Chương 119: B2 Chapter 38

[Do you wish to engage in combat?] That was all the Scripture said. There was no explanation, but as Hakon turned to check on the others, he noticed that most had vanished. Only Ava, Astrid, and Eren were still present, though the eagerness in Eren's eyes was hard to ignore. He wanted to fight, and Hakon did not plan to stop the Lightcaller from growing. But before he could say anything, several images caught his attention. Glancing up past the hazy faces of the spectators, moving images flickered to life.

They were images of everyone who had already left to face the Fracture's Saga Trials. Several moving images floated in the air, each depicting one of the Barbarian warriors, showing where exactly they were and what they were doing. Björn stood where he'd disappeared a moment ago, but the others weren't with him. He was alone, just like the others. The Ancestors want us to challenge the Fracture alone.

"Go on." Hakon motioned to Eren, whose lips curled into a bright smile. There was no hesitation as he disappeared as well. In his stead rose yet another moving image, depicting Eren alone in the Grand Coliseum.

"Projections." Ava murmured with twinkling eyes trained on the moving image.

"You know what these images are?" Hakon asked, though he could guess the answer on his own. Hence, he focused on the Saga Trials instead. [Fracture, Grand Coliseum, has been detected. Scan complete.] [Saga Trials have been discovered. Accept the Challenge to start the 1st Wave.] [Minor Deed – Survive the 3rd Wave] [Deed – Survive the 5th Wave] [Major Deed – Survive the 9th Wave] [Feat – Eliminate the Champion (10th Wave)] It was rare to see three Deeds in a single Fracture, even more so since the Deeds were of different natures even though the task itself was almost the same. For there to be a Feat as well was even more surprising.

"You mentioned Quest Dungeons and Specialized Dungeons before. The Grand Coliseum is both." It was a question, yet not really. Hakon was more focused on sorting his thoughts than anything else.

"I... think so?" Ava responded uncertainly.

"The Fracture won't close even if I complete the 10th Wave then?" The term 'Wave' was new to Hakon, but he suspected it to be related to combat. His instincts told him as much, just like the other Barbarians' instincts had told them that the Fracture was about fighting.

"Probably not. If you don't want an Outbreak, the tribe will probably have to complete a few Quests every month. Or complete it once or twice." Ava explained, but something about her voice was odd. Hakon turned to her to see her nibbling on her lower lip. Right.

"Do you think you can handle it?" Her eyes moved away from the projections of the other warriors and landed on him.

"A Specialized combat Dungeon?" She let out a hollow laugh.

"No. I will die." Ava was better off leaving the Grand Coliseum, but that turned out easier said than done. Even more so because the Fracture portal they had come through was no longer there.

"Oh no..." Her legs began to quiver.

"I can't leave." Turning back to face Hakon and Astrid, she tried to regain control of her body, but that only worsened the situation. Her breathing accelerated, her throat seemed to tighten, and it would not surprise Hakon if her legs were to give out at any moment.

"I-I think I need to survive at least one Wave to leave this place." She hesitated.

"Maybe I have to complete the first Quest." A Deed. Survive three Waves to leave. Hakon didn't see much of a problem with that, for himself that is. But Ava? She would die. The Grand Coliseum was a Fracture that ranged from Level 18 to 25. That was not something a noncombatant at the 1st Ascension could handle. Can we do it together? Would that be against the Ancestors' wishes? He tilted his head and looked back at the projections. The others were all alone, but was there really no way around it?

Astrid reached out to Ava, patting her back while talking to her reassuringly. It was the first time Hakon had seen his mate like that, and it made him appreciate her even more. The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

"Oh?" Astrid yelped and yanked her hand back, only to touch Ava's shoulder again.

"Ooh!" The two women's eyes grew wide, and the tears welling in Ava's eyes were replaced by a ray of hope.

"We can fight together." Astrid announced confidently before reaching out to touch Hakon as well. [Proceed with the Saga Trials as a team of three? Fracture's difficulty level will increase drastically to accommodate the changes.]"No, we can't do that." Ava shook her head vehemently.

"I will drag you down if we fight together. The Dungeon is already dangerous as it is, but if we do this together, anything can happen."

"I… shouldn't have come with you guys. I'm hurting everyone around me. I–.."

"Can you be silent for a moment?" Hakon interrupted Ava. Astrid nodded.

"You don't have to act so pathetic." She patted Ava's shoulder.

"In Tribe Taskur we fight together. The fools left to fight alone, but the greatest challenges are always fought together. Because alone you can't overcome them, right?" She looked at Hakon when she said the last part.

"She's right. The greater the challenge, the better the rewards. The Ancestors will watch us best enemies that should have defeated us, and they will shower us with rewards." The corners of his lips tugged into a bright, toothy smile at that.

"So, yes, we will fight together, and we won't accept your rejection." That said, Hakon focused on the last Scripture and proceeded with the Saga Trials. There was no resistance as the scene across the Grand Coliseum changed ever so slightly. The atmosphere grew heavy, and thunderous cheers rang out from the stands outside the arena. The faceless spectators leaped to their feet and clapped their hands and… were those talons as well?

Hakon discarded that thought and turned to the massive steel gates at the other side of the Grand Coliseum. Something was over there. He was certain of it.

"It's already starting? But I–..." Ava squeaked before her lips snapped shut as the gates opened with a screech. Astrid stepped forward, a set of daggers in her hands, and Hakon followed suit, a handaxe in his off-hand and a sword in his other. Ava stumbled behind them, [Mana Sense] informing him that she was trying to gather her mana.

"Calm down. Try to help us if you can. If you can't… Just survive." Hakon called out and activated [Pack Coordination]. He also upped his perception with a more mana-intense use of [Sensory Expansion], [Flow Observation], as well as [Mana Sense]. [Split Focus] triggered on its own, and so did [Edge of Awareness] and [Combat Awareness] the moment three beings stepped into the arena. At first glance, they resembled Barbarians. They had a head, two legs, and two arms, but they were neither human nor Barbarian.

They were as tall as Barbarians but not as bulky. They were lanky, if anything, their skin like white stone. If one could call it skin in the first place, because it certainly looked like the creatures were made of stone. The three humanoids said nothing as they approached the Grand Coliseum's center, their movements perfectly adjusted to one another. No words were exchanged, though Hakon was fairly sure it was hard to speak through the masks covering their faces.

Or to see through the pair of white glowing gemstones where he suspected their eyes to be. Using [Inspection], Hakon confirmed once more that he and the others did not have to face some sort of unique monster. [Asquire – High Threat (2nd Ascension)] [Asquire – High Threat (2nd Ascension)] [Asquire – Moderate Threat (1st Ascension)] The most surprising thing about [Inspection]'s information was that even a 1st Ascension Asquire was a Moderate Threat to Hakon.

He did not feel much threat coming from the other Asquires either. It was more likely that he was a higher Level than them. Even Ulfar had been more dangerous.

"Do you know what those are?" Astrid asked Ava in the back. There was no response, which wasn't too good. As frail as the human woman was, Ava knew a lot. Not recognizing Asquires spelled trouble.

"They're called Asquires. Decently high threat level as well. Be careful." Hakon called out.

"Even if they don't have any weap–... I take that back." The moment he mentioned them missing any weapons, they retrieved them. The Asquires retrieved small cylindrical-shaped objects from their thighs and held them tightly in their hands. One moment, the Asquires stood there unarmed, holding small objects that fit easily in their hands, and in the next a cacophony of metal scraping across metal rang through the Grand Coliseum.

The small objects unfolded and expanded into a large war axe, a longsword, and a wooden pole topped with a crystal.

"Ancestors." Astrid called out, her hair standing up on end, to which Hakon could only agree. [Edge of Awareness] triggered suddenly, and he leaped to the side only to see a pillar of fire erupt where he stood a moment earlier.

"Hakon!" Ava called out but before she could rush to him, several projectiles whistled through the air. Astrid leaped in front of Ava, her daggers flashing through the air, cutting through the projectiles.

"Looks like we have to fight a Mage." Hakon grumbled before pumping mana into [Circulation]. He followed up with [Accelerate] and rushed up to the axe-wielding Asquire. Neither of the Asquires had moved from their spot, but the pole-wielding Asquire, the Mage, swung his pole – or wand(?) – through the air. Channeling mana into [Motes of Light], Hakon shot to the side, only to realize that the Asquires didn't care in the slightest about the dazzling light exploding before their faces.

A mana bolt coalesced above the Mage's wand, and it shot forward without any restraints. It was like the Asquire could see through the dazzling light because the bolt chipped Hakon's shoulder, hitting much harder than expected. Is my mana bolt that powerful? Rather than cursing, he smiled at the pain. The next moment, he conjured his own mana bolts with [Arcane Manifestation]. However, rather than keeping it at a measly single bolt, Hakon used [Split Focus] alongside [Mana Manipulation] to manifest three bolts.

Coating them with [Accelerate], he released them at full power, one aimed at each of the Asquires. As danger rocketed toward them, the Asquires finally reacted. They moved, much faster than Hakon had expected. The bolts were still faster and struck the Asquire Mage square in the mask, but both the swordsman and axe-wielder raised their weapons fast enough to block the attack. At least the Mage is d–... A shield, of course.

Hakon cursed as he watched a shield – no, three shields – appear where his mana bolt should have hit. The fight was going to be a lot more difficult than expected. And that was just the first of many Waves.