Chapter 190: Sun Piercing Arrow
The arrowtip hit the stone a few millimeters to the right of the target, embedding itself in the wall. Nauja froze in her stance. Her mind struggled to believe this.
She didnt actually think she would miss. She had convinced herself she would succeed. And yet, reality was merciless. She had missed.
Wait! she pleaded mentally. The edge of the arrowtip grazed the target. That might be enough.
Unfortunately, the rules of the trial were clear. Any arrow that touched the wall would mean disqualification.
Nauja felt such hatred, both towards herself and the creator of this trial, that she wanted the earth to open up and swallow her. How would she look anyone in the eye after this?
She had tried so hard!
Thirty-two out of thirty-three, the voice boomed. She sounded dissatisfied. Disappointingbut, since we need someone to succeed every few years, it is barely acceptable. I will distribute a weaker version of my skill to you, trial taker. If you fail to use it properly, nobody will ridicule me. And, if you somehow rise to the skills level in the future, you may be able to evolve it to its original strength. Farewell.
Nauja took some time to process what she heard.
I
Before she could think any further, her world transformed. She was no longer in a stone chamber in Trial Planet. She now hovered over the tip of a mountain, high above the clouds of an unknown planet.
For the first time, Nauja saw the real space. She was paralyzed. The stars felt so immeasurably far away. Two suns burned bright in the sky, and the sheer emptiness around her made her dizzy.
She had never felt happier in her life.
Under her feet, a woman stood on the mountaintop. She wore leather armor and had long, flowing, sapphire hair. Her eyes were purple, her skin tanned, and she held a dark purple bow in her hands, as if made of crystal. It had a white bowstring with runes carved all over its length, so tiny Nauja almost couldnt see them.
Saphira, Level ??? (B-Grade)
Faction: Crimson Cloud (A-Grade)
Title: Planet Breaker
The woman aimed her bow at one of the two suns and pulled it. An obsidian arrow was nocked on the string, an object so heavy it seemed to draw in Naujas gaze and curve the world around it.
The woman aimed, still as a statue, and shot.
The moment her arrow went loose, Nauja felt a terrifying suction at work. The entire world was pulled to the arrow. As it flew, everything, from the air to the clouds, was tugged along. This arrow was ripping off the worlds Dao, absorbing it for itself, using it to clad itself in ever greater power.
It wasnt growing weaker with distance, as normal arrows would. Instead, it was growing stronger, a multi-colored outline manifesting around it like a mantle, until the arrow itself was just the core of a much larger, ever growing power.
Nauja saw it disappear into the sky, a comet heading upward, directly into one of the two suns. As she took a second look, her eyes widened. That wasnt a sun. It was a large orange bird, clad in flames and exuding such extreme light that her eyes had mistakenly took it for a sun at first, not daring to stare at it directly.
She couldnt even use the System to inspect it.
The bird cawed, and the world shook. Space trembled. The mountain under the woman crumbled, leaving her floating on thin air. Some of the arrows mantle was ripped away from the birds cawing and intense flames, but over half of it remained, and it stabbed into the bird with cataclysmic force.
The world exploded in colors. The force didnt impact Nauja, who was only there to watch the vision, but something else did. Suddenly, she was ripped away from the vision and tossed far back, interrupted before she could see the explosions results.
The voice had mentioned a lesser version of the skill. This must have been it.
Nauja was blasted out of the vision and into her body, finding herself lying on cold stone with an intact statue beside her and the deep sound of a gong in her ears.
Are you okay? Gan Salin said, kneeling over her. Dont worry about failing. Look! I carved our faces into the stone!
She took a moment to respond. What?
Our faces. Under your butt. Look.
She looked under herself, only to find a surprisingly accurate rendition of her face on the stone floor. Salins face was right next to hers, making a grimace. If she wasnt still reeling from the vision, she would have admired his stoneworking skill.
What? she repeated.
Salins voice was full of excitement. So, how was it? Difficult, obviously, but was it scary? Inspiring? Did you get anything before failing?
I I didnt fail. Not exactly.
Really? Then, why is the statue still standing? Was it not a single-person trial?
Usually, high-level trials allowed only one person to claim them. When that happened, the trial statue would collapse to show that the trial was no longer available, but the one behind Nauja was still standing.
The barbarian finally recovered enough of her mind to respond properly. I didnt succeed, but I didnt fail, either. I got a lesser version of the skill left behind in the statue.
A skill? Ohh, thats great! What does it do?
It She frowned. I think it allows me to shoot an arrow that gets stronger as it travels instead of weaker.
Sounds useful!
Yeah. I saw the trial creator use it to shoot down the sun.
The sun!? Salins eyes grew wide as saucers. What Grade were they?
B-Grade. But it wasnt really the sun. Just a very bright bird.
Bright as in, smart?
Bright as in bright.
So, the sun was a bird.
No, there was an actual sun too I think. I didnt look at it, to be honest, but it was probably the real sun.
How do you know that if you didnt check?
Because I know it, okay?
Okay. So, the vision taught you that suns are made of bird.
No.
Then, birds are made of sun.
Salin.
What? Your answers are confusing.
You are asking confusing questions.
Im just trying to understand. And why did the trial creator want to take down the sun? That sounds really bad for anyone under it.
Again, it wasnt the real sunand, I dont know why. I guess they were enemies.
Thats a stupid enemy to make. Its literally the sun.
Its literally not the sun. And thats none of your business. Can we focus on this awesome new skill I got?
Salin opened his mouth to say something more, then seemed to realize something and paused. It sounds amazing! Can I see? he finally asked.
Nauja smiled. She was so excited. Maybe she didnt have the complete skill, but it was the signature skill of a Planet Breaker!! It was about time someone shared her enthusiasm!
I cant use it yet, she admitted. But I got the vision! If I just meditate on it, I will get the skill, sooner or later. And then, I will be able to shoot large dinosaurs from far, far away. Father will be so proud. If I ever see him again, she added mentally. Every cultivator could only enter Trial Planet once in their lives. If she left the Planet to see the world She would never be able to come back.
That was the sad reality that had been chasing her ever since she left her tribe. The dilemma faced by every barbarian who chose to delve. Nauja tore her mind away. She would consider it when the time came. Who knows; maybe shed die in the meantime.
In any case, this was her moment of triumph. She wouldnt let anything cloud it. Not even the looming, heart-breaking decision.
Should we get going? she asked, finally standing up. Salin politely extended a hand to help her, which she usedbarbarians had manners, too.
Yep. We should have a headstart, but if I miss the fight between the Garden Assault and the Guardian, I will regret it for the rest of my life.
Is it that spectacular?
Oh, you have no idea. Its probably the only time in your life that youll see E-Grades standing up to a D-Gradeand not losing terribly.
Her eyes sparkled. The strongest people around She had to see them fight. Then, what are we waiting for?
Nothing. Lets go!
Salin jumped and punched the air, with Nauja following after him as they exited the temple. They were back in the crampy corridors now, but she didnt mind. Her mood was at an all-time high. Nothing could ruin it.
Suddenly, she paused. Wait, she said, raising a hand. Do you hear that?
Hear what?
That. She frowned, focusing on her hearing. Its likea landslide?
Salin raised a brow. Does it sound like something we should get the hell away from?
Oh, absolutely.
They bolted. However, there was a limit to how quickly they could cross the labyrinth. There could be bone monsters hiding anywhere; they had to tread cautiously.
Soon, however, the sound after them intensified so much that even Salin could hear it clearly. It sounded like an avalanche of pebbles raining on the stone floorsor like a centipede of bone marching their way. And, if there was a bone centipede, it could only be the bone monster version they had yet to meet: the King one.
By that point, it was too late to be cautious. Nauja and Gan Salin ran at full-tilt, making some distance from the source of the sound, which was apparently chasing them.
Generally speaking, Labyrinth Ring didnt have dead-ends. Most of its paths connected to others, making for a confusing terrain where you had no idea if you were moving forward, backward, or in circles. To navigate it, people usually needed either Naujas sharp eyesight, which could detect the miniscule changes in wall coloration, or a device like Lord Longswords compass.
Occasionally, however, the labyrinth did house dead-ends. And, as luck would have it, it was exactly such a dead-end that Nauja and Gan Salin ran into as they were escaping the sound.
They both screeched to a halt.
Fuck, said Nauja.
Shit, said Salin.
They turned and prepared to run again, but the sound was too close now. It was approaching fast. Before they knew it, it sounded like it was just behind the corner, ready to jump at them and tear them apart. They could no longer escape.
The two of them exchanged a look. I guess this is the end, Nauja said with a small smile, drawing her bow. Traveling with you wasnot terrible. Its an honor to die by your side, Gan Salin.
Same, Salin replied, putting on his clawed gloves. It was about time, to be honest. Ive lasted more than I thought I would. At least, nobody will miss me back home.
Dont say that! Naujas eyes went wide. I will miss you. Jack and Brock will. And certainly your family.
Salin chuckled. You dont know my familybut thanks. I appreciate it.
That was all they had time to say before the abomination rounded the corner. It was a flood of hard blue, with shells and pincers sticking out haphazardly, and a thousand little legs moving the flood from underneath, while bone shards trailed on the ground behind them.
Wait. Were there little muscles on the crab arms that held those pincers?
Between the skittering crabs walked a young brorilla, reaching just above Naujas waist. Seeing them, his eyes brightened. Stop, he commanded, and the crabs froze. The brorilla then looked up at Nauja and Gan Salin, who were equally frozen. Hello, bros.
Brock? they both said at once. Brock nodded.
Yes. Brock. Little bros, hi.
The crabs all waved in unison. Nauja gaped. Gan Salin started laughing uncontrollably, until he ended up rolling on the floor.
Brock! he cried out. I fucking love you, dude!
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