Ascension: Online

I fell vertically down the pipeline of sorts, the gravity pulling me downwards at an alarming speed.

"When is this going to slow down…!" I gritted my teeth as I neared the end of the fall.

However, I still did not show any sign of slowing down, despite Aisa's reassuring words mere moments earlier.

"Damn it, Aisa, I'm going to kill you after I get out of here!"

I closed my eyes and braced for impact. But right at the last moment, I suddenly slowed down for a brief moment. My eyes snapped open - I was floating mere inches above the ground, and after a few seconds, I landed softly.

"I already dislike this Vault…" I muttered, letting out a sigh of relief.

[WeLcOmE tO tHe TrIaL oF dEcEpTiOn.] A distorted male voice suddenly said.

I looked around on instinct, but then realized it was just the AI of this Vault, similar to the one who had operated the Vault of Corruption. But if that's the case… I really hope Aisa doesn't mess with me in this one like she did last time. Clearly, this Vault was a lot harder than the previous one. If Aisa were to interfere and make it even harder for me, I would actually probably die.

Since I wasn't too keen on losing that black orb I got from killing the woman who had led the Phantoms, I would like to avoid death, if possible.

I rubbed my left chest in an attempt to slow down my racing heart. It felt like it was about to jump out from the exhilaration of the fall. After calming down a bit, I took a deep breath and stepped forward.

This Vault appeared to be made of wood - the corridors were in a normal square shape, unlike the weird flattened-hexagon shape from the Vault of Corruption. It was lit up by torches placed along the sides of the walls.

"Seriously…? Torches, in a wooden structure?"

I was honestly surprised this place had not been burnt to the ground yet. Of course, even if it did, Aisa could just reset it - she created all of the Vaults, after all.

I could see a closed door up ahead. With no other way to go, I walked towards it calmly. Hesitantly, I opened the door, careful of anything that may suddenly pop out at me. Luckily, there wasn't anything of the sort. However, what I found myself staring at, was… far worse.

In front of me, an obstacle course lay. I could see the open doorway on the other end, but in between that and I were countless hindrances. Deadly hindrances, to be particular. From swinging spiked pendulums to moving spiked pillars that reached the ceiling, and flamethrowers that spat fire as well as various panels of the floor with a skull marked on it. I didn't know that those did, but it would be a wise decision not to step on them, since usually skulls meant death.

Just to be sure, I took out the dagger Ming Ye from Xiyang Village had crafted for me when I first arrived in Ascentia, and threw it towards one of the panels with a skull marked on it. As soon as it landed, the panel blew up in a loud explosion. When the smoke disappeared, the dagger was gone, but the panel was still completely fine.

I gulped nervously. "Yeah… not going on those."

I then observed this obstacle course more carefully. Slowly, a plan began formulating in my mind.

The distance between the doorway and I was around twenty meters. This may not seem like a lot at first glance, but faced with all of these deadly impediments, this would feel a lot longer than it really was.

My Vanishing Clouds art could dash a distance of about two meters. My Blink art could teleport me about one meter. However, I could only use them once - there was no time to wait for cooldowns to come back up, given how tightly the obstacles were packed. I had to cross over from this side to the other in one go.

As a last resort, I also had Vanishing Steps, in case things got hairy. However, I wanted to save that if possible, since there was a chance I would have to face against a strong opponent tomorrow. I wanted to have all my cards ready in case they're needed.

That said… I had something else - an art I got with 3 of the 36 AP I received from reaching Level 30. Its name was 'Transhesive Steps'. I didn't know what transhesive meant, but this skill was essentially the better version of Vanishing Steps. It provided the ability to move through objects like Vanishing Clouds while increasing the agility, stealth, and speed boost given by Vanishing Steps, essentially combining the two skills together into one. I would still be rendered invisible as well, and activating this skill also increased my jump height by quite a lot. My focus was also increased.

While Transhesive Steps was activated, I could also dash every five seconds, giving me sudden bursts of speed. The total duration of this art was a full minute - 60 seconds. This essentially gave me twelve dashes in total.

All in all, this art was definitely worth the 3 AP - I could take down any opponent within a minute, given these ability boosts. However… should I use it here?

I could just waltz my way over to the other side if I used Transhesive Steps here, since I would be able to pass through things, but…

"Ah, screw it…" I sighed. Vanishing Steps would be more than enough to deal with any opponents I would have to fight against tomorrow. Besides, I needed to test this art out first before using it in real combat anyway. The cooldown was two days, so I would have it back before the main tournament. Taking a deep breath, I used the art in my head.

'Transhesive Steps.'

Immediately, my whole body became lighter. It glowed a faint light blue that only I could see - to others, I would be invisible. Smirking, I confidently walked straight through all the death traps. I still avoided the panels with a skull marked on them though, since the explosions triggered were far too loud for my eardrums to handle.

I reached the other end in roughly twenty seconds, still with forty seconds left to spare.

"Sheesh, Transhesive Steps feels great," I mused.

The doorway closed shut behind me once I passed the room, and the male AI's distorted voice spoke again.

[SuCcEsS. FiRsT tRiAl CoMpLeTe. TwO mOrE tO gO.]

Three Trials again, huh? Was that a pattern or something?

Without any hesitation, I entered the next room, since my Transhesive Steps were still active. This one was… a bit unusual. Around me, in cages made of wood, hostile Magic Beasts and Monsters lay.

[WeLcOmE tO tHe SeCoNd TrIaL.] The AI said, pitch so uneven that it was creepy, almost. [KiLl tHe EnEmIeS, yEs? Or, YoU dIe.]

"Yeah… I kinda figured."

As if on cue, the fragile wooden bars holding the Magic Beasts and Monsters back were torn apart in a matter of seconds, and the roars of dozens of hostile creatures surrounded me.

[TrIaL oF iLlUsIoNs: BeGiN.]