Power of Runes-Chapter 118: Ancient Ruin Exploration (3)

[Congratulations, Challenger, for perfectly clearing Trial One.]

[There are no injuries on your body, a true testament to your ability to dodge every attack.]

Does that mean the hologram actually examines the body for injuries and then uses that information to determine whether the person got hit or not?

Damn... whoever created this place must have been one hell of a lunatic.

[For performing so splendidly, you will be rewarded with...]

**

[Reward One: Prime Shard]

[Description: Increases your stats by +4 points randomly.]

**

[Reward Two: Unnamed Boots]

[Description: A mysterious piece from nameless equipment set. These boots will only reveal their true power when all six matching pieces are worn together. Until then, they remain nothing more than ornamental gear with no special effect.]

**

[Reward Three: Enigma Pouch]

[Description: Challenger, test your luck. If fortune smiles upon you, this pouch may contain a powerful spell. However, if your luck runs dry, then congratulations—you receive absolutely nothing. Once opened, the pouch will vanish, regardless of what it contains.]

**

The space in front of Ash shimmered gently, like a stone dropped into still water beneath moonlight.

Then, with a quiet flash of mana, the three rewards materialized before him, hovering a few inches above the ground as if resting on an invisible platform made of magic.

A delicate hum filled the air, soft and steady, as faint trails of light wrapped around each item, highlighting their importance and power.

The first item—a smooth, crystal-like shard—glowed with a soft, warm orange light.

Its surface was polished and clear, and with every passing second, it pulsed faintly, like the beat of a hidden heart.

This was the Prime Shard.

Next to it, a pair of boots made of dark, gleaming material rested silently. They didn’t emit any light, nor did they carry any sense of power on the surface—but there was something strange about them.

The final item was a small leather pouch, brown in color, tied neatly with a golden string.

Its surface was slightly worn, with visible creases and folds, yet it radiated a subtle and mysterious aura.

This was the Enigma Pouch.

[Challenger, prepare yourself. Trial Two will begin whenever you are ready. Until then—recover, reflect, and rise.]

With those last words fading away, the hologram slowly broke apart into tiny sparkling lights, disappearing as quietly as it had appeared. The room grew calm again, filled only with the soft, distant hum of magic hanging in the air.

Ash let out a long breath he didn’t even know he was holding. His legs gave out, and he dropped down hard onto the cold stone floor, finally letting his body rest after all the nonstop movement and strain.

"Man, even though it was super exhausting... it was actually kind of fun," he muttered with a small, tired smile, still catching his breath.

He looked over at the descriptions of the three rewards floating in front of him. He wasn’t sure how the words showed up—probably some trick of the trial ground—but he didn’t really care. He grabbed the Prime Shard and held it closer.

"Okay, how do I use this? Do I have to break it?" Ash wondered aloud. Pressing it gently, the shard suddenly cracked and shattered into tiny orange particles that floated right into his body, vanishing as they were absorbed.

Almost instantly, his body twitched like a worm squirming in the dirt, but the tight feeling from all the strain started to fade away, replaced by a fresh, light energy.

Wow... this is awesome.

He opened his attributes panel to check the changes.

**

[ATTRIBUTES]

Strength – 185

Agility – 185

Vitality – 185

Intelligence – 185

Stamina – 185

Charm – 185

Mana – 185 {x 2}

**

It increased..

"There are still five more trials. If I clear them all, I’ll get 20 more stat points. That’s pretty sweet," he muttered.

"But is this really the secret behind how Miraak and Zerak got so strong? Somehow, I don’t think that’s the whole story. Well, I guess I’ll find out in the other trials."

With that, Ash shifted his focus to the second reward.

Unnamed boots, huh? Let’s see what these are all about...

He slipped off his regular boots and put on the Unnamed Boots. They fit perfectly, hugging his feet with a snug, comfortable feeling that made the old ones feel like bricks.

But aside from that comfort, there was nothing—no sudden power surge, no magical effect, no boost.

"Just like the description said... I guess I really need all six pieces to see what these boots can actually do," he muttered, tapping his heel against the floor and watching for any kind of reaction..

With a small sigh, he turned to the last reward—the Enigma Pouch.

"Luck, huh? Yeah, right. Knowing how these things go, I’m probably getting nothing," Ash said with a dry chuckle as he untied the golden string and opened the pouch.

The moment the pouch opened, a blinding golden light burst out, lighting up the chamber with a glow so bright it almost made him flinch.

Wait... did I actually get something?

Hope sparked in his chest for a moment—but before he could react, the pouch crumbled into fine dust, disappearing into the air. All that remained were four glowing words hanging where the pouch had been:

"Better Luck Next Time!!!"

And just like that, even those words faded into nothing.

Ash blinked at the empty space, his face blank for a moment. Then he sighed and let his shoulders drop.

"Yep. Even this thing is making fun of me now."

Shaking his head, he walked back to the center of the chamber and lay down, finally letting his mind rest. The cool floor was oddly comforting, and his eyes slowly drifted shut.

Time passed. Around two hours slipped by as Ash dozed off, letting his body recover from all the dodging, thinking, and pure chaos of the first trial.

When he woke up, his limbs felt light, his mind clear, and his energy back to full.

Stretching with a yawn, he stood up, fists clenched and eyes focused.

"I’m ready to take the second trial!" he shouted, voice echoing through the chamber.

***

Moving to the second trial ground, Ash found himself facing the next challenge.

[Trial Two: Climb the stairs.]

[Normal Clear Condition: Climb up the stairs. With each step you take, the gravity around your body will increase.]

[Perfect Clear Condition: Climb the stairs while wearing weights. The weights will also increase with every step you take, and the surrounding gravity will intensify as well.]

Looking at the staircase, which stretched up around fifty steps, Ash thought to himself, So now it’s a trial of strength? Well, I’ve had some training in that area already.

Almost every time he trained, Ash would wear the weight-enhancing suit.

That suit was designed to make everything harder by increasing the weight on his body. It made his daily training feel like fighting underwater.

He used it so often that it felt natural to him.

So for him, this kind of trial actually felt like welcome news.

Of course, he wasn’t wearing that suit now. It had been damaged from overuse, after being pushed to its limits due to his constant training.

Ash stepped forward and reached for the weights, which turned out to be a set of metallic rings resting on a small pedestal.

As soon as his fingers touched them, the rings floated up into the air with a faint shimmer of light. They hovered for a moment before snapping onto his body—wrapping around his wrists, his ankles, and even around his neck like a choker.

Ash stared down at himself and let out a tired sigh.

"So this is how it works, huh? These damn rings... I look like an ancient slave dragged out of some Egyptian tomb," he muttered under his breath, his voice dry and annoyed.

Still, he didn’t hesitate.

With quiet determination, he turned toward the stairs.

[Let the trial begin.]

The hologram spoke those words before fading out of sight, leaving Ash standing alone in the trial chamber.

He took a deep breath to steady himself, then raised one foot and climbed the first step. The moment his foot landed, the runes engraved into the floor pulsed with light, and the metallic rings on his body began to glow faintly.

In an instant, the air around him grew heavier. The previously weightless rings became noticeably heavier, pressing down on his limbs and neck.

On top of that, he could feel something strange suppressing his mana—blocking it from flowing freely.

So that’s how it is, Ash realized silently. This trial wants me to rely purely on physical strength, not mana. Alright then. That’s fine by me. In a way, this is just another form of training.

With a calm expression and steady breath, he continued to climb—step by step.

And with every step, the weight on his body grew heavier, and the gravity pressing down on him intensified, testing the limits of his endurance with quiet, suffocating pressure.

***