Chapter 95

095. Proof (1)

"I will begin the 11th floor trial."

"Remaining time – 7 days"

"Trial breakthrough condition – Break through to the seventh gate within the remaining time"

"Trial failure condition – Challenger's death or the end of the remaining time"

"Trial breakthrough reward – Worn-out Mirror of Proof (S-)"

"Trial failure penalty – Death"

“…….”

As the trial began, I narrowed my eyes and surveyed the surroundings.

I was in a spacious, square room that was currently empty.

The space resembled a waiting room, but the difference was that I was not alone; there was another person here.

It was a middle-aged priest in a robe, exuding a decadent charm.

‘There’s someone here…’

The Tower of Trials had clearly informed me through a message that this was not a combined trial.

Could it be that another interdimensional challenger had appeared? As I circulated mana throughout my body, the middle-aged priest suddenly spoke in a languid tone.

"Welcome to the Temple of Proof."

"Temple of Proof…?"

"You will now undergo a trial led by the God of Proof, which will continue until you die."

“…….”

"There should be no complaints. You came here of your own accord. As a mere adventurer, you volunteered for a god's trial, so you must bear the consequences."

“Ah…”

It seemed that this 11th floor stage had a backstory.

An adventurer, without knowing the gravity of the situation, had entered the Temple of Proof to undergo a god's trial.

As a result, I had to break through seven gates to complete the trial.

That was my current situation.

‘It’s probably a story from another dimension, not Wulin or Earth.’

Given the existence of places like Kalian and Ares, it made sense that there were other fantastical worlds.

I had a rough idea of the story, so there was no need to understand it further.

"So, how do I pass the first gate?"

"Are you unaware of the rules of the trials led by the seven major deities of Ares?"

“…….”

"Not all adventurers are ignorant, but it seems you are."

“……That’s right.”

The middle-aged priest mocked me with a look of disbelief, but…

I was not an Ares-born challenger, nor was I the adventurer who had actually entered this temple with a backstory.

Therefore, it was natural for me to ask questions without hesitation.

‘So, this is the Ares dimension, huh.’

I recalled the interdimensional challenger I had encountered while climbing the tower.

The damn black knight who had appeared on the 5th floor and nearly killed me.

I had heard that Ares challengers mostly valued chivalry and were part of a unified nation.

Despite that, I was currently undergoing a trial that had nothing to do with knighthood.

"Can't be helped. I'll explain."

While I was thinking, the middle-aged priest began his explanation.

"The trials in the Temple of Proof are simple."

I immediately dismissed my wandering thoughts and focused on the middle-aged priest's words.

"Proof of the Body, Proof of Belief, Proof of the Spirit."

“…….”

"The first is Proof of the Body, and the final and most difficult is Proof of the Spirit."

"I see."

"Breaking through the gates is simple. In each trial room, there will be a high priest. You can either persuade them or kill them to move to the next room."

"But that wouldn't make it a trial, would it?"

It would be as if I could just move to the next room at will.

However, I thought that wouldn't accomplish anything and wouldn't even count as breaking through the trial.

"How would an ignorant person like you understand the will of a god?"

“…….”

"Proof is exactly that. The path you choose is a form of proof."

"In other words, it doesn't matter how you break through the gates."

"Well, that's how it is. So, stop asking unnecessary questions and get started."

The middle-aged priest took a fighting stance, and I hesitated for a moment.

But soon, I understood his intent as I looked into the middle-aged priest's eyes.

“…….”

Proof of the Body, huh…

I didn't expect this proof to be this proof.

"The first gate begins."

His tone suggested that he was daring me to come at him if I had the courage.

But upon hearing his words, I couldn't help but laugh derisively.

I had fought Ares knights and Wulin elders, and had been in battles that nearly killed me.

And now, the Proof of the Body was a fight with a priest?

"Then, I'll go."

In this case, it was more like an easy difficulty rather than a hard one.

***

Surprisingly, the middle-aged priest was not weak but quite strong.

Should I say he was comparable to the challengers who had obtained the Pioneer's Qualification at the hard difficulty level in the Earth dimension?

I never imagined that a priest serving a god would be such a powerful martial arts expert.

But the trial was the trial, and the surprising was the surprising.

Bang!

I dodged the middle-aged priest's martial arts techniques as if I were watching a show, then immediately kicked him into the wall.

"Ugh!"

The middle-aged priest spat blood as he hit the wall and then fell to the ground.

He was still conscious, as evidenced by his intermittent movements, but I thought the battle was essentially over.

"Thank you for the explanation."

I expressed my gratitude to the middle-aged priest one last time before plunging my sword into his body.

"You have absorbed the soul of the priest 'Johann'."

"Your proficiency has increased by 5.8%."

The opponent was stronger than expected, so the proficiency gain was quite substantial.

‘If my proficiency increases a couple more times, the level of Necromancy will also rise.’

I felt satisfied with this thought.

"Administrator 'Seven Deities's Priest' is shocked by your shocking actions."

Such a message appeared, and the shock of someone else was conveyed to me.

It didn't stop there.

"Administrator 'Swordman Who Kills Gods' nods in approval at your heartless actions."

"Administrator 'Hero of the Doomed World' praises you, saying you're quite interesting."

"Administrator 'Seeker of the Divine' says not to worry, as you are properly undergoing the proof."

Several administrators suddenly sent me messages and expressed their emotions.

“…….”

Even in the public area, so many administrators didn't usually follow me at once.

Seeing so many administrators send me messages was quite a new experience.

Judging from their titles, it seemed that the trial I was undergoing was related to 'gods' or that I was from the Ares dimension, which piqued their interest.

"Administrator 'Iron-Blooded Monarch' is surprised by your trial progress without any prior signs."

"Administrator 'White Crane Sword Immortal' feels disappointed that you entered the trial without any story."

After a while, the two administrators I had contracted with also arrived, as if they had heard about me.

They seemed disappointed and hurt that I had entered the trial without a word and they hadn't been able to watch it.

‘Since I can't contact the administrators, it can't be helped.’

I smiled wryly and searched the middle-aged priest, Johann.

"Administrator 'Seven Deities's Priest' is watching your actions."

"Administrator 'Hero of the Doomed World' admires your greed."

"Administrator 'Swordman Who Kills Gods' nods in understanding."

My actions seemed quite greedy, which prompted messages from the administrators.

Of course, I didn't care and continued to search Johann's body, pulling out a small mirror.

The small mirror, the only item he had, emitted an unknown aura.

‘It’s an item.’

And—

"Skill 'Eye of the Dragon' is activated."

I immediately used the Eye of the Dragon to appraise the small mirror.

"Mirror imbued with a High Priest's divine power"

"Grade: C+"

"A mirror imbued with the divine power of the High Priest 'Johann', who never missed a day in imbuing it."

"Can use the divine power dedicated to the God of Proof to create a divine shield once."

"When the divine shield is activated, it can also partially restore mental corruption."

After that, a phrase appeared through the Eye of the Dragon.

"Perhaps the divine power of the God of Proof contained in the mirror can guide the bearer to prove their own destiny."

It was just a one-time use shield item.

‘I don’t understand what the phrase about proving one’s destiny means.’

It’s not clear if it can definitively prove one’s destiny, and it’s not a significant enough content to matter whether it exists or not.

I put the mirror imbued with divine power in my pocket and stood up.

‘It would be nice if there were more Proofs of the Body.’

While having this thought, I opened the door and walked to the second gate.

At the end of a narrow corridor where one person could barely walk, the second gate appeared.

It was a square room, but unlike the previous room, it was not empty and bland.

The space where the second gate existed was a bizarre room with broken mirrors stuck all over the walls.

‘I wonder why the God of Proof has so many mirrors.’

At that moment,

"…I never thought an adventurer whose name I don’t even know would reach here."

A blonde beauty who had been sitting quietly in the center of the second gate room opened her eyes and muttered.

"Johann must have been past his prime."

"Are you the priest of the second gate?"

"Yes, adventurer. I am the priest of the second gate."

“…….”

"Your Proof of the Body with Johann is not yet complete."

"So, this will also be Proof of the Body, then."

"Correct. So, there's no need for further talk."

She answered straightforwardly, stood up, and asked, swaying her nun's habit.

"I'm High Priest Jane. Nice to meet you."

In contrast to the sinister Johann, she had a cheerful demeanor.

"I'm Han Sungyun."

In the world of the trial, what was the importance of giving my name?

But in response to Jane's expectant gaze, I answered indifferently.

"Do you plan to show mercy in your actions?"

"No, I will kill you."

"I had a feeling from the moment Johann's presence disappeared, but you're quite aggressive."

“…….”

I am aggressive, but I can't just breeze through the trial.

The more thoroughly I complete it, the more additional breakthrough rewards I might receive, and it would be a waste to give them up.

"Administrator 'Iron-Blooded Monarch' is satisfied with your coldness."

"Administrator 'White Crane Sword Immortal' smiles and says that's your charm."

"Administrator 'Hero of the Doomed World' warns you to be careful of those crazy women."

Moreover, the proficiency gain in Necromancy from not killing would also be quite high.

"By any chance, do you have any thoughts of, well, taking me?"

Jane smirked and said, and the administrators watching me immediately reacted.

"Administrator 'Hero of the Doomed World' is waiting for your answer."

"Administrator 'Iron-Blooded Monarch' is looking at you with narrowed eyes."

"Administrator 'White Crane Sword Immortal' is flustered by the unexpected question."

Jane, who asked such a question, and the administrators' reactions were quite significant.

Even the White Crane Sword Immortal was so flustered that he sent a message saying he was restless.

I was also quite taken aback, so I answered with a sense of bewilderment.

"……I don’t have such a disgusting hobby."

"Aha, that’s really a relief."

As soon as she said that, a flood of messages from the administrators poured in.

"Administrator 'Iron-Blooded Monarch' strongly agrees with Jane."

"Administrator 'White Crane Sword Immortal' sends you trust, saying he believed in you."

"Administrator 'Seeker of the Divine' watches your choice with interest."

I briefly glanced over the messages and then turned my attention back to Jane.

"Rather, in a temple, where would you find someone who does such things?"

"There are. Some who occasionally come in do such things."

"……Ah, I see. I understand."

"You’re quite pure for an adventurer. From what I see, you have good skills, and you don’t show mercy in your actions, so you must have seen a lot of battles."

"……."

"I never thought an adventurer who came this far would be someone straight out of a fairy tale."

To say that someone who unhesitatingly says they will kill is like a character from a fairy tale.

‘This is a truly crazy world.’

It really makes me realize that the Earth dimension is relatively normal.

"Let’s end the small talk here."

She finished speaking and drew her sword from the scabbard at her waist.

And—

"Now, the second gate begins."

The moment her rapier emitted a pure white sword aura,

I felt my lips involuntarily curl into a smile.

It was a smile of anticipation, thinking that I might finally be able to learn a new form of sword skill.