Endless Journey: Infinite Realms

Chapter 352 Interluse: Asteria“s typical day as a studen Part 7

[[[With Stone Face’s remorseless and expressionless face staring down on her, Celeste could only whimper quietly as she and her companions crowded together.]]]

[Stone Face]: So are you prepared now, Miss Celeste?

[Celeste]: What can we even do now? You already blocked our only way in, so we have no choice but to accept your trial!

[Stone Face]: Good! I wish you four luck on your adventures!

[[[Creak...]]]

[[[Creaking sounds suddenly appeared as the gate where Stone Face was in started to open, creating an opening that was just small enough for Celeste and the others to pass through.]]]

[Stone Face]: Miss Celeste, once you pass through this door, you will immediately face my trial. Succeed on this trial, and you and your friends will be able to reach the next floor. Fail, and you will be thrown back here. So if you want to reach to your destination, do your best to succeed this trial on the first try!

[Celeste]: ...It’s not like we have any other choice, do we?

[Kibou]: Ki!!!

[Ex]: Hmph, if you weren’t only an Omega-Class Artifact, we would not have listened to you!

[Cali]: Hmph, you are just bullying us right now! Be happy that you are not facing Excalibur right now!

[Bur]: Yes! If Excalibur was here, he will surely beat you up!

[[[When Ex, Cali, and Bur said these words, they made sure to release their auras, which stirred the scattered stones around them. Stone Face, who gave a dismissive look to these three, suddenly let out a harrumph as he started to leer at them.]]]

[Stone Face]: You three are threatening me with your real form? If you really can beat me up, then I implore you to attack me.

[Ex]: ...

[Cali]: ...

[Bur]: ....

[Stone Face]: Hmm... Why are you not attacking me? Can’t you three do it?

[Ex]: You!

[Cali]: Blasphemous!

[Bur]: Just you wait!

[Stone Face]: So this is how low the Excalibur had fallen. Fortunately for him, he did not die. But unfortunately for him, he was splintered into three fragments, which are all disappointments. Sigh... if your creator was here, he will surely be saddened by your current states.

[[[After the Stone Face said these words, the faces of Ex, Cali, and Bur turned scarlet as rage appeared on their eyes.]]]

[Ex]: How dare you talk like that? Are you even an acquaintance of our creator?

[Cali]: You are speaking nonsense here! Who gave you the right to talk like this, huh?

[Bur]: I respected you before. But now, I am not sure if I should even be talking to you!

[Stone Face]: Sigh... so you three are now stubborn too? No wonder you were abandoned in that world.

[Ex, Cali, and Bur]: !!!

[[[These words of Stone Face seemed to be the last straw, as Ex, Cali, and Bur lost any semblance of reason as they rushed towards Stone Face murderously. They emitted their killing intent as their bodies glowed, showing that they are not interested on Stone Face’s trials anymore.]]]

[Ex]: Die, you stone bastard!

[Cali]: I hope your remains will get sculpted as a nude sculpture later!

[Bur]: Get calcified!

[Stone Face]: ...Like mistress, like servants. Sigh, I think you three should sleep too.

[[[Hong~]]]

[[[The same glow which knocked out Asteria earlier started to cover Ex, Cali, and Bur, who all tried to resist against it. But all of this was in vain as moments later, all three of them fell down to the ground, with their consciousness fading into the darkness.]]]

[Stone Face]: Because of their clear intent to harm me, Ex, Cali, and Bur are all punished to sleep for one hour. They will only wake up when the time limit is up, or when I will it so.

[[[Thud!]]]

[[[Their unconscious bodies were caught by Kibou, who let out a shrill shout after witnessing what had happened.]]]

[Kibou]: Ki! Ki ki ki ki... ki ki ki !

[Stone Face]: I am sorry Mr. Kibou. These three idiots were just too unstable right now, See? They even attempted to attack me. There’s no way I will just let them roam around in this kind of state.

[Celeste]: But you are the one who provoked them! Do you think they will just let you continue talking like that to them?

[[[From the way that Celeste talked now, it was quite obvious that she’s pissed. Why would she not be? Stone Face, who was only supposed to give them a trial, actually started taunting them, which led to Asteria and her three followers to be punished! No matter which way one looked at this, Stone Face clearly is doing something malicious here!]]]

[Stone Face]: Ms. Celeste, all of you were taught the importance of temperance. If you feel aggrieved about something, you could not just use violence to solve it. What if the one who made you aggrieved was much stronger than you? If you used violence on that person, it will be you who will lose out in the end. Just look at what happened here. Ms. Asteria and her three servants did not remember their lessons about temperance. As such, they were placed in this state now...

[Celeste]: ....

[Kibou]: ...

[[With Stone Face spitting out these ’wise words’ of his, both Celeste and Kibou realized that they have no way to make him change his mind now. All that they can do now is to quietly accept their current situation.]]]

[Celeste]: Huhuhu.... Out of the six people in our group, only Kibou and I are awake... Does that mean that it will be only us two that will have to go through the trial? This... this is just unfair!

[Kibou]: Ki! KI! KI! KI! KI! KI!

[Stone Face]: Children, life is not always fair. That is why you can only grit your teeth as you go on, no matter what happens to you.

[Celeste]: Kibou, why don’t we just go in right now? I’m afraid that listening to Stone Face more will just make me angrier.

[Kibou]: Ki!

[Stone Face]: Why are you making it sound like I am a bad person here?

[Celeste]: ...

[Kibou]: ...

[[[Celeste and Kibou said nothing in reply as they shot through the opening in the gate, dragging Asteria, Ex, Cali, and Bur along with them.]]]

[[[Plop!]]]

[Stone Face]: Hey!

[[[Stone Face’s complaints went unheard as the six went in through the opening without any delay. Stone Face could only stare awkwardly at the ripples caused by their entrance as a wry smile appeared on his face.]]]

[Stone Face]: Those little brats... They really never learn.

***************

[[[After Celeste and her companions entered the opening, they were immediately assaulted with a dizzying sensation that rendered her and Kibou almost incapacitated. This sensation lasted for five minutes, which brought both of them at the brink of collapse. It was only when these five minutes has passed by that this dizzying sensation disappeared, allowing the two to feel normal again.]]]

[Celeste]: Ha, ha, ha...

[Kibou]: Kek, kek, kek...

[[[As the two of them slowly regained their bearings, they also observed their surroundings discreetly. Celeste, whose face was starting to regain its usual color, let out a frown as she saw the environment around her.]]]

[Celeste]: Ah! Where the hell are we?

[Kibou]: Ki?

[Celeste]: I am not asking you Kibou. I’m sure that you have no idea about this place. I was just stating a rhetorical question.

[Kibou]: Ki?

[Celeste]: You don’t know what a rhetorical question is? Sigh... now I understand why Asteria was always irritated about you.

[Kibou]: Ki?

[Celeste]: Kibou. Please stay quiet for a minute first, ok? I need to concentrate.

[Kibou]: Ki...

[Celeste]: Thank you.

[[[After saying these words, Celeste let out another sigh before looking around her again.]]]

[Celeste]: ...

[[[When Stone Face told them earlier that they will be entering an area for a Trial, Celeste expected to see something like a battlefield or a dojo. But instead of those, what she witnessed was actually piles and piles of books scattered around her.]]]

[Celeste]: Books... All that I see around us are books...

[Kibou]: Ki ki ki? Ki ki...

[[[Some piles of books around them were as large as a mountain, making both Celeste and Kibou gulp upon seeing them. Even if Celeste was someone who loved reading books, just seeing the sheer amount of books in this place was enough to make her dizzy. Even Kibou, whose mind was built to process information efficiently, was also dazed with the sight around him.]]]

[Celeste]: Kibou... I don’t think this trial will be an easy one.

[Kibou]:. Ki...

[[[With the clear abnormality in her surroundings, Celeste knew that the trial will surely be something that will test the very limits of Celeste and Kibou’s abilities. She just hopes that whatever the trial will be, her ability combined with Kibou will be enough to get through it.]]]

[[[As Celeste thought of this, her expression soured as she remembered that Asteria and her three servants could be helping them out right now, which unfortunately for them, is not possible.]]]

[Celeste]: Stone Face... Why did you have to make things these difficult for us? Did we offend you in your past life before?