12 12: Third Quest
A monotonous voice echoed in Valerius's mind.
"The quest [Emergence of the Dark Horse] has been issued.
Task 1: Awaken level 1 spirit vein. Reward: +1 stat point.
Task 2: Awaken level 2 spirit veins. Reward: +2 stat points.
Task 3: Awaken level 3 spirit vein. Reward: ????.
The final reward will be calculated based on the number of tasks completed."
'I have a significant advantage here. With the knowledge I possess from the novel, I can ace this quest if I play my cards right,' Valerius thought to himself
The moment the ceremony commenced, a powerful pressure radiated from the old man.
The target of this pressure was none other than the participants of the ceremony.
As they bore the brunt of it, their breathing became difficult, heavy, and strained and their bodies felt heavily weighed down, almost as if the force of gravity acting on them had intensified manifold,
Ugh!
Lysandra grunted as the overwhelming pressure bore down on her.
Being a spoiled princess, she had relied on her servants for even the most menial tasks since she was young.
Moreover, she had never trained a muscle in her body because she didn't like sweating, working hard, or feeling pain.
Additionally, she had been indulging in her nymphomaniac tendencies for the past two years.
Because of all these reasons, even though she was a wizard, her body was weak and frail, comparable to a non-wizard female.
Thus, she found it difficult to stay upright in the oppressive atmosphere from the get-go.
She panted, "I thought this was going to be a walk in the park, but taking even a single step forward in the face of this pressure feels like climbing a mountain."
Sighing, she said, "It's going to be impossible for me to gain anything fruitful from this ceremony. I better give up before I embarrass myself even further."
The pressure threatened to topple her.
She feared the embarrassment of collapsing in front of everyone.
The thought alone was unbearable for her.
To spare herself that humiliation, she mustered the strength to shout, "I want to give up!"
The ceremony had only started but a noticeable figure had already voiced out their desire to give up. It shocked the entire crowd.
Some thought that it wasn't a problem for the youngest princess of the Everglade family to be so weak. A slender beauty like her should only sit back and relax, and let the men of her harem and her suitors do the work for her. After all, with her status and charm, she had more than enough admirers willing to move mountains on her behalf.
But the few people whose eyes weren't blinded by her beauty believed she was a disgrace to the Everglade family. The Everglade family's future was not looking bright. If the young princess was a reflection of the family's new generation, then the family's prestige would undoubtedly diminish over time, and the Everglade family might eventually lose its position as one of the five great major families.
The old man looked at Lysandra and asked, "Are you sure? This opportunity won't come again, as each person can only participate in the ceremony once in their lifetime."
She replied, "I... I know, but this... it's too much. I can't endure it."
Lysandra was sweating profusely like a pig and panting heavily. Her face was red from exertion, and tears had already formed in her eyes. It was clear she was on the brink of collapse.
The old man sighed. This generation of the Everglade family was more pathetic than the last.
"Oh, well, whatever. Let's send her on her way."
With a flick of his wrist, a gentle wind was summoned.
It lifted Lysandra off the ground, carrying her out of the trial zone.
*****
"Being a wizard, I can counteract this pressure using my own soul power. But that would defeat the purpose of the ceremony. So even though I have the ability, just like the unawakened and non-wizards, I'll have to endure this with my body alone if I want to awaken my spirit veins," thought Benjamin.
While wizards didn't necessarily need to awaken spirit veins, some pursued this path to enhance their strength. Benjamin was one such ambitious wizard. He resisted the urge to use his own soul power against the pressure and took a step forward.
He was the first to step towards the outer circle in this ceremony!
*****
Elrik glanced to his side.
Valerius was visibly struggling under the old man's pressure, trembling violently as if he were a fragile leaf caught in a storm.
Seeing this, Elrik smirked, "The ceremony has barely started, and yet, cousin, you already look like you're going to faint. My estimate is that you won't make it to the first circle. The outcome of our bet already seems to be in my favor. I guess I'll have fun watching you embarrass yourself after this."
A commotion arose out of the blue, attracting the attention of the participants. Benjamin also stopped in his tracks and looked back, wanting to know what was going on. A grin of anticipation appeared on his face as he waited for the next act of the circus to unfold.
Valerius glared at Elrik, "Even if I fail to reach the outer circle, you still need to reach it to win our bet. Yet you're still to make any progress. So, what are you gloating about?"
Elrik suddenly tore off his shirt, revealing a chiseled body. He flexed his muscles confidently like an arrogant gym rat.
A murmur erupted among the participants.
"You see that?"
"Yeah, I do."
"The lines of my abs are more well-defined than my future!"
Elrik said, "I have been training since I was a little kid. The result of my efforts. I have honed my body to physical perfection. My body isn't inferior to a magic weapon. It will help me cut through the pressure and reach the first and second goals. You have no hope of matching this."
"Bullshit! A magic weapon would fold you in half faster than you can bark. Cousin, you need to learn to limit your farts to something inaudible or nobody is gonna like you." Val said in response, and the entire crowd burst into roaring laughters.
For some reason, Elrik's ears felt hot.
"You should have spent less time studying and more time in the gym. This one mistake will be your downfall. With your intelligence, you impressed a few people, but your lack of strength will make it impossible for you to shape your future into something better."
Without another word, he advanced towards the outer circle with long as his muscular frame resisted the intense pressure commendably.
Many managed to resist the old man's immense pressure and advance.
Their speed varied.
Some progressed at a snail's pace, while others moved at an average pace.
Nonetheless, considering the weight they felt bearing down on them, the fact that some could maintain even a brisk pace was truly impressive.
From outside the trial zone, Lysandra called out to Valerius again, "Brother Val, there's no need for you to take this trial so seriously. Remember, there's always a position available for you in my harem. I take good care of my men. If you give me your words, you'd lead a lavish and carefree life. Not only that, but I will also help you escape that silly bet you made with Elrik."
Valerius looked back and thought, 'Did this stupid bitch forget she was ignoring me?'
"No thanks, I don't need your help. And I have no interest in loose women." Valerius retorted without missing a beat.
His words stabbed where it hurt the most. Lysandra's face flushed red in anger and embarrassment. She stomped her foot and exclaimed, "Don't refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit!"
Valerius rolled his eyes and looked ahead, "There's no cure for stupidity."
"Still wasting energy on pointless talk?" Aric, having watched the ongoing banter with growing impatience, stepped in. "Khaleji, focus on the trial instead of engaging in a verbal spat with these fools!"
'The Redwood is right.'
Valerius thought he should have done that from the very start.
He shot a grateful glance over his shoulder at Aric and then fixed his gaze forward, ignoring Lysandra's existence altogether.
Lysandra huffed, "You'll regret ever ignoring me!" she declared haughtily.
'I am already regretting not ignoring you the first two times,' Valerius thought as he pushed against the oppressive pressure to advance towards the outer circle.
In the novel, Elrik had collapsed before reaching the inner circle. It meant that he would certainly awaken his level 1 spirit vein as the events were bound to play out the same way in reality. Valerius had to achieve the same result to avoid humiliation and reach the inner circle to complete the quest.
However, it seemed impossible.
He had taken only a few steps towards his goal, but already felt like his legs would give out beneath him.
Elrik wasn't wrong about him.
He lacked the physical strength to achieve anything substantial in this ceremony.
So what should he do?
Of course, he had to become stronger.
While the idea of increasing strength whenever one felt like it sounded ludicrous, for Valerius, it was entirely feasible. Thanks to his status screen and available stat points.
'This is what I have been saving them for. Let's put them to good use.'
Without hesitation, Valerius opened his status screen and allocated five of six of his stat points to his strength.
[Notification: Strength increased by 5 points. Total Strength: 8 points]
[Remaining stat points: 1]
A rush of boundless strength surged through him.
The average strength of a healthy adult in this world was set at 5 points, but his was at 8 points, meaning he was two steps away from being twice as strong as an average fit and health Serphian. Such strength wasn't easily obtained. Even Elrik who had been hitting the gym since young didn't have such strength.
In terms of physique, Val has eclipsed the capabilities of many others his age!
Considering this ceremony was primarily for teenagers, Valerius had a significant advantage!
With his newfound power, resisting the old man's pressure became considerably less strenuous, and his journey to the outer circle much easier. He began overtaking participant after participant, much to their astonishment!
"What? How is he moving so fast all of a sudden?" one of them exclaimed.
"I thought he was going to collapse! What happened?" another voiced out in shock.
The commotion soon drew Elrik's attention.
He looked back and his eyes widened in disbelief as Valerius rapidly closed the distance between them.
"How is this possible? Just moments ago, he was like a dead fish on the chopping board. How has he suddenly gained the strength to catch up to me?"
Elrik increased his pace. He was determined to reach the outer circle before Val could. However, the pressure acting on his body intensified the closer he got to the circle, slowing him down significantly.
Valerius too felt it as he neared the circle, and his pace decreased, but he quickly invested another point into his strength, bringing his pace back to its original level.
He sped past Elrik and quickly reached the first goal of the ceremony.
The moment he set foot on the outer circle, he felt a sensation akin to an explosion within him. It was as if a gateway to another realm had unveiled itself inside of him.
A voice rang out in his mind.
"You've awakened your Level 1 spirit vein. You've completed the first Task of the [Emergence of the Dark Horse] quest. You have received +1 stat point."
