MMORPG: Rebirth of the Shadow Mage

121  The Third Trial

Ring...

The following day, Ava eagerly opened the file that Leo had sent to her. She quickly scanned through the document, taking in all the important information that was written within it. As she read, she made sure to pay close attention to the details, making sure she understood everything fully.

'He really does know how to sort out information...'

Looking at the way Leo prepared the document, Ava couldn't help, but praise his diligence and skill.

Within the document it was written that the third trial will occur underground or rather in hell, on a huge tower. Ava will have to defeat a Lv. 115 Fallen Angel, who was banished from heaven, due to the sins he committed.

Ava instantly became aware that there were other realms like Hell and Heaven. Leo had also written a rough description of the angel's skills and spells. The creature would be stronger than the Undead Poseidon, but Ava could use her Lightning to damage it.

At the end of the document Leo wrote the way for Ava to cheese the boss and kill it without even taking damage, but it required high agility and a movement skill.

Luckily Ava had both and was more than prepared for the battle, the only thing concerning her was the low quantity of Mana potions she possessed. If the information was correct, the second phase of the monster would require her to use 'Lightning Step' continuously.

'I'm a few short... "

Looking at the recommended amount of mana potions Leo had written Ava sighed. In the battles beforehand she and Eli had drunk the consumables without a care, but now she would suffer, because of this.

'I should be more resourceful'

Massaging her templates Ava jumped into her VR pod and logged into Fragmental.

[ ???????????????????????????? ???????????????? ???????? ????????????????????????????????????????! ]

A robotic voice greeted her and Ava's body materialized in the middle of the ruined coliseum. Warily looking around she noticed that the water was still present and a pile of bones and seaweed was still laying on the floor.

Splash...

Slowly approaching the corpse of the Undead Poseidon Ava nudged it with her feet and not seeing any movement started going through the bones searching for a key. Within Leo's document there was a mention that to enter the last trial she'll have to retrieve the key from the God's carcass and stick it in the middle of the summoning circle, hidden under the sand.

"Found It!"

Clenching a golden key Ava smiled reading its description.

1️⃣ ???????????????????????? ???????????? { ???????????????????????????? }

-- ???? ???????????? ???????????????? ???????? ???????????????????????? ???????????? ???????????????????? ????????????????????

~~~~

Turning her head towards the middle of the arena Ava started slowly uncovering the whole circle. She had to do it or else it wouldn't work.

Finally after finishing her work Ava took a few steps back and sighed looking towards the engraving. It was a huge circle with countless layers and unknown symbols decorating its inside. Right in the middle there was a keyhole with golden symbols surrounding it.

Approaching the hole with a golden key tightly held in her grip Ava quickly went through everything she knew about the upcoming trial and sighed, feeling nervous.

'I've paid a lot, let's not waste the money!'

Putting the key in the keyhole Ava heard a clicking sound echo across the arena.

Click...

One by one, layers of the circle started shining with strange blue light and Mana surrounding the huge engraving started swirling.

Ava felt her body turning into particles and closed her eyes.

Swish...

A few moments later her long hair was ruffled by a hot breeze and she opened her eyes.

As Ava looked around, she couldn't help but feel a sense of awe at the sight before her. The tower stretched up towards the sky, its red stone walls seeming to go on forever. Ava could feel the heat emanating from the ground, and the air was thick with the smell of sulfur. She had a feeling as if she was not in the same world anymore.

Taking a deep breath, Ava steadied herself and began to make her way towards the tower. She knew that she had a difficult battle ahead of her, and she needed to be as prepared as possible. She checked her inventory, making sure that she had enough Mana potions and other supplies.

As she approached the tower, she saw that there was a large, ornate door blocking her way. Ava hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should try to find another way in. But she knew that time was of the essence, and she couldn't afford to waste any more of it.

Gathering her courage, Ava stepped forward and pushed open the door. It creaked loudly as it swung open, revealing a long, dark hallway leading deeper into the tower. Ava hesitated for a moment, trying to gather her bearings. She could feel a sense of dread and foreboding emanating from the shadows, but she knew that she had to push on.

Taking a deep breath, Ava stepped forward into the darkness

'There shouldn't be any monsters inside...'

Looking around Ava soon spotted a staircase which led to the top of the tower. Gathering Mana she suddenly used her Lightning step to appear on the fourth stair evading the first three.

Just to make sure Eli took out an empty potion bottle and threw it on the first stair.

Whoosh...

Purple flames suddenly engulfed the glass object, turning it into ashes in a second.

'The information is correct...'

Ava's curiosity was once again piqued. How did Leo know everything? Sometimes it seemed as if he was the creator of the game.

'Focus...'

Shaking her head with pointy ears, Ava pushed these thoughts at the back of her mind slowly ascending the staircase, skipping every 39th stair, because they were traps.

The tower was pretty much a huge mine field filled with various traps scattered around it. Leo wrote that there is no shortcut to its top and Ava had to manually climb the stairs minding various traps, tripwires and even disappearing stairs.

Reaching halfway through the tower Ava climbed onto the huge platform with a dozen stone statues built on top of it.

...

On the platform there stood a dozen of motionless stone statues.

As Ava walked around the platform, she couldn't help but feel a sense of awe at the sheer size and intricacy of the stone statues. Each one was carved with such attention to detail, from the individual strands of hair on their heads to the intricate patterns on their clothing.

As she approached the first statue, she noticed that it was holding a bow and arrow in its hands. Ava couldn't help but feel drawn to it, and she reached out to touch the statue's hand. As she did, she felt a strange energy flow through her body, and she felt her muscles tense and relax in rapid succession.

Ava smiled to herself as she realized that this statue must be the one that granted agility. She couldn't wait to see what the other statues had in store for her.

The next statue she approached held a sword in its hand, and as she touched it, she felt a sudden surge of strength flow through her body. She flexed her muscles, feeling a newfound power coursing through her veins.

As Ava continued to inspect the statues, she found ones that granted her increased endurance, accuracy, and even magical abilities. She was amazed by the range of blessings that these statues offered, and she couldn't wait to see what else was in store for her as she continued her journey through the tower.

Eventually, Ava found herself standing in front of the last statue on the platform. It held a staff in its hand, and as she touched it, she felt a sudden surge of energy flow through her body. She closed her eyes and focused on the energy, feeling it course through her veins and fill her with a sense of inner peace and clarity.

Leo had written about the blessing of statues, but warned to shatter all of them after collecting the boosts.

These stone statues are actually ancient parasites that give temporary boosts and devour the player's life force until he dies. There's no way to escape from the HP drain, even if you try to re-log the effect would still be present.

Frowning Ava casted a Lightning Spear and raised it above her head, throwing it at the closest statue.

Screech...

A sound of a living creature screaming resounded across the platform as the projectile impaled the statue's chest. Its stone legs came to life bending and tensing under the immense pressure of the monster's weight.

Ava recalled that the statues didn't have much agility and started running around the moving statue, kiting it from a distance.

Crack...

Finally the first parasite fell, crumbling into bits of rocks.

After killing the first statue Ava leaned against the wall, waiting for her Mana to regenerate. Scanning the platform with her blue eyes, she chose the other target and casted 'Lightning Spear', aiming to hit its head.

Whoosh...

The projectile flew through the air and hit the parasite's head.

Screech...

"This will be a long day..."

Ava thought whilst moving backwards.