Zayne was in shock at what he had heard in Bellflower, its words kept echoing over and over in his mind while he followed the red petal.
The Dark Lands was a dangerous place, but nothing had happened for more than ten minutes. Zayne just followed his companion who was leading him to some special place.
'This is a special test from Chaos... but, what can it give me? What will I achieve if I pass? Zayne pondered, looking at the slightly trembling petal.
Crackle. Crackle. Crackle.
Suddenly there was the sound of branches breaking as a massive shadow appeared forward. However, despite this the petal was not going to move away, it continued to point in that direction.
Zayne was puzzled by this, so what happened next took him by surprise.
"What the hell...?" Zayne muttered looking at the two red eyes of some huge creature that was heading straight for him, demolishing everything in its path.
Whooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooosh.
The giant wild bull smashed several trees into splinters, as Feather quickly flew aside, dodging the attack at the last moment, but, in the bull's trajectory so was Zayne.
'Shit!" Zayne internally exclaimed, jumping back sharply, but he reacted too late, and the bull clobbered him, hitting him in the shoulder.
It was only a small jolt, but powerful pulses went through Zayne's body as the impact threw him aside.
Zayne was surprised by such abruptness and power, but it only lasted a moment, then his gaze grew serious, and he landed hard on his feet, keeping his balance.
"Well, well, looks like my well-deserved break is over, doesn't it?" Zayne muttered, staring intently at the bull.
The bull was huge, considerably taller than Zayne. Two long, menacing horns with sharp ends pointed straight at Zayne, while with every breath, the bull exhaled a cloud of vapor.
Every time its hooves touched the ground, there was a slight shudder, as if to show how heavy the creature was.
Zayne didn't draw his sword, instead, he stood in a fighting stance, looking at the bull's horns carefully. He was ready to take the attack at any moment.
"Young man... What are you doing here?"
A muffled, low voice suddenly sounded. Zayne turned around, trying to find its source, until he realized that it was the bull speaking.
ραΠdαsΝοvel.cοm "What...? Can you talk?" Zayne asked in confusion.
"Sure. I am." The bull snorted irritably, "My name is Toruf, the Red Rush! How did you end up in the Dark Lands if you're surprised by talking monsters?"
Zayne was wary. Even when he and Roland and the others had been in Orc Dungeon, they had communicated in their own language. There was no way Zayne could understand them. The same went for Three-Eyed, who had become one of his most difficult opponents.
'I see... Besides the creepy atmosphere, kidnapping, strange colors, and intelligent hyenas, there are also talking bulls... Well, Dark Lands really knows how to surprise.' Zayne inwardly muttered, staring intently at Toruf.
Toruf tilted his head, "There's something wrong here... You definitely weren't born here, so what path did you take to get to Dark Lands? Maybe through a snowy gorge? A poisonous forest? A fiery swamp?"
'Agh...? What the hell is he talking about? Zayne had never once heard of the places Toruf had mentioned.
Toruf looked at Zayne for a while, then he nodded, "Young man, I realize you're puzzled, but you'd better answer my question. Otherwise, I'll just beat you up and take your energy."
Zayne wasn't sure what he should do, so he decided to say what actually happened. After all, he was originally prepared to fight anyone who decided to attack him.
"Chaos kidnapped me and transported me here from Empire territory." Zayne said carefully, remembering to watch Toruf's every action.
Toruf nodded, "Hmm... Interesting, however, now I understand why that petal is hovering near you. Chaos has put you to the test. I have to say, you're the first Traveller it's ever happened to."
"What...?" Zayne's eyes went wide, "You know about Travellers?"
Toruf smirked, "Of course. You came to our world in search of power, and I'm glad of it. The more things that happen the better, it makes things more interesting!"
Toruf continued, "You don't seem to know anything about what awaits you. Look, usually to unlock the secret power that lies within you must first become Awakened. Then, training and mortal combat, and only then should you venture into Chaos Trial."
"Awakened...? What are you talking about?" Zayne raised an eyebrow. He hadn't heard that term from anyone before, it was something completely new to him.
"Damn... It's still weird. I can't remember the last time Chaos kidnapped someone and offered to take a trial to someone who hadn't even heard of the Awakened process." Toruf frowned, then he shook his head.
There was silence for a while, Zayne was tense while Toruf pondered something.
"Look. Even though this hasn't happened in a while, it looks like some kind of mistake. After all, you are a Traveller, given that factor, something could have gone wrong." Toruf said calmly before looking intently at Zayne.
"I'm offering to help you. I will guide you back to the Empire, if we leave now and go through the snowy gorge we will be there in twelve, sixteen hours tops." Toruf said with a serious expression.
Zayne's eyes widened. This was his chance to return to the academy and forget about this like some kind of nightmare. In any case, he could return to the Dark Lands in the future, when he knew more about this world and the situation he found himself in.
He would get back on track and be able to properly prepare for the tournament that was important to him. There he could test his strength.
"So... What do you think?" Toruf glanced at him.
"What happens if I refuse...?" Zayne asked as he narrowed his eyes.
Toruf frowned, "Young man... You're being too arrogant, however, I like your fighting spirit... Do you realize that not being an Awakened, you have almost no chance of passing the Chaos Trial? It's a one in a thousand chance! Maybe even less!"
Zayne took a step back, "So what? It's my choice! I doubt that in the near future, I'll be able to learn those things you mentioned and get the chance to go through this trial again. I've already agreed to follow the petal, so, some bull can't change my mind!"
"A bull...?" Toruf muttered, then he smirked, "Damn. You actually want to die. Fine, I like you, so I won't kill you. However, you can only pass on one condition!"
Zayne gave him a questioning look.
"You have to knock me down!" Toruf exclaimed with a confident grin, "If you can't do that, then that means you don't even have a one-in-a-million chance of passing the Chaos Trial! I'll return you to the Empire and we'll meet again in many years!"
At first, Zayne wanted to sharply reply something rude, but, then he felt strange. The creature in front of him lived in the Dark Lands, but it wasn't a bloodthirsty demon or some pure evil.
On the contrary, the only thing he sensed from Toruf was a competitive spirit. Toruf sought strength just like Zayne, and even this obstacle could be beneficial to each of them.
If Toruf lost, he would see the birth of a new genius, right in the Dark Lands. If Zayne fails, however, it will be a valuable experience for him. The next time he returns to Dark Lands, things might be different.
"Come on! Did you chicken out?! Come on! If you pass out, I'll carry you to the snowy gorge myself! It's no problem for me!" Toruf said vigorously, in excitement.
Zayne nodded, "Before we begin, tell me, what are you more proud of, your strength or your speed? Also, what Grade are you? Are you a Terror Grade Monster?"
Toruf smirked, "Strength! Speed is good, but I've always preferred to be strong, big and powerful! That's what I need. About your second question, hah, you'd know how stupid that sounded!"
"Agh...?" Zayne's eyes went wide, he didn't realize what he had done wrong. He just wanted to recognize his opponent's strength.
"Young man... before I tell you that, let me ask you in return, what's your name? Damn, we're about to have a friendly fight and I didn't even recognize your name. That was completely unacceptable of me." Toruf grinned.
"Sure. My name is Zayne Fellen."
Toruf nodded, "Fine, what about your question... I am not on Terror Grade."
Zayne breathed a sigh of relief.
"As well as on the Champion Grade." Toruf added.
"What...? Are you above...?" Zayne asked in disbelief. He had never fought someone who exceeded Terror Grade before.
Toruf smirked, "Zayne do you really think I would warn you against Chaos Trial if I wasn't an Awakened? Anyone who's gone through it is already automatically stronger than Terror Grade."
"Arisen Grade!" Toruf exclaimed majestically.
Visit and read more novel to help us update chapter quickly. Thank you so much!
Use arrow keys (or A / D) to PREV/NEXT chapter