Chương 54: 53. Divine Golden Aura

It was amusingly pathetic to watch everyone rush to take advantage of the arena. After the disasters of the last trial, the survivors had seen how disorganized they were without anyone guiding them, and thought they could compensate by gaining strength. It wasn't the worst idea, but there was one major detail they had overlooked: none of them were accustomed to pain. Instead of trying out a few single enemies, everyone went for a full arena run.

Three or four of them even managed to kill the first few waves of goblins. Then things had taken a turn for the worse. Receiving their first serious wound had caused them quickly to quit, screaming for their lives. After half an hour, everyone's enthusiasm had waned. Carl, who remained too cowardly to even set foot in the arena, would constantly give advice as if he had dispatched thousands of monsters so far. Interestingly enough, Marcus still refused to participate.

He was still there, silently watching the others fail, as if he were taking notes on what not to do. To my surprise, Cathy hadn't even bothered to show up. This marked a significant difference from my past run. The two people who had practically introduced me to the gym and the arena were unusually reluctant to use them. That said, both of them had done a lot better for themselves than last time.

When the novelty wore off, and most of the participants left to focus on other things, such as sleep and eating, I took my turn. The struggle against the centipede had taught me one major lesson I had been neglecting up until now.

"Keep your cool, alright?" I whispered as I summoned Serp. Under the watchful eye of Marcus, I began the fight. The first ten waves were goblins, as usual. I made it a point not to use any thread strikes. No doubt Marcus had heard about them by now, but ally or not, there was no point in giving him a demonstration. Hey, old man, Serp grumbled in my mind. Pick up the pace. I'm falling asleep.

"All part of the plan," I said beneath my breath. Undead enemies began to emerge. Their behavior seemed so predictable it was almost painful killing them. Harlequin had allowed the skeletons to become a bit more chaotic, letting them jump around like wounded butterflies. That didn't change the outcome, although it gave me an excuse to be even slower. One hour after the start of the trial, I was barely at level eighty. My performance must have been disappointing, for Marcus left without a word, leaving me alone.

Now it was time to switch gears. Five minutes proved enough for me to slash my way up to the final enemy. To my mild surprise, no elves had appeared either. Probably the Grand Arcana didn't consider them valid enemies, since they weren't directly involved with the previous trial. Fighting the Footman could almost be said to be a delight. As it turned out, being able to see his magic circles made him no different from fighting a common enemy. Once I had destroyed all of them, I thrust Serp into his chest and waited.

"Just be discreet about it," I said.

"Then claim your reward." Watching someone being ripped from the inside remained a disturbing experience. During the trials it happened scarily often. Serp had followed my instructions and not been showy about it, but I could still feel him gnawing the Footman's insides by the series of vibrations along the hilt. After the deed was done, a red glow surrounded the weapon. That was nice! Serp said with childlike sincerity. Is that why you were so slow, brother?

"You found me out." I cracked a smile. Apparently, age was associated with his attitude towards me—the more he disapproved, the older I became. Smart! We go another round?

"Sure." The one-hour requirement reduced the number of times I could win at the arena. It was almost certain that somewhere Harlequin was furious with me again. I couldn't remember anyone ever striving to do worse than they can, but for the moment, this was the winning strategy. From what I had previously discussed with Serp, he couldn't consume cores, and I saw no need to boost my level just yet. Given the display I had seen, developing his skills was the most optimal action I could take.

I won a total of three arena runs before I had to call it quits, and yet Serp had remained unchanged. If he were to be believed, each "treat" made him better, though I had no idea exactly what that meant. The only thing I could practically see was his ability to modify the shape of his edge and increase the length or width of his blade. Sitting in the front row, I took the Cup of Holding out of my inventory and gulped down the water it provided three times. Once exhausted, I placed it back in my virtual backpack.

Three groups, I thought. The first time that had happened, I had been completely numb. With people dying left and right, it had become necessary to boost the numbers early on. The unofficial rule was that when the group got close to half, more participants would be added. Death rates were high, so I hadn't bothered getting to know anyone.

"Didn't take you for the nervous type," Eleonor said. Once again, she appeared to have arrived out of nowhere. Seemingly without a care in the world, she went up to me and sat in one of the seats.

"Good job with the centipede. I knew you'd pull it off." This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon. I couldn't tell whether she was lying, but there didn't seem to be any open spite in her. Another interesting fact was that she, too, didn't seem to have acquired any new card.

"What do you want?" I asked in a level tone.

"Just to remind you of our agreement. I helped you, so now it's your turn."

"I already said I'd join your group. What do you want? A signed contract?"

"No," she smirked.

"I know you're good for it. There's still the matter of Cathy."

"Cathy?" That perked my interest.

"She has been reluctant. I need you to convince her for me." I didn't remember promising anything of the sort. If we weren't in the preparation hall, I'd grab the goth by the throat and share a few ground rules. Then again, getting Cathy to join was my goal as well. I had no trust in Eleonor whatsoever, but beggars couldn't be choosers.

"I'll talk to her." I stood up with a sigh.

"There you go. And, by the way, my offer still stands," she said as I walked away. No way I'm letting you into my dreams, I thought. If a psychopath like Marcus could get ensnared, I had no intention of dropping my defenses. Cathy wasn't at the food table or in the sleeping hall. Given that I hadn't seen her in the gym or main area, that left only one possibility.

"Cathy," I said as I entered the bathroom. The space was made in such a way as to be large and depressing in equal measure. A single corridor connected to twenty individual rooms. Each came with its own sink and toilet, and all the paper towels and toilet paper one could want. That would last only for the initial trials, of course. After the next trial, all the comforts could cost a silver.

"Cathy, I need to talk to you," I said. The skills of the Listener card told me that she was here. She had been crying. I could hear the irregular breathing that came with silent tears.

"Cathy?" I repeated, stopping in front of her door.

"Leave me alone, Greg!" she said, trying to sound angrier than she really was.

"Just go."

"No," I said with a firm tone. The benefits of the charming special were that it had an effect even when people couldn't see me.

"What's up with you?"

"You can't figure that out? And I thought you knew everything." I hated when people acted that way. At some level, it was understandable. Sooner or later, everyone went through a breakdown. Veterans used to say that it was after the breaking point that people got stronger. Unfortunately, I didn't have time for that.

"I know about your pact," I said.

"And the divine punishment that comes with it."

"If you know, why do you keep doing me favors?" There was a real edge of anger in her words.

"You're not just humiliating me, but making me look weak. I'm not weak!" I didn't say that you were. Technically, right now she was probably the weakest of the four of us, but that wouldn't last long. In the previous run, the fifth trial was when she would start to shine. We had gone against a werewolf back then. The task seemed simple and straightforward: kill the alpha of the pack. Of course, Harlequin had neglected to mention the size and nature of the pack.

Everyone had gone in, thinking we'd be facing a few dozen wolves. Instead, we had found ourselves against a few hundred werewolves. The silver weapons that the rule-master had provided had proven useless. True, they could burn werewolf skin at touch, but since we lacked any real strength, that only enraged them further. Three people had been ripped before my very eyes before I could even attempt to strike. I still remembered the petrifying fear that had gripped me, making it impossible to breathe.

Then Cathy had stepped in. Never before had I seen a mass spell being cast. Her hands moved in the air, fingers leaving trails of cyan light. Within seconds, all the weapons had been pulled out of our hands, acquiring a life of their own as they flew through a host of monsters. The stench of burning flesh filled the air, yet it hadn't bothered me. All I could do was watch as she walked forward with her army of silver swords, slaughtering everything in her path.

That was the Cathy I needed right now, not the doubter that was hiding in a toilet.

"Diana would never have chosen you if you were weak," I said. Cathy's breathing stabilized. That was a positive sign.

"I know exactly what you'll become," I continued.

"I've seen it. In a few trials, you'll use your first spell and win the battlefield. No one would be able to stand up to you then. Even Marcus."

"What about you?" That almost felt like a trick question. If it came to a fight, chances were I would lose. Come to think of it, I had never found out how Cathy had managed to boost her Magician all the way to the limit. Undoubtedly a deity had been involved, though would Diana go so far? She was a huntress, but always favored archery over spells.

"Even me," I lied. I could hear the sound of skin moving against skin. Cathy was brushing away her tears.

"A lot of things will change tomorrow," I admitted.

"You and Marcus will suddenly grow and leave the rest of us behind. That's why I've been fighting to improve so much." At least it was one of the reasons.

"I need to keep up."

"You think you need to keep up?"

"Does it sound strange? You've seen what the trials are like. It's not enough to be good. We must do better than everyone else to stand a chance, and even then, it's never guaranteed. You saw what the elf did last trial. None of us are prepared. She could have shot any one of us, and there was nothing we could have done about it. That's why I need your strength, Cath." She did not answer. Judging by her breathing, it was safe to assume that the battle was won.

"I don't trust Eleonor," I said in a lower voice.

"Something's off about her. I know you and Marcus have felt it as well."

"She said the same about you." I bet she has.

"She had a group when she joined the Arcana. What happened to the rest of them?" Coincidentally or not, the last of the other goths had been killed during the jungle trial.

"I don't want the same to happen to me."

"Why join her, then? We can form our own group like we did in the goblin city." Tempting.

"She knows too much, so either she'll help us or use it against us. Either way, she'll try to kill us, but this way she'll have a harder time. Keep your enemies close and all that." I couldn't believe I was using that stupid quote. I heard her stand up. A moment later, the door opened. Initially, I expected to see a wreck. The woman standing a step away surprised me. It wasn't the pain Sorceress, at least not fully yet, but it was damned close.

A golden aura surrounded her, only visible thanks to my Magician and Observer cards. Diana had granted her a divine blessing. From this point forward, all her skills and abilities would be at least twice stronger and more efficient than they had been before. Most likely, that had been the prize for finishing first in the previous challenge; something I had made happen.

"Ready?" I asked.

"Let's go." There was no point waiting for her to give an answer. I could clearly see that I had created a monster, but at least it was one I was friends with.