You have overcome the Trial of Oblivion. The Temple of Trials congratulates you.
Reward Acquired:
Skill: Anchor of Identity
___________________________
His trial hadn't been about pain.
Nor terror.
Nor even death.
It had been something far quieter. Far crueler.
Arin's trial was about being told, again and again, that he should not exist.
Not shouted. Not screamed.
Whispered. Normalized. Accepted.
It was about watching his sense of self erode. About memories losing their edges. About purpose, thinning until it felt unnecessary. About his name becoming distant, unfamiliar, as it belonged to someone else.
It was about the temptation of non-existence.
Not suicide born from agony, but the far darker urge to simply… stop being. To let go. To fade quietly. To decide that the world might be better if he were never here at all.
The Temple hadn't asked him to fight.
It had asked him a single, merciless question:
If the world convinces you that you are worthless… will you still choose to live?
He hadn't been tested on strength.
He hadn't been tested on courage.
He had been tested on whether he would remember himself—
When everything tried to erase him.
___________________________
Arin opened his eyes.
Warm air brushed against his skin. Dry. Real.
"Yoo, Mr. Lord, you're late."
Another voice followed immediately. "What took so much time, bro?"
Familiar voices. Too familiar.
"Shut up," Arin muttered, pushing himself upright. "I went in last. Give me some slack."
"Lol, sure, sure."
Victor crossed his arms, grinning. "So? How was your trial?" He puffed his chest out proudly. "Mine was pretty easy. Just had to kill a little cat."
Raul snorted. "Wow. Slaying legends, are we?"
Arin jumped in without missing a beat. "Huh? Mine was even easier. I just stood still for a bit and cleared it."
Raul scoffed. "Pathetic. Mine was the simplest. All I had to do was curse a fucking old man."
Silence.
Then laughter broke out.
None of them believed a word the others said, but that didn't matter. For a moment, the weight lifted. They laughed like idiots, voices echoing, tension draining from shoulders that had carried far too much.
For a while, it felt… normal.
Then Raul frowned.
"Wait," he said, looking around. "Where are we?"
Victor blinked. "Didn't Maelyn say we'd be teleported back safely?"
They all turned.
Sand.
Endless, rippling sand in every direction. No trees. No ruins. No landmarks. Just heat, wind, and a horizon that never seemed to move.
"…That's a desert," Arin said flatly.
All three inhaled.
"MAELYN!!"
___________________________
High above, within the Temple of Trials,
Maelyn sat atop a stone pillar, legs swinging lazily as she hummed to herself.
"…Hmm?"
She paused. Tapped her chin.
"Oh. Right. I forgot to change the teleportation rune from random to specific."
She smiled brightly.
"Well, I'm sure they'll live. Teehee."
___________________________
Back in the desert, the trio began walking.
And walking.
And walking.
The sun burned overhead. Sand slipped into the boots. Conversation died off, replaced by sighs and muttered curses.
Arin exhaled slowly.
Then, without a word, he opened his Status Panel.
Light shimmered before his eyes.
___________________________
Name: Arin
Core Talent: Lord
Rank: Soldier (25%)
Core Skills: Lord's Eyes, Lord's Imprint
Regular Skills: Basic Swordsmanship, Timed Step, Anchor of Identity
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Subordinates (2/3):
Raul Slade — Soldier (70%)
Victor — Soldier (69%)
Lord Coins: 31
Anchor of Identity: The self cannot be erased. Effects that induce self-doubt, despair, loss of purpose, or mental domination are heavily resisted. Once per critical mental collapse, consciousness is forcibly anchored, preventing loss of self and restoring mental coherence.
___________________________
"That's a solid skill. Pretty impressive."
"Alright, let's see yours," he said, opening Raul's status panel.
___________________________
Subordinate: Raul Slade
Core Talent: Combat Sense
Rank: Soldier (70%)
Talent Skills: Sixth Sense, Martial Kinesthesia
Regular Skills: Advanced Dagger Mastery, Flowstep, Enduring Heart
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Upgrade Panel (Raul Slade):
1. Upgrade Rank to Captain — 1000 Lord Coins
2. Upgrade Skill: Advanced Dagger Mastery > Dagger Arts — 200 Lord Coins
3. Upgrade Skill: Flowstep > Phaseshift — 1000 Lord Coins
4. Upgrade Unavailable, Skill: Enduring Heart
Enduring Heart: The heart does not yield to despair. Emotional shock, grief, and mental fatigue are significantly reduced. The user maintains emotional stability under prolonged hardship and recovers more quickly from psychological strain.
___________________________
"So the skills gained from the Temple can't be upgraded, huh? Or are they already at max level?"
"Alright, next up, Victor."
___________________________
Subordinate: Victor
Core Talent: Blacksmithing
Rank: Soldier (69%)
Talent Skills: Steelcraft, Forgemind
Regular Skills: Advanced Hammer Mastery, Guardian's Stance, Steeled Nerve
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Upgrade Panel (Victor):
1. Upgrade Rank to Captain — 1000 Lord Coins
2. Upgrade Skill: Advanced Hammer Mastery > Blackforge Technique — 200 Lord Coins
3. Upgrade Skill: Guardian's Stance > Bulwark of Steel — 1000 Lord Coins
4. Upgrade Unavailable, Skill: Steelded Nerve
Steeled Nerve: Fear no longer seizes the body. Panic, hesitation, and fear-based paralysis are resisted. The user can act decisively even under overwhelming threat.
___________________________
Arin whistled dryly. "Wow. All of these skills are… pretty damn neat."
He shared the details with the others, and soon they were comparing notes, each reacting with the same mix of surprise and approval at the others' newly granted abilities. Mental-defense skills were never useless. If anything, they were the kind of power that saved lives when brute strength failed.
They had survived the Misleading Woods.
They had endured the Temple of Trials.
By all accounts, they should've been celebrating.
Instead, they were stranded in the middle of a desert.
Endless sand stretched in every direction, heat shimmering on the horizon. Complaints were voiced. Threats toward Maelyn were made, none of them serious, all of them heartfelt. And yet, they walked on.
Eventually, shapes emerged from the haze.
Low buildings. Mud walls. Smoke rising into the sky.
A village.