The First Trial
RUMBLE!
I turned toward the sound and saw that the entrance to the burial chamber I had passed through earlier had been firmly sealed by a massive stone door.
“This burial chamber is now completely sealed. You can neither leave nor enter from outside.”
“What?”
Startled, I turned back toward Doumar and asked,
“You mean only for the duration of the trial, correct? Surely you are not planning to imprison me here forever.”
“Tsk, tsk. How pathetic… Do not frighten yourself before anything has even happened. You will be able to leave once you pass the trial.”
As Doumar answered, he extended a hand and pointed to one side. Several dozen jars had been placed upon a table.
“One of those jars contains the key that opens the door. Finding it is the objective of the ‘First Trial.’”
“……”
“What are you doing? Hurry up and begin.”
Leaving the urging Doumar behind, I walked over to the table. First, I reached for the nearest jar.
“Ugh…!”
An unfamiliar odor suddenly struck me, causing me to grimace and step backward. It was so powerful that it stabbed through my nose and made even the backs of my eyes sting.
“What is this? What did you put inside the jars?”
“The jars that do not contain the key are filled with poison extracted from the venom glands of Jarkan Hornets. It is a deadly poison that takes effect the instant it touches the skin, spreads throughout the entire body within one minute, and causes death.”
“Why are you only telling me that now? Should you not have explained something like that beforehand?”
“I am explaining it now, am I not?”
Dumbfounded by his shameless response, I frowned and glared at Doumar.
According to him, I had only one chance. I would have to blindly choose one jar from among roughly thirty, meaning that the probability of success was approximately three percent.
‘That is absurd. There must be a clue. There is no way this trial is merely testing my luck.’
There had to be one. I opened my eyes wide and began carefully examining the jars and the table.
“One more piece of information. The jar containing the key is filled with sap from a plant whose color and scent are extremely similar to the Jarkan Hornet’s poison. It should be nearly impossible for a human such as you to identify the correct jar through sight or smell.”
“……”
“And should you open a jar containing poison yet somehow survive through good fortune, I shall grant you one more opportunity to choose.”
“How generous of you. I am moved to tears.”
I continued inspecting the jars while making no effort to conceal my sarcasm. Unfortunately, I made little progress.
[Jar]
[An ordinary jar made of XX. There appears to be nothing particularly noteworthy about it.]
[Jar]
[An ordinary jar made of XX. The mouth has been painted black, but there appears to be nothing else particularly noteworthy about it.]
[Jar]
[An ordinary jar made of XX. It has two handles, but there appears to be nothing else particularly noteworthy about it.]
[Jar]
[…]
Just as the Status Window’s descriptions indicated, the nearly thirty jars all looked similar, with only minor differences between them. Thinking those differences might contain the clue needed to solve the problem, I continued examining them, but no answer came to mind.
‘Let us think this through carefully. There must be a clue somewhere.’
Ten minutes passed, then thirty, and finally an hour, yet I failed to discover the slightest hint. I could only continue glaring at the Status Windows and the jars while racking my brain.
Of course, since I was trapped inside an underground burial chamber, that hour was merely a rough estimate.
“How interesting. Surely this is not a task difficult enough to warrant wasting so much time. Even the feeble intellect of a human should be capable of solving it quickly.”
“……”
“I am beginning to pity Lord Ragna. To think someone like you has appeared and declared himself his successor.”
Doumar’s remarks finally made my anger boil over, and my hand unconsciously moved toward the mace at my waist.
‘Should I smash him to pieces?’
I sincerely wanted to. If he had no intention of helping me, he could at least remain silent. Was there any need for him to behave in such an infuriating manner? Was such an attitude truly appropriate for a being created to assist with my inheritance?
As I struggled to swallow my irritation, a Status Window suddenly appeared at the edge of my vision.
[Mace]
[It is XXXX for wielding with one hand. The head is XXX, but it still appears usable.]
It had appeared because I was lost in thought with my hand resting upon the mace. Just as I was about to dismiss the Status Window without another thought, an idea flashed through my mind like lightning.
‘Wait, the mace?’
I stared silently at the jars before me. Then, having made my decision, I drew the mace from my waist.
‘It is all or nothing. There does not seem to be another way, so I might as well try this.’
CRASH!
The jars shattered with a deafening noise beneath my unhesitating swing. Fragments flew in every direction, accompanied by sprays of green liquid that appeared to be Jarkan Hornet poison.
CRASH! SHATTER!
A short while later, every last jar lay broken. Something gleaming could be seen among the fragments scattered across the floor. I pushed the object, which was drenched in green poison, toward Doumar with my foot.
“There. Is that enough?”
“……”
“Look. I found the key, just as you told me to. Does this not mean I passed?”
“Yes… You have undeniably found the key and brought it before me, although your method was unexpected.”
Doumar’s response sounded exceedingly displeased. If a face existed beneath that helmet, I was certain it would have been twisted into a grimace.
“Very well. I acknowledge that you have passed the trial. Congratulations, Awakened One.”
Relief and joy washed over me. I even released an audible sigh of “Phew,” without realizing it.
However, that joy lasted only a moment. I soon frowned deeply and glared at Doumar.
“What is the matter, Awakened One?”
“You truly have to ask? I nearly died!”
“What do you mean? At what point were you in danger of dying?”
“The poison! The trial could have killed me instantly if I made a mistake. What kind of trial is this…?”
“Good heavens. Did you truly believe that?”
As I growled at him in belated anger, Doumar answered as though my words were too ridiculous to comprehend.
“Why would we allow a precious Awakened One to die during the very first trial? Had you truly been placed in mortal danger, the Emergency Protocol would have activated immediately, halted the trial, and initiated the Resuscitation Procedure.”
“Then you deceived me?”
“I did no such thing. I merely omitted the explanation because it was far too obvious.”
“……”
“Had your insight been even slightly more developed, you would have easily realized as much. Hm. This is the problem with foolish humans….”
His shameless response filled me with the urge to swing my mace and send the helmet before me flying.
‘This damned lump of metal….’
He truly was insufferable. However, there was nothing I could do. To continue undertaking the trials and inherit Ragna’s legacy, I would apparently have to listen to Doumar whether I liked it or not.
“In any case, you have passed the trial. I shall now grant you your reward.”
As Doumar spoke, several beams of light appeared in the air and surrounded me. Before long, they faded away.
“It is complete.”
“What is? Nothing seems to have changed.”
Just as I said, I felt nothing. I did not feel as though I were overflowing with strength, nor did I sense anything else.
“What is the meaning of that look? Do not glare at me, human. Did I not clearly state that I had granted you the reward for passing the trial?”
“Then what exactly was the reward? You should at least explain it.”
“Once again, you reveal your lack of insight. How pathetic… Can you truly see nothing?”
What kind of wordplay was this supposed to be? I stared suspiciously at Doumar.
[Doumar]
[A Living Armor in the form of smooth steel plate armor.]
The Status Window that appeared did not seem particularly different from before. It merely described Doumar’s appearance as I perceived it.
No, wait…?!
[Location - Ragna’s Tomb]
[A tomb where Ragna Vermont, the founder of the Vermont family, was buried long ago. Because of the legend that anyone who does not belong to the Vermont family will lose their life upon entering, no one has visited it for thousands of years.]
Unlike before, the Status Window was displaying information about this location in complete sentences, without a single obscured section.
It was as though a malfunctioning feature had been repaired.
That was not all.
[Congratulations, my descendant in the distant future. Now that you have received the gift I left behind, the power you inherited from me must finally be returning to its original form. In addition, I shall transmit the knowledge data I compiled during my lifetime, so make full use of it. It will greatly assist you in opening the eyes that still remain closed.]
[Your ancestor, Ragna Vermont]
A message left by Ragna had appeared before my eyes. I was somewhat puzzled by the phrase “knowledge data,” but I soon discovered what it meant.
[Ragna’s Tip]
When I opened the notification displayed at the bottom of the message, another Status Window immediately appeared.
[Record No. 1 - Sanctuary of Inheritance: This place is not merely a tomb. It is a space created to pass everything I left behind on to you, the one reading this. Those who do not carry the blood of Vermont cannot even approach it, and only you, its registered user, can make full use of all its functions. Use it freely to accomplish your future objectives.]
Unlike the Status Windows I normally saw, it contained detailed information, including matters I had never known before. Judging from the contents, this record also appeared to have been personally written by Ragna.
“Have you finally realized?”
“Yes. The explanations are complete. There is not a single obscured section… Were you the one who removed them?”
“Correct. Although your ability had initially awakened, it remained exceedingly weak. I strengthened it by another stage and also transmitted the knowledge personally compiled by Lord Ragna. Whenever there is something you wish to know, you may consult it.”
As I listened to Doumar’s explanation and stared at the Status Window without a single hidden section, I felt as though an obstruction inside me had finally been cleared away.
‘This will truly be useful from now on.’
Until now, the important sections of the Status Windows had always been concealed behind ‘X’s, forcing me to infer the information myself.
That was no longer the case. I now possessed both complete Status Windows and Ragna’s knowledge.
“The System ability you inherited will continue to grow the more you use it. Lord Ragna was initially at a level similar to yours, but as time passed, the ability became so powerful that one could say he saw through the very essence of all things.”
“Sys… what?”
“Lord Ragna used to call it the System. It was most likely a term used in the other world where he was born.”
That seemed likely. It was a word whose meaning I could not understand, either.
“Very well. Is that everything?”
“Correct. Return when it is time to undertake the next trial.”
“And when will that be?”
“There is no need for me to tell you. Before long, you will sense the change yourself and naturally understand when the time has come.”
I did not understand his answer, but it seemed worth remembering.
Doumar might have been arrogant and cantankerous, but he had been created to assist with the inheritance. He would not intentionally give me false information.
“Understood. I will return when it is time for the next trial.”
“Good. Our business should now be concluded, so leave.”
RUMBLE!
As Doumar spoke, the deep sound of the burial chamber’s door opening echoed around us.
“What are you doing? Hurry up and leave. I must clean the burial chamber you have made such a mess of.”
He spoke while looking around the ruined chamber, where fragments of the jars lay scattered in every direction. Perhaps it was my imagination, but I thought I heard a faint sigh from beyond his helmet.