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Chapter 205 Chapter203-Trial Quest

"This kind of ruin entrance is quite rare," Ethan remarked as he gazed at the distinctive entrance to the Hot Spring Ruins.

Dark Lord Rock paused, then nodded in agreement. "Indeed, it is uncommon, but not unprecedented. Moreover, this site is a wholly new ruin, a particularly rare trial-type ruin."

Ruins generally fell into two categories.

The first category was the exploratory ruins, which comprised the majority of ruins found.

These ruins predominantly originated from various constructions left behind by ancient kingdoms after their destruction, such as the remnants of the Gama Empire in the Red Jade Valley.

Others were left by powerful forces or once housed mighty individuals.

Classified as exploratory ruins, these places might harbor valuable items, warranting exploration.

The other type of ruin was much rarer.

In other words, they couldn't be termed "ruins" in the traditional sense but rather normal trial grounds.

The Hot Spring Ruins at hand, according to the information acquired by Dark Lord Rock, involved five assessments that a small team entering the ruins would undergo.

The first four were individual trials, and the last one was a group trial.

Moreover, different teams would face different trials.

After conveying all these details to Ethan and the others, Dark Lord Rock cautioned them with his deep voice, "During the individual trials, it would be best not to expend all your energy; the final group trial is the most challenging."

Everyone nodded, and then they moved together to stand on the Magic Circle at the entrance of the Hot Spring Ruins.

As they grouped together, the light from the Magic Circle flickered beneath them, and in the blink of an eye, they vanished from the spot.

Such scenes were quite common here; those who came to the Hot Spring Ruins were individuals confident in their abilities.

Nearly every moment, a team would disappear within the luminescent glow of the Magic Circle.

…

"Where is this?"

"Wait, isn't this my territory?"

Looking around at the surroundings, which were both familiar yet strange, Ethan was utterly confused.

The familiarity stemmed from the realization that he stood in none other than his own territory, within the Abandoned Temple region.

The broken walls were a sight too familiar to him.

However, the unfamiliarity arose because this version of the Abandoned Temple was not the one he was acquainted with in the present.

Through a series of developments and constructions, the initially dilapidated temple had been cleaned up, equipped with various facilities, undergoing a near-complete transformation.

At that moment, a mechanical voice resonated,

[The first trial has commenced!]

[The land before you is your territory. In two days, it will be besieged by monsters. Please lead your soldiers to defend the territory and survive the onslaught.]

[Defensive Reward: A piece of ancient knowledge.]

"This sensation..."

Ethan's gaze hardened, an intense focus settling within him, transforming him into a figure more formidable than ever before.

"I'm in the Abandoned Temple for this trial, is this a coincidence or generated based on my personal experiences? Moreover, I was a Dark Lord, yet now I've become a human lord... What does this change in identity imply? Does it carry deeper meanings?"

Just with the first trial, Ethan perceived the complexity of the Hot Spring Ruins. This was certainly not any ordinary trial ruin!

"The Goddess of the Snowy Mountains' hot spring?"

"Could it be that this ruin involves a deity?"

Ethan couldn't help but wonder.

Unfortunately, there was no one to answer his queries; in this trial's version of the Abandoned Temple, only he and the thirty soldiers following him were present.

And the territory, the Abandoned Temple, was equipped only with some defensive fortifications.

Ethan gradually calmed himself, pondering how to navigate through this first trial.

"Firstly, the monster attack is slated for two days from now. These two days are crucial; I need to find out what kind of monsters will be attacking, discern the number of invaders, and determine the direction they'll be coming from."

"Next, after gathering sufficient information, I will devise a detailed plan," he asserted.

"So, what I need to do at this moment is to dispatch people to collect relevant information on the monsters."

Ethan swiftly clarified his thoughts.

However, having only thirty soldiers at his command did not bring him much solace.

Thirty seemed a substantial number, yet in a real monster battle, they might be decimated with just a swipe of a monster's claw, especially since these thirty were only of average human ability.

As several soldiers were dispatched for reconnaissance, information regarding the monsters began trickling back to Ethan.

"The monsters are a goblin troop, totaling two hundred individuals, accompanied by two earth dragons."

Receiving this news, Ethan felt a burgeoning headache.

Although goblins ranked low amongst monsters, a troop exceeding two hundred in number was not something thirty ordinary soldiers could handle, let alone when two potent earth dragons were part of the equation.

"There must be a way to pass this trial."

Ethan pondered incessantly.

The trial of the Hot Spring Ruins could not possibly pose an insolvable problem, as that would completely defeat the purpose of the trial.

But how to tackle this drastic disparity in strength?

In the midst of his deep contemplation, Ethan determined his next move.

A preemptive strike!

A question suddenly occurred to him; the trial quest mentioned a monster attack in two days, but what if he chose to initiate an attack before that?

There were two possibilities.

First, the monsters retaliated, advancing the date of the confrontation.

Second, the monsters did not retaliate, adhering to the predetermined rule of attacking after two days.

This was the only loophole in the trial quest Ethan could fathom, yet it remained a risky venture, as there was no guarantee his hypothesis was correct.

Therefore, Ethan took additional measures.

The initial path of the monster invasion traversed through a narrow canyon before merging into a forest pathway.

Both terrains offered a wealth of strategic advantages.

Ethan envisioned a scheme utilizing the higher ground of the canyon to set up mechanisms of rolling stones and logs, primed to release a deadly avalanche upon the goblin troops as they passed through the gorge.

Meanwhile, the forest pathway presented an opportune site for ambushes, a place where traps could be set in advance.

Seized with these strategies, Ethan promptly dispatched his soldiers to implement the plan, to dig pits and prepare the mechanisms well ahead of time, leaving the defensive structures in the Abandoned Temple untouched.

After all, the best defense was a good offense.

By the afternoon of the second day in the trial, all was ready, and Ethan sprung into action.

A solitary soldier was instructed to hurl a torch directly into the monster encampment, a provocation that predictably enraged the encamped goblin army.

The goblins emerged in hasty pursuit, only to find death raining from above as soldiers stationed at the higher grounds of the canyon unleashed a barrage of falling rocks.

In their wrath, the goblins roused the earth dragons — formidable creatures with rugged hides.

Shielded by the dragons, the goblin troops managed to cross the canyon, setting a direct course for the Abandoned Temple.

Yet the journey bore heavy losses, for Ethan had orchestrated a landscape of death peppered with traps, each tailored to target the formidable dragons, sapping the morale and fighting spirit of the goblin forces with every step, rendering them crestfallen and weakened.

With unhesitant resolve, Ethan commanded an all-out assault, obliterating the remaining goblin forces.

Surveying the scene, a realm strewn with goblin corpses devoid of life's luster in their eyes, almost puppet-like in their lifelessness, Ethan mused, "This feels more akin to a game, rather than a real war..."

It stirred deeper contemplation in him, the eerie sight bearing witness to beings orchestrated in coordination yet void of any vivacity inherent to life.

It evoked a symphony of death played out in a theatre of artificiality, a contrived reality where warfare bore the semblance of a meticulous game of strategy, testing wits and courage against a puppet master's crafted ordeal.

Yet amid this philosophical musing, reality beckoned with the acknowledgment of triumph, as Ethan had successfully navigated the labyrinthine challenges of the first trial.

[First Trial Successful!]

[With your wisdom and courage, you successfully defended your territory. Facing formidable monsters, you chose to take the initiative and attack, achieving a flawless victory!]

[Overall rating: SSS+]

[You have achieved an SSS+ rating in this trial, currently holding the first place. Your reward has been altered; ancient knowledge is now transformed into ancient deity knowledge.]

[Ancient deity knowledge extraction in progress...]

[Congratulations, you have acquired the "Guide to Spatial Esoteric Practice"!]

In the next instant, a substantial tome descended into Ethan's hands.

The cover bore the title "Guide to Spatial Esoteric Practice," with the author's name featured below — Aisya.

"Aisya?"

Ethan noted the name before casually storing the book in his Space Ring.

Meanwhile, the surroundings morphed once again, transporting him to a plaza forged of light.

A sign denoting a waiting area hung prominently above, accompanied by a leaderboard.

Turning his gaze to the leaderboard, Ethan spotted his name there.

Not his true name, but the alias "Black Dragon."

However, it was the second name on the list that grasped his serious attention: Lana Mokos, a person with whom he had a fleeting acquaintance.

[Lana Mokos, rating: SSS+, rank: second.]

"Her rating is also remarkably high, I wonder what reward she received?" Ethan mused aloud.

Far away in the Azure Empire, Lana Mokos seemed to sense something, casting her eyes momentarily in the direction of the Snowy Plains before retracting her gaze.

Addressing a subordinate who approached her, she inquired, "How are things progressing? Can the Blood Source be successfully manufactured?"