The Frivolous Prince

[15]

This should be the time when she will realize that we need to get the Glorious Stone from another team. We’ve been slaying many monsters and trying to search for the stones for about an hour already.

“I see, we have no other option,” Amaya said.

“What do you mean by that princess?” Renver asked.

“We have to get the Glorious Stones from another team. We encountered a few teams already and some of them got either one Glorious stone or none. That means that the number of Glorious Stones are very limited,” Amaya replied.

“Really? Don’t we have to fight them? Is that dangerous?” Renver asked.

“Fighting this kind of monster is already dangerous and we heard from the announcement that four teams have already conceded due to the damage they suffered. I think they have the capability to stop everything here that could lead to someone dying. And aside from that, we can get their Glorious stones without even fighting them. But that’s not fun at all, if they are in this class then they should at least hold for a minute in a battle against us,” Amaya answered.

“I-I see,” Renver stuttered.

What’s happening?! Did this really happen in the past? Zenith thought.

Zenith just looks at his father and tries his hardest to remember something.

Aica pats Zenith and Taiya’s head and accompanies them to the bed. She let’s Zenith and Taiya sleep in her room.

Something odd is really happening. Goblins? I was shocked when I heard those monsters but it's pretty common to hear them. Why am I shaking? Zenith thought.

Hours passed but Zenith couldn’t sleep. Suddenly the door in the room opens silently.

Is that my dad? Zenith thought.

“Aica? Are the kids asleep?” Toya said in a very quiet voice.

“Yes, I think they are. Is this what we are afraid about?” Aica replied in the same quiet voice.

“I’m sorry, but this is the end for us. The goblins already breach the second line of defense, we have no other choice but to do this. There’s even a four Goblin Overlord and a Goblin King. There’s no other choice,” Toya replied.

The two went outside even with the blizzard.

This is bad, there’s a Goblin King? Wait, this should be my first time hearing this. Zenith thought.

Zenith got up, went outside of the room and sat down on one of the chairs.

“There’s really something about this,” Zenith said.

As Zenith was thinking, he fell asleep.

“Oh, I feel asleep,” Zenith said, then went outside the house.

It’s still dawn but why am I feeling something? Zenith thought.

Zenith went inside the house.

“I see, this is the past! I came back from the future, but even if I know this I can’t do anything within my power at this time,” Zenith said.

Zenith decided to walk and memorized all of the paths he had taken.

《Crucifixion》

Zenith tried to hit the walls to check if he could destroy it.

“Of course, not a single scratch. This would mean that I wouldn’t be able to mark the places I’ve been. Oh, what about leaving materials to serve as a mark,” Zenith said.

《Dimensional Storage》

“It’s not working? The system here cannot really be cheated, I should find the right thing to do just like the first path. A feat fitting for a true hero, but I shouldn’t store my sword in my inventory anymore after this.” Zenith said.

GROWL!

“Yup! As if it would be as easy as just memorizing the path, there will surely be monsters that would distract us from memorizing the path! Wait, it means that if we’re severely wounded or affiliated by some status, we won’t be able to use potions since it’s all in our storage. This suddenly becomes very complicated, I need to make sure not to receive much damage from those enemies,” Zenith said.

A big rhinoceros charged at Zenith.

“Wait, I don’t have my sword and I can’t just really punch that thing to death. Damn it, my only choice is to run while memorizing all of this path!” Zenith said.

Zenith dodges the charge of the rhinoceros and runs throughout the maze.

“Since I don’t have my sword and my potions, this is really hard. I cannot even test how powerful that rhinoceros is and I can’t risk myself to be attacked by it,” Zenith said.

Zenith continues to run and simultaneously memorizes the path.

“This is getting hard, as I run more and more rhinoceros are added to the number that are chasing me. It’s already been a day since I entered this maze. I should be starving and exhausted but I’m not feeling it. Maybe this is a part of the challenge. But this is odd, I already mapped almost ninety nine percent of the maze but I haven’t seen any exit. This path is the only way that I haven’t mapped out yet, so for sure I would see the exit,” Zenith said.

As Zenith runs toward the last place in the maze, he is shocked.

“A dead end,” Zenith said.

The group of rhinoceros started to charge at Zenith.

“I’m only at the second phase of the first trial but I’m already cornered. I see, I understand how to solve this puzzle,” Zenith said.

Zenith starts flying up the maze, it takes him two minutes to reach the top of the maze.

“Just as I thought, there was no exit in this maze. The only answer is up. The first path made me think that I couldn’t use the flight magic anymore throughout the trial, God is not really that simple. Every person has a different kind of trial, meaning, this path is only applied to me. People without flight magic wouldn’t encounter this path, it was given to me to test all of the abilities that I gathered throughout the past. Everything is connected, I need to think outside the box,” Zenith said.

Zenith flew down to the door that is not connected to the maze. As he opened the door, a wide sloping field surprised him.

“A field under a mountain, the light crystals illuminate the place. It feels like I’m outside and it was the middle of the day. But let me check things out first,” Zenith said.

《Dimensional Storage》

The Zenith’s sword appeared on his hand. 

“So it’s working now, huh? That’s great, but what is this field about? No other way than exploring the place,” Zenith asked.

Zenith walked up the field and big boulders came down from the top of the field.

“I think this will be a normal labyrinth from now on. I just need to get to the end of this and I’ll surely see the exit door,” Zenith said.

A big boulder is rushing directly at Zenith.

《Crescent Strike》

The boulder split into two and wasn’t able to hit Zenith.

“So skills work, that’s reassuring, this would only be a test of strength and stamina,” Zenith said.

Zenith started to move forward. As he walks, stepping into a trap a lot of boulders fall from above aside from the boulders coming at the top of the field.

“Traps, of course. This just makes things more interesting,” Zenith said.

Zenith made big progress dodging the boulders and destroying some of it. He’d be stepping onto a trap but it doesn’t slow him down from climbing the sloping field.

“I could see the door already from here. I’ve been climbing this field for about a day and a half, if the days add up, the next room will be the final one,” Zenith said.

Zenith started running to make better progress but a boulder bigger than usual come down from the door.

《Atomic Execution》

The shockwaves hit the boulders but it didn’t do anything.

“Tethally, something different but I already planned ahead,” Zenith said.

《Blink Strike》

Zenith blinks at the other side of the boulder, making him escape engaging the boulder head on.

“I’ve already improved my skill, I could target non living things. Though it should be moving and within my range or else it wouldn’t work. But I’ll make it so that I can do it more efficiently,” Zenith said.

Zenith walks close to the door and sits down against it.

“I’ll eat my food first, the trial might start after I open it and I’m pretty safe here since boulders appear only in the distance in front of me,” Zenith said.

Zenith finishes eating and thinks about how the others are doing.

“If this would be their trial, I think they would also finish it at this time, they might even go ahead of me. I’m excited to meet them, but first, I’ll be a hero,” Zenith said.

Zenith stood up, turned around and put his two hands to open the big door in front of him.

“This is really the true trial, the last phase for the trial of the past,” Zenith said.

Zenith meditated.

“No, I feel there’s mana inside me,” Zenith said.

Zenith started using flight magic.

“Perfect, so right now, I already got forty percent of my power. Then, for my sword,” Zenith said.

《Dimensional Storage》

“Of course there’s nothing that would happen, my dimensional storage is not with me,” Zenith said.

Zenith runs to the back of the house to search for a sword.