Temporal Pearls

"Last time I checked you vow not to do that again!" His wife, a pink skin with red hair, said. Not supporting her husband\'s enthusiastic plan.

"Hey, he survived the witch. He can survive me. Besides, he may gain more than me." he vanished in a wave of silk and appeared inside a controlled environment that he created himself.

By then Seth was by the water ball at the reception. Waiting to be attended.

Then he heard a word beside him, "You have reached the correct criteria to participate in Ancient Blood Beast Trials. Get ready in 1….2..3!"

It happened very fast but Seth was able to react in time however the very building suppressed him and he blanked away.

Seth woke up in a room, not very large with several hundred markings on the wall and floor.

[Welcome to Crimson Silk Trial]

[There are four levels and you have only three lives]

Seeing that, Seth looked around and found his eyes stung. The markings or the gibberish sketching was strange, it reminded him of the whole Garden Of Eden.

In a way the whole city seemed to seep into a person\'s mind and if one has weak mental fortitude they couldn\'t withstand it.

These markings were the same and were generally made in a spiral pattern which made them look alike but were fundamentally different.

Seth observed each from the walls, ceilings, floor and everywhere trying to glean their secrets.

He didn\'t make a move for fear of triggering something he shouldn\'t. He knew there would be danger because he was told he had 3 lives.

[1.00]

[0.59]

Suddenly, seconds began to count down, Seth held his staff and looked around. He felt uneasy and at 0:00 his mind went blank.

He came back to normal in a narrow corridor where the two of him couldn\'t stand side by side. But there was something eerie about it, not because of the markings on the wall but because he was… naked, with no staff or even any of his stuff.

Fear gripped Seth as he looked around, his back was facing a wall with a step he would touch it.

The corridor went ahead and far into it was fog that obscured his view.

"What the hell?" He cursed and tried checking his status and felt he had everything but he couldn\'t bring the panel but he knew the functions and skills were there.

Shortly, from one of the markings far ahead on the side wall began to bleed.

A pungent smell assaulted his nostrils and a blood goo coagulated and made an abomination that resembled a four-legged animal.

Strangely Seth felt he knew the creature or saw it somewhere but he can\'t figure out where exactly.

The abomination became somewhat complete but was still made of only thick pungent blood that rumbled like liquid as the animal monster moved. It looked like a Rhinoceros.

The blood rhino walked toward Seth and stared at him with an empty hole where his eyes were supposed to be.

To Seth, it felt as if an old friend who was battered by the world was coming to him and asking do you recognise me. We used to know each other.

The feeling of knowing it increased but Seth felt it was surreal to know. In fact, he expected that it was from Blood Warlock Sanctuary that he saw it. But no.

Suddenly it attacked. Its movement was fast and it jingled around just like a mass of liquid contained by force.

"Vela.."

Seth\'s body increased in speed and trajectory coke out but before he made any substantial move, the rhino as if zoomed, rammed it his chest.

Seth has relied on his attire for so long, he had forgotten or he had neglected how weak his actual body was.

In an attack that shouldn\'t break a normal human body, the blood horn of the rhino shattered Seth\'s ribs and went deep.

The pain. Oh, the pain was so enormous that Seth screamed and he went blank.

What was worse was that he got flashes of his real body waking up and fainting. Blood foaming out of his mouth.

The danger level of this rhino was equal to the Gawee Monster and beast as their attacks affect the real-world body.

In pain and agony, Seth released his aura into the wounds and his whole body. Which serves to increase a minute resilience of his body.

Due to training with Aura, Seth\'s body was hard to kill, true he was super weak but he can survive mutilation to a certain extent. That was why in Yellow City he was able to survive in a dangerous situation against the Chief.

But, the rhino was like a Gawee Beast as such its attacks were worse than normal and healing was also a problem. However, with aura, Seth was able to mitigate some of the things but the danger persisted.

Deep down Seth felt as if the Rhino was saying how dare you not remember, I will kill you for that. Which was strange.

Abruptly, the rhino\'s body was pulled out. Blood poured from the massive cave on Seth\'s chest. The pain was great but the monstrous creature that did that was so horrific that Seth gape in shock.

It was three meters tall, with horse legs and hooves, and long slender hands, four meters each. Its head wasn\'t forming as the blood couldn\'t solidify it.

It too was made with blood goo and gave out far more stench than the rhino that was now twitching on the monstrous hand.

Seeing the second monster made him feel the same way as the rhino. As an old friend that he knew but now not recognizable.

The monstrous creature stared at Seth as if wanting to be known but the delay agitated it and was about to attack but the rhino on its hand immediately solidified and became a creature of flesh and bones.

Its size increased as well as its weight. A flash of intelligence in its now normal eyes flashed. Its horn glowed and became crystal as crystalline patterns decorated its body.

It snorted at the still blood monster and faded away. The monster raged on but it too began to change before a calm washed it and it became of flesh and bones. The crystalline pattern appeared on its body and its hooves became crystals.

Its face was more like a humanoid goat in a somewhat veil.

It too vanished and revealed a myriad of blood creatures behind.

Seth was now floating inches above the ground, his eyes darting from one blood monster to another, identifying and connecting them with the pattern he saw in that previous room.

The trial was simple, the spiral pattern was a depiction of the strange creatures that were in the form of blood goo. They weren\'t insane or wished to kill but they were in a state of desire.

A desire to be known, to be identified and recognized. And that can be done if one connects them with their actual patterns.

"Impressive." The pink skin woman said to her husband, Crimson Silk.

This trial was dangerous for a reason as the blood creatures were very powerful and immortal. Fighting them was just insane except if you have a specific weapon.

But fighting wasn\'t the goal here but certifying the creatures.

"I think he will clear this Ancient Trial for me. Haha. Yes!" Crimson Silk laughed.

"Maybe!" the woman said as she could already see Seth\'s major weakness.

Seth\'s mind was able to handle the intrusion of the patterns in his mind and all he had to do now was connect what was very fast before the creatures lost control.

But suddenly, his head flew out, separated from his body and his vision darkened.

[You have 2 more Lives]

He saw that and he woke up in the squire room. Some patterns have vanished; they were the ones he identified but the ones he didn\'t are glowing. In this place, he has his staff and attire.

[1.00]

He sighed and thought about his mistake before he was pulled to the corridor. The blood monster was there waiting for him and the moment they saw him they pounced.

But now, he was ready, his eyes glowed, and he floated. Seth focused his attention and saw some blood abominations even though the blood was transparent, it was one of them that killed him.

With aura sight, he saw everything and connected them with their patterns with ease.

[Trial 1: Cleared]

[Blood Creature Resurrected: All]

Seth then found himself in a field, a large field and a white ceiling of light.

[Trial 2: In progress]

[Prove yourself to three random resurrected creatures for 2 Minutes]

"Give him some weapons to fight," the woman said to Crimson Silk.

"I haven\'t changed the rule." Crimson Silk said with a smile.

"Then you kill him!" she said.

"Why?"

That was when three creatures appeared before Seth. One was a giant bear, the other was an orca and the last was an avian creature.

Seth just stood there as they looked at him as if saying we weren\'t holding back.

"Is this a joke!?" Seth wondered. How in the fucking world can he fight these things.

A normal human will be pummelled with ease, let alone a weakling like him.

However, Vela Aspecto was active and he made a move to run around and he became a paste.

Despite his high speed due to Vela, the bear saw him like a bug moving at the speed of a snail.

His real body convulsed and spit blood, his heart stopped before the life safety brought him back to normal.

Seth appeared in the squire room with a 1-minute countdown.

"Look!" The pink woman points to Seth\'s constitution on the device they use to control everything.

"Is this a joke?" Crimson asked, thinking his wife was playing a prank on him.

"Will I joke with people\'s lives!"

Crimson Silk hasn\'t really checked every Seth stats before throwing him to the trial and now he realises he made a great mistake as Seth\'s Constitution was just 5.

Even an average baby has 6 but this grown man has only 5.

As he checked more he saw that what kept Seth going was his Exertion Point which went to Zero with a single hit.

"Damn it. You should have told me earlier!" he grumbled.

"I thought you knew and changed the rule for weapons. Try to see if you can give him a weapon!"

The trial comes in two, the one where you can use a weapon and the one where you can\'t. People with constitutions like Seth can have a weapon but that will lower the rating of the trial.

"Damn it. I can\'t, this trail is fresh because he was able to battle in the arena. I know he will pass this on with relative ease. Heck, he even tries to join the Knight Order and some martial arts groups. How will I know he is super weak? Did you know he fought with the Dust Master to a stalemate?

And you know that Rayki dust penetrates defence… "

"Besides, the backlash of his death can be resolved but we are so close to finishing the trail and…"

He was ranting when he saw something. Seth\'s body emits a flash and then pressure descends pinning the three creatures down.

Seth has released his Grade 4 Aura and became Grade 5 with zero reservations. He knew that this trial may not have adverse effects as Gawee Beast but as the death affects his main body, it means he shouldn\'t allow himself to causally die.

"No wonder he said he was strong!"

With the avalanche of his aura filling the space, he has some leeway. But as the creatures moved, it felt as if they weren\'t contained. However, the fact he was able to react means they were.

He danced around avoiding the bear, but Seth\'s body was dissected into two, a few seconds later.

The avian creature moved and it too released its aura that cancelled his before she passed by him.

Seth was in the white room again panting. He didn\'t really see the attack, it just happened.

"This is over right!"

[You have Zero lives]

[This is your last try.]

Seth\'s body appeared among the beast again. He released his aura and ran to the side.

That when the Orca opened its mouth, a yellow flame ignited, aiming at him to turn him to ash.

As if the creatures were playing with him. Each one gets to kill him once.

As the flame burst out, a flicker of red flame was shone. Seth quickly took control of that and he immediately expanded it and it devoured the yellow one.

Without wasting time he pulled it and attacked the other creatures indiscriminately. They all escaped back in panic.

"Haha, Good, I forgot, he can control fire….!" Crimson Silk laughed but frowned as he saw something.

Seth might be controlling the flame but his body was being cooked and melting.

The pain and agony were great but the only reason Seth continued was because it wasn\'t reflecting on his real body. So he endured and chased them away until his flesh began to slip and fall did he lose the flame and pant, his brain cooked and he blanked away?

[Trial 2: Cleared]

[Three Creatures Defeated]

Seth\'s body vanished and appeared inside a water. His body stopped steaming but the damage was still there. Fire has indeed become his enemy.

[Trial 3: In Progress]

[Glare back at the terror of the depth]

Myriad silhouettes of different marine creatures seemed to dwell in that place. Some looked like sharks, others like dolphins, some were indescribable.

Each one of them as they passed looked at him but somewhat they glared at him with red burning eyes, some with eerie green death eyes, others with the terror of the blue sky.

Various colored eyes but all menacing.

They seemed to glare at each other too. They don\'t attack and he grasps that this place is for bluffing. You ascertain yourself by being fearless and looking each of them in the eye.

So, he did!

But he was wrong, it was a battle of fortitude. If he glared at them and he was weaker in terms of willpower and mind, he would lose a portion of his energy to them.

But if he won, he sucked them in just like when he looked at the spiral patterns in that room.

What was strange was Seth felt his body was accommodating them.

Yes, after the glare, the monster silhouettes vanished and he felt as if something was in him. And that was the case.

Seth found his burnt skin was moulding and turning into flesh tattoo as if he was born with that.

``Weak``he heard a word in his head, the silhouettes were disappointed at how weak his body was.

Thankfully, he has an abundant aura and mental fortitude to hold them all.

But, his mind and eyes did bleed from the glaring contest. If not for mental fortitude was his specially he would have died ten times over.

[Trial 3: Cleared]

[You carried the shadows of the Lost abyss]

``Weakling``

``Die``

``Consume yourselves``

``Go kill yourself``

The voices were in a hundred talking at the same time. They would have driven any normal mind insane but Seth felt annoyance and his attention was not on them but on his cooked body.

"Damn it." He felt that the next time he controlled any flame he would die a gruesome death.

Seth felt more anger towards the dragons and even began to think of actually killing them.

Why will they spoil his relationship with the precious living element, fire?

[Trial 4: Cleared]

[You Resisted madness against conflicting shadow noise]

"What?" Seth has no idea Trial 4 has begun, the fact the noise was the last trial meant it was the most dangerous but to Seth that wasn\'t even qualified as background noise.

His body then appeared in a white small room with floating blue crystals. From the moulded skin tattoo an energy silhouette out in a daze, as if overwhelmed by something. It was the impressive mental energy they survived in.

The energy seeped into the crystal and an embryo was formed. This continued to happen until there was only one tattoo with a silhouette in it.

At that moment, a transparent book with a hundred pages appeared in the room.

[Reward 1: Wildbeast Immunity]

[Reward 2: Battle Might]

[Reward 3: Shadow Glare]

[Reward 4: Confusionist]

[Cumulative Reward: Embryo Tome]

All the above skills were going to be stored in the tome.

The moment he touched it, the remaining silhouette in him and the remnants of the others flowed into the book. A hundred pages were filled with strange writings before the book cover morphed into a strange scary moulded skin depicting something horrifying.

[Tome bonded]

[Red Canvas recorded as the Trial Contestant]

____

Seth appeared in a normal room, out of the trial ruins. Immediately, Womb reacted and sucked in the Emryo Tome, at the same time, the aura, oval moon, and other similar things all sucked by the womb.

It was night and Seth knew what it wanted to do, so he used his staff and invoked blessing.

By the time Crimson Silk came in, Seth appeared to glow like a holy being. And as he basked in the light emitted by this super weak being he felt his mind cleared and his heart calm.

That feeling vanished when the glow vanished and he noticed Seth was smiling and frowning.

"I\'m sorry I have to put you in that trial but I know it\'s beneficial. You pass and gain a super reward."

Seth sighed and looked at the young man before he said, "The things I bought?" He really didn\'t want to enrol himself more with these Eden people.

"Oh, yes." he handed Seth a blood-coloured ring.

Taking it, Seth saw inside filled with items. "Storage ring!"

"Yes. Hard to come by!" Crimson Silk said nervously.

"Thank you, Chairman," Seth said before he turned and left.

He can\'t hate the man, as his trial reward is very good.