Dragon Monarch System -
Chapter 936: - Artificial Lifeform and Emotions
[You have defeated Kael Dravenhart.]
[Congratulations on clearing the second stage of the trial.]
[You have become the first challenger in over three centuries to complete the first two stages of this trial and reach the third stage.]
Aditya did not care about how long the second stage of the trial took to clear or the fact that he managed to defeat someone who had a winning streak of 9199.
All these did not matter to him. Because once he was out of this place, the only thing that would matter was how far he was able to go in this trial and what he was able to gain.
'It feels like this guy is very eager to talk to the challengers.' He thought about everything that the administrator was saying. It was like the more stages he cleared, the emotions and words this guy spoke.
'I guess this is what thousands upon thousands of years of isolation and loneliness do to intelligent beings.' So far, Aditya wasn't sure what race he belonged to, but if he had to pick, then he would say that this guy is one of the ancestors of the dwarves.
'I mean, I cannot blame the poor guy. If I were in his place, then I would have done the same.'
Aditya noticed the battlefield, along with Kael's body, was starting to fade. Even the Katana that he took out of his stomach was just to fade.
"Can I keep this Katana? I really like it." That was a lie. Aditya wasn't a fan of light weapons. He preferred heavy weapons like his Adamantite Doomblade. But now, he needed something that was 5-star, and this Katana was his only choice. It was better than having to fight with a Peak 4-star weapon.
There is also a chance that in the upcoming stages, the 4-star sword might not be able to withstand the high intensity and break into pieces. He did not want that, as this was a valuable gift that he cherished very much.
[Alright! You can keep it.] - The administrator had no problem.
Hearing this, Aditya wanted to ask for the corpse of Keal. Kael was very destroyed but still studying it; he and his genius Blacksmith Percy can make a lot of progress. In the future, they might be able to make artificial beings like Kael.
[The Second Stage have officially ended. You get 120 seconds to rest and prepare for the next stage.]
Hearing this, Aditya sat on the ground.
"I have a question." Since this guy wanted to talk so much, this was an opportunity to learn some valuable information about this whole trial and the artificial beings.
[What is it?]
"Kael is an artificial being. Can you tell me more about how he was made?"
[I can't tell you much as I have limited information. However, the body of Kael was transformed into an elder who was also a 6-star runemaster. Kael isn't purely made of metal. There is blood inside his metal head. He is, let's say, a kind of homunculus that was modified for this body.]
'If I am not mistaken, homunculi are artificial beings created using the power of alchemy.' He suddenly felt that if Julia were here, she could have understood more about Kael.
'Just thinking of Julia is making me miss everyone else back home.'
[He is one of the lower-rank Artificial beings. The higher rank ones even have some emotions.]
'So there is a very high chance that my next opponents will be Artificial beings with emotions.'
"By the way, can you help me lift the seal on this Katana so that I can use its abilities?" Aditya couldn't help but ask. This was the work of someone whose Rune skills were significantly higher than his. And even if they were on the same level, it would still take Aditya a day or two, if not weeks, to remove the seal completely.
[I cannot provide any help to any of the challengers.]
[I have already bent the rules by letting you have the Raiketsu.]
He nodded his head.
He also understood that he was asking for a bit too much. But there is no harm in trying. If he could get the seal lifted, then the Raiketsu would become his, and the sword would give him a significant boost in power. It would give him more attacking options.
[Once you're out of this place, you will be taken to see the current generation Leader of our Clan.]
[Once you see him, you can just ask for the seal on the Raiketsu to be removed.]
"So does everyone get to see the Leader after the trial?"
[No! Because you managed to reach the 3rd Stage, you have earned the right or the qualification to meet our Clan's Leader. Our Leader will personally give you your rewards.]
'So I have achieved my original goal of joining the Trial.' His purpose was to get as far as he could in the trial and then meet the elder of the clan. Once he encounters them, the rest will be straightforward. He'll request a high-quality weapon, even if it means depleting all his savings.
'But I don't want to stop here.'
'This is a once in a life time opportunity. I want to reach the 6th Stage at least.'
'I want to reach the Stage where only a few in history have ever reached.' This was Aditya's end goal. Each round provided him with a lot of experience while also revealing his weaknesses. He believed that once the trial ended, everything he learned and experienced would make him a much stronger cultivator.
"So, who will I fight in the next stage? You can at least reveal that to me in advance, right?" By now, only around 40 seconds remained. Even if Aditya learns who he will fight, that won't give him any advantage other than to prepare himself mentally.
[You will know when the time comes.]
And so the next 35 seconds passed in silence.
[The 3rd stage will now begin.]
The battlefield and everything else began to change.
This time, they weren't in a massive underground space anymore. This time, Aditya found himself on a mountain that was surrounded by rocky mountains from all directions. The battlefield was still the same size as before.
Aditya looked at the sky and realised that this wasn't the tunnel world sky. Rather, they were inside a Pocket Dimension World.
There were three light pink moons of the same size and shape in the bright morning sky. Each moon was precisely spaced at a specific distance from the others.
[The 3rd Stage will take place in this Pocket Dimension World.]
[Now, let me tell you the first of the third Stage. You must win the battle while abiding by these rules to get to the Next Stage.]
"Alright! Go on.....!!!"
[First Rule: this battlefield's terrain was specially enchanted so that no one can use any skills here.]
"What?" Aditya was very stunned. For a second, he felt like he couldn't wrap his head around what he said.
[This means you and your opponent won't be able to use any Innate or Passive skills.]
[Even skills that are active before the Stage will be forcefully deactivated.]
[Second Rule - As with the previous Stage, no one is permitted to use any alchemy products on themselves during the 3rd Stage. This includes healing with Healing Potions and restoring Mana with Mana recovery potions.]
Aditya just nodded his head.
[Third Rule - This Stage will have a time limit of 15 minutes and 59 seconds. So you have exactly 959 seconds to clear this Stage.]
[Before I explain anything further, let me summon your opponent, the one you will face in this Stage.]
A purple portal appeared opposite Aditya. From the portal, a man of his height came out wearing simple black pants and a black T-shirt. He was carrying a navy blue Katana on his waist.
The most noticeable thing about the man was his fists and wrists, which were wrapped in white bandages. He was muscular, and his large biceps and chest muscles showed through his T-shirt.
He had very short spiky hair. His skin was fair, and his pupils were also blue.
He was a handsome man with a perfect jawline and well-defined cheekbones.
'But all this is a work of the dwarves.' Aditya thought to himself.
[This is Ivan. Ivan Volkov."
[The Third Rule says that you must defeat Ivan Volkov within 959 seconds. If you fail to do so, then this will be the end of your Journey.]
'The other two rules were manageable, but the third rule has created additional pressure for me.' Even 16 minutes wasn't much against someone whom he had never faced in a battle before. He practically knew nothing about this opponent. He was sure that he was way stronger than Kael, whom he faced in the second stage.
[I wish you good luck. You're the first challenger to make it this far in many centuries. I genuinely hope that you can reach the 6th Stage.] With that, the administrator's voice disappeared.
"I am Ivan Volkov. Let's start." Ivan took his stance with a wide, massive grin forming on his face.
'Yup! He is the artificial puppets that have emotions in it.'
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