Chapter 697 - Five minutes to break a trial

Sofia decided to still go uphill, locating an unlocker fast was too important, more than conserving stamina. Even with the current inability to look up her stats, she knew how much she could push a regular human body. Pareth took the lead, holding her hand to pull her forward, helping alleviate the fatigue a little. 

They ran like this for about two more minutes before they finally found an end to the forest. The terrain suddenly changing to the base of a mountain, a thin layer of snow covering the ground and the top of the last few trees.

Barely any cover if we go out there… But we should be the first reaching this far, we basically ran without stopping.

Sofia took a few steps in the snow, looking left and right.

“A few small ruins. This out there looks like a church? And there’s a fortified keep halfway up the mountain… Few roaming monsters… This hole here must be a bear’s den. This might be our best bet. Think we can take on a bear without injuries?” Sofia asked Pareth.

Without answering, Pareth started walking toward the cave entrance. It was the closest point of interest only about a hundred meters away and not too far up the mountain. They made it to the entrance without a problem, but on the way Sofia noticed another person coming out of the forest further in the direction they were going toward.

He’s not seen us yet I think.

Trying no to be seen, Sofia and Pareth quickly entered the cave, which turned out not to be a bear’s den, but the one of a different monster entirely, some kind of large white-haired monkey, sleeping on a bed of dead leaves.

We can kill that.

Sofia and Pareth approached as silently as they could.

Three. Two. One.

Pareth’s scimitar fell on the monkey’s neck while Sofia’s spear stabbed at its left eye.

The monkey woke up with a howl, the scimitar left a deep cut in its throat and the spear had crushed its eye. A paw swept at Pareth’s legs, while another grabbed the spear, crushing it into splinters.

Sofia let go of her weapon, and Pareth jumped over the strike. His scimitar fell upong the monkey’s throat again. It tried to avoid the cut but its vision was impaired. Another cut was made on its throat, and it reeled back from the strike, flailing wildly afterwards to keep Pareth away.

A stone hit the monkey’s head, curtesy of Sofia, it did not do any real damage, but it stopped his flailing for an instant. Long enough for Pareth to get close again and strike once more. The scimitar perfectly aligned with the first cut. The scimitar cluncked against the monkey’s spine as it severed most of its throat. The creature twitched, gargling noises coming out of its throat spewing red blood everywhere before it fell limp on its back.

‘You have defeated [Bigfoot - lv. 42]’

‘You have received [Minor Unlocker*1]!’

A floating golden key appeared over the monkey’s corpse, Pareth grabbed it and threw it back to Sofia.

[Minor unlocker - Passive]: Unlock one passive skill.

Passive?!

Pareth’s weapon of light? No, he has too little mana right now. He would only be able to use it for a few seconds. Sixth melody is a mana percentage so it’s a good effect for the cost, but it’s broadcasting our location… Think, quickly…

Of course the specialization isn’t counted as a passive anymore…

Shit, risky bet, but I’ll take it!

‘You have unlocked the passive: Vakariazrehafin of Sorrow’

Let’s leave!

Sofia and Pareth ran out of the cave, finding themselves face to face with a man wielding an iron spear. The same one Sofia had seen running out of the forest just moments before. Pareth jumped in front of Sofia, ready to intercept a blow.

But to their surprise, instead of trying to fight, the man spun around like a frightened cat and ran out.

“Sorry! I didn’t know it was you! I have nothing! I’m not worth killing!” he desperately yelled as he ran down the snowy hillside like a madman.

Are we really that scary?! Sofia asked herself, as she was covered in monkey blood without even a weapon in her hands.

“Let’s go, no reason to go after him… We need to get to that keep as soon as possible.”

Pareth nodded, and the duo ran up the mountain, checking the terrain behind them as they went. 

The event arena seemed to be a relatively large island with the forest and its clearing in the middle. There seemed to still be activity in that center zone, though Sofia couldn’t quite tell what, as her vision wasn’t as good as it normally was. The mountain they were on was on one side of the forest, with the zone on its right side being some flat plateau plaines with plenty of ruins and what looked like a burned city, and the zone on its left being some kind of jungle swamp. Lastly on the opposite it was hard to tell from were Sofia was, but she guessed it was more of a desert-type arid area, though it only looked like a blurry yellow patch from her point of view.

She counted five other people visible on the snowy parts of the mountain, all of them downhill compared to where she was, none of which she recognized from a distance. The one she had unvoluntarily scared off seemed to have ran back into the forest.

As she kept walking up to the keep, now only some fifty meters away from its half-open gates, she noticed something strange, a fast-moving shadow over the snow. Comparing the position of the shadow and the position of the sun in her mind, she immediately realized the danger and looked up. Whatever cast that shadow was almost right above her.

With the sun in her eyes, it was hard to stop the thing in the sky, but she noticed the whistling sound in time, and so did Pareth. They both quickly jumped to the side, an arrow falling straight down into the snow right where Sofia would have been had she kept walking straight forward.

It’s that Sonia!

Run!

Arrows fell down one after the other. There weren’t many, but they were always perfectly on Sofia’s path as she and Pareth ran through the ankle-deep snow. Sofia barely avoided the second arrow with a sudden stop, and Pareth somehow blocked the third with his scimitar. It took twelve long seconds for Sofia to reach the keep’s gate. A last and fourth arrow came down as she threw herself inside, sinking into her left shoulder from above. Pareth closed the heavy wood gate shut as he entered after Sofia, and sealed it by pulling down the iron bar latch.

That was bad.

Pareth made sure the area was safe, while Sofia sat, her back against the cold wall of the keep. With a grunt, she pulled out the arrow. It had barely missed her hear, and penetrated the trapezius muscle until it hit the bone, stopping there.

Pareth turned back to ward Sofia.

“I’m good,” Sofia told him, getting up with some light difficulty, “it hurts but my blood is still light. It was only one of those starter kit wood-tipped arrow.”

Pareth nodded and pointed at the weapons racks ligning the wall, as well as the main door facing the entrance. The keep seemed abandoned, most things old and in a relatively bad state but not in ruins yet.

She probably won’t pursue us inside… But we should get those arrows. Sofia thought, looking at the few quivers still hanging on the weapon racks.

Pareth nodded, he walked up to the wall and quickly snapped all the bows and arrows while Sofia walked up to the main door and looked through a hole in the rotten wood.

Looks dangerous… Probably undead.

A big knight in rusty full plate armor was standing still in the middle of the Keep’s otherwise empty central room.

We’re meant to get a few minor unlockers and come fight this later, I assume. Pareth, you sit this one out, be on the lookout for Sonia, Sofia ordered as she forcefully ejected the little mana she had. I will make the most ouf of those five minutes.

[Vakariazrehafin of Sorrow]

Her heart bursting out of her chest, Sofia bit into it. It was tough and cold, harder to chew than usual, but she swallowed it all the same, and the transformation started. She felt full of energy as her body morphed and her tail grew.

These are no longer the stats of a level twenty!

Sofia burst through the door and crossed the distance toward the knight in an instant amidst the wood shrapnell and dust. She grabbed the knight’s helmet before it could even lift its sword and forced it back, slamming it against the ground. The helmet was crushed between her palm and the floor, with a sickening wet and metallic noise.

‘You have defeated [Iron Keep Commander - lv. 243]’

‘You have received [Major Unlocker*1]!’

A large floating key with an Orichalcum-pink sheen appeared above the dead knight. Sofia grabbed it wihtout an moment’s waste.

[Major unlocker - Any skill]: Unlock any one skill including Racials, Specials, Blessings, Wildcasts and Specializations.

You don’t need to tell me twice!

‘You have unlocked the specialization: Sovereign of Unshackled Frames’

Four minutes and a half to unlock my Mana or Aura. Pareth! Come climb on my back! We’re out of here!

As she reunited with Pareth, the dead knight with its crushed helmet slowly stood back up.

“You come here! Wait in the halls!”

The armor fell back down to the ground, the twice-dead zombie itside now lacking a skeleton.