The first trial

-25th day of AC, 25.04.1052-

-Time: Around 21:40-

-Location: Trial Tower, 1st floor-

Travis's hand felt stiff as his blade locked with Rimel's. The taller man clearly had some strength behind his blows.

Rimel suddenly backpedaled and slashed at Travis's leg. Surprised by the blow's speed, the Apostle barely caught the movement with his eye. Reacting to it was outside his ability.

[You have received 115 damage.]

Travis hissed with pain. Forcing his body to work, he swung Thunder Blade, but Rimel was already out of his reach.

He squinted, taking a stance.

'He's fast... and strong.' he collected, analyzing how the elf man carefully watched him. The glint of positivity in his eye was still present. It was almost as though he treated this like a friendly spar.

"Your stance is... quite wide," the elf spoke. "Unbalanced, even," he added before shifting his hold of the sword to a defensive stance. He was clearly giving his opponent a chance to lead the following exchange. He was testing him.

Travis shot forward with Sprint. His quick swipe at the elf's stomach was met with a deflecting strike. Rimel, in turn, answered with a strong jab that aimed to pierce Travis's heart.

But Travis saw the blow coming and avoided it narrowly. Raising his hand, he aimed his palm at Rimel's exposed abdomen.

"30 Mana Bolts."

[You have dealt 235 damage.]

Rimel let out a pained groan before Travis backed off. The two men made some space, giving themselves a few seconds to analyze the aftermath of the first blows.

Travis felt his leg get strained whenever he shifted his stance. The wound to it was in a particularly annoying spot that made it difficult to move freely.

Rimel, on the other hand, slowly let go of the wound on his stomach. The seeping blood pierced through the tattered clothing, but the elf appeared to not show how much it hurt. Rather, his grip on the sword tightened, his dark eyes glistening with more vitality than before.

"But you are creative," he commented, smiling. It appeared to be a genuine compliment, his complexion bright.

Travis didn't answer. His eyes were aimed at the man's arms and legs, awaiting his next move.

Rimel lifted his sword higher, pointing it to the sky. He took a step forth before suddenly changing his direction. Travis attempted to follow his motions with his own, but then Rimel changed the direction again. His sword marked a large cut under Travis's right armpit.

"Gah!" the Apostle let out a pained sound. His hand, barely holding Thunder Blade, made an erratic move to try and catch his assailant. Rimel parried the strike before stepping out of range again.

"Inflexible," the elf spoke again. This time, it was a clear critique. "You open yourself up for counters easily."

Travis looked at his HP. It dropped below 70%, and the bleeding would not stop any time soon. The wound under his arm pulsed dangerously. His ability to fight was dampened.

'Dammit.' he frowned, just barely responding to Rimel's continued attacks. He groaned heavily, forcing his body to move with some extra power.

This caused his already strained arm to wail in pain. Travis barely managed to perform a small cut on Rimel's leg while getting a few slices on his body, as well as a stab in his other leg.

His HP was below 50% now. He didn't know about his opponent, but given his lively attitude, he probably didn't drop below 80% yet. Perhaps even 90%.

Travis rushed forth regardless. He let out a nigh-barbaric shout, fueled by the pain from his newest wound. 'Reinforcement!' he commanded his spirit and felt his body surging with power. He grasped Thunder Blade with all his left hand and stabbed...

...only hitting air.

"!"

Rimel's figure appeared as a blur to his left. Travis tried to lift his sword, but his arm's movement was clumsy and random. His opponent responded by shuffling on his feet, making half a turn before suddenly penetrating between the man's strikes.

[You have received a critical strike!]

[You have received 292 damage.]

The blade pierced Travis's lung before relenting. The man coughed, feeling blood seeping everywhere. A sensation of numbness spread across his body.

Rimel stopped a few meters away, his stance relaxed.

"You swing quite rigidly," he commented, watching Travis slowly get up. His gaze was more analytical than before as he scrutinized every last move he made. "And you make many unnecessary movements."

Travis gritted his teeth. The searing pain seemed to slightly wane as his heartbeat stabilized. However, it still hurt like hell. Even standing was difficult anymore.

"Well, I think we best wrap this up," the elf man stepped back. The distance had grown to at least ten meters, possibly more. His feet spread apart as he took a stance. Mana welled up around his form.

Travis frowned, preparing himself.

The mana around Rimel concentrated on his body, enveloping him fully as he started moving. One step, two, three... and then, a blade of mana shot forth with a powerful swing.

Travis dashed to the side with Sprint.

[You have received 158 damage.]

It hit?

No. This couldn't be. He clearly dodged the strike's path. Yet... the deep wound on his stomach told him otherwise.

Travis looked at Rimel incredulously, just barely stopping himself from tumbling. The surprise of his golden eyes found a somewhat satisfied grin spread across the elf's face before another swing followed.

[You have received 164 damage.]

'How...?' the thought didn't even form properly before Rimel took another few steps, his sword marking quick swipes. 'They are too quick!' Travis cast a second Sprint to change his direction. But it was useless.

[You have received 161 damage.]

[You have received 159 damage.]

Two more strikes connected before Travis abruptly came to a halt. As he did, a third slash went right before his nose, smashing into the wall far to the side.

'...it missed this time?'

But he had no time for ponders. His HP was critically low now. However, despite the Apostle's heart beating thunderingly strong, he didn't panic. An invigorating feeling surged in his chest, telling him not to give up. He faced his opponent again, who was shuffling on his feet, another few steps connecting as he chanted silently again.

Travis didn't know how to respond, noticing Rimel's blade suddenly appearing in front of him. An instinctual feeling told him that the strike's power was beyond his ability to block it. However, its placement and momentum made evasion impossible.

Just as Travis realized what happened, the blade stabbed him cleanly in his chest.

[You have received 1520 damage.]

[Your HP dropped to the minimum. You failed the trial.]

'What's with this damage?!' the thought thundered in Travis's mind before his body dropped. No more strength remained as the world started swirling and fading into blackness.

Rimel's voice entered his ears, "Fast but imprecise. Perhaps work a little on your balance as well," those were the only words Travis caught before he was pulled into infinite blackness. All sensations of pain almost immediately vanished, leaving behind faint echoes.

[Your status has been restored.]

[You are penalized for failure.

All stats are reduced by 10% for 4 hours.]

The abyss that consumed him was almost immediately lit up by the notifications. Dismissing them, Travis noticed the outline of the gate he entered through, growing with every passing moment.

-Currently-

"And then, I returned," Travis finished talking. He focused on Aria's concerned countenance. "Just as it said, my status is returned to what it was before I entered. Damn bastard, he was toying with me," 'Though, all in all, he did give me pointers on how to improve. I suppose that's the blessing in disguise people talk about.'

Aria didn't answer for a long moment, her hand making its way to his forehead. Pressing her palm lightly against his skin, she sighed.

"Aria?" the man reached to her hand. "Is something the matter?"

"...I... just..." she started hesitantly. "You just... if it were a real fight, without RALS's support..." Aria didn't finish her thought. "And yet, you are... calm."

"It said I wouldn't die."

Aria huffed. "That's no reason to be calm about it!" she growled, her tone harsh as her brows furrowed. Her eyes glimmered. "It's not the first time, either, that I've seen you like this. How, or rather, why are you so calm? What if RALS was wrong? Or worse... what if it lied to you?" she asked.

Travis remained silent for some seconds. Aria's words hit a rather sore spot. 'She does have a point.' he thought, feeling his heart already beating much slower. His expression turned slightly sour as he pondered. Faintly, a memory of what Rulebreaker told him reverberated. 'I do rely on RALS quite a lot... but it has already been wrong in the past.' he thought, reminding himself of the situation with Isolde. The System didn't know that Jeliah was an imp. 'I should try to temper how much I depend on what it says.'

Travis's hand ascended to grasp Aria's gently. Rubbing his palm into her knuckles, he gave her an apologetic look.

"Sorry," he said slowly, looking deep into her eyes. "You're right, I should've given it some thought."

Aria didn't answer. Her uncertain gaze turned to the faintly shimmering embers of the campfire. Her pale skin was barely visible in the atmosphere. Travis could tell that she expected him to say something more, even though she gave almost no indication of that.

"I'll consult it with you the next time, I promise," Travis added, his hand going up to her radius and rubbing it gently.

Aria's gaze turned to him. The brilliant shine of her emerald eyes was impossible to miss. She nodded, her thin lips curving into the tiniest of smiles. She grasped his hand firmly.

A few seconds passed in silence as their contact broke. Travis raised a hand to his armor. Immediately, he used Palran's Eye.

'174 points of durability? It was nearly 190 when I entered. That stab dealt a lot.' he thought, tracing along the torn spot. 'That was definitely a one-hit, one-kill skill. Dealing a thousand damage in one blow is on a level of a 2nd advancement class.'

He sighed, getting up and unequipping the armor. The same went for his leggings, replaced by a far more loose pair of pants.

"So, do you have any idea on how to win?" Aria's voice entered his ears. Looking at her, Travis noticed the woman rummaging in her bag, putting unnecessary items inside.

"Not yet," he shook his head, coming closer and sitting by her. "Rimel was so relaxed that I felt like a kid next to him. I barely lasted 5 minutes, mostly because he kept giving me time to collect myself. Defeating him won't be easy."

"What about magic?"

"I don't have nearly enough to make a significant dent," Travis shook his head.

Aria hummed, closing her eyes. "Tire him out?"

"There's a time limit."

Her hand slowly found his, grasping at his fingers gently. "Hmm... I don't know. I can't think well now," she eventually shrugged before yawning. "Let's go and rest for now, alright?"

"Yeah," he rubbed her palm tenderly. The woman gave him a faint smile as she lay down. He extinguished the embers completely and joined her. "Let's do that."

-In the morning-

Travis pushed himself off the ground for the hundredth or so time. Checking his Daily Quest, he confirmed the first condition was fulfilled. With a satisfied sigh, he returned to a sitting position. Swiping sweat from his forehead, he focused on the white-haired woman.

Aria sat somewhat leisurely, a hand supported on her bag as she had a book on her lap. The fingers of her other hand moved, the woman's brows furrowing. She mouthed some words, or perchance incantations, whilst diligently eyeing the lines of text.

Noticing his staring, Aria closed the book.

"Done?" she asked.

He nodded. "We can set off now, unless you want to read some more."

"No, I'm alright," Aria almost immediately opened her bag, throwing the book therein. Then, she stood up and fixed her attire. Today, it was a deep gray shirt and slightly shorter than usual pants of beige color that exposed the lower part of her shins. "We can set off right now."

Travis nodded, quickly packing his things as well. Thunder Blade found its way to his side as he ensured that the campfire was completely extinguished. Equipping his backpack, he looked to the sky. The dark silver of the clouds above clearly warned of rainfall that could occur at any moment. A few spots in the distance seemed especially dark.

"How far away are we from the next dungeon?" he asked the woman as they set off.

"About three hours," she answered, fixing up her hair as the breeze around picked up in speed. "I'm not sure if it won't start raining by then, though. Looking at what's above, it might be a storm, even."

"I guess we should hurry a little," Travis summoned his Daily Quest. "Well, seven kilometers of running today. Care to join?"

"Seven?" Aria's brow shot up in surprise. "I'm not sure I'll last one. I was never the type to be running around."

"All the more reason to join, right? Can't build up endurance if you won't exert yourself."

Aria hummed, but she didn't seem that convinced. After a second or so, she sighed. "Well, true enough. Let's begin," she said, her gaze turning resolute.

-About 2 hours later-

The hard road was becoming drenched by the second. The pitter-patter of the falling drops of water sounded quietly against the rocky surface leading forth. The drizzle that started about half an hour ago finally transitioned into a proper rain. Low rumbling sounded from a distance, confirming Aria's words that a storm was brewing.

The forest that enveloped them was very sparse. Rather than a forest, actually, it was a large plain that was interjected by trees at random. Many of those were rather small, no taller than three meters, and bore wide leaves that danced in rhythm with the rain falling atop. Their dull sounds added a quiet undertone to the atmosphere.

"*Huff* Haaaaaaah," Aria huffed, a hand holding Travis's arm as she steadied herself in her walk. Her face was red and wet, but it was not the rain that fell on her. She was sweating buckets, having just slowed down from a run. "F-Finally... I thought I was going to die..." she rasped, her emerald eyes glancing at Travis.

The man let out a short laugh. Unlike his girlfriend, he barely broke a sweat on the way. Her hair was drenched in sweat while his barely even got a touch of the salty drops.

Seeing his reaction, Aria pouted. "Doesn't help I'm keeping up the barrier above us," she said.

"That is true. At least we're getting close," he replied, looking above them. Centimeters above his head, an almost translucent, faintly blue barrier stood, shielding them from the rain. It was wide enough that they could comfortably stray about half a step in any direction and still not get touched by the drops. "It's really amazing, honestly, that you can keep it up for so long. Most Mages I ever knew could only keep a barrier for a few minutes at most."

"It's... really not that good," Aria looked slightly away. "I'm already at my limit after barely thirty minutes. My brothers can keep one for hours."

"No reason to think you're not a great Mage yourself," he said, poking the woman in her shoulder. "They're both older than you, right? So it's not that they're better. They simply have more experience."

Aria didn't answer for a few seconds. Then, however, she snickered lightly. "Optimism goes a long way, huh?"

Travis chuckled.

"You know, I've been wondering," Aria said slowly, focusing on him better. "I've been constantly talking 'me, myself, and I', and I come to realize that I know almost nothing about you. For example, where do you come from? What's your family like?"

The Apostle almost flinched. The moment he heard the question, an unpleasant feeling welled in his throat. It was a bitter and sour sensation that twisted around his heart painfully. The memory of the words Violet spoke reverberated ominously.

"...Travis?" Aria's head tilted as she came to a halt.

"...what?" he focused on her, shaking out of his state.

"Is everything alright?"

He let out a low sigh. "I'm alright. It's just... *Sigh* I recently learned some things about my family that I have a hard time accepting."

"Oh... I'm sorry," Aria's shoulders slumped. "I didn't mean to ask something hurtful."

The man grasped her shoulder gently. Rubbing her skin for a moment, he nodded, "I know. It's alright."

"..."

"...I was born in a small village near Poiri, Holia," he said quietly. "On 11th of March, 1025. I was raised by my sister, Kanya, as our parents disappeared soon after I was born. I lived happily. She was my whole world and the greatest person I ever met."

"...what happened to her?" Aria asked cautiously, noticing the man using the past tense.

"Soon after I turned nine, on her 28th birthday, our village was attacked by some strong monster. She was a Fire Mage and the only person in Holia past her 1st advancement. She managed to lure the monster and kill it... but she gave up her life to do that."

Aria remained silent. Her expression turned from curiosity to sorrow in an instant. Her hand gently brushed against his before she curled her palm in his. Travis could see that his words shook her deeply. "I'm... really sorry, Travis," she eventually said, hugging his arm to comfort him. Tears welled up in her eyes. "I didn't mean to bring something like that up..."

"It's alright. It's been a very long time ago," he answered.

"But... a strong monster near the capital? What was it? How could it have just... attacked?"

"..." Travis remained silent for a few seconds. "...we never learned that. Nobody could recognize the monster or its underlings, before or after what happened. Guards from the capital were of no help, either. We thought it was just unluck that befell us. A strong beast straying from its path with its underlings for some reason sounded like the only explanation... but..."

"But...?"

"Recently, I came to learn that it might've not been a monster, but a human who did that."

"A... human?"

"A Psion," Travis said with a heavy heart. He felt his blood pressure rise at the very mention of the word. "There is evidence of psionic magic on the whole village... especially on Kanya's grave. They used her... they used everyone, to fake their **** and escape."

Aria's hand shook in his. Though invisible to the man, her eyes excreted some salty drops that made thin lines on her cheeks. She sniffed as her nose became runny. She rubbed her face in his chest as they came to a halt.

"Gods, I'm... *Sniff!* sorry..." she hugged the man ferociously. "That's horrible!" Aria sobbed.

Travis hugged her back. Running his hands on her back, he felt the white-haired woman tremble. Her muscles tensed up at the contact as she stayed glued to him for several seconds.

The rain turned heavier by the second. Amidst the downpour, the two travelers stood, barely shielded from the wind and water. Not a word was spoken for several seconds.

...

"...are you sure it's true?" Aria asked quietly, lifting her gaze at the man.

The determined stare of his golden eyes did not shake as he nodded a little glumly.

"...what will you do about it? No, in the first place, can anything be done at all?"

"...I will find a way. I will get stronger, and destroy the barriers they put on everyone in Holia. Once I can find out who that bastard is, I won't rest until they pay."

Aria's gaze flickered to the side as she slowly pushed away from the man. Her emerald eyes were still glossy, but she swiped the wetness away. Even though no words were exchanged, Travis could tell that she wanted to reassure him and tell him she'd help him in any way she could. Her hand found its way to his as she grasped his fingers tightly.

He smiled lightly. Though his heart was still heavy with his feelings, he could feel himself step forth rather easily. His gaze was fixed on a particular spot nearby.

"Is that the place?" he asked, glancing at his girlfriend.

Aria nodded. "A nest of some underground-type monsters. Levels 25 and up, three floors."

"I see," he nodded, summoning a clock from RALS. "It's barely 10 yet. I don't think we need to raid it immediately, do you?"

"It's best to rest for now," Aria responded. "My mana is at the rock bottom, and I need to catch a breath as well. I say, let's find a good spot to rest on the first floor, and only clear up the nearby monsters."

"I agree. Once we do, I wanted to give the Trial Tower a few tries."

-3 hours later-

Travis tumbled to the ground. The slightly painful groan that escaped his lips was immediately cut off as he opened his eyes. In an instant, no more pain resonated within him.

[Your status has been restored.]

He let out a hasty exhale, followed by a shallow inhale. A quiet clatter resonated as the metal key dropped to the ground.

[You are penalized for failure.

The power of all skills is reduced by 20% for 3 hours.]

"How long was it?" he asked, aiming his gaze at Aria.

The white-haired woman looked at him from her sitting position. A glint of concern in her eyes was evident, but she simply reached to her side and glanced at a small watch.

"About 6 minutes," she gave him an answer. Then, her brow raised. "Maybe take a break? I can't imagine walking around with 9 (now 10, isn't it?) penalties to be nice."

"...yeah," he nodded, slowly getting up to a sitting position. With a quick motion of his hand, he grasped at the hem of his shirt, bringing it up and throwing it aside as he rummaged in his backpack to find a replacement.

He shot a glance as he changed. The somewhat dark tunnel leading underground was as empty as they left it. The sparse amounts of monsters near the entrance were easy to clear for Aria on her own once she regained some mana. She didn't gain a level, but recognizing how to deal with the denizens of this dungeon was simple enough for her to stand guard while Travis used the Trial Key a few more times.

Every single time, the trial proved to be too much. However, he didn't attempt it several times in a row for naught. In the first place, he did not wear his fighting armor, instead going with some clothes he wouldn't mind throwing away. Likewise, he tried to use Thunder Blade sparingly and put all his attention into watching Rimel's actions and reactions to any tactic he tried.

The results were both simple and complicated.

"I think I'm starting to understand how he works," Travis said, slowly standing up.

Aria looked at him quizzically. She was currently elbow-deep in her bag, searching for something within (probably some food, given the time). Still, for a long while, she halted her activity and focused on how Travis got up and unsheathed Thunder Blade.

"There's a rhythm to his swordsmanship," he said. "Every time he starts, he does this pose," Travis lifted the sword slightly and spread his legs. Immediately, he hummed as though he was trying to analyze it fully. His feet moved as he took another pose. "And there is a stable movement he does every time he uses an attack. It's calculated and deliberate, but most of all, very stable. Every special attack he does follows a specific pattern," 'It's like he's actively trying to teach me that swordsmanship...'

"So, do you think you can respond to his techniques?"

"...not at all," he shook his head. "But I think I will be able to recognize when he uses some of them. If I can work out how to avoid them, maybe I'll stand a chance. He can't have infinite mana," 'In the first place, he rarely uses the same technique twice in one encounter... there's something to it.'

"How many does he use?" Aria asked, pulling out a piece of jerky and chewing it. She looked at him scrutinizingly.

"I managed to identify four, but he likely has more," Travis took the first stance. "Firstly, he does some kind of a rapid attack," he performed a quick range of movements. "Secondly, there is an attack that can almost end the fight in one blow," more movement ensued, ending with a powerful stab at the air. "Thirdly, there is some way in which he utilizes mana to stop me from closing the distance. And lastly, there is this strange thing he does (too complicated for me to even see it fully)," he said as he moved in a somewhat wide range. "It takes more motions than the others, but once he finishes, he can attack at a range for about half a minute."

[Rulebreaker smiles at your actions.]

'Huh... so it seems I was right. Analyzing Rimel is the way to go.' he nodded to himself as he sheathed his sword and sat beside Aria. Accepting a piece of meat, he joined her in the light meal that would make their lunch. 'Maybe I could take a minute to--'

*RUMBLE!*

A sudden sound of thunder echoed throughout the cave. Travis's head immediately snapped toward the exit while Aria grimaced. Although there was some distance from the outside, the sound was loud and clear nonetheless.

"It's become a full-out storm out there," the woman said. "About half an hour ago."

Travis almost chuckled. "Good thing we decided to run, then."

Aria sighed, but her mouth curved in a smile. Her head leaned on his shoulder as she continued eating slowly. "Will we be raiding this dungeon today?"

"Best not to go too far," his brown hair ruffled as he shook his head. "We can clear the first floor just to be safe during the night, but going further should be left for tomorrow. How large is this floor?"

"Not very big. Should take about an hour to clear completely. How long will the penalties last?"

"Five hours in total."

"Hmm," Aria hummed. "Then, we can rest a bit, and then do that in the evening. What do you think?"

"Sounds good to me. I'm honestly quite tired."

'One of the worst penalties I received is halved stamina recovery.' he thought to his third or so attempt. 'For five hours, no less. I'm thankful I thought ahead and did most of the Daily Quest first. It will be easy to wrap it up after I rest a little.'

So far, after a total of eleven attempts, Travis managed to identify four types of penalties that Trial Tower gave him for failure.

The first one was a simple decrease in stats. Having received it four times, the amount was 5, 10, or 15%, at least from what he'd gathered.

The second one was blocking a random skill. This happened only once, rendering Hypnosis useless for the time being.

The third one was a reduction in all skills's power. The decrease seemed to always be 20%, but two times were not enough of a confirmation.

And the final penalty - the most annoying - was a severe limitation in the recovery speed of his resources. His stamina currently recovered at only half its normal speed. Whether this penalty could apply to other resources was questionable, but he imagined it was possible. Everything was managed by RALS, after all.

...

[Name: Travis Salliv

Class: Apostle of Tricks & Manipulation

Titles: Apostle of Justice

Level: 59 (53.88%)

HP: 1386/1386

MP: 388/388

WP: 852/1088]

[Strength: 100 (-30)

Agility: 133 (-47)

Endurance: 118 (-41)

Intelligence: 149 (-52)

Wisdom: 100 (-30)

Sense: 100 (-30)]

He sighed. 35% reduction in all stats for 3 hours was by no means small. The only thing he did feel a little uplifted about was, that the decrease only affected his base stat values, meaning that the Apostle of Justice title offset it ever so slightly.

There was, however, a small issue he noticed.

'Dropping below 100 Endurance and Intelligence should've drastically decreased my HP and MP. They no doubt decreased, but not as much as I would've expected them to.'

He looked to his side, scanning the corridor's length.

The stony surfaces were bathed in somewhat dim light coming from Aria's light ball hanging above them. The rough walls were slightly slanted, creating a very faintly defined arch that led into the darkness. However, having tried on the monsters beforehand, he was sure that even in his current state he would be more than capable of defending against them. This was, partially at least, thanks to the fact that there was more than one type, meaning that there were infights at times.

He focused on the woman. Her eyes were closed as she had some cloth over her head, hiding one of her ears while the other was pressed to his shoulder. She breathed peacefully, her mouth slowly munching the jerky she held.

Not finding anything useful for himself to do, Travis closed his eyes. For now, they could rest.

---

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