cloud hung in the air before quickly disappearing.

  Once more, Mercer’s pores opened, the intensity of his poison increasing. This time, he even prepared other poisons within him. These poisons were far more dangerous than anything he could properly control, but seeing the sheer size of their opponent, he knew they would be necessary.

  Turning to face Wu Ling, his eyes full of determination, he spoke. “You ready?”

  Wu Ling was eating a brown round pill that Mercer had given her long ago. As she put it in her mouth, she nodded, a smile conveying her readiness.

  ----------

  With steady steps, Eric made his way out of the tunnel. He was now assured that the pair that had attacked him wasn’t nearby. They hadn’t attacked him yet, and considering the attitude with which they attacked him the first time, he doubted that they would just hang back and observe him.

  Even as the shaking grew stronger, Eric continued making his way toward the gate. At his current speed, he would still be able to make it and have a minute or two to spare. Would’ve preferred to be one of the first, but that is clearly impossible, he thought as he fixed his gaze toward the gate.

  With his new and improved eyesight, now fully functional, he could easily see the gate, but more importantly he could see the people that were approaching it.

  Some flew with wings that formed a part of their bodies. Others literally ran up the cliff wall that directly led to the gate, completely ignoring any conventional understanding of why something like that shouldn’t work. Some literally appeared out of nowhere, as if teleporting.

  However, Eric quickly noticed something in those that were appearing at the gate, at least those that were appearing at the gate now that time was almost up. They were all heavily injured. Some had clearly gotten into a fight with the local wildlife. In one way or another, all of them were injured.

  However, it soon became clear that some had clearly gotten into conflicts with other challengers. As Eric looked at the injuries of those that were heading toward the gate, some that had even passed right beside him, he could tell that some of their injuries were far too precise and were most likely caused by weapons. This sudden realization caused him to advance with far more caution behind his steps. Though the shaking really didn’t help him keep his already high alert status under control.

  The shaking demanded attention, not only his, but everyone’s. Even those that made it to the gate hesitated to cross it, as if scared to miss out on something. A small group had gathered near the side of the gate, their gazes fixed on the shaking ground.

  As Eric advanced, now only needing to climb the cliff, a group of five suddenly appeared before him, almost as if waiting for him.

  “Is that him?” the one in front asked, turning to one of the people behind him.

  “Yes,” the person mumbled with a nod, his voice barely audible.

  The one in front, clearly the leader of the group, narrowed his eyes. His gaze fell to the ring on Eric’s hand, not even trying to hide his interest in it.

  “I heard the Monarch gave you something,” he said, his voice carrying a hint of mockery. “You don’t even look like much.” Eyeing Eric up and down, his expression became determined. “Hand it over. Hand it over and you can go.” The leader outstretched his hand, his mind having already determined that Eric would comply.

  Monarch? What is he talking about? Eric asked himself as he lightly traced the ring with his thumb. Before he could answer, the shaking intensified greatly.

  Those that had been standing near the gate, waiting for something, approached the edge of the cliff, readying themselves for whatever was to come. Those that were still rushing toward the gate increased their speed, some clearly knew what was approaching and their faces showed true fear, while others only showed urgency.

  The shaking kept increasing, seemingly having no end. Eric lowered his gaze to the ground, seeing an actual crack form in the ground. On instinct he jumped back, in an attempt to not fall into a possible hole.

  “Get back here!” the leader exclaimed, his words carrying an ease for command.

  The leader and those that followed attempted to jump after Eric, only for them to fail to even jump as the ground began to crack further and opened wide.

  Suddenly, the ground erupted, and pieces of earth of all sizes began to rain down after they were shot up with great intensity. In the middle of the chaos, a large white figure emerged. It’s top seeming to boil with a green substance. As the dust cleared somewhat, its white body revealed spots that appeared to have been melted, with entire chunks of it seemed to be missing completely.

  Rate of infestation: 74%.

  Rate of infestation: 78%.

  Entire dead trees fell to the ground and roots of still living trees shot to the sky, becoming one with the towering figure. From the open ground, the foliage covered figures that were in the tunnels began to exit. Their numbers being seemingly endless.

  Rate of infestation: 83%.

  “Shit! Its rising again,” Eric muttered to himself, briefly glancing at the window before him. Before he shifted his attention elsewhere, another window appeared before him.

  You have encountered the secret objective of the Trial of Strength.

  New Quest!

  Quest: Complete Purification.

  Objective: Cleanse the planet of the mushroom Leminea sporae.

  Rewards: +3 Reward points.