Chapter 34: The Trial of Mind
So painful...
Ryven clutched his head.
The pain coursing through his body felt very surreal. Every trauma and every suffering he had experienced resurfaced all at once.
It was like a bomb had exploded inside his very soul.
Opening his eyes, he saw his mother’s eyes, filled with hatred and disgust toward him.
That look... Please don’t look at me like that. I haven’t done anything wrong... have I?
His inner child asked in confusion.
Subconsciously, he bit his nails.
I never asked to be born... So why do you wish I had never been born?
If it’s anyone’s fault... It should be yours, right?
Ryven’s mind turned chaotic as a tide of emotions consumed him. The anger within him continued to build as he was repeatedly struck by a baseball bat.
"You ignorant brat! I should’ve aborted you while you were still in my belly!"
His mother’s voice reverberated throughout his mind. Those words made the pain from the bruises pale in comparison.
He wanted to ask why.
But no words came out of his mouth.
After what felt like an eternity, the final swing of the bat struck him directly on the head. It hurt so much that his vision gradually became blurry.
At the same time, his mother’s expression regained a trace of sanity.
W-what am I doing to my own son...?
Unexpectedly, she dropped the bat from her hand and began crying on the floor.
Watching his mother cry through his blurry vision, Ryven felt immense anger and hatred. The emotions were so intense that they felt like countless knives constantly stabbing his mind.
In a bizarre way, he found the strength to move.
To his left, lying on the floor, was a knife.
The fury within him didn’t subside. Instead, it grew even stronger, gradually driving him to madness.
Despite the blood flowing from his head, he forced himself to stand.
Slowly, he reached for the knife and gripped it tightly.
With small steps, he approached his crying mother.
For now, she had yet to notice him gradually approaching. She was too busy wiping away the tears that continued to stream down her face.
Kill.
Kill.
Kill.
The overwhelming urge to kill completely consumed his mind. Just as he was about to take his revenge, a strange voice echoed in his ears.
"Don’t do it."
The voice sounded ethereal and gentle, allowing Ryven to regain a trace of clarity.
However, because the trial’s difficulty, it became far more difficult to stable his emotions.
It ensured that Ryven was completely consumed by his emotions, making that moment of clarity insufficient.
The overwhelming desire to kill still dominated his thoughts.
Why shouldn’t I?
Why shouldn’t I?
Why shouldn’t I?
Ryven’s hand trembled as he tightened his grip on the knife.
"Remember who you are." The ethereal voice echoed through his mind once more.
This time, vague memories flooded his consciousness.
A blurred image appeared before him. It depicted a beautiful woman wearing a thick purple veil that concealed her face.
At that moment, something in his consciousness snapped.
T-this isn’t real...
The instant that thought crossed his mind, he suddenly turned the knife toward himself and drove it into his neck.
As the blade cut into his skin, an unbearable pain surged through his body.
The knife wasn’t sharp enough, forcing him to exert even more strength to end his own life.
Painful... This is so painful...
Tears and snot streamed down his face as the agony became almost impossible to endure.
Each passing second felt like an eternity.
Soon...
Everything went black.
[Congratulations! Host has passed the Trial of Mind.]
Suddenly, Ryven jolted awake inside the grand palace.
His entire body was drenched in sweat, while his heart pounded violently against his chest.
He immediately reached for his neck, checking for any wounds.
Finding nothing, he finally let out a sigh of relief.
"Why would you do that?" Samminah who was standing in front of him, couldn’t help but asked in amusement.
"Do what?" Ryven glanced at her in confusion.
"What I’m trying to say is..."
"You could’ve done it without going through so much pain. Do you remember what you did back then after getting abused like that?" She vaguely explain.
"Huh...?"
For a moment, Ryven thought about his past.
That’s when he remembered.
After being abused like that, he hadn’t felt that much anger or hatred.
Instead, he had run away, eventually passing out on the street and, luckily, being saved by a random passerby.
...
Ryven remained silent for a few moments.
Eventually, he let out a long sigh.
"What’s done is done. And right, I still need to thank you for your help."
"I’m sure I would’ve failed the trial without it."
Without Samminah’s voice to help him, he would’ve surely been consumed by madness.
Just thinking about whag happened to the trial sent a shiver down his spine.
"I only gave you a little push," Samminah replied, sounding slightly pleased.
"Hmm... Putting that aside, how did you even manage to interfere with the trial?" He asked curiously.
"Let’s just say I have my ways," She replied casually.
Hearing that answer, Ryven’s left eye twitched slightly.
After a moment of silence, realizing she wasn’t going to say anything else, he decided to shrug it off and looked around.
He found himself inside a grand palace.
There were six large Sicilian pedestals, all pure white. Resting atop them were three artifacts and three skill books.
Strangely, the three skill books were all represented by unfamiliar-colored orbs.
The first was a dark blue orb, the second a light blue orb, and the last a light yellow orb.
"What tier are these orbs?"
As he turned toward Samminah, he saw her picking up a crimson crown.
What’s that?
Just as that question surface in his mind, a system notification appeared.
[??? has obtained a Fifth-Tier Artifact: Bloody Crown!]
[Description: The Bloody Crown is a Fifth-Tier Artifact that grants the wearer a forty-five percent resistance to physical attacks while allowing the manifestation of two bloody wings, greatly enhancing agility and perception.]
[Description: Additionally, once the wearer is injured, the damaged part of the wearer’s body can be transferred to another part of their body, preventing fatal wounds.]
As he read the artifact’s effects, Ryven took a deep breath.
T-this is definitely a true treasure from the inheritance of a God... Or perhaps a Goddess.
After a while of insoectit, he next turned his attention at the other two artifacts placed beside the Bloody Crown.
On its left was a green pendant. It didn’t look particularly eye-catching. Yet, at a glance, Ryven felt it was somehow vastly superior to the Bloody Crown.
Meanwhile, on the right stood a flower.
It was a simple red rose.
Yet, with just a single glance, Ryven could feel an overwhelming amount of Mana emanating from it.
The pressure it emitted was so intense that if an ordinary adult were to stand before it. They would surely immediately be forced to their knees.
"H-hey, isn’t this inheritance should be quite dangerous?" Ryven asked cautiously.
"Well, for now, we’re incredibly safe," She answered with certainty, while most of her attention are still fixed on the Bloody Crown.
Somehow, she felt as though this artifact suited her the most.
Calmly, she stored it into her inventory, with, of course, Ryven’s permission. After that, she picked up the Red Rose.
She inspected it carefully, as though the pressure it emitted did not exist.
"This is at least a Third-Tier Artifact. Don’t take it out of your inventory unless it’s absolutely necessary."
She warned, before immediately storing it as well.
"Mm, I know."
[??? Had obtained a Third-Tier Artifact: Red Rose]
[Description: A Red Rose forged from the seven hearts of the Weeping Goddess. Within it lies the key to salvation...?]
Looking at the description, countless questions arose in Ryven’s mind.
Hmm... So maybe this trial belongs to the Weeping Goddess?
He naively came to that conclusion.
After storing the other two artifacts, only the three skill books and the last artifact remained.
The aura of the final artifact was powerful—stronger than the Bloody Crown, yet weaker than the Third-Tier Red Rose.
"I forgot to mention, I can’t see the descriptions of these artifacts. You’ll have to explain what the two artifacts do."
"No problem," Ryven answered frankly as he turned his attention toward the pendant.
The pendant felt as though it contained an immense vitality.
Without giving it much thought, Ryven was the first to grab the artifact. Once again, almost immediately, a system notification appeared before him.
[Host has obtained a Fourth-Tier Artifact: Unknown Green Pendant.]
[Description: A pendant created from the Life Tree of the Elven Kingdom.]
Looking at the description, it was by far the shortest one he had read.
Feeling that it concealed something mysterious, Ryven didn’t hesitate to store it in his inventory.
After all the artifacts had been stored, only the three orbs remained.
Ryven pointed toward them.
"What tier are these skill books?" He asked expectantly as Samminah inspected the three orbs.
Unlike the artifacts, she didn’t seem particularly interested in the skill books as she answered in a nonchalant tone.
"The dark blue orb is a B-Tier skill book, the light blue orb is an A-Tier skill book, and the light yellow orb is an S-Tier skill book."
Hearing that, Ryven subconsciously gulped.
"Now, now... How can you say that so casually?!"