Chương 44

What's that supposed to mean? Evelyn narrowed her eyes and read the sign one more time. I need to wish to leave this place, and I'll be able to leave? She closed her eyes and gave it a try. A few seconds later, she opened her right eye and peeked to see that she was still in the same place, no doors or anything like that. Pursing her lips, she tried again, this time focusing on her sincerity: the desire to see her friends again, leave this deadly trial, and stay alive to pursue her goal.

Not long after, she felt a subtle tug. Almost like her surroundings were gently pulling her being. The more she focused, the stronger it got. Suddenly, she was aware that if she kept at it, she would be sucked out of this place. Startled, she took a step back, letting go of all her desire to leave. Since she had such a good opportunity to escape, there was no way she was leaving without even checking the beasts on this floor.

Sure, it wasn't instantaneous, as it would take more than a few moments to actually leave, but it was still a game changer. While it wouldn't save her life during battle, as long as she managed to escape and get some time to clear her mind, she would be able to end the trial alive. Evelyn looked at the gaudy sign once again, biting her lip. Was this something she gained access to on the eighth floor? She doubted it.

Considering the choice of words and the comically big, shiny sign on the dark cave walls, it looked like a last minute addition. Someone was helping her, and she knew who it was. Did he already finish his own trials? How did he even manage this? Maybe this is the last floor… yeah, probably not. Shaking her head, she decided to push her insecurities back once again. Both Evelyn and Ethan could be considered elites in Azora. However, it was clear that Ethan had only recently started his path and lacked in many areas.

Her own build was nowhere near complete, but at least she had a movement skill, a boosting skill, passive support skills, and so on. When it came to gear, she only had a single decent artifact, but Ethan didn't even have that. As long as he kept patching his weaknesses, he could reach the same heights as the prodigies of the continent. He was a martial prodigy already. What about her? Throwing herself into danger surely served her well in the past two years. She had come a long way and was proud of it.

But if she wanted to keep up with him–which hurt to think about since she was already a tier higher in cultivation– she needed an edge. Ethan's unique void skills came to mind first, but those would be such a waste on her. Her pitiful mana pool was already struggling to keep up with her skills. Even if she had gotten those skills from the inheritance grounds of the Inane Cultus, she couldn't use them in the short term, and even at the higher tiers, they would be only useful as trump cards.

What she needed was unique blood skills that synergized with her build. And of course, they were just as hard to get. Taking a deep breath, Evelyn exhaled slowly. I'll get there eventually. I still have time. Now, let's see what kind of abominations live on this floor. She grasped her short staff tightly and ventured into the dark corridor with tentative steps. After a short walk, it opened up to a breathtaking grotto. Heavens above. What is this place?

Sunlight flowed from the small openings in the cave, falling on the stalagmites and the emerald grasses covering the land. The grass had an otherworldly glow on it, casting a dim light upon the cold and quiet cave. A large pond expanded toward the horizon and met with corridors of the grotto and other small-scale bodies of water. Evelyn's eyes wandered around in awe. Her feet carried her toward the mesmerizing still water. Its sapphire color varied in tones in different places and reflected the light in grandeur.

As she got close, tiny ripples started to form in the middle. Before long, a beautiful girl emerged as the water around her started to cheer and dance with playful splashes. She wore a simple yet revealing white dress. Her navy hair rested over her pale shoulders, matching the indigo patterns covering her lovely face. They resembled runes and were the only thing indicating her non-human origin. The enchanting creature walked on the water gracefully as it approached her.

All Evelyn wanted was to hold her in her arms and protect her. Stay with her in this paradise and live in comfort and safety. She didn't want anyone else to come close to– She bit the inside of her cheek. The pain brought some clarity as she backed away with her hand clenched on her weapon. I am still on the testing floor. This must be the enemy. Get it together! But how could she be an enemy with this holy aura, kind eyes, and warm smile? Even nature celebrated her existence.

The truth resonated with her be–''No!'' Evelyn spat, furrowing her brows.

''I know what you are. A naiad!'' The gentle smile of the creature turned into a mischievous one. It stepped over the land and extended its hand in invitation. At every step the naiad took, Evelyn backed off with a grim expression. Seeing that she had no intention of taking its invitation, the naiad pouted. The rune-like symbols on its face glowed ominously. Lines of water from the pond started to gather around the naiad, covering its body in a thin, translucent shield.

From the tip of its finger, a water arrow shot forward without warning. Evelyn moved to the side at the last second as the arrow nicked her cheek, drawing a drop of blood. Despite the blatant attempt to kill her, she found herself hesitant to attack. Gritting her teeth, she activated her skill [Berserker]. With her heart starting to beat furiously, clarity poured into her mind. After advancing to rank-2, the skill had become much more refined.

The boost to her physical abilities increased, and the toll on her stamina turned quite manageable. More importantly, the urge to act with wild abandon, while still there, wasn't anything like before. It still made her dare to take risks she normally wouldn't, and dismissed the severity of her injuries, but at least she was aware of the difference between enemies and friends. The sudden change in her psyche alerted her to the situation she found herself in. She didn't have any defense against mind magic.

Thankfully, her boosting skill seemed to be somewhat effective against it. The naiad was a late tier-5, and while Evelyn had gained much essence during the trials, she was still a bit away from mid-tier-4. Which meant the next floor would probably have tier-6 creatures. Just the thought of it made her shiver. There was no doubt this floor would be her last one and the toughest challenge yet. More water arrows made their way toward her.

Activating [Windy Dance], she dashed forward with a cry, avoiding the incoming arrows closely. The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. The naiad also started to move, skipping around with a smile and keeping her distance while sending water arrows one after another. Dodging the arrows became a tall order as Evelyn got close. And no matter how she tried, she couldn't reach the naiad either.

It was quite a bit faster than her and was familiar with the surroundings. An arrow stabbed her upper arm before dissolving into water and leaving a bloody hole in its place. Grimacing, Evelyn took a risk and jumped forward and left herself in the open. A moment later, the naiad raised both hands and sent a barrage of water arrows.

With a [Wind Step], she jumped over the arrows and inclined her body until she was head over heels as she used another [Wind Step] with a [Long Jump] and dived toward the naiad with great speed. Despite the shock, the naiad managed to send another arrow and hit her on the shoulder. Clenching her jaw, Evelyn swung her short staff, increasing its weight as much as possible. Bones shattered. Fingers disfigured.

Letting out a pitch scream, the naiad jumped back, but Evelyn was already on the ground, charging with a fierce glint in her eyes. The water shield around the naiad moved toward its hands. Its right hand glowed in deep blue while its left hand formed a claw of water, as solid as the arrows had been. It blocked the staff with its right arm and slashed its claw, opening a gory wound on her belly.

Gripping her staff, Evelyn sharply turned on her heel and swung her weapon all the way with an unmatched momentum to hit the naiad in the shoulder. The impact that should've hurled the creature only made it stagger a bit. Before long, it was attacking with long and sharp claws, covering both its hands perfectly. Evelyn took a defensive stance with wide open eyes. The fingers she'd just broken were already healed. A rank-2 healing skill? What the hell? The shield that absorbs most of my damage wasn't enough?

The naiad projected two more arrows and dashed after them. Evelyn dodged the arrows and blocked the naiad's claw with her weapon, only to watch the other claw slash her hip. Now in close combat, the battle continued with growing ferocity. Blows exchanged, wounds traded. Barely after an hour of agonizing clash, Evelyn was at death's door. Bone-deep cuts accumulated all over her body. Her mangled left arm hung limp at her side, her right eye was a bloodied mess, and her rib cage showed through the hole in her chest.

If not for her passive skill, [Cohesive Veins], she would have passed out from blood loss already. On the other hand, her enemy only looked a little worse for wear. Evelyn was pretty sure the naiad was low on mana after constant healing, but she wasn't in a condition to bet on it. The best thing she could do now was to escape, but losing her enemy and coming back after healing herself wasn't an option.

Because while they were fighting near the large pond, the naiad never once tried to walk on the pond and throw her arrows from a safe distance. That kind of back and forth tactic would cripple Evelyn's way of fighting. And the reason the naiad didn't even try it became clear in its aggressive fight. It simply didn't want her to escape by giving her time and distance. If she'd escaped, it would pursue relentlessly with its superior agility.

That didn't mean she couldn't escape for a little while and focus on leaving the trial. She still believed there was a chance for that, but didn't want to leave without even killing a single beast in here. Not just yet. Regardless, she learned three things during their fight. First, the damned mental skill was still effective. Despite everything, deep down, she still didn't want to kill the naiad. That was why she was avoiding lethal hits without even intending to.

Combining this with the overpowered defensive shield and the healing skill, the naiad became an impossible target for her, especially because her skill [Blood Pressure] didn't have much blood to work on. But there was good news as well. She learned that after a painful injury, the shield of the naiad would become unstable for a little while. And lastly, she found a different path for her skill [Windy Dance].

Her insight into the skill increased by leaps and bounds during the fight, mostly because her body wasn't in the condition to move efficiently, and she had to rely on the skill more and more. She already had two different approaches to advance the skill to rank-2 from months before, but had been waiting for something more powerful. What she'd realized wasn't necessarily the powerful upgrade she'd been hoping for, but it was versatile in every way and perfect for this enemy.

If it doesn't work, I'll run like there is no tomorrow. Well… there actually might not be one anyway. Biting her lip, she waited for the chance as she kept exchanging blows. When the naiad went for her throat, she parried the claw smoothly, and instead of a counterattack, she sidestepped. [Windy Dance] created gusts of wind around her feet and upper body to hasten her as she moved behind the enemy. Raising her staff, Evelyn aimed at the naiad's shoulder and swung.

Just before the impact, another gust of wind appeared next to the naiad's chin and nudged her in the direction of the staff, making sure the short staff landed on its head with full power. Evelyn's instincts screamed as this kind of attack could be fatal against this beautiful creature. It felt like heresy, something to be avoided at all costs. The mental skill was going all out. But it was too late; the activation of the skill was instantaneous, and the staff was already there. Metal met the skull.

Blood gushed out of the naiad's mouth as it groaned, dropping to one knee, its water shield flickering. Right after the impact, the short staff became light as a feather on Evelyn's command. She pulled back her weapon lightning fast and swung down one more time with everything she got, making it heavier and heavier as it travelled. The staff's aim was targeted at the naiad's back.

But just like before, now at rank-2, [Windy Dance] created two gusts of wind, one moving the naiad's foot as it tried to stand up, another prodding its shoulder to unbalance her and make it trip. As it happened, her most powerful strike landed on the naiad's spine, without the help of the shield, shattering it altogether. Head bent backward, the light in naiad's eyes dimmed. Essence filled Evelyn and carried her to mid-tier-4, affirming the death of her foe.

The next moment, she collapsed next to the naiad's body with something between a grunt and a wail, tears forming at the corner of her eyes. She really needed a potion, but she only had a single health potion left, having saved it for emergencies. Begrudgingly, she lay on the ground, guided the essence from the minor breakthrough to straighten her body, and started cultivating while thinking about the fight. Unlike before, [Windy Dance] was now able to slightly alter the movements of the enemy.

This was huge news, and it would change her style completely. But of course, she needed a lot more experience until she became proficient with it. If only I had a fraction of Ethan's battle awareness… This is no longer just a movement skill but a crowd control skill as well. I really need to practice and see what's possible. Repeating the fight in her mind and trying to figure out what could've been done better, Evelyn found the whole thing eerily familiar. Fighting against water. Aimless. Pointless.

Not to mention the baseless fears and self-constraints. Isn't it just like my fight against the Baileys? After learning that the Baileys, a powerful merchant family with more than a dozen tier-9s, were the killers of her brother, Evelyn had thought that if she wanted revenge, she only had one choice: getting stronger. She had to become one of the strongest tier-9s on the continent before even thinking about doing something.

Yet this kind of vague and distant goal was eating her inside out and causing an untold amount of stress. No matter how much she'd progressed, it always felt like she was still far away from achieving anything substantial. What she truly needed was a solid plan, divided into small, actionable steps. She needed an aim and an outlet for her pent-up frustration. I have connections in the Union. I can hit their business systematically and lure out people with inside information to learn more about my brother's demise.

That would also get me the funds for unique blood skills. I can't be too brazen and alert their higher-ups, but it should be possible to rock their foundation and learn their shady deals if I'm careful enough. Her hand clenched into a fist as her eyes opened, the coldness in them flickering and switching to wariness. I can't let him know about this. Otherwise, he'll try to help without hesitation and get tangled in my mess. No, it's too dangerous. No matter how much it'd piss him off, I have to do this myself.

On this selfish quest, no one but me and my enemies will be hurt.