Power of Runes-Chapter 122: Ancient Ruin Exploration (7)

Ash gritted his teeth as he jumped to the next stone platform, the heat around him rising to a maddening degree.

His entire body was steaming, and it felt as if every inch of his skin was being slowly roasted—he was, in every sense of the word, getting cooked alive.

All of his clothes had already burned to ash.

Only his unnamed boots and gloves had survived this long, but he didn’t want to take the risk.

Carefully, he had stored even those inside his space ring, afraid they too would catch fire and vanish.

His body was covered in burns—some small, others far more serious—but thanks to his regeneration, every wound that appeared was healed just as quickly.

It was a painful loop of damage and recovery that drained both his patience and energy.

In his hands, he held the ’Eye of the Cursed God.’ It couldn’t be stored in the ring, so he had no choice but to carry it through this fiery trial, even if it was cumbersome.

"I don’t know if you’re alive or dead, but if the creator of this damned trial is still breathing out there somewhere... then you’re done for. I’ll make sure of it," he muttered, his voice low and raspy, like a growl forced through gritted teeth as he leapt to the next stone.

His eyes were stinging, bloodshot from the intensity of the heat and the nonstop sweat that blurred his vision.

It was becoming increasingly difficult to see where he was going.

By the time he reached the halfway point across the room, he couldn’t take it anymore.

The pain was too much, the burning too real. He gave up trying to endure it by willpower alone and activated Omni Thought.

He could’ve continued on with brute force if he really wanted to, enduring all of it head-on with nothing but stubbornness and pride...

But he wasn’t a masochist, probably. Yeah.

Once Omni Thought kicked in, everything changed.

His mind calmed instantly, his awareness sharpened, and the pain seemed like a distant memory.

With this calm, focused state, he easily crossed the rest of the magma-filled room and made it to the exit.

As soon as he stepped outside, he deactivated Omni Thought and took a deep breath. His eyes flicked toward the remaining doors, each one carrying its own unique symbol—and his gaze turned colder than ever.

Without saying a word, he carefully placed the ’Eye of the Cursed God’ near a rock, setting it down in a safe corner before turning and walking toward the door marked with the ice symbol.

The moment he entered the next trial, the same chaos repeated itself—only this time it wasn’t fire, but unbearable cold.

Ash could feel his limbs stiffening as frost began to crawl up his body. Every breath felt like inhaling knives, and he could barely move forward.

At times, to prevent himself from freezing entirely, he had to discharge bolts of lightning from within his core just to warm himself enough to keep going.

The third trial was a room where countless swords rained down on him from every direction.

It felt like walking through a storm of blades, each one aimed to kill.

But compared to the last two trials, Ash felt this was somewhat manageable.

The pain was still there, but it was simpler—just raw, direct cuts that healed over time.

The fourth trial was something else entirely.

The moment Ash stepped inside the poison room, he died.

He revived with seconds, only to die again.

And again.

And again.

The cycle continued, relentless and cruel, until it felt like he had died a hundred times.

Each death was caused by a different type of poison—some slow and creeping, others immediate and devastating.

Only after enduring that torment over and over did his body begin to adapt.

Eventually, he developed immunity to all the toxins that filled that cursed space.

Finally, he walked toward the last door, the one marked with a lightning symbol.

Surprisingly, this time he was lucky.

All he had to do was endure nine lightning strikes. And for someone like Ash, who had a natural affinity with lightning, it was almost a gift in disguise.

Each bolt of lightning that crashed onto him, it taught him more than any book could.

It resonated with his body, helped him understand the flow of the element even deeper, and sharpened his control over the concept of lightning to a whole new level.

When he stepped out of the last trial room, a thin stream of smoke escaped from his mouth.

His hair was standing upright like scorched black spikes, and his entire body was covered in char, soot, and burn marks. But behind all the pain, behind the mess he had become...

His eyes gleamed with quiet strength.

Although his body had healed, his appearance was still a complete mess. His skin was covered in ash and grime, and his hair stood in chaotic clumps from the lightning.

He brought out a water bottle from his space ring and used it to clean himself off as best he could.

The cold water felt like a blessing, washing away not just the soot, but a part of the exhaustion clinging to him.

Afterward, he changed into a fresh set of clothes, pulling the fabric over his bruised and still-sensitive skin with a slight wince.

And, of course, he didn’t forget to pick up the ’Eye of Cursed God’ from where he had placed it earlier, carefully holding it in his hand once more.

And then, as if on cue—exactly like it had been waiting—the holographic dragon appeared once again, his presence as regal and ancient as before.

But this time, Ash didn’t look at him with curiosity or anticipation. He glared, cold and sharp, his gaze filled with silent fury and unspoken threats.

The dragon’s voice rang out, unaffected by Ash gaze.

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

[For enduring everything thrown at you without succumbing to death, you will now be rewarded with the following:]

—

[Reward One: Prime Shard]

[Description: A rare shard of raw power. Upon absorption, increases your attributes by +4 points each, distributed randomly.]

—

[Reward Two: Unnamed Top]

[Description: A mysterious piece from a nameless equipment set. This upper garment holds no current abilities, but will reveal its true power only when worn with all six matching pieces. Until then, it is merely ornamental.]

—

[Reward Three: Fragment of ????]

[Description: ???????]

—

Seeing the same set of rewards again didn’t make Ash feel sad or disappointed.

In fact, he felt kind of relieved. It was actually better this way.

Getting too many random items would just clutter up his space ring, and half of them might end up forgotten or useless. At least this was simple and easy to manage.

But when his eyes landed on the last reward, he let out a small sigh.

Once again, the last reward is hidden. But based on everything I’ve seen and experienced so far, anything that’s hidden behind those question marks... usually turns out to be something valuable.

Ash’s eyes rested on the item in front of him—a broken, translucent shard that looked eerily like a piece of a shattered mirror, its jagged edges catching the light in a haunting way.

It was strange... there was no visible aura, no pressure, no glow, and yet it pulled at his instincts like a whisper from the void.

He tried to store the strange item inside his space ring, just to keep it tucked away like the rest of his loot—but, unsurprisingly, it refused to be stored.

Just like the ’Eye of the Cursed God.’

Great... another freeloader tagging along with me, he muttered mentally with mild irritation, before sliding the fragment carefully into a different pocket, one that wouldn’t interfere with his movements.

Next, he picked up the Unnamed Top and put it on.

The tight-fitting, full-sleeved garment clung to his body like a second skin.

It was made of smooth black fabric that hugged his form perfectly, outlining the definition of his muscles and despite the lack of any enchantments, it was soft and comfortable to wear.

Finally, Ash held the Prime Shard in his hand.

With a calm expression, he crushed the shard without a second thought. It dissolved instantly into shimmering particles that seeped into his skin.

A soft glow traced along his veins for a heartbeat, and then disappeared as quickly as it had come.

***

[Status]

Name – Ash Burn

Race – Human

Age – 12

Class – Magic Swordsman (Unique)

Rank – Novice (F-Rank) – (98%)

Affinity – Lightning, Life, Death

---

[Attributes]

Strength – 193

Agility – 193

Vitality – 193

Intelligence – 193

Stamina – 193

Charm – 193

Mana – 193

---

[Skills]

- Omni Thought

- Hundred Poison Immunity

***

And unknowingly, he had gained a new skill. His body, after going through the endless cycle of being poisoned, healed, revived, and dying again, had gradually developed a powerful resistance.

It was as if every death had taught his body how to fight back just a little more, until it no longer succumbed to the poison in the room.

In a strange way, it was actually good news for him.

After taking a short rest to gather his strength, Ash stood up again and walked toward the fourth trial, his eyes calm and unwavering.

***