T he mountain lapsed into silence. Making room, everyone kept their eyes on the statue and the player facing it, curious to see what would happen next.
Over the past five days, no one had seen any of the statues move let alone come to life. Initially, some thought it was just the beginning of a smaller event, but they were soon proved wrong.
“Who dares challenge the Heavens?” a voice came from beneath the hood, soft and slow, enveloping every listener — but then it suddenly came upon the crowd like thunder, harsh and snapping. “Tell. Me. Your. Name!”
The air shivered due to the mighty voice. Realizing that this was the beginning of the challenge, Raven looked up proudly, straight into the hero’s blazing red eyes.
“My name is White Raven.”
As his name rang through the silent place, hundreds of players began to record, hoping to become the first to upload a video to their channel.
“Stupid boy.” Darrau’s scythe, which was previously resting in his hands, flowed like water to envelop his right hand, then up to his shoulder where it solidified, regaining its shape. He straightened his back and, pointing his weapon at Raven, continued in a dull voice. “The youth has always been reckless. Hundreds of thousands of boys like you left their homes in search of power and glory. And what became of them? They died nameless, in places where no one else would set foot for ages to come! Are you ready to share their fate? Are you ready to give up your life and embark on this road of no return? If you die, you die. The Wheel of Rebirth will stop spinning.”
Darrau finished speaking and looked around. He seemed to be remembering some moment from his past that still weighed heavy on his soul.
As the crowd focused its gaze on the hero, Raven received a message that made him break into a cold sweat.
Attention! You are about to begin a Level 10 Challenge.
If you fail it, you will be banned from this event forever.
Accept?
Yes/No
The thought of being banned was unsettling, to say the least. But, having walked on the edge of a cliff more than once during his journey, Raven had long learned that rewards in Ascension always matched the risk. For several heartbeats, his mind wavered, but then he decided to accept the challenge.
“They didn’t die in vain.” His voice came suddenly, drawing Darrau’s attention. As the one who had spoken to heroes more than once, he decided to try his luck again. “Coursing through their blood was a desire to change the world, to go down in history, or...” He shrugged. “...or just to become rich. Their dreams, their goals, and their achievements only belong to them. Like everyone who came before me, I’m ready to sacrifice my life for power.”
Raven’s voice cut the air like a knife. He never took his eyes off Darrau while speaking, his words flowing as he had been practicing this speech the night before.
He knew one thing: this game — or whatever it was — had no rules, leaving him to do as he wished.
“You’re right, boy.” Darrau heaved a sigh, his scythe slowly coming to the ground. “A seeker of power always takes the road of death. No point trying to talk them out of it. You’ve made your choice. If that’s what you wish, this old man will comply.”
Clutching his weapon, Darrau pointed it at Raven again and touched his forehead with the blade’s tip. The last thing the rogue saw were the hero’s blazing eyes.
Congratulations! You are the first player to offer 10,000 Influence Spheres to Darrau the Messenger.
Title Awarded: A Narrow-Minded Dolt
Description: Looks like your personal motto is: Fuck around and find out.
+ 1 skill: Fatalist
Rank: Unique
Active skill: Apprentice (0.00%)
Description: Put your life in fate’s hands and see what happens as you always do.
The skill will teleport you to a random location when activated.
Cost: 50 Influence Points
Cooldown: No
Pick your prize: 1 heroic skill or 2 teleport scrolls
Oho, interesting, Raven thought. Fatalist was a double-edged sword, and he hoped that at least the heroic skill would be worth the trouble.
As a reward for your offering, you can learn a heroic skill.
ALL OR NOTHING
Rank: Heroic
Active skill: Apprentice
Description: Recklessness is your middle name. You spit in the face of danger, laugh at it, and take the risk of losing everything you have for as little as a ghost of a chance of getting what you desire.
You can bet any of your attributes, or attribute points, against the same attribute or the same amount of points possessed by your opponent.
Fate will decide who wins and who loses.
Time to activate: 3 seconds
Cost: 10 Luck Points
Cooldown: 1 day
Limitations: None
Cost to learn: 50 Will Points
Learn this skill?
Yes/No
Note: This skill is your last resort. Make sure that Lady Fortuna loves you before taking this risk.
The surprisingly low price made him doubt the skill’s usefulness, but he had no other choice. He had already turned down the opportunity to have the scrolls so all he could do was shake his head as he begrudgingly accepted his reward.
Although he’d rather not admit it to anyone, his new title was a perfect fit.
+100,000 Influence Points
+100,000 Influence Points
+100,000 Influence Points
...
+100,000 Influence Points
You have entered the Sky Platform of Challenges.
Attention! Your sensitivity level is too high for this challenge.
It was the same this time... almost.
Challenge difficulty level doubled to match the candidate’s Mind Level.
Since you have offered 10,000 Influence Spheres, you can complete 10 Level 10 Challenges either one by one or all at once, multiplying the current difficulty level by 10.
With a bitter smirk, Raven refused this enticing offer. He had taken enough risk by starting the highest-level challenge, with its difficulty level being doubled personally for him.
Challenge goal: Overcome the mental pressure and take the Key.
Reward:
+ 1 Diamond Key (level 10)
+ Sensitivity level increased by 1%
The challenge begins in: 10...
The challenge location was almost identical to the past one, except for the distance separating him from the Key — it seemed to be about ten times greater.
He prepared for a mad dash, but...
The challenge begins in: 1... 0
The attack came without a warning, hammering him into the ground right where he stood. The world turned dark for a moment. A strange force turned his head toward the middle of the platform. Staring at the unattainable Key, he realized that he had missed some important detail.
Increasing his sensitivity level by just one percent shouldn’t have been anything near this bad, considering that he had raised it by five before. But Raven didn’t know one thing — he had reached the wall that stood between the first two Mind Levels. He would’ve bumped into it anyway, even by taking the regular Level One Challenges. But he didn’t know it at that moment, prostrate on the cold stone under unbearable pressure, alone in the dark, while staring at the precious Key hovering in the air.
***
As Raven learned the meaning of despair, the enemy forces were closing in around the Silent Prayer Island. Like an abscess full of pus, the ruins were about to explode with blood.
Queen, Coffee Addict, Ori-Tori, Sky Thug, Buckshot, and more Enlighteners stood not far from the hosts of their subordinate clans, looking up and waiting for the arrival of the Brotherhood’s member who had a unique mass flight skill.
“How’s your Novice Temple?” Addict, dressed in a short jacket and holding an emerald cane hiding a rapier inside it, addressed Buckshot who stood by his side.
“Scarab’s advice proved useful,” Buckshot looked at the young, lean Tamaksakh. “It’s going hard and slow. I’ll report any meaningful progress once I have it.”
Scarab nodded with a smile — more out of habit than anything else since it couldn’t be seen on his monstrous face. Tamaksakhs were seven-foot-tall, lean creatures whose violet skin produced clouds of black smoke used by many of their race-specific skills. They could transform it into weapons, or use it for magic attacks. Their single eye, occupying most of their face, had three pupils, and their thin limbs looked more like stilts.
Few people would choose to play a Tamaksakh, which made it another of the many unpopular races in Ascension.
“Good. I’ll be waiting.” Addict would rather not press Buckshot; he hadn’t yet achieved the required sensitivity level himself, so he would remain his — and the Brotherhood’s — only source of information for a while.
His gaze slid aside, toward where Porcelain Doll was coming from, riding on her rhinolion.
“Let’s begin.”