Chapter 165: Trials

Translator: Atlas Studios  Editor: Atlas Studios

——System announcement: Congratulation to player ‘Codename Lone Wolf’ for the first clear of [The Light Woods]. He is rewarded with 150 War of Light points, 200,000 EXP and 2 Gold coins.

——System announcement: Congratulation to player ‘Codename Star Kill’ for the first clear of [The Light Woods]. He is rewarded with 150 War of Light points, 200,000 EXP and 2 Gold coins.

They managed to find 20 Silver Coins, a Long Spear and a piece of paper under the Boss’ corpse.

[Woods Guarding Long Spear] (Gold)

Can be used by Forward Charge Paladins.

Requires: Level 15

Attack: 85-112

Strength: +15

Penetration Damage: +30

Forward Sprint Damage: +30

Additional effect: Your attacks have the chance of activating the effect Woods’ Spirit, increasing your health level limit by 2% temporarily. This effect can be superimposed for three times.

Weight: 6 pounds

[Middle-Grade Natural Recovery Potion Recipe]: Requires Perfect Potion Mastery.

Lin Jie brightened up at this. There was a small chance of spawning the Natural Recovery Potions or related items at The Light Woods—he was indeed quite lucky this time round! The ingredients for making the Middle-Grade Natural Recovery Potion were not herbs, but potions. 10 Health Potions which could each restore 200 health points and five Magic Potions which could each restore 180 Mana points would be able to create one Middle-Grade Natural Recovery Potion.

[Middle-Grade Natural Recovery Potion]: Helps you restore 1,000 Health Points and 450 Mana points. This potion has a cooldown time of the Health Potions’ cooldown time.

The best part about the Middle-Grade Natural Recovery Potion was that it could not only help to restore a large number of health points and Mana points, but one could also drink another Magic potion with it; hence, ensuring the supply of Mana points for Magical jobs.

Making the recipe disappear into a flash of white light, Lin Jie took out the Health Potions and Magic Potions from his backpack. He was rather unfamiliar with making the potion initially, but after failing for two times, he managed to get the tactics, and thus had an easier time making the potions.

——’You have created one Middle-Grade Natural Recovery Potion, proficiency level of Perfect Potion Mastery +3.’

——’You have created one Middle-Grade Natural Recovery Potion, proficiency level of Perfect Potion Mastery +3.’

——’You have created one perfect Middle-Grade Natural Recovery Potion, proficiency level of Perfect Potion Mastery +5.’

[Perfect Middle-Grade Natural Recovery Potion]: Helps you restore 1,200 Health Points and 600 Mana Points. For the next minute, you will also recover 600 Health Points and 300 Mana Points.

“Star Kill, bring this potion to Seven Ears, tell him to study this,” said Lin Jie as he passed Star Kill the potion, which was giving off a glistening green light.

Star Kill nodded and said, “I will go back first then. When I am next online, I will be working at the Provisions shop, hehehehe…”

“Let’s go,” Lin Jie smiled and said. After he saw Star Kill leave the dungeon, he took out the key in his backpack.

The moment the mysterious key appeared, Broken Blade started vibrating. Meanwhile, faint light glimmered from the interior of the woods.

“It’s really here!”

Proceeding further into the woods, the light became clearer—it was coming from a withered tree. However, some fresh leaves were growing upon the dead branches on it, making it seem extra eerie.

Standing here, one could see some faint outlines of the buildings in the distance.

This should be the back end garden of Belief Church. Lin Jie took out the mysterious key, and after searching for a while, he found a human-face-like structure six meters high up on the tree with a peculiar hole in its mouth.

Feather Drop Spell!

Lin Jie gave a hard kick to the ground, and springing high up into the air, he finally got a clear glimpse of this person’s face: wearing a Legendary Helmet, the face had a pair of spirited eyes but his features were distorted as if in huge pain—this was the idol of all Warriors, the God of War!

Lin Jie held onto the key and stabbed it hard into his huge mouth. The sound of wood cracking was heard, and the tree opened up to reveal a dark space hole. Lin Jie was being absorbed into the hole immediately!

——’You have entered the Trial Space, your skills are being disabled temporarily.’

Lin Jie checked his Skill column and saw that it was all blacked out. The only skill he could use now was Army Obliteration, which was Broken Blade’s accompanying skill.

His surroundings were pitch black—he felt as if he was stranded alone at the beginnings of time. Lin Jie proceeded forward cautiously, but nothing happened.

‘Could this be the trials for Broken Blade?’ Lin Jie pondered for a while. Taking a look at the Dark Slaughter Longsword in his hands, he decided to put it into his backpack and proceed on with only Broken Blade in his hands.

Boom—

The space was distorted, and a huge wooden stake appeared in front of Lin Jie’s eyes. There was a small red bullseye in the middle of the wooden stake.

Lin Jie blinked and thrust Broken Blade out, stabbing the bullseye easily.

Ding~

——’You have completed the first level of the trials, congratulations on getting your reward: Strength +10.’

‘Wow, this trial is so simple.’ Lin Jie couldn’t help but chuckle to himself. Just by thrusting out his sword and one could get 10 Stat points—wasn’t this pennies from heavens?

The wooden stake was uprighted again, however, another wooden stake appeared, and a figure ‘2’ appeared on top of them.

Lin Jie thrust out his sword gingerly and stabbed twice at the first wooden stake. The figure floating above reduced to zero, but the other wooden stake which was not attacked sprang up and smashed Lin Jie to a side.

——’You failed the trials! You received the punishment: Strength -1!’

Lin Jie was shocked. ‘Good chap, so it’s like that!’ The 10 points of Strength rewarded previously were just the ‘chips’ for the following trials? Then… after one lost all the 10 points of Strength, his own Stats would be reduced?

The other wooden stake was uprighted and positioned in front of Lin Jie.

According to Lin Jie’s speculations, the second level for the trials should be: attacking both wooden stakes at the same time! Each wooden stake just had two health points, so he would have to attack twice.

“That’s not difficult!” Lin Jie became serious and inhaled deeply as he faced the wooden stakes again. He thrust out Broken Blade, but the moment before the sword reached the first wooden stake, he withdrew it, and a great force surged up from his arms as he activated Army Obliteration! Broken Blade changed directions and swerved between both wooden stakes during its attacks. After a loud cracking noise, both stakes exploded!

Lin Jie only mastered the skill of attacking both directions with Army Obliteration after one whole year of training. He had remembered this when he was reborn into this life, and thus now he could execute this skill without much difficulty.

Ding~

——’You have completed the second level of the trials, congratulations on getting your reward: Strength +20, Specialized Skill Points +1!’

‘Skill Point!’ Lin Jie was shocked! This was only at the second level, and Skill Points were rewarded already? The preciousness of Skill Points was almost the same as Sub-Legendary equipment! However… what was meant by “Specialized”? Lin Jie checked his Skill column and saw that there was only one skill usable: Army Obliteration!

Clicking on the Army Obliteration symbol gingerly, Lin Jie saw that the symbol transformed gradually, and there seemed to be another imprint of the symbol.

[Second Level Army Obliteration]: You spend 20 Rage points and damage your target four times each for 140% damage.

Lin Jie’s heart skipped a beat. Though he would need to spend 20 Rage points to activate Army Obliteration now, its effect was totally transformed! The attack counts were now raised to four times—this upgrade was on a whole new level!

This was simply awesome! If not for the fact that Army Obliteration was an additional skill which came along with the equipment and couldn’t be leveled up by normal ways like allocating Skill Points to it, Lin Jie would have had allocated the maximum number of Skill Points he could afford to improve the skill’s level.

Right at this moment, the third level of the trials appeared: there were three wooden stakes, and a figure ‘5’ floated above them!

‘I get it, there are now three targets, and each needs to be attacked five times!’

Lin Jie took a deep breath. No wonder Army Obliteration was upgraded, it’s because of this! He looked at the cooldown time for the skill. As he was now in the Trial Space, the cooldown time for Army Obliteration was just merely six seconds.

A Berserker had the skill Blood Power, and thus the Rage points produced by them during attacks would be more than 50% of what normal Warriors could produce. On average, every strike would produce 5 Rage points. However, as he was unable to use the Dark Slaughter Longsword, his production of Rage points would be reduced by half…

This was a trial to test if the player was able to fully utilize the prowess of the Army Obliteration skill, and thus deal out the best strikes in the most efficient way! Moreover, if Lin Jie guessed correctly, he would fail the trials, and thus lose his own Stat points once he dragged too long between each strike! This was indeed a difficult challenge—no wonder the second level of the trials rewarded him with 20 Stat points!

Lin Jie drew a sharp breath and stood in front of the three wooden stakes.

Broken Blade was thrust out! Army Obliteration!

Exhilaration coursed through his blood as Lin Jie was able to exert roughly about a quarter or more force than his usual strength. However, it was also much more difficult to control Broken Blade! He shook his wrists and attacked three times consecutively at one of the wooden stakes, but the remaining two hit him hard and sent him flying! His lost one Strength point and the wooden stakes were reset again!

‘I have to attack, activate Army Obliteration, and then use consecutive strike skills… Oh sh*t, I have to at least have a Combo Attack count of 6!’ Lin Jie gritted his teeth—as a Berserker, it was not as easy to deal out Combo Attacks like a Bandit. For Bandits, dealing out 10 or more consecutive strikes was something basic. However, Berserkers that could deal out Combo Attack 5 would be considered experts!

How, then, should he attempt a Combo Attack 6?

Lin Jie did not venture near the wooden stakes again. He calmed himself down and cleared all thoughts. Aiming Broken Blade at the air in front of him, he used the system’s helper to set up a six-layered spiral symbol—he had to reach his target six times, and each time he would need to stab deeper!

This was just in theory—if placed in a real battle, he would have to take into account his opponent’s equipment, the flexibility of his opponent’s flesh and his corresponding movements… All these factors would influence the effectiveness of dealing out his Combo Attack!

Lin Jie tried to contact his friends but realized that all communication was cut off. It seemed like as long as he didn’t pass the trials, he would be unable to get in contact with the outside world…

Lin Jie focused his attention on his task. Letting out a low cry, he stabbed Broken Blade into the spiral symbol, and bright sparks flew with his actions. He managed to stab three times into his target accurately, but missed by a few centimeters at his fourth thrust—GG!

Again!

Broken Blade was thrust out again—and it was still a failure!

Failed!

Failed!

“Again!” Lin Jie gritted down on his teeth. Broken Blade shook slightly, and was stabbed into the spiral again.

———————

Screech—

The sky was azure, but suddenly, there was a loud thunder! Players in the Moldolita Forest looked up in shock at the sky but could only hear thunderous noise.

An eagle which was covered in silver feathers was circling the skies. Its feathers, however, were covered with a film of lightning. Narrowing its sharp eyes, it screeched loudly, and dark clouds gathered in the sky—the original clear skies were suddenly covered in dark clouds, as if before a heavy storm!

Dong!

The eagle flew past a hilltop, picked up a Level 25 Beamon Overlord with its beak, and threw it onto the ground again! At this moment, a figure clad in broken beast skins appeared. He took up a bow which looked like a fire phoenix, arched the bow into a full-moon position and shot an arrow at it. The arrow shot out like a shooting star, and it hit right into the eagle’s feathers!