Free Web NovelChapter 19: The Soul-King
[Standby for ascension...]
A soft glowing light hovered beneath the legs of Rentaro, then the rest of his teammates that lay unconscious and wounded on the cold grounds.
Moments later, a faint golden glow wrapped around their bodies before they slowly dissolved into shimmering particles and vanished completely.
A faint golden light shimmered beneath Rentaro and his unconscious teammates before their bodies suddenly vanished without a trace.
The next moment, they reappeared in the middle of a vast green garden filled with blooming flowers and tall trees swaying gently in the wind.
Sunlight poured over the neatly trimmed grass, while the distant sound of birds and flowing water gave the place a peaceful charm.
Beyond the garden, crowded streets stretched through a lively city filled with merchants, passing carriages, and the constant bustle of people going about their day.
But the peaceful atmosphere quickly shifted.
Several citizens froze in place, their eyes widening in shock as Rentaro and the others appeared out of nowhere. Among them all, a young girl stood trembling behind a fruit stall, her frightened eyes locked onto the unconscious group as if she had just witnessed something impossible.
[You have arrived at the fifth trial of the sanctuary!]
’This is the fifth trial of the sanctuary?’ Rentaro thought as he glanced around. Not only was the garden crowded by children, but there were several adults as well.
In the previous trials, there was a city, but it wasn’t as lively as the one he was in right now, in fact, it was safe to say that city was a part of the second trial. But this? It was very lively, and the people were living in it?
They weren’t Awakeners, not by a long shot.
"I-Its them... They’ve found us..." One of the merchants stumbled backward from his stall, his face pale and trembling as fear overtook him.
His eyes darted between Rentaro and the unconscious bodies scattered across the garden ground, and his panic slowly twisted into anger.
With shaky hands, the man reached behind his counter and pulled out a curved sickle, gripping it tightly enough for his knuckles to whiten.
"I won’t allow you near my family... I won’t allow it anymore!" He shouted.
Fear burned fiercely within his eyes as he suddenly charged forward, raising the sickle high as he rushed straight toward Rentaro.
"Wait!" Almost immediately, a group of men, nearly seven in total, rushed into the garden at once, their hurried footsteps crushing the soft grass beneath them.
Among them, one man stepped forward. ƒree𝑤ebnσvel.com
He was tall and imposing, dressed in a sleek yellow suit beneath a flowing white long-sleeved cloak. On the back of the cloak, the bold number 5 was clearly visible.
The moment he arrived, the entire atmosphere seemed to grow heavier.
Without saying a word, the man stared down at Rentaro coldly before his eyes slowly moved across the unconscious teammates beside him one after another, carefully studying each of them.
"When the orb started glowing, we all thought it was impossible and regarded it as a breach." Then his eyes finally landed on Rentaro. "But given their injuries, and your current beaten up state, you passed through it didn’t you? You passed through the second option?"
Rentaro remained silent for a moment, his expression calm and unreadable despite the tense atmosphere surrounding him.
His tired eyes met the man’s gaze without fear or hesitation. Then, after a brief pause, his lips parted slightly. "Yes."
"Are you all that passed through the second option?"
Rentaro became silent, his expression remaining calm as the man in the white cloak continued staring at him.
Several moments passed without a single word being spoken.
Then, the tall man’s eyes narrowed slightly, he understood immediately.
"I see." The tall man turned around and faced his men. "Take them to the infirmary, quickly!"
..
Rentaro and his unconscious teammates lay silently inside a cold, brightly lit room. The white lights above reflected against the smooth metallic walls, while powerful air conditioners filled the air with a constant chilling breeze.
Thin wires and tubes were connected to their bodies, all leading to hospital monitors beside their beds. Every three seconds, the machines released a steady beep, the only sound breaking the heavy silence of the room.
Unlike the others, Rentaro was awake. Though his injuries were not as severe as his teammates, they were still serious enough to leave him confined to a hospital bed.
Bandages wrapped around parts of his body, and faint bruises could still be seen beneath the dim light. His body felt heavy and sore, but his calm eyes remained open, quietly staring at the ceiling as the steady beeping of the monitor echoed beside him.
He couldn’t shake his head around everything that had happened so far, from the examiner to the second option, and from the second option to the Supreme General.
"You’re still awake?" Rentaro’s thoughts were suddenly interrupted by the sound of a calm voice. The man in the white cloak stepped into the room, his footsteps soft against the cold floor as his intimidating presence quietly filled the silence.
"I am the captain of the 5th Soul-Squad, you should be in awe and thankfully. It’s not every time a captain goes out of his way to meet a mere Awakener."
"Oh, so I guess I should be shaking in excitement or something?" Rentaro said casually as he lay on the bed, his tone so calm and natural that the 5th Captain couldn’t tell whether he was being sarcastic or not.
"That aside, we’re in the fifth sanctuary I presume? And this base is the headquarters of the fifth Soul-Squad erected after humanity conquered this level before advancing to conquer the remaining nine levels?"
The fifth’s captain sighed, then crossed his arms as he said. "You’re right in saying we conquered this level of the sanctuary, however, the fifth level of the sanctuary... is where humanity’s conquest ended."
"What?" Rentaro’s back suddenly lifted from the bed in shock, and he stared directly at the Fifth Captain, confusion clearly visible in his eyes. "What do you mean the fifth level is where humanity’s conquest ended? Why did they tell us humanity managed to get into the fourteenth level?"
"You weren’t told, and that’s because in the 200 years of human history in the sanctuary... Not up to 5% of humanity has managed to ascend pass the fifth level. That is why it seemed far more populous than the rest of the trials, after continuous attempts and several deaths to ascend past the fifth trial, humanity decided to settle in the last place it conquered." The fifth captain spoke, with a bit of disdain at their failures.
"I don’t understand, if that’s the case, what is the truth behind the 14 Soul-Squads?"
"Humanity getting into the fourteenth level, isn’t the same as conquering it. Humanity only managed to ascend into the trial of the fourteenth sanctuary thanks to one, single individual who led a squad of powerful Soul-Hunters through their ascension. That single individual ascended through the same option as you and your colleagues, and that is why we were caught off guard."
"The second option huh..." Rentaro thought back to the second trial, and in truth, if not for his proficiency returns, his chances of passing that trial was practically zero.
"Seeing as you are one of the sole survivors, you understand why victory using the second option is alarming?"
"If that’s the case, why did the people in the garden attempt to attack me?"
The fifth captain remained silent for a moment, his expression unreadable. Then, after letting out a firm sigh, he finally spoke. "Because the last time humanity ascended to the fifth trial using the second option... was 150 years ago. And the person that ascended, was no other than the legendary hunter we all know as, the Soul-King."
