The Lycaon was a special creature—closer to a mystical beast than to a magical beast or a natural animal. Although it possessed dark powers and murderous instincts like an unintelligent magical beast, it also had the refined intelligence and pure mana of a natural animal.
It was almost like a singularity.
In the mortal worlds, the Lycaon was known as a beast one could encounter only on the darkest night, under the light of the full moon. Rumors said that anyone who laid eyes on it would be hunted by it until death. That was why only very few survived an encounter and lived to tell the tale.
ROAR!
A silent yet intimidating roar echoed through the fog, seeming to come from all directions and unsettling Cercius.
This could get unpleasant… but it's not as bad as I expected. But if it's only this much, why did that old man tell me not even to think about defeating him?
Cercius was slightly confused as he recalled the words of his previous opponent and quickly concluded that he hadn't intended to mislead him. It didn't fit the pride of that swordfighter.
Even though he wondered about Hector's advice, he didn't intend to take it lightly. And even though he now knew his opponent and saw the possibility of victory, he would not act rashly.
"Well then, since this fog gives you so much protection, let's get rid of it first."
While holding his weapons, Cercius stretched out his arms and unleashed a weak but precise pressure of mana.
A strong gust of wind arose, sweeping through the arena and pushing the fog upward. For a brief moment, it cleared most of the arena, making everything fully visible.
As soon as the field became clear, the Lycaon came into view.
Without hesitation, Cercius dashed toward his opponent, who seemed surprised by the sudden change.
He swung his mana-charged sword.
In mere seconds, he reached the Lycaon and struck it directly in the side.
He was just about to follow up with the next strike when the fog fell over the arena once more, shrouding the Lycaon again.
When Cercius quickly appeared at the spot where the Lycaon had been, ready to deliver the final blow, it had already vanished into the darkness.
"Tch," clicked Cercius in frustration. Too bad—but at least I surprised him and landed a good hit!
He looked around in the darkness and made a decision.
Instead of searching for the Lycaon in this darkness, Cercius abandoned close combat and chose to fight with magic. That way, he would avoid wandering blindly in the dark and exposing himself to surprise attacks.
After reaching this decision, Cercius drove his sword into the ground and unleashed his magic.
"I don't know exactly where you are, but I don't need to. If I attack in all directions, I'll definitely hit you somewhere!" he declared with a sly grin.
Stone Control: Great Cry of the Earth!
The ground immediately began to shake, cracks spreading across the arena. Massive stone pillars burst from the earth and shot in all directions.
It looked as though the end of the world had come upon the arena. Sounds erupted like continuous cannon fire and the pounding of cannonballs.
Horrifying screams echoed from the darkness—but this time not from all directions, only from one corner of the arena.
Once Cercius quickly identified the direction from which the beast's cries emerged, he unleashed his magic toward that exact spot and launched a merciless follow-up attack.
Zephyros Wind Lance!
He raised his hand, forming a stream of wind above it, which he compressed into a long lance. Without warning, he hurled it in the direction where he suspected the Hunter in Moonlight.
The wind lance shot forward, breaking the sound barrier with ease, and immediately after its release, it pierced its target.
BANG!
A loud crash echoed, as if something powerful had smashed against the arena wall. Shortly after, another anguished and tormented scream of the beast followed—more miserable and painful than before.
Meanwhile, the fog slowly dissipated on its own, and once it had completely cleared, it revealed the Lycaon's body. It had a large hole through its torso, lying against the wall of the arena while blood flowed from its mouth.
[You have successfully cleared the fifth round: "Hunter in Moonlight"…]
[Congratulations. You have survived all five rounds of the Colosseum and successfully completed the Second Trial of God.]
And thus the system messages arrived, confirming Cercius's quick and effortless victory over the Lycaon.
[You have successfully written the Fable: "Survivor of the Colosseum." Your potential and strength increase; special effects of the Fable are applied…]
He had ended the fifth round of the Colosseum so easily, having used barely a fraction of his power.
That's really it?
Somewhat perplexed, Cercius stared at the Lycaon's corpse, which began to turn to ash and was carried away by the wind. He had absolutely not expected it to end so quickly.
That only raised more questions.
But when he thought more deeply and recalled his fight with Hector, a sudden flash of insight struck him.
Wait! The entire fourth round, I fought only with sword and shield, relying solely on my swordsmanship and Body Reinforcement… But I never once used magic! No wonder he gave me that advice!
Since Hector had been aware of Cercius's magical abilities, he had specifically given him that message: not to attempt defeating the Lycaon. Because relying solely on his sword skills—especially in his exhausted state—would have made victory nearly impossible.
But with the power of a mage, perfectly suited for this situation, he achieved a victory Hector could not have foreseen.
After his victory was confirmed, a portal appeared in the Colosseum to bring Cercius back to Avalon.
Thus the grand event in the Colosseum, broadcast across all worlds, came to a rather unspectacular conclusion.
Shortly after his arrival in Avalon, a brief rest, and a reflection on his battles—during which his masters advised him on what could have been improved—Cercius had to begin the next trial.
This time, there was no long training period, as he already possessed a strength far exceeding that of an ordinary Awakened who had awakened less than five years ago.
After two divine trials and training under both Morgana and Arthur, Cercius's stats had reached a new peak.
They now stood as follows: [Strength: B], [Endurance: B], [Dexterity: C], [Constitution: B], and [Mana: B+]. He also possessed the abilities: [Golden King's Eye], [Bronze Skin], [One with the Sword], and [Cutting Wind].
In addition, he had advanced abilities in wind and earth magic. Not to mention the two fables he had written so far: "Overcomer of Weakness" and "Survivor of the Colosseum."
Cercius's current rank was comparable to that of a B+ Awakened, standing on the verge of ascending into A-rank.
After only a short break of a few days, the next, the third Trial of God, already began.
This trial bore the simple title: "Zombie Apocalypse."
The trial itself took place in the mortal world E2. This world had until recently been inhabited mostly by humans, halflings, and giants.
A few years ago, however, a catastrophe had struck that wiped out the entire race of halflings—a dwarf-like species. Although they were small in stature, they were less rugged and more childlike than dwarves.
They were considered a very adventurous race.
One day, an unexpected being appeared in the mortal world E2. It had once been a human but, under special circumstances, had become a Lich.
Yes—a Lich. An undead creature that practiced dark magic and could summon further undead creatures such as skeletons, zombies, and others. The same type of creature Cercius had fought in his third round in the Colosseum, together with a horde of undead and a Dullahan.
The Lich that had appeared on E2 had originally been a human, as mentioned before. But he had entered into a contract with a demon and eventually, through the demon—or rather its blood—he transformed into a Lich.
As a Lich, he began to build an army of undead and, driven by rage, attacked all mortal kingdoms of the world, seeking to drag them into death. He had decided that if he himself was not allowed to live, no one else should either. A ridiculous notion, yet in his madness, it seemed the most natural truth, and to him, impossible to contradict.
Many kingdoms suffered under the Army of Death; many cities fell, until eventually the entire nation of halflings was wiped out and destroyed. After that, he had intended to attack the humans and then the realms of the giants.
But it never came to that, because someone opposed the Lich and his undead army.
It was not a hero, chosen to avenge humanity.
No—nothing so cliché.
It was angels who descended upon the world and destroyed the evil that plagued the poor souls.
Well… as lazy as they were, the angels took care of the Lich but not of his enormous undead army, which did not disappear after his death and instead remained wandering across the world.
This army split after the Lich's death, and the undead roamed the land without purpose.
The task Cercius received for this trial—linked to the mortal world E2, the Lich, and his undead army—was to protect a certain village in this world.
He had to protect a specific human village for one night from the invasion of undead that wandered through the lands of the kingdom and plagued it with their presence. These were the undead left behind after the Lich's death and were part of his former army.
Thus, he would complete the work the angels had neglected, clean up after them, and solve two problems at once.
Fortunately, the remaining undead had a very noticeable flaw after the Lich's death: once daybreak arrived and the sun watched over the world, they could no longer move and turned into silent statues, standing motionless until the sun set again and night returned.
Whether fortunate or not, Cercius had to protect this village for one night—or rather a few hours, until sunrise.
He could not accomplish this alone, as the sheer number of undead—though perhaps not individually strong—was far too massive, like a tidal wave overwhelming the world.
Thus, he began to cooperate with the villagers and travelers, fortifying the village. They built barricades, constructed hidden traps, and positioned themselves at ideal points to withstand the oncoming wave of undead.
After being given five days to complete the preparations, the night of the attack finally arrived, and an unimaginable army of undead marched aimlessly toward the village, which had only a little over five hundred inhabitants.
The number of undead that had wandered into this region exceeded one hundred thousand. It was hard to imagine how massive the Lich's original army must have been to exterminate an entire race.
At first, it was still manageable, as Cercius only had to run around and dispose of the few weak undead—zombies or skeleton warriors. It cost little strength and, with his speed, went very quickly.
Only about an hour and a half after sunset did the invasion truly begin. Enormous masses of undead streamed toward the village like an unending flood.
It was a truly brutal battle, with Cercius standing at the front the entire time. Many villagers died, and the village came close to collapse several times, yet they managed to protect it for several hours from complete destruction.
After several hours of fierce combat and many sacrifices, the seemingly endless battle finally came to an end as day broke. The undead that had not yet been defeated suddenly stopped moving, turned into stone statues, and became prey to the mercy of the humans.
Not that they were shown mercy.
Once the undead stood motionless, the few people who were not completely exhausted—led by Cercius—rushed forward and killed the remaining undead until none were left.
After his victory and the completion of the Third Trial of God, Cercius wrote the Fable: "He Who Conquered the Night."
His strength and potential increased further.
After resting once more in Avalon, he soon began the Fourth Trial.
The Fourth Trial of God bore the title: "Ascending Troublemaker." It required Cercius to hunt a powerful beast in a mortal world that was on the verge of ascending into the immortal world.
This beast was known as an Amphitere.