Chương 23: Chapter 22 - The Dark Room (II)

The room remained pitch black. He couldn't see anything, not even his own hand if he put it right in front of his eyes. He stepped back just to check, but, as expected, the stairs had already disappeared. His grip on the sword tightened as he slowly moved forward, relying on his other senses, especially his new EM perception. He was sure this challenge, whatever it was, would hinge on this ability. After absorbing those last four orbs, the range he could sense had increased, but not by much.

He could accurately detect things within a 1-meter radius and slightly beyond that up to 2 meters, but anything further was too weak and distorted to be well perceived after the waves reflected back. As he moved cautiously through the pitch-black room, a sudden twinge in his mind made his heart race. His EM waves detected a disturbance—a movement—heading straight for him. Instinctively, he pivoted, dodging to the side just in time to feel a rush of air where he had just been standing.

"Shit," he cursed, realizing what the trial was about. Another twinge. He sensed a second attack coming from his left. This time, he was more prepared. He sidestepped and swung his sword in the direction of the disturbance. The blade met with resistance, a brief clash of metal against something solid.

"It's weak," he muttered, pushing back harder and sensing the creature falling and tumbling to the floor. He then focused on where the attacker's sword had been, thrusting his own blade downward just next to it. The sword went into something, and he twisted it until he felt it dissipate. He didn't need eyes to know what that creature was. These trials weren't very original when it came to monsters after all. He crouched and moved his hand around until he sensed the orb getting absorbed. Stage 1 - 0.

676% In this challenge, he needed all the help he could get. And answering his prayers, he felt another object coming from behind.

'Downward slash, thin metal object,' he sensed and evaded to the left. He then felt a sense of déjà vu, recalling the weird situation during his dizzy state in the purple ring.

'Yes. Don't think. Make it an instinct,' he thought. His sword severed the creature in half, or so he guessed, as he had no idea where he had cut—waist, chest, neck? —but he was sure he had killed it. He quickly absorbed the orb, now quicker than before, and prepared for the next creature. Stage 1 - 0. 693% His adrenaline surged as he sensed another attack approaching. This time, he felt it coming from multiple directions.

He pivoted, ducked, and swung his sword in a series of fluid movements, each action guided by his heightened EM perception.

'This is insane,' he thought, but a part of him relished the challenge. The darkness heightened his other senses, making him acutely aware of every movement, every shift in the air. Another creature lunged at him from the right. He sidestepped, bringing his sword down in a powerful arc. The blade connected, and he felt the creature disintegrate under his strike. He crouched again, absorbing the orb. Stage 1 - 0. 709% He could feel himself growing stronger with each absorbed orb.

His mind and body were adapting to the EM perception, the muscle memory forming faster than he anticipated. The range at which he could detect objects and the clarity of their shape and movement increased. He then felt it—something coming faster than before, even changing direction midway, but...

'It's still slow,' he thought. He parried the strike, deflecting the incoming blade with precision. He then followed the trajectory of the opponent's weapon, guiding his own sword along it until he severed the creature's arm. With fluid motion, he stepped behind the creature, rotating his body with his right foot as a pivot. Using his heightened perception, he predicted the creature's next move and executed a clean decapitation, severing its head in one swift strike. And this time, he was sure of it.

Based on the movement of the sword and the arm, he had predicted where the head was and slashed there, even if he could not see it with his eyes. He realized that his EM perception was far faster than his other senses, except perhaps his sight. And how couldn't it be? EM waves traveled at the speed of light!

Of course, the process of converting that information into reliable data and then moving his body took time, but the reality was that, if developed, this sense could provide him with a perfect 'view' of his surroundings, penetrating barriers and allowing him to see behind his back. It would be his own EM domain! How incredible did that sound? Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

As he started to grin and motioned to absorb the orb from the last creature, he felt something—fast, too fast. He had no time to completely avoid it from his crouched position.

"Ahhh!" he cried out. His shoulder hurt. He moved to one side, wincing in pain, but detected another object coming. He had no time to recover. He sidestepped again and touched his shoulder. There it was. An arrow.

"Fuck!" he shouted. He was not prepared for this. And it hurts. It hurts, damn it! He sensed the creatures coming for him. He needed to defeat them quickly and he needed more orbs or he would fall behind.

"Damn, damn, DAMN!" he screamed as he started slashing at anything that came his way. He forgot about calculated strikes or learning to use his new sense better. He forgot about everything. He just wanted to get out of here and remove that pain.

"IT HURTS!!" As he attacked, relying on the perception of his mind waves, he felt like he could actually see it, like a black space with perturbations here and there. Like a lake with the circular waves indicating perhaps the motion of the fish beneath it. He felt like that. He was in pain, he was weaker, and he could not use his right arm fully. But he was still the fisherman. He felt another creature closing in.

With a guttural yell, he swung his sword with all his might, feeling the blade connect and the creature dissipate. Not wasting time, he crouched, absorbed the orb, and thrust to the side, connecting with another. He then rolled to that side and touched the other orb. Stage 1 - 0. 724% Stage 1 - 0. 738% The pain in his shoulder was agonizing, but he would not fall here.

He pivoted on his left foot, bringing his sword up in a swift arc to parry an incoming blow, then countered with a thrust that pierced through the darkness and struck true. He felt the heat of his anger driving him, but his mind remained cold and calculating. He sidestepped a lunging attacker, spinning on his heel to deliver a precise, horizontal slash that severed the creature's torso. Fury propelled his movements, but he maintained control over each strike.

He executed a perfect riposte, deflecting an enemy's blade and following through with a powerful downward cut that cleaved through its shoulder. I will survive. Another creature rushed him from the side. Alonso adjusted his stance, bracing himself. As the creature closed in, he shifted his weight, delivering a swift upward slash that caught it under the chin, splitting its head in two. He pivoted smoothly, his sword already moving to intercept the next threat. But there was none. The room remained silent.

Even then, he did not stop. Remembering clearly where each creature had fallen, he absorbed all the orbs around him, all while being prepared for another attack, or worse, another arrow. Stage 1 - 0. 751% Stage 1 - 0. 763% Stage 1 - 0. 774% Stage 1 - 0. 784% His shoulder throbbed with pain, but he pushed it aside. He had no choice. He waited, but nothing happened. His domain was quiet, with not a single perturbation but his own sword.

'But the room is still dark,' he thought, knowing this was not over yet. He remained prepared, his sword in a ready position to deflect any incoming blows or projectiles. Minutes passed, and still, nothing happened. As the adrenaline began to fade, the pain in his shoulder became more pronounced, each throb sending sharp waves of discomfort through his body. He could feel the heat of the injury, the dull ache growing more insistent.

He didn't dare to remove the arrow either, as he knew that shouldn't be done recklessly, especially in the middle of combat. The blood loss could be quite heavy, even if not fatal at this point. His muscles, previously tense and ready for combat, began to tremble from the strain. The absence of immediate danger left him feeling exposed and vulnerable, unable to relax. Every nerve in his body screamed for him to stay alert, but the lack of action made it increasingly difficult. Reluctantly, he decided to move.

Scanning the room for a button or something that might bring the lights on, or perhaps to find the archer that was waiting to release its next arrow, he took cautious steps. He reached one of the walls and started tracing it. Unfortunately, the walls seemed invisible to the EM waves; he could not perceive them at all. He had to do it manually. So he started going around the room, his injured arm brushing against the wall while his good hand held the sword at the ready.

He kept on until he reached the first corner, but found nothing. He then started walking to the next. As he moved along, he felt something again. It was in his domain—something small and sharp, definitely not a sword, heading incredibly fast towards his abdomen. He mustered all the strength in his legs to make his body move to the side, and kept following the trajectory of the incoming object with his mind waves. He motioned his sword to intercept it. His blade connected with it.

His hand trembled from the impact, but he managed to deflect it. Without thinking, he rushed forward, but his foot caught on something, and he tripped.