Chapter 8: Sleipnir's Horn

"What was that?" The thunderous roar seemed to make even the walls of the cave vibrate. Meanwhile, the man laughed at Li's ignorance. 

"That was a troll. I believe you don't know what that is either," he continued mockingly. "Well, ignorance is bliss, believe me. I didn't want to recognize that sound either." Frowning, he spoke to the woman in the same strange language as before. 

"Let him go," he ordered. 

"Father, are you sure?" the woman asked. 

"We can't do this to him while he's tied up." 

After a short discussion, the young woman got up and walked over to Jihan, despite the lack of willingness evident on her face. Upon closer inspection, she was extremely beautiful, probably the most beautiful woman Li had ever seen in his entire life. She drew a knife from her belt and cut the ropes around his hands and feet while the man approached, extending his hand. 

"I haven't introduced ourselves yet. I'm Itzal, a dark elf. And this is my daughter, Akemi. She's... well... she's her." 

Seeing the clear physical difference between the two, he thought it best to set aside the questions. "An elf... so that's where the pointed ears come from." 

"Pleasure, I'm Li Jihan, but you can just call me Li," he greeted them, continuing. "So, can you explain the plan better? Better yet, can you explain where I am... if it's not too much to ask?" 

Itzal was taken aback by the boy's lack of knowledge but didn't hesitate to provide basic information. 

"We don't have much time, so I'll be quick," he said. "We're on the island of Eritia. This is where the Gods' test is conducted. Basically, all you have to do is survive for three days to pass the test. And honestly... I'm surprised you made it to the second day alive... but that's beside the point!" His face showed some disappointment, though it seemed directed more at himself than the young man. "Anyway, we're not just here to survive. We want merit, and for that, we need an achievement." 

"An achievement?" Li felt a chill run down his spine. "And how does that connect to the roar we heard earlier?" 

"Absolutely everything! Because that's our target!" The man gestured as if his statement were grandiose; but upon seeing Li's lack of reaction, he corrected his posture somewhat embarrassedly. "It's not for nothing that you don't know. This troll has something special that others don't. Sleipnir's Horn!" 

"What's so good about a horn?" Li scratched his head. 

"It's not 'just' any horn! It's a special item. With it, you can forge an artifact that allows you to use Sleipnir's abilities for a short period. Do you understand now? You can run faster than the wind, over the waves, and even glide through the air!" 

"Incredible!" Jihan celebrated internally. He was trying to extract as much information as possible. Honestly, when he first saw Itzal, he thought he was a bad person; but with a little more intimacy, the old man had a rather eccentric personality. 

"I get it! It must be a unique item!" With a smile on his face, he showed more emotion to avoid making the elf uncomfortable. 

"Exactly! And that's why we're going to steal it!" 

"Steal it? And how do you plan to do that?" Li questioned him. 

"Me? You mean how 'we' plan to do it." Opening a wide smile, the elf continued. "Listen, Li, from what it seems, you haven't done anything in the past few days. Surviving is enough to pass the test, but if you want to be someone, you need to stand out. Otherwise, you'll just be one among those who hide." 

Li remembered what Michael said in the early hours. "See the bright side." So that's what that idiot was referring to. Not skipping the first phase could bring me problems, but it could also bring me opportunities. Jihan's brain began to work. 

"Well, if you're afraid, I don't mind leaving you behind." 

"No... I accept. You're right, if I hide, I'll just be one among many others." Extending his hand towards Itzal, the young man completed. "I hope we can help each other then." 

"Good decision, kid." The elf shook the extended hand. "So, we'd better get going. I'll explain the plan along the way." 

With the sun at its zenith, its light surpassed even the large leaves of the trees that made up the forest. Walking through the woods, three people made their way through the undergrowth. 

"So, he regenerates?" A voice came from behind the bushes, followed by a hand pulling them aside, revealing Jihan's face. 

"Yes, trolls have extraordinary vitality, which is why they're so difficult to kill," Itzal, right beside him, replied. 

"I see. No wonder nobody has managed to get that horn even after so many years. I mean, if it's so powerful, I bet many before us tried to steal it." 

"Well... yes and no," the elf said, putting his hand to his chin, trying to think of a simple way to explain. "To put it roughly then. The Gods' test always has a challenge like this. What fuels the potential of the next item, in reality, is how many people died to acquire the last one. Of course, it's not just that, but it's pretty close." 

"I understand..." 

"But you don't need to fear, kid!" Seeing Li's worried expression, the old man reassured him. "We're not going to fight it. Besides, I'm here to protect you!" Pointing to himself, he smiled. 

Although it seemed stupid, Li felt a little better. The tone in which the elf spoke conveyed a lot of tranquility. He was a good person. That alone was enough. 

One step behind them, Akemi followed, still somewhat dissatisfied. "Why did he have to come along? Just the two of us would have been more than capable." 

"Well, now that you know the context, I'll explain what we're going to do. You must have noticed the thunder that falls at night, didn't you? It illuminates the entire forest." Seeing Li nod, he continued. "Very well, but there's one detail that very few people notice. I mean, who would stop to look at that? The thunder always strikes in the same place. In the center of the island." 

Li thought for a second and easily remembered. Indeed, every time he saw the lightning strike, it was in the same direction. 

"And why is that?" He asked curiously. 

"At first, nobody knew, but there's a golden rule among the challenges that permeate the island of Eritia. Everyone can conquer it. Which is the best and also the worst news." 

"Why would that be bad?" Confused, Jihan couldn't help but ask. 

"I'll tell you something, Li. And you, Akemi, listen too." The woman approached to listen, which made Jihan even more curious. "The world is for those who are born to conquer it, not for those who dream they can, even if they're right." 

Li didn't quite understand and made a puzzled expression, but the daughter nodded, as if her father had said the wisest thing she had ever heard. 

"That's my girl, unlike this idiot here, you know how to appreciate good advice." Itzal praised her and, as compensation, received the first smile since Li appeared. 

"Beautiful!" was the only phrase his enhanced brain thought. It was definitely the most beautiful smile he had ever seen. 

"Now, idiot," the elf joked. "What I mean is: even though there's a possibility for anyone to succeed, you need luck to find out the 'how'; but then again, who in their right mind would risk watching over a monster like that to find out? I would!" Pointing to himself, he continued. "I would!" 

"What did you find out?" Anxious, Li urged him. 

"The reason the lightning strikes in the same place is the horn itself! So, when it gets dark, the Troll puts it at a distance to avoid being hit. Even with its regeneration, this monster isn't resistant to burns. If it suffered damage every night, from something so strong, it wouldn't be able to withstand it!" 

"Is that where I come in? You want me to distract it?" Li asked, already fearing for his life. 

The man laughed. 

"You're overestimating yourself. If I were to let someone so weak handle this, we'd all die!" 

"Thanks for the confidence in me, sir," he said sarcastically. 

"Don't take it to heart, Li. I'll take care of that part; you and Akemi just need to grab the horn and get out as fast as possible." 

"And how will you know if we succeed?" 

"Oh, he'll know, so I will too." The ominous statement, coupled with a smile, made it seem much less frightening. "As I said, get out of there and run away as fast as you can." 

After walking for several hours, the forest was already darkening, and the moon was rising in the sky. 

"Let's stop and rest. I remember seeing a cave yesterday when I passed through here. Tomorrow we should reach the Troll's lair. We'll wait there until nightfall and then proceed. It'll be the last day, so we'll have little time after dark."