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Chapter 89 - Chapter 216 - The Paradox of Progress

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LOCATION: MOUNT CYNOX

AREA: ???

DATE: ??? | TIME: ???

Two more trials passed, both ending with Grim's world going black and that disorienting feeling of being pulled through space and time.

 This time when the darkness gave way, Grim was standing atop a mountain plateau. The air smelled of sulfur and ozone, and the sky was red. A sun hung low over a mountain range far away.

He spun around. The plateau had two paths leading down the mountain in opposite directions. Far above, he heard large birds flying and cackling to each other.

A notification appeared in his vision.

---

System Message

Name: Graham Thorne

Race: Human – Augmented

Class: Interplanar General

Level: 50

Profession: Peacekeeper Force Co-Leader

Level: 48

The first trial showed you how your life might go if you had taken a crucial decision in a different direction. This test was for calibration, but should have been educational for you.

The second trial tested your commitment to important individuals in your life when the fates of the masses hung in the balance. Your performance in this test was exemplary. Do not worry. All your loved ones are safe. This was only a test.

The third trial evaluated your ability to command armies of both humans and alien species. Your class [Interplanar General] was further cemented by the way in which you mastered these challenges.

 

Welcome to Mount Cynox.

The fourth and final trial will present you with a choice.

You will explore both options before making your final decision.

Good luck, Interplanar General.

---

Grim closed the interface and looked around him once more. On another mountain a hundred yards away, a giant bird the size of a pterodactyl swooped down from hundreds of feet in the sky, snatched up a rodent the size of a dog, and was back in the air within seconds.

As it gained altitude, Grim could hear its massive jaws crunching the bones and swallowing the beast.

"Damn," he muttered.

He looked back and forth at the two paths and shrugged.

"Only two choices here, and I get to explore them both."

He turned to his right and began to descend the trail.

A few minutes later, the dry gravel gave way to packed dirt, and the desolate landscape turned into a forest that got deeper and lusher the further he followed the trail.

As he walked, another notification appeared.

---

System Message

Your stats make you stronger, faster, wiser. How well could you fight and protect others if they were doubled?

---

Grim felt a sudden rush of power.

His muscles bulged, and his red armor tore down the back.

He laughed, thinking about the incredible green man from old comics. He felt his mind growing faster and deeper, and the forest stretched further in front of him as his Perception expanded to see more of it at once.

"Whoa," he muttered. "That feels incredible."

He ran forward and actually saw the trees blur as he passed them.

Suddenly, a wolf leapt from behind a tree.

Grim removed his swords from his back, slashed to the side, and downed the wolf without even slowing down.

He kept running.

Two more wolves attacked. Then five at a time. Then ten.

One of them landed a scratch on Grim's forearm, but it was almost done healing by the time he finished off the mob.

He ran further into the forest, clearing the attacking beasts as he went.

The trail ended in a wide clearing. The red sky cast its eerie light down as Grim squared off against an elk. The creature was eight feet tall, with its horns reaching even higher.

Its gray fur was matted with scars, and smoke emanated from its nose at its bright red eyes regarded the intruder.

Grim stood still, waiting for it to make the first move.

The elk disappeared from view, but Grim noticed a blur to his right. He smelled the sulfur again, and he dove to the left just in time to avoid a goring attack from the elk's horns as it reappeared.

"Fuck, you're fast," Grim said, squaring off.

The elk grunted as if it understood him.

Grim noticed it starting to move out of sight again, when he leapt into the air and slashed forward.

The elk squealed in equal parts pain and anger as one half of its glorious rack fell to the ground.

It kicked forward, landing a blow in Grim's ribs. He'd planned to take the hit in order to get in a counterattack, but he had to admit that fucking hurt.

He groaned as he tried swinging, but the elk dodged him.

Moments later, the pain subsided to low background noise, and Grim was ready to finish it off.

He taunted the elk until it tried the disappearing act again. This time, Grim was able to follow the movement, and just as the elk appeared behind him, he spun around, swinging both swords as hard as he could.

One sliced through the elk's eyes, blinding it. The other sliced its throat. Silver blood began pouring out onto the forest floor.

---

System Message

You have completed this half of the Fourth Trial.

You will be returned to the top of Mount Cynox.

---

Grim's breath was ragged for a few minutes, but it returned to normal quickly.

When he appeared on the mountaintop again, he felt weaker.

"Those stats felt exhilarating," he said aloud.

He didn't wait for a System message telling him what to do next. He turned to his left and began down the trail.

Part of the way down, he was suddenly racked with incredible pain.

He doubled over, then fell onto his back.

He screamed out, but the pain continued for ten minutes.

Every inch of his body was in agony.

Then all at once, it stopped.

Grim lay on the ground for a minute, still feeling the aftermath of every pain receptor in his body firing at the same time.

He groaned as he stood up.

He ran his hand over his stomach, but felt…

What was that?

Bone? Metal?

It was like he had layers of bone under his skin that allowed the same flexibility, but hugely increased protection.

---

System Message

Your path is one of fighting on the front lines.

Sometimes standard armor isn't enough to protect you.

If you fall on the front lines, how will you protect those behind you?

In exchange for half of your stat points, you have grown an exoskeleton beneath your skin.

This protective layer is comprised of a bone-nanite hybrid matrix. It is flexible enough to bend under pressure, but it would take tremendous force to break.

Test out your new body.

Is it worth giving up half of your stats?

---

A pterodactyl swooped out of the sky, but this time it wasn't heading for a random rodent. It was heading straight for Grim.

He reached for his swords, but they were gone.

"Guess we're doing this the hard way, then," he grumbled.

He balled his hands into fists and stood his ground.

At the last second, he tried to dodge to the side of the dive-bombing bird, but his reflexes, now cut in half, weren't fast enough.

The bird's beak drove into Grim's shoulder.

It was an odd feeling, because it still hurt like hell. But not the same way it would have before.

It was more of a dull, charley horse pain than an acute broken bone type of pain.

Grim swung his fists into the side of the bird, and it fell to the ground. A few more punches to its head, and it was done.

Moments later, two more birds attacked.

Like with the wolves before, they came in increasing numbers until Grim got the hang of his new body and stats.

There was no boss fight this time.

He had seen enough.

Because, while losing half of his stats sucked, there was no way he was giving this up.

Before he made his final selection, he thought about Aria.

Then, he decided to check one more thing before locking it in. He looked down his pants.

Fortunately, the bone structure didn't cover all of the inches of his body. It appeared the System left some parts of his physiology in original condition.

He was returned to the top of Mount Cynox.

---

System Message

You have seen both options for your fourth and final Trial.

What do you choose?

Double your stats and keep your current body Halve your stats and grow a protective exoskeleton

 

You will be returned to your body upon making the selection.

However, both choices will require one week of rest before they are locked in. Your body will remain dormant during this time.

---

Grim smiled.

"Is this what Elliot Voss and Darian were talking about when they mentioned evolution?"

He didn't even need to consider it.

He chose the exoskeleton, and the brimstone and sulfur of Mount Cynox was replaced by the familiar surroundings of Voss Tower.

He woke for just a minute. Aria grasped his hand.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"Yeah, babe. Better than ever. I'll be asleep for a week. See you on the flip side."

He smiled at her, as his consciousness was whisked away to Evirond. Grim decided to spend the full week relaxing in Dawnhollow.

He wouldn't be able to engage in any combat while his body was being rebuilt, but he'd spend some time hanging with his friends in the newly bustling city.

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