Chapter 342: Choose The Difficulty [POWER STONE BONUS]
Mana became increasingly difficult to control the farther it traveled from the Soul Gates, the points through which Will emerged from the soul into the physical body. Since Pipi was considerably smaller than a human, his Will could reach nearly every part of his body without traveling very far.
Interestingly, Alex also discovered that Pipi possessed three Soul Gates, despite having a completely different anatomy from humans. He found the similarity rather fascinating, although he decided to investigate it more thoroughly later.
As Alex continued explaining Body Reinforcement Spell, Pipi quickly grasped the basic concepts and began practicing independently. Watching the pigeon train helped Alex confirm another theory he had been considering.
’Creatures with larger bodies generally have larger Mana Hearts, allowing them to store more mana before reaching the Mana Crystallization Threshold,’ Alex thought.
Smaller creatures, meanwhile, possessed less storage capacity, but their shorter distances between Soul Gates and the rest of their bodies made mana manipulation easier. In other words, both large and small bodies offered distinct advantages, and neither was inherently superior.
After dinner, the group prepared to return to the Sunken Vault. Since the pigeons disliked water, they requested that Alex transport them inside a Mana Sphere while everyone else swam toward the ex-Dungeon.
Alex agreed and created a hollow sphere large enough to accommodate both birds. However, their willingness to enter it surprised him, since he could theoretically crush the sphere and kill them while they were trapped inside.
’Either they trust me quite a lot already, or they’re confident enough in their strength that they don’t consider this dangerous,’ Alex thought.
He suspected the second explanation was more likely, although he didn’t bother asking.
The journey proceeded without complications, and after reaching the Sunken Vault, everyone performed one final check of their preparations. The golden portal’s awakening progress had already reached ninety-nine percent, suggesting that it wouldn’t be long before the Trial became accessible.
While the others gathered near the portal, Joseph approached Alex carrying several objects. He extended the bag in his hands.
“Alex, take these,” Joseph said, handing the Stones they had collected from various monsters over to him.
“What are these for?” Alex asked, examining the different Stones Joseph had handed him.
“If the Trials are individual and designed specifically for each participant, you might end up needing to construct some Runes. Since we have no idea what materials will be available inside, I thought it would be better if you took these with you,” Joseph explained.
Alex considered his reasoning before nodding. Joseph had considerable experience with games and fantasy novels, so his suggestions regarding the Trial were worth considering.
Before long, the portal’s awakening progress finally reached one hundred percent. A wave of golden light spread throughout the enormous hall, and the portal stopped absorbing biomatter from the surrounding corpses.
Alex approached the portal, and several notifications immediately appeared before his eyes.
[Trial of Gold.]
[Select Difficulty: Easy, Normal, Hard, Hell.]
Alex raised his eyebrows in surprise as the others approached the portal. Judging by their expressions, they were seeing the same options.
“What do you think we should do?” Matthew asked, looking toward Alex.
“You can choose whichever difficulty you feel comfortable with. However, we don’t know whether the Trial can be attempted more than once, so keep that in mind before making your decision,” Alex replied.
Everyone nodded, although Alex noticed that Yulia was frowning. He could tell she wanted to attempt the highest difficulty, especially if they only had one opportunity, but her current strength as a Low Rank Species would make that extremely dangerous.
Alex was about to say something when Joseph suddenly approached her.
“Yulia, can we talk privately for a moment? There’s something I want to discuss before you make your decision,” Joseph said.
Yulia looked surprised but eventually nodded and followed him toward a corner of the hall. Before leaving, Joseph glanced toward Alex and gave him a reassuring nod.
’Looks like he’s going to convince her to wait until we understand how the Trial works,’ Alex thought.
While they waited for the couple to finish their conversation, Matthew suddenly approached Alex with an interested expression.
“Alex, you mentioned that you’ve already arranged for Pipi and Hoot to establish their base in another city, right? That means the only faction you still need to bring under your control for the next Tutorial Quest is mine,” Matthew said.
Alex remained silent for a moment before nodding. “That’s right. Why do you ask?”
“It’s the same situation for me. I confirmed it while I was away, and apparently, our two factions are protecting most of San Francisco. So, how about we make a deal?” Matthew asked, grinning.
“What kind of deal?” Alex asked curiously.
“Let’s fight after this Trial. If you win, I’ll hand over control of my territory and join your faction, allowing you to complete the Tutorial Quest. But if I win, you’ll join my faction instead, and I’ll take control of the city,” Matthew said.
Alex could clearly see the fighting spirit burning in Matthew’s eyes. After considering the proposal for a moment, he shrugged.
“Fine with me. If you’re so eager to give me the city for free, I don’t see any reason to refuse.”
Matthew chuckled at his response, apparently finding the provocation amusing. Daniel sighed helplessly, while Samuel frowned, seemingly uncertain about the arrangement.
Alex’s companions, meanwhile, appeared completely relaxed. Judging by their expressions, they had little doubt about who would win the proposed fight.
After a while, Joseph and Yulia finally returned.
“I’ve decided to enter the Trial later, after we’ve confirmed whether it can be attempted multiple times or only once,” Yulia said, pressing her lips together.
Alex nodded, understanding that the decision probably hadn’t been easy for her. However, he was relieved that she had agreed to wait rather than unnecessarily risk her life.
“Alright, then. Let’s go,” Alex said, turning toward the golden portal.
The group decided on which difficulty to choose. Alex clicked on the screen.
[Hell Difficulty chosen.]
..
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