[Vol. 8] Chapter 124: The Trial Takers
After many fights, Miss Shadow realized that these creatures were actually very similar to her own skills, sneaking, hiding, and assassinating. If she hadn’t been someone who had trained those same skills through countless deadly encounters, sharpening her instincts to the extreme, she would’ve likely been badly hurt during the very first attack.
At first, Shadow only decided to join this divine trial because of a rare personal request from Lady Violet. She thought that since it was a test from the goddess of light, whom the Holy Empire worships, it would surely be full of holy energy and bright places.
That kind of environment, full of light, would have been very uncomfortable for someone like her, who was used to hiding in the shadows. That’s why she came in with a different face, hoping to keep a low profile...
The first test, where touching the statue triggered memories from the past, had already surprised her. And now, in this second trial, she saw the so-called [Six-Line Array Palace] with her own eyes. A strange, mystical scene completely different from what she had imagined a light goddess would create. In fact, she now found herself in a dark, ghostly place, full of mysterious dangers and silent ambushes.
It seemed… she had misunderstood this goddess, judging too quickly with personal bias.
The goddess's power was clearly not limited to just "light."
Though surprised, Miss Shadow didn’t dislike this. In fact, she began forming a whole new impression of this goddess. Bit by bit, she started to understand why Lady Violet had invited her to join this trial.
If this goddess was really this interesting, then, if she hadn’t already sworn loyalty to the Queen, maybe she really would’ve...
She shook her head, pushing away all those sudden thoughts, and returned to a calm, focused state.
After all, there was no point in thinking about things like that now. This was a trial where the god chose the worthy. Why did she start feeling like it was the other way around, as if she was the one evaluating the god?
Those thoughts could wait. For now, she still didn’t know what dangers were hidden in this place. Losing focus on the battlefield was a deadly mistake.
“Ah...!”
Suddenly, a soft cry of pain echoed from deep inside the dark forest. Carried by the cold wind, it reached her ears and caught her attention.
Miss Shadow Guard’s brows slightly furrowed.
She had killed many people, and even more non-human things. She knew exactly what kind of sounds they made in different situations. And that scream just now? It clearly matched the sound a living creature makes when it’s about to die.
Someone was killed...? Was it the work of those hidden Shadow Ghosts, or maybe some even more powerful unknown being? Or… could it be that the trial-takers were fighting each other?
The girl fell into brief thought.
She already knew there were other candidates in this trial space. Out of habit, back when they were still outside, she had observed each person who entered a different Gate. By the time she herself was chosen by the [Gate of Ghosts], a total of seventeen people had already gone in.
Since the trial began, she had been moving carefully through the forest, and she had indeed spotted a few other candidates exploring. But she didn’t show herself or try to make contact. Instead, she kept her presence hidden and chose to move alone, staying far away from the others.
They had done the same.
Of course, this didn’t mean that she was antisocial or disliked working with others. Though she was a shadowy assassin and stealth expert, as the captain of the Shadow Guards, she had always believed in one core principle.
That belief was: the power of working as a team is always greater than fighting alone.
The Shadow Guards became the strongest intelligence group in the world not because of just one or two top agents. It was teamwork that made them strong. That’s why, as long as things are safe and trustworthy, Miss Shadow never avoids working with others. In fact, she often actively looks for helpers.
But the current situation clearly didn’t support teamwork between the trial candidates. The Redemption Saintess had on purpose left out details about what each of the six gates would test.
Because of this, none of the candidates knew what the final goal was, and so, they had no choice but to be on guard against the others, who might be rivals.
Still… this kind of caution shouldn’t go as far as killing each other, right?
In any fight, there is always a reason behind it.
In a place like this, if two trial-takers end up fighting to the death, then it probably means that at least one of them got some very important clue, something critical to passing the trial, making them willing to take big risks.
But if the killer wasn’t one of the trial-takers, and instead something hidden even deeper in this dark forest…
Then even though it’s dangerous, it could still be a chance, a breakthrough. Better than wandering around here with no direction, wasting time.
“……”
After thinking for only a moment, the girl, still disguised as a young man, made up her mind.
She put her long, thin sword back into its sheath on her back, adjusted the position of her short sword, which she hadn’t drawn yet, took a deep breath, and quickly walked toward the deeper, darker parts of the strange forest.
Slowly, she blended into the shadows.
………………………………………
[Six-Line Array Palace] – [Gate of the Underworld]
When Miss Dark Lotus came back to her senses, the training ground and giant gate of light had already vanished, replaced by a completely different place.
She saw blood-red flowers blooming across the open field, like wave after wave in a huge red sea. The sight gave her a strange mix of slight familiarity and great unease.
“What is this…?”
The girl froze for a second, then suddenly realized something.
“Wait… aren’t these Red Spider Lilies? The flowers that only grow near the Sanzu River of the Underworld? Why would they appear in a trial created by the Primordial Light Goddess of the Holy Empire?”
“Good question,” said a calm and familiar voice beside her. “And not just the Red Spider Lilies, the whole legend of the Six Paths is closely connected to a certain being. And interestingly… both the legend and the goddess are pointing toward the same goal.”
Miss Dark Lotus turned toward the voice and saw that she wasn’t alone. Her teammates from the [Reaper's Scythe] squad, Mr. Ferryman and Miss Dark Spirit, were also standing with her in the sea of flowers, looking around cautiously.
Compared to Miss Dark Spirit, her younger twin sister who was still quite new to the world, the older Ferryman, who already looked to be past forty, clearly had a much deeper understanding of the mysterious things in life. As the two sisters turned to him with confused eyes, he calmly adjusted the wide hat on his head and explained.
“I’m sure you’ve both heard this before.The Red Spider Lily is a symbol of the underworld guide, the Spirit Fox Shrine Maiden. They say the flower only grows near the Sanzu River in the underworld, and only the dead can see them… But what you may not know is that the Shrine Maiden’s powers aren’t just about guiding souls. That’s only one way her mysterious powers show themselves.”
As he spoke, the Ferryman took one last look around. Still, he saw no one else nearby, and finally confirmed, only the three of them were in this area right now.
Their squad leader, Mr. Dead Soul, had been chosen by the [Gate of Human], but somehow, whether by pure chance or some deeper cause, the remaining team members had all resonated with the nearby [Gate of the Underworld].
Even though they entered at slightly different times, it seemed like they had all arrived here almost at the same moment.
To be honest, all three had expected to be separated and fighting alone, so this turn of events surprised and confused them a little.