Path of Light

by A P Gore

  Swoosh swoosh. The arrows passed from front of him, and Jon jumped across the granite platform next to the door.

  Swoosh, and hundred arrows shot from the ceiling, closing on him at an alarming rate.

  Jon’s heart constricted, and he made an impossible U-turn in the air by twisting at the waist.

  With a jolt, his body halted in the air and dropped on the granite platform next to the door, yet two arrows pierced his left hand.

  Damn. The pain. That was too close! If he had been just a little bit faster, he would have been in the ceiling arrow area and died by hundreds of piercing arrows.

  No, the pain was too much. He didn’t want to wake up in the respawn room with pain from a hundred places on his body. Coffee was be good incentive, but the pain would be too much.

  Casting a Healing Space below him, Jon sat on the stone platform, watching the unending barrage of arrows zooming around the room.

  Maybe he should just push his head forward and get hit by one arrow.

  Nope, that would be the craziest way to die.

  Then how would he get out of this f-ing place?

  Chapter 14

  Minutes passed, then hours, but Jon couldn't find a solution to his problem. The only option remaining was to kill himself with his shovel.

  He pulled his shovel out of his bag.

  Brushing his fingers against the metal head, he tasted its sharpness. Not bad, but it could use some sharpening, so he pulled a couple of earth elemental crystals out and sharpened the head. The crystals were quite good for things like that required hard surface, like sharpening and knocking someone down.

  Wait, what about Earth Mend and Mold Earth? What if he dropped into the ground using Earth Mend and ran forward? Gauging the distance, it shouldn't take him more than five seconds to reach the other end.

  With a crazy smile, he cast Mold Earth, but he only wasted his Spirit. The ground seemed to be spellproof.

  Damn.

  He tried to hit one of the arrows flying through the air with his shovel. The arrow was so powerful that it made Jon spin around and fall.

  “Damn you...” Pissed off, Jon threw the crystal he was holding at the arrow hole. Maybe he lucked out, but the uneven crystal fit perfectly in the hole.

  A creaking sound emerged from the hole, and the stone shot out like an arrow and turned to dust, but at the same time the arrow coming out had a deflected trajectory and shot toward the ceiling.

  How was this possible?

  Jon threw a second crystal into a nearby hole. This time, too, his crystal chanced out and stuck inside the hole, blocking it completely. No arrow came out of the hole.

  There was a way after all.

  Jon started throwing crystals into more arrow holes. Sometimes they fit, sometimes they missed. After wasting around five hundred crystals, he’d closed down the first vertical line of arrow holes. Five of the holes were shooting arrows upward, four had broken down, and one was shooting at the ground.

  By this time, his Throwing skill had shot up to level 5.

  Grinning, Jon glanced at his bag and found he had only eight thousand crystals remaining, but that should be enough for him to cross the lines. With the Throwing skill, his accuracy had increased, and he could still pick up the crystals lying on the ground along the way.

  Kissing a crystal, he stepped forward.

  Another volley of arrows shot from the ceiling. If he hadn't expected it, he would have died for sure.

  “Damn you, am I supposed to create another me and walk through here?” Jon rubbed his chin. “Another me?” The mechanism was triggered by weight. If he put something heavy on this side and something on the other side, that should do the trick. Or would it?

  Whatever. He had another him he could use.

  Jon's wicked eyes fell on his Ring of Darkness.

  Ring of Darkness

  Class: Unique

  +2 Constitution

  -1 Intelligence

  Shrouds the wearer in a dark mist, rendering others incapable of casting perception on the wearer.

  Generate a drop of Water of Darkness every ten days.

  Water of Darkness grants +20 Wisdom, +20 Constitution for 12 hours. Cooldown period of 24 hours after the use. Water of Darkness can boost a darkness type creature to go into a frenzied state, increasing its attack speed and damage by 40%.

  Additional Spell Granted:

  Dark Clone: Create a dark clone of yourself that will explode, dealing 45% of your life as darkness. Clone doesn't use any skills or effects of the user. Time: 1 hour. Cost: 200 life.

  After casting Healing Space on himself, Jon cast Dark Clone.

  A dark mist shot from his body, and another him appeared right next to him. It looked exactly like him. Handsome face, square jaw, blue eyes. Seeing himself like this, even he couldn't avoid falling in love with himself. He was too handsome. Too much.

  The clone would last for one hour, so he had an hour's time to complete the trial.

  Breathing deep, Jon stepped off of the granite stage as his clone took his place. His breath stuck inside his chest as a swoosh echoed through the room. However, he released the held breath the very next moment. The sound came from in front of him, not from the ceiling.

  One more step and he stood in front of the first vertical line of arrow-shooting holes. Of course, they were rendered incapable already.

  Picking up crystals from the ground, Jon started throwing them at the next vertical line of arrow holes.

  THE GIRL IN THE WHITE dress gasped as the kid passed the last line of defenses.

  How could he? It was just... unprecedented to see a level 8 player using such tactics to pass the room.

  But that was it. Though ingenious, he would fail in the next room.

  The kid stepped on the opposite platform in the room, and the door to the next room opened.

  “What a waste. What a waste. If only he had strength.” A strange voice echoed from her mouth, but it was the end for him. The next room was the room of strength, and without 300 Strength, how would he save himself from the crushing stone that launched at him from the ceiling?

  Chapter 15

  A crushing sound echoed inside the third trial room when Jon took his first step inside. A stone slate, covering the whole width of the room, came crashing down at him from above. Fire sparks ran amok at the point of friction between the wall and the stone. It was marvelous to watch the square of fire, but at the same time it scared the shit out of him.

  Jon gasped. “What the heck is this thing?” His mouth went dry, and sweat rolled over his lower back.

  For a moment he froze, unable to think of any solution, but the stone was coming fast, and he didn't have more than two or three seconds of time left. So, this is how it would end? A bitter smile played on his lips. Soon, he would wake up in the respawn room with the immense pain of being crushed below a mountain of stone.

  Damn! His gaze jumped to the opposite side of the room. A golden door waited for him, illuminated with a faint blue light. Seeing the magic and the color of the door, it might mean his freedom, but here he was, dying like an ant. If only he could mend...

  “Earth Mend!” He shouted with a clear conscious and closed his eyes, waiting for doom.

  The stone crashed on the granite floor with an intense sound that threatened to crush his eardrums. A measly -20 HP warning popped up in his vision. The floor must have been made from the stronger material, as he didn't feel any crumbling below his feet.

  What? Wasn't he dead yet?

  Opening his eyes, he found himself in that strange fluid-like state. Earth Mend had worked.

  “F-k!” Cursing loudly, he took off running for the door. The counter in his vision was going down, and if he was propelled back, there was no place for him to go. If that happened, it would be a complete mess. He had to get out of the stone at any cost.

  Four... Three... Two...

  Jon's heartbeat raced like a spaceship, and when the counter reached one, he leaped forwar
d, throwing caution to the wind. Whatever would happen, it would happen in that one second.

  Pain shot from his forehead as he crashed landed on the granite platform next to the door.

  Chest heaving, he cast a glance at the stone slate that reached the ceiling. A fraction of a second. If he hadn’t made it... his heart jolted inside his ribcage at the thought.

  “What a f-ing place.” He cursed the creator of the labyrinth and that striped lion who pushed him into this danger. They should have at least thought about his handsome face. “Would it look good to get crushed below a stone?” he shouted as he got to his feet, legs still quivering a little.

  The door in front of him suddenly opened, and the girl in white welcomed him with a smile. In the blink of an eye, he stood in the underground room of the trial doors.

  “Kiara...” He sat on his butt, staring at the image of his daughter from childhood. If she didn't smell like nothing, he would have thought she was his girl from a long time ago.

  “So, this girl is called Kiara. Nice name, adventurer. I like it. Do you mind if I keep it?”

  Jon nodded. Why would he object? It wasn't like he had a patent for the name. There were a million other Kiara’s in the planetary system he lived in. It was like his handsome face. Many others had handsome faces. Though not matching to his level, they still had them. Didn't they?

  “Congratulations. You've passed the first trial, and now you can choose a reward.”

  System: Congratulations, you have completed Labyrinth of Shenron 6 I. You gain a chance to choose a unique item from the Vault of Shenron. EXP: 10000 (20000/2 due to Divine Punishment).

  What the f-k? He had received 20k EXP, but it got halved. Shaking his head, he forced a smile. At least he got something out of it.

  A white light fell on his head and enveloped him in ecstasy. His dirty clothes, bad odor, everything vanished, replaced by new clothes and a good smell.

  “You can choose one item from the list,” Kiara said. A list of gold spherical tokens appeared in front of him. “What you receive depends on your fortune.”

  So, it was up to Chance.

  A wicked smile spread on his lips as he touched the Amulet of Chance he’d gotten from the striped lion.

  “Fortune's Tale.”

  Closing his eyes, he reached out and picked a random golden token.

  The token came to life and appeared in his hand, where it changed into a small golden box. It felt so smooth, like he was holding the most beautiful divine silk in his hands.

  Wow! If the box was so nice, how good would the item inside be?

  His face flushed as he opened the golden box.

  Golden light shot from the box and hovered in front of him in the form of a golden ball, a tiny two-inch circumference ball.

  “What is this?” Jon touched it and a tranquil feeling spread over his mind. The ball called to him.

  “What a waste.” The expression on the girl's face darkened. “You cleared the first trial at level 8, and yet you got a waste like this. Even a rare weapon would've served you better than this.” She looked Jon up and down.

  Jon cast perception.

  Garden of Shenron (God's Garden)

  Class: Unique (Can evolve)

  A unique pocket realm carefully cultivated by the Dragon God Shenron. This space has been filled with the soil from the Eternal Nourishing Realm and hosts multiple gardens for the user.

  Plants grown inside the garden will have up to 50% increased growth rate and up to 30% chance to increase plant quality by 1. (Depends on the level of garden unlocked)

  Do you want to soul bind? Yes/No.

  Jon hastily selected Yes. This was crazy. 50% growth rate and 30% chance to level up. If he planted his weed crop, he might get it to Magical quality. But then his eyes lingered on the words “Dragon God.”

  “Was Shenron a Dragon God?” Jon's brows drew together. Was this trial set by a god?

  Pride surged through the girl's eyes. “Of course. He was a god—a greater god, actually.” She sighed, a sad sigh. “When Master was alive, this whole city flourished with unimaginable wealth. That garden in your hand was a failed experiment of the Master, yet he valued it so much. He even visited the Eternal Nourishing Realm to get the soil for his garden. He used to grow his secondary herbs inside that garden.

  Jon suddenly remembered the black ball he’d received in the Abomination Forest at the alter of Transformation Ritual. “Do you know what this thing is?” Jon pulled it out.

  Kiara stepped back, her face darkening. “Keep it away. Don't open that thing here.”

  “Okay.” Jon dropped it back inside his bag. “But can you at least tell me what it is?”

  “That's the key to the trial of some unknown dark land. Key of Soul. Once you open it, the first thing it will do is call upon a level 50+ demon or a creature of darkness, and I don't want any filthy creature to dirty the master's labyrinth.”

  “Okay.” Jon focused on the golden ball in his hand. “How do I use this?”

  “Will it? It belongs to you now. You have full control over it.”

  Closing his eyes, Jon willed to enter the pocket realm. A gust of wind brushed against his face. Opening his eyes, he found himself in a vast space filled with lush herbs and a spring that flowed with sparkling water. A golden sun shone on the horizon.

  Amazing! There was no other word for it.

  Making a note to check the herbs at a later time, Jon willed himself out of the garden and reappeared in front of the girl.

  “I have something else to give you,” the girl said in a solemn voice.

  “Please.”

  “I'll imprint a Tier 0 formation for you. I can see you are only a Formationist, so there's no point in giving you a Tier 1 or Tier 2 formation. Do you have the formation of Spirit Congregation?”

  Chapter 16

  Suddenly the air felt dense and muddy, but Jon couldn't guess why. The second trial door shone with a bright red light, and a few words appeared on top of it, but they were unintelligible.

  Ignoring it, Jon looked at the girl in white before speaking. “Formation of Spirit Congregation? What's that?”

  The girl in white sighed. “As expected, you are far from the level of Formation Adapt, so there's no need to bestow you with the basic Formation Framework.”

  Was she still talking in human language? “Now what's that? Can you talk in a language I understand?” First, the formation of Spirit Congregation, and now some sort of framework?

  The girl studied him with a look of disdain. “What do you think about formations?”

  Jon rubbed his jaw; the subtle texture of his few-days-old beard needed a clean-up. “They’re good for farming, and excellent for control skills, but they’re clumsy in battle.”

  “As expected, a dumb head.” A giggle slipped out of her. “Formations are not meant for one-on-one battle, though a Formation Master is a supreme commander in battle arts. The formations shine in huge wars. Did you know my Master slayed three gods alone with a tier 5 formation framework?”

  “Slaying gods with formation framework?” Jon gasped. “What formation was that?” His eyes shone with curiosity.

  “Stupid waste. A formation framework is a framework in which you can channel different formations together to work as a whole. It's like a puzzle, and each formation is a piece.”

  “Different formations working as a whole? How does that work?” He felt like he was in college again. Why was it so complicated?

  The girl sighed. “Why did I meet you here? Anyway, I will show you a simple example.” She waved her hand, and a screen appeared in front of his eyes. A man had placed four stones in front of a small town and raised his hand to accumulate fire inside the formation area.

  “This is the formation of Fire Congregation,” she said. “It gathers the fire aura from the environment and condenses it in accumulated fire. Great to burn your enemies in eternal fire.” An evil smile played on her thin lips.

  Jon swallowed hard. The
might of the formation was frightening. It burned like a forest fire compressed into a small area.

  The girl continued, “Now, when I combine this formation with the Elemental Ray formation, which is a utility formation for concentrating elemental energy for utility, it becomes a Scorching Ray framework.” Another formation appeared in the middle of the first formation, the fire was sucked into it, and a fiery beam shot out of it.

  It was like someone had gathered the fire and then condensed it into a fire beam.

  Jon shuddered as the beam shot through the town and hit the castle at the other end, burning everything in its path. Even the castle didn't survive, reduced to ash. The might of this Scorching Ray formation was too much, and she was right, formations would be powerful in war.

  For the first time, Jon understood how deadly his class could turn. But it was extinct from the world of BlackFlame Online, and he had no reason to put it in use for destruction. Actually, he was quite happy with its current use as a utility class. As long as his crops grew fast, he would keep using the formations for farming.

  In reality, he only needed good formations for his farms. Why would he go to war? He wasn't stupid.

  “So, if I combine my formations, they would be called a formation framework? Like Hurricane and Lock formation would be a good match.” Jon had already imagined five mountain bears locked inside his formation and a giant hurricane wreaking havoc over it.

  The girl slapped her forehead. “What a waste, a complete waste. Do you think formation frameworks can be learned like this?” Her face morphed into a fiery dragon. “Stupid human, if you put two formations together, their overall strength will reduce. But a formation framework is different. It amplifies the strength, and you don't learn it like this. You have to pass the Trials of Formations to reach Formation Adapt level—only then will you get access to the two-layer formation framework.”

  Jon took a step back. “Okay, kiddo. Now just teach me the formation of Spirit Congregation, would you?” The girl seemed too violent. Kiara, his daughter, was so sweet when she was this small, yet this girl looked fierce. Now he wished she would change into that plowing machine again, his interest in staring at the image of his daughter dwindling.