Chapter 198 193: Saint Seal
The next phase of the Silvanus Tree quest required a god to enter and undergo a trial. According to the Forest God's plan, the chosen candidate was supposed to be an Isabel who had recovered her memories and Divine Format, but Luh Yao had swapped her out for the White God instead.
Before, no being from the Pixel World could enter the Golden Field. Even though Luh Yao could click it open, aside from collecting the rewards from the Silvanus Tree, he could only look at the landscape.
This time, however, the White God stepped inside unimpeded.
A prompt appeared on the simulator.
[The trial consists of three stages and is about to begin...]
The White God had clearly received a similar notification, and his body trembled.
It was clear He was quite intimidated by the infamous Main God Space.
Text appeared on the game interface.
[Stage One of the trial, the Test of Divine Knowledge, will now begin.]
[You must answer at least 8 questions correctly. Otherwise, you will be ejected from the Golden Field and will face a new set of questions on your next attempt.]
[The questions are as follows.]
[Question 1: What was the mortal name once used by the Forest God?]
[Isabelle Alice Ceroli]
[Isabelle Sylvia Ceroli]
[Isabelle Violet Ceroli]
The White God was utterly confused.
Luh Yao quickly summoned Selena. It was safe to say that the person who understood Isabel best right now wasn't Isabel herself, but Miss Tyrant.
"My Lord, it's Sylvia."
Luh Yao clicked his mouse, and a "Correct" notification immediately popped up.
He breathed a sigh of relief. It turned out he could answer the questions remotely.
'Thank goodness for Miss Tyrant.'
[Question 2: Who did the Forest Witch love?]
[King Reid XIV]
[Queen Ruby]
[Prince Reid]
[Everyone]
Luh Yao was almost certain the answer was the last option, but he asked Selena just to be safe. Miss Tyrant gave the same answer.
"She always finds a way to justify having no principles whatsoever," Selena couldn't help but mutter.
The answer was correct.
[Question 3: How should the Black-Clothed Witch be described?]
[The embodiment of evil and the grotesque]
[The Forest Witch's lifelong enemy]
[A witch with a dark and twisted psyche]
[The enemy that everyone needs]
Luh Yao chose the last option.
Correct.
'It's a good thing I read a few pages of the Memory Book,' he thought. 'Otherwise, I might have gotten these questions wrong.'
[Question 4: The Forest God had two dear friends. What were their names?]
[Selena and Ruby]
[Selena and Prince Reid]
[Selena and Winnie]
[Selena and Lilith]
Luh Yao relayed the question to Selena.
An exclamation mark lit up above her head, which was then replaced by a jumble of scribbles, a sign of her complicated feelings.
"My Lord... I don't know."
In any case, at least Ceroli really did see Selena as a dear friend—or so Selena thought, even if Ceroli never hesitated to backstab her when it was convenient.
Luh Yao was torn between the last two options.
In the end, he chose Winnie.
The answer was correct.
One question after another popped up.
Out of a total of 12 questions, Luh Yao answered 10 correctly. He was fairly confident about the first 8, but for many of the later ones, he had to rely on guesswork, as they involved specialized knowledge in fields like Witchcraft, history, and rituals.
Fortunately, getting 10 out of 12 was enough to pass.
After a short wait, new text appeared on the screen.
[Stage Two of the trial, Forrest's Proof, will now begin.]
[Survive for 60 seconds against Forrest, the Chief Apostle of the Forest God. You may give up at any time and re-attempt the challenge.]
Luh Yao was a little confused.
'Aren't Forrest's remains in the castle?' he wondered. 'After he was killed by the Whistleblower, his corpse was used as material to create the Corruptor Corps.'
'So there's another one here?'
A moment later, a giant figure materialized on the Golden Field.
Four curved horns grew from his head, and his pale eyes were without pupils. His body was a mass of knotted muscle, draped in leaves and moss. Puffs of white vapor billowed from his fanged mouth.
The text [Apostle LV99] hovered above Forrest's head.
'Holy shit, holy shit.'
'So this is Forrest's true form!'
Faced with the imposing Forrest, the White God immediately began to run circles around the Silvanus Tree, having no intention of confronting him head-on.
Luh Yao quickly activated the True Sight Curse to inspect the enemy.
...
[Apostle LV99] Divine Descendant Giant - Forrest [Saint Seal]
Life Value: 89,513/89,513
Mana Value: 5,107/5,107
Damage: 499
Defense: 399
Speed: 25
[Wisdom LV25]
Wisdom is the key for an Apostle to perceive the Divine Will. A higher level of Wisdom makes it easier to improve and master various abilities.
[Divine Descendants]
As a descendant of a God, there is a chance of awakening some of that God's abilities.
[Forest Soul Mystery]
Summons a large number of Forest Souls to surround the user for rapid healing. The healing potency depends on the number of Forest Souls. Receives a bonus in forest areas.
[Defense Mystery LV21]
When taking damage, there is a chance to execute a perfect defense, negating all damage.
[Life Mystery LV55]
Innately possesses an extremely high Life Value. Having seen through the mystery of life, the user can construct a form of additional life with Magic. This extra life can be restored slowly over time or with Magic and Artifacts.
[Rebound Damage LV33]
When hit by a melee attack, reflects 40 damage to the attacker. The amount of damage reflected is dependent on the user's defense.
[Super Giantization LV15] [Unusable]
Drastically increases Body Type, expanding damage and movement range, but also causing the user to take more cumulative damage.
[Sealed Soul LV18] [Unusable]
[Forrest's Exclusive Ability] Uses Forest Souls as a foundation to magically construct a sturdy prison, sealing an enemy within. The success rate and effectiveness of Sealed Soul depend on the ability's level and the target's remaining Life Value percentage.
...
Luh Yao was left speechless by Forrest's stat block.
'So this is the true power of the Forest God's Chief Apostle.'
'There's no way to fight him head-on.'
Fortunately, the second stage of the trial didn't require defeating Forrest; success simply meant surviving for 60 seconds.
However, even with the Divine Descendant Giant unable to use Super Giantization and his exclusive ultimate, Sealed Soul, the White God was still in a sorry state as he desperately fled and dodged.
The giant was too fast, his offense and defense were maxed out, and his relentless pursuit and high-speed punches alone left the White God struggling to defend himself.
Even after activating Deterrence to reduce the opponent's damage by 20%, each hit still cost the White God 300 Life Value. In less than 10 seconds, His health was nearly depleted, and He had to start using his Fire of Faith to tank the blows.
Luh Yao wasn't particularly worried, though.
At the current attack rate of once per second, as long as it stayed relatively consistent, the total Faith cost would only be 18,000.
He directly transferred 20,000 Faith to the White God, writing it off as a mission expense.
With a large supply of Faith, the formerly listless White God was instantly reinvigorated. Even the way he fled and took hits now had an air of confidence and flair.
After 60 seconds, Forrest vanished without a trace.
A green, clover-like mark remained where he had stood.
Luh Yao clicked on it and discovered it was a new, collectible Artifact.
...
[Apostle Soul Seal]: Consumes 6,000 Faith per use.
The wielder must use their Fire of Faith or Life Value as fuel to briefly activate this Forbidden Curse. This allows them to use the Main God Level "Saint's Seal: Forrest," which has been modified by the Forest God, to summon Forrest's Soul Seal to fight for 60 seconds.
...
Luh Yao held his breath as he read.
He had really, truly hit the jackpot this time!
The Soul Seal, like the Eye of True Sight, was a Main God Level Magic Artifact. Furthermore, it was a top-tier piece of equipment designed specifically for direct combat.
Forrest was a powerhouse of both offense and defense, came with his own Rebound Damage and self-healing, had a ridiculously thick health bar, and wasn't the least bit slow. For those 60 seconds, he was the perfect all-around warrior.
With the Soul Seal in his possession, his next venture into the Abyss would be much easier.
It had to be said, the Forest God had truly left behind some priceless treasures for her own resurrection.
Luh Yao downed half a glass of water in one gulp.
After calming down a bit, he turned his attention back to the Golden Field.
The screen displayed:
[Stage Three of the trial, Find the Clockwork Monkeys, will now begin.]
[Please find the 6 scattered Clockwork Monkeys in the Golden Field and repair them. Only the Clockwork Monkeys can precisely manipulate the Silvanus Tree. This will be the final test.]
[Once you complete the final trial, the Golden Field will open to you completely, all the treasures on the Silvanus Tree will belong to you, and this world will operate according to your Divine Will.]