Cosmic Peak

One of the Tengus asked in a stern voice, "what is your purpose here?"

Aren hurriedly took out the [Mark of Yakun] from his inventory and showed it to the Tengus.

Seeing the black card with golden patterns, the Tengus hurriedly retracted their spears and bowed towards Aren, "so it's a bearer of great Yakum's mark. Please forgive us for our disrespect."

...

Aren was invited to tour around the demonic temple for a while, and after that, they even let him use the hot spring, which swept away his exhaustion of traveling.

An hour later, Aren was comfortably sitting on a fluffy mattress wearing a kimono-like robe and eating delicious food at the low wooden table in front of him.

As soon as Aren finished eating, the temple head entered the room as if he knew that Aren had finished eating.

The temple head of this demonic temple turned out to be a middle-aged human with lush black hair that reached his shoulder.

"How was the food?" The temple head asked with a gentle smile.

"Great. The food was really delicious. Honestly, I've never eaten something that delicious before." Aren said with a smile.

"I have a question, however..." Aren asked as he looked around, checking the temple, "the underground temple I saw was..." Aren contemplated before continuing, "really dark, evil, and filled with bad vibes. I thought this temple would be the same, but..."

Aren shook his head with a wry smile. This looked more like a buddha temple but without the strict rules.

"Well, there is a history behind such demonic temples. Those temples were turned that way by corrupt energy. The monsters you killed in that temple are the creations from the corrupt energy extracted by Yakum. Instead of destroying corrupted demonic temples, he made them as trials for people. You must have seen Yakum's disciple as well, right?"

"Uhh… Yeah, I particularly remember him since he wanted to eat me." Aren said with a bleak smile.

"Cough...Well, that was just the corrupted energy that Yakum extracted from him and turned it that way for the dungeon." The temple head said with a cough, "Also, that disciple is currently one of the Demon Lords of the demonic continent."

"Demon Lords?!" Aren was surprised, "How powerful is a Demon Lord?"

"Demon Lords are only inferior to the Demon King in this world." The temple head said with a smile.

"What about Yakum? Is he a Demon King?" Aren asked with curiosity.

"Yakum..." the temple head muttered with a melancholic expression before smiling, "Yakum is not here anymore. He was the one who unified the whole demonic continent a hundred years ago and expelled all corrupted forces."

Aren was startled and frowned a bit, "I spoke to him a bit when I fought his mirage, so he shouldn't be dead...I think."

"Of course, he isn't dead. He had just left this Wild Expanse after becoming a Calamity lifeform." The temple head said with a smile, "You are from the otherworld that was recently dragged here, right?"

"Indeed. You seem to know more about this matter, so...," paused Aren for a bit before he continued with a somber expression, "do you know what we will have to face in the so-called despair after two years and eleven months?"

"Nope, we don't know such things because the despair would be different for each mortal realm," said the temple head while shaking his head, "We are allowed to watch you all fight. However, no one from the wild expanse will participate in aiding either you or the despair."

"Then, can you tell me how much strength do I need to get to drive back that unknown despair? What lifeform stage do I need to reach to win against that despair?" Aren asked with a determined expression.

"I have observed the last battle, and I can tell that your mortal realm needs tens of Legendary lifeform beings to win. It's possible but hard. It's...really hard to become a Legendary lifeform in just three years. Even if one or two did succeed in becoming a Legendary lifeform, it wouldn't be of much help." The temple head said with a sigh as he shook his head.

"You need three factors. Luck, wits, and strength."

Aren nodded with a serious expression as he stood up and took out the Mark of Yakum, "I have rested enough. Now, let's get into the main thing."

The temple head stood up and nodded before saying, "do you want to make some preparations first? Because the higher you score in the trial and the higher your performance, the better the rewards you will get. You other-worlders will have to work hard and grasp every opportunity that comes your way."

"Every opportunity?" Aren muttered as he remembered the bloodline orb in the inventory. He looked at temple head and asked, "This world is magical and filled with wonders, so I suppose there should be a power that can help an individual increase his luck, right?"

"There are indeed such powers that can increase your luck," the temple head nodded with a smile, "Mythical Lucky gems, Sacrificial Altars in which you can exchange your lifespan for luck, a rumored fortune Mystical Cat that brings fortune to you, and many other things. Oh, actually, you can collect a demonic artifact that can increase your luck if you score high in the trial."

"Really?!" Aren's eyes shone, "What kind of artifact is that?"

"Eh...actually," the temple head wiped some sweat from his forehead before saying with a weak smile, "It's a dangerous demonic artifact because it increases not only your luck but also your bad luck. It's random."

"Anyway, you should first focus on the trial and get as high a score as you can. After the trial ends, your score will be converted into demonic points with which you can buy things from a special shop. That demonic artifact is one of the items in that special shop, and you will know more about it at that time." The temple head said with a wry smile.

Aren bowed and cupped his fist before saying, "I hope to receive your aid in the preparation that I want to do. If you ca-"

"Hahaha. As long as it's within my limits, I will help you." The temple head laughed and said as he patted Aren's shoulder before saying, "What kind of help do you need?"

A sharp gleam flashed across Aren's eyes, 'It's time to make use of that exotic material.'