Ray took a deep breath, deciding to stick with his original plan of speedrunning the hidden trial.

As he searched for the maze's exit at top speed, he was attacked many times by laser beams, but not a single one met their mark.

His sixth sense picked up where he would be attacked a moment or two before the beams were launched while his high Agility and Lightning Reflexes trait let him react to its signals without a single miscalculation.

He was simply the perfect counter for this trial!

"I can see the exit!"

Ray saw a door at the other end of the corridor he had just rushed into. He felt excited and sped up.

Shua!

A thick web made of lasers suddenly formed, blocking his path ahead.

Ray used the Fortification skill to metallify his entire body, then coated it with a thick layer of Azure Winds.

After stacking his defences as high as he could, he tried to force his way through it.

The laser beams were strong, but they could only pierce through one layer of his defenses before he exited the maze.

Right after, he found himself standing in a vast circular room, submerged ankle-deep in clear, pristine water. The water was so clear it reflected the surroundings like a mirror.

At the center of the room stood a magnificent tree. Its bark shimmered faintly, as though woven from threads of sunlight. From its branches hung crystal fruits of various shape, size, and colour.

As soon as Ray appeared in this chamber, a notification echoed in his ears.

♦️ Trial Completed

♦️ You have gained the following rewards

♦️ +11,000 Enlightenment Points

♦️ Right to obtain a crystal fruit from the Tree of Vitalis.

♦️ Each fruit carries a different effect.

♦️ Golden fruits extends lifespan. Ruby fruits increases strength. Sapphire fruits increases agility. Emerald fruits increases stamina.

♦️ Choose carefully. Once you have plucked a fruit from its branch, you can't backtrack on your decision.

Ray's gaze sharpened as he studied the choices before him.

'I want to increase my agility, so I will go with the third option,' Ray thought, plucking a sapphire fruit from a branch of the Tree of Vitalis.

He brought it close to his mouth and bit into it.

Surprise welled up in his eyes.

"The texture is odd, but the taste is good. It's sweet and warm, like taking a sip of honeyed water."

Soon, he finished eating it.

♦️ You have consumed a Sapphire Fruit

♦️ Your agility has improved tremendously. It has increased from 42 → 50

♦️ Your Lightning Reflexes trait is resonating with your heavenly being's bloodline

♦️ Your trait is evolving…

♦️ Lightning Reflexes has evolved into Lightning Step

[Lightning Step]

Type: Racial Trait

Effect: Allows you to instantly traverse short distances. While using Lightning Step, you become intangible for a fraction of a second, allowing you to bypass physical obstacles and evade undodgeable attacks.

Cost: Five points of stamina per use.

"Lightning step? What an amazing skill."

"So my normal traits can evolve into racial traits once I increase my stats to 50 points. I see. Interesting."

Ray's excitement lasted for a while before dying down.

"How do I return to the Main Hub?"

♦️ You will be automatically teleported to the Main Hub when you wish for it.

Ray thought about returning to the main hub immediately. A blink of an eye later, he stood in a familiar place that looked like something straight out of a sci-fi movie.

"Let's see. Clearing the first sector gave me 100 Points. Clearing the main and hidden trials of the second sector gave me 11,000 Enlightenment Points, bringing my total to 11,100. I'm 38,900 short of purchasing the Blue Spirit Fruit worth 50,000."

Suddenly, the distance between him and his goal didn't seem too large. He wanted to reach the bronze rank. Clearing a few more sectors might just do it.

He decided to head to the next trial after restoring his stamina to the max.

Because of the passive stamina recovery trait, he recovered one point of stamina every hour.

He didn't see any familiar faces as he recovered his stamina passively. He guessed they Lucy, Mabo, Lia and the others haf left after waiting for him for a while in vain.

Several hours later, Ray headed to the third sector.

He arrived in a forest where the trees were dead. Not a single leaf grew from their branches. Their bark was cracked and gray, flaking in places where decay had eaten through.

Cracks crisscrossed the ground. Roots protruded from them like gnarled veins, and a thin layer of mist hovered close to the soil.

The silence in the forest was oppressive. There was no chirping of birds or buzzing of insects. Only the faint groan of dead branches swaying in a breeze could occasionally be heard.

Above, fluffy white clouds drifted across a pale blue sky, a sharp contrast to the desolate sight below. Sunlight filtered through gaps in the clouds, falling in faint shafts.

"It's artificial," Ray thought as it shone on his face. The light was dull and carried no warmth.

A familiar voice rang out in the otherwise silent place.

"This is the Gravewood. In this trial, you will face a wave of monsters. Survive for three hours, and you will clear the trial. The reward for passing is two thousand Enlightenment Points. However, you can earn additional points through slaughter. Each iron-rank monster you kill will grant you ten points, and each bronze-rank monster you kill will grant you one hundred points," Arthis explained.

Once his voice faded away, the forest fell silent again.

"I can earn more points by killing them all? I'll justt wipe out the entire monster wave," Ray decided with a confident smirk.

Moments passed before Ray caught sight of dust rising in the distance. The sound of countless footsteps soon followed, rumbling like the drumbeats of war.

A massive wave of monsters surged into view. Goblins by the hundreds some hoboglins mixed in.

Goblins were iron-rank weaklings. Their hunched frames barely larger than children was nothing more than fragile glass before brutal blows. Even an ordinary person could kill them if they had the courage to fight. Ray had killed one of them before so he knew how ridiculously weak they were. He didn't need to worry about them.

The Hobgoblins though were troublesome opponents.

Hobgoblins were evolved from goblins. They were bronze rank demonic monsters. There were seven of them, and each one could pose a challenge to bronze rankers.

To most, the sight of such a monster wave charging towards them would inspire terror, but Ray's heart remained steady. Not an ounce of fear stirred within him.

His lips curled into a thin smile.

He leaned forward and sprinted straight towards the oncoming monster wave. He took a deep breath in before exhaling sharply.

Max Range Level 1 Fire Dragon Breath!

His magic power depleted rapidly as a wave of high-temperature flames burst out of his mouth, sweeping over the approaching monster wave.

Goblins shrieked in agony as the high temperature flames engulfed them. Their screams were cut short quickly as their fragile bodies crumbled to ash in the fire seconds, the weapons they once held clattering uselessly to the ground.

Only the hobgoblins survived. Their skin seared away in the fire, but their flesh, tendons, and bones had a melting point too high to break down easily. Even flames as hot as 1200 degrees Celsius couldn't burn through them completely.

♦️ You have annihilated over 99% of the monster wave.

♦️ You have gained 5,000 trial points.

Notifications rang in Ray's ears, giving him an overview of the battle.

The monster wave was reduced to a pitiful size after he attacked. All that remained were several hobgoblins.

Seven hobgoblins staggered out of the fire, their skinless and badly.burned bodies trembling with rage. They looked at Ray as if they wanted to eat him alive.

But before they could do a thing, Ray raised his hand and then brought it down.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Fireballs manifested in the air and shot forward with incredible speed, catching two Hobgoblins off guards, exploding in their faces.

Boom! Boom!

Two explosions later what was left of the Hobgoblins was a gruesome and badly melted mess.

The corner of Ray's mouth lifted in satisfaction.

"Against level 2 fire Fireballs, even hobgoblins are vulnerable!"

He exhaled slowly, his chest rising and falling as he steadied his breath. 'I could have annihilated more if I didn't need to be mindful of my magic power consumption,' he muttered, shaking his head. 'Whatever. I'll engage them in close combat with skills that don't rely on magic power as heavily as Dragon Magic and strike them dead one by one.'

The last five hobgoblins of the monster wave roared, their guttural cries echoing in the Gravewood sector of the tower as they surrounded him.

Weapons raised, they closed in from all directions, their eyes burning with bloodlust, wanting him dead at all cost.

Whoosh!

Steel whistled through the air as crude axes and jagged blades came crashing down towards Ray. He twisted, bent, and slipped through their strikes with the precision of an omniscient expert. Not a single blow managed to touch him!

Then, he retaliated!

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