Deadly Puzzle

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[Patre0n latest chapter: 80]

Two Suns! Four Sides! Each side of the walls has a certain painting. There must be a clue.

The first wall, the sun rays are shining over the farmlands and the farmers. The second wall, the sun rays are shining over animals being hunted by arrows and spears. Third…

*Crunch*

"FUCK!"

The heat became unbearable as it is.

The third wall, the sun rays are shining over people who were collecting fruits from the trees and fishing from the rivers. The fourth wall, sadly a bit broken but it showed something like a ritual of leading animals for sacrifices and slaughter.

"Of course." Leon's eyes lit up when he finally understood what's going on, "Human civilization! The earliest practices… agriculture, herding, hunting, and gathering."

It seemed like a bad joke but the moment he looked up the ceiling, he made sense of the locations of the two Suns. One small, one big.

If he lines them with the walls, this will finally make a meaning.

Agriculture for Spring after the rivers flood when the sun melts the ice of Winter. Gathering and Fishing for Winter when most of the hunting stock go into hibernation, when the crops fail, and when the herding gets difficult. Herding is for Summer when the floods are almost over but the lands are still rich, eventually, the shepherds lead the sheep to their slaughter. Hunting is for Autumn just before Winter as the predators are readying for hibernation and the prey are moving out of their hiding.

Currently, if it is that hot, it means Summer, and after it comes Autumn. Leon looked around and he was right. The wall displaying hunting was just right to the side. The problem is that if he walks, he will walk ahead and he can barely breathe in this heat.

But it is now or never.

Willingly, he took a step ahead but not quite so. It was more like a leap to the left.

And the heart went away.

It really did but the unpleasant feeling didn't die off as it was suddenly windy and a bit dusty.

"I can already guess what Winter will be! If I Started with Summer, then I will surely have to finish it there."

On the other side of Summer is Spring but that requires going through Autumn and Winter first.

"Alright! This should be easy."

All he needed to do is to survive Winter and get to Spring.

Winter, the moment he jumped and took left beside the step ahead was when he had to face the hard reality. With each step ahead, the seasons get worse and worse, but nothing is as bad as a frigid winter.

"Don't stop!"

As his skin almost felt like tearing up, Leon immediately double-jumped midair and skipped Winter to Spring, finally landing on his two feet.

Looking at the corpses behind him, most of them clearly gathered in Winter. Now in Spring, even the lighting of the chamber became a bit softer and Leon could feel the atmosphere settling down.

Spring, the season when the weather is at its best. Looking back, there were no deaths in the Spring lane. If Spring would kill anyone, it would be from allergy… just to be safe, Leon covered his nose.

And that was it.

How on Earth he survived that was beyond him. How he can go back is still a mystery.

"System, can you check on why my Mental Resistance isn't working?"

< … >

"Just open the damn screen."

Leon was fed up with his busted skills and called out the skill menu.

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< Skills >

- Artillery Technique Lv.9

- Blade Technique Lv.6

- Unarmed Technique Lv.5

- Stealth Technique Lv.8

- Riding Technique Lv.5

- Martial Technique Lv.5

- Swimming Technique Lv.2

- Engineering Technique Lv.3

- Polearm Technique Lv.3

- Marksmanship Technique Lv.1

- Woodworking Technique Lv.2

- Enhanced Stamina Lv.4

- Enhanced Mana Sense Lv.2

- Fatigue Resistance Lv.3

- Poison Resistance Lv3

- Pain Resistance Lv.4

- Physical Resistance Lv.3

- Mental Resistance Lv.5

- Heresy Resistance Lv.3

- Hemorrhage Resistance Lv.1

- Fire Resistance Lv.2

- Acid Resistance Lv.1

- Space-Time Magic Lv.1

- Knowledge Magic Lv.1

- Shadow Magic Lv.1

- Light Magic Lv.2

- Air Magic Lv.3

- Mysticism Magic Lv.1

- Earth Magic Lv.4

- Combat Magic Lv.4

——————————

< Features >

Ring of Relife

Unrestrained Magic

——————————

"Goodness, they are a lot now." Leon looked at his skills with an annoyed face and quickly pointed at the [Mental Resistance Lv.5] skill, "Read!"

——————————

[Mental Resistance] < Resistance Skill >

- Level: 5

- Status: Passive

- Function: Resist Mental fatigue, the need to Sleep, and mental traumas.

——————————

"I should keep that skill leveling up." Leon said but kept frowning, "So which skills protect the mind from outside interference… that one."

Leon immediately chose a new skill to confirm one thing.

——————————

[Heresy Resistance] < Resistance Skill >

- Level: 3

- Status: Passive / Interrupted

- Function: Resist madness and mind manipulation techniques

——————————

It was exactly as he expected, frighteningly so.

"Interrupted? Something is interrupting a skill? System, Read."

With Leon's command, the system showed the analysis screen before coming to a halt.

< Analysis interrupted by the Ring of Relife. >

Leon then closed his eyes. The culprit has finally shown itself. While gritting his teeth, Leon called up the Ring on his finger and with the other one, he brought his dagger near it.

This Ring is basically the culprit behind all his hardships so far. Losing the people dear to him, reincarnating him into Leon, mind-controlling him… and who knows what else?

If Leon is to try and remove it, the Ring resists it like a damn curse. If he is to try and cut the damn finger… he may not just lose a finger but maybe what links his original soul to this body.

"Something is telling me I can just cut that finger off… regardless of the consequences." Leon said, "I am glad this is the first time we finally have a ground to converse on."

A man talking to a ring, the world is yet to see more madness but this is by far the maddest this guy has reached.

"Remove the restrictions you put on the skill this instant." Leon commanded.

With an eye on his skill screen, the Ring didn't seem to be willing to let go.

"Very well."

With the other hand up, Leon came down with the dagger towards the finger… not even thinking twice about it.

< Do you wish to remove the restriction on the skill [Heresy Resistance]? Y/N >

And the System yielded just as the blade cut the skin.

"Bastard!"

Leon couldn't help but cuss and without even thinking, he pressed on "Yes".

< Confirmed! >

And that was the last heard from the system in a short while.

Leon finally regained part of his freedom. Not just that, he even confirmed that the Ring of Horus or Relife or whatever… he confirmed that it is Conscious.

But that didn't end his problems.

He realized that he still can't resist the effect of the Chamber or go backward. All that he has ended was the fact that the Ring was cooperating with the Chamber.

The [Heresy Resistance] skill is now working as it was intended to but not enough to back away from the Chamber with his willpower alone.

So the problem still stands and no way around it but through.

"Fuck my life."

At that moment, Leon walked ahead without any hesitation. If the Ring wanted him to go ahead then going ahead he will. Nothing was hindering him all the way until he stood in front of the Gem that was radiation without actual light. The intensity of the light was increasing the closer one got until it almost became unbearable.

"Alright. Come to daddy."

With that, Leon extended his hand forward while looking away. No matter, the bring gem made his bones almost be visible and he could see the blood vessels in his palms.

It was incredible as this physics-defying object was already resting in his hand and gradually started to stop its glow.

Just like that, the gem appeared to be that of an uneven shape but looked like it was made of some golden crystals that had some extreme sharpness. A material that seemed only native to this world.

< You have acquired the [Sun Skin]. >

"You don't say! I should have brought sunscreen then." Leon almost wanted to cuss but what came next hit him right on the head.

< You have stolen a Holy Object. >

< You have acquired the title [Unholy Thief]. >

"That's too much edginess for one person."

< The Spirits fear you. >

"Alright… that's… bad."

No matter what, he didn't understand what sort of new shitty dilemma he threw himself into but the fact that the Spirits fear him… in other words; the Spirits which the people of this world worship… that's a problem.

And Unholy Thief?

——————————

[Unholy Thief] < Title >

- You have stolen a piece from the Holy of Holies.

- The Spirits fear you.

——————————

"Hmmm! Should I… give it back?" Leon asked as he tried to put the Gem back on the altar.

Suddenly and without introductions, the Golden Gem in his hand disappeared as the Ring of Horus suddenly came out and went away.

< The item [Sun Skin] has been stored safely. >

"… Fuck you."

With a smile that is hardly a smile, Leon looked at the position of the Ring which seemed active today more than usual.

"Everything is just wrong at the moment."

< By Acquiring the [Sun Skin], you are now one step closer to Upgrade the System. For more info, view the Quests menu. >

"You're being serious, right?" Leon looked at the screen in annoyance, "You, a Ring whose origin is vaguely questionable, has some relationship with a System that runs a different world, and now you are coveting stuff for your own upgrade? This doesn't make any sense. And the Quest! What the fuck is that?"

——————————

[ Find the ₱#!£¡@№6®3® $70№€ ]

- Conditions: ***** *** [Met]

- Reward: System Upgrade

- Penalty: None

——————————

Completely gibberish! Leon was genuinely annoyed but the system seemed to be having the upper hand at the moment. Not only can it control him but it can give and take and even interfere with the World System.

Leon wasn't stupid, if this Ring of Horus was seeking more power, then it means it wants more authority in the World's System.

Is it like a malware that is infecting a system and taking it over?

How in the world did such a thing originate on Earth?

Who even created it?

Basically, he is this Ring's bitch at the moment. Only the Ring and Leon have Physical Forms but the majority of him, Shady, is just a ghost in a shell. If the Ring and Leon are separated, he may just vanish.

A step back, that was finally possible. He stepped backward and turned around. He's leaving, he's finally leaving. On the second step, he just started running and rushed out of this chamber as fast as his stats could push him and he didn't look back.

Tens of people died and he's the only one who got out with the damn death-trap/prize. If that wasn't some overpowered plot-armor then he doesn't know what the hell that was.

The Goblins… those little shits he scared just a few minutes ago, he has to follow their tracks out. He has to hurry.

Leon just blindly didn't care anymore as his eyes were very adaptive to the darkness by this moment.

< [Enhanced Senses Lv.1] has been added to your Status. >

"Are you trying to suck up to me?" Leon looked coldly at the screen, "Fuck you! I am still angry."

There was no way he could let the Ring of after what happened today. It is not just disabling one of his skills but rather the way it triggered him to go on a murderous trance.

*BANG*

During all that time, the cave was still slowly suffering damage as Leon was trying to go out the way he came from. Luckily, the Goblin that escaped just now left a trail of blood and corpses as they seemed to have suffered casualties to the falling stones.

Whatever was banging against the cave, it was relentlessly planning on getting in no matter the cost.

Finally, Leon managed to crawl out of the cave system beneath the Goblin Den back to the Shaman Room where he killed most of the male goblins. If he can get out now, he must hurry and not stop.

But… there has to be a but here for the night is just getting started… But…

All the Goblin females and younglings that were hiding down the cave seemed to have not reached the exit. They joined the adult Goblins into a pile of blood and gore.

And the Culprit…

"You're the one who dropped that mask?"

… was right behind Leon.

A hand attack and a kick overlapped in an instantaneous clash of both skill and ability. Leon completely backflipped as he kicked whoever was standing behind him while the culprit was able to switch the hand attack into a parry at the nick of time.

Two Experts!

Leon's kick carried a blade from the tip of his boots which was meant to injure whoever tries to parry it but the culprit from behind had a peerless skill in Magic that formed a magical shield around her parry and negated the hidden blade useless.

The two took distance immediately and met each other.

They didn't expect this at all, they never expected to meet one another here.

"Leon!" Eleanor gasped.

On the other hand, Leon wasn't happy to see her. He was upset, he was angry even… he was looking at Eleanor with a look that he shouldn't even carry.

"I… remember… you!"

And that wasn't even his voice, it wasn't even the Ring taking over like last time.

It was the Darkness he wanted to avoid.

It was all his eyes going dark with malice and hate, his veins popping with wrath, his killing intent reaching a level simply meant to be abnormal.

One word he uttered afterward.

"Betrayer!"

And a knife was aimed at her heart!

Read Early Content on Patre0n. Also consider Commenting and Joining Discord all on this URL: https://linktr.ee/donovel

[Patre0n latest chapter: 80]