Chapter 50 Trial Gate Part 08.

The surrounding environment was enveloped by a huge shadow that descended into the ground. The black clouds covered the battlefield. Becoming the proof, where the two individuals had given their all in the fight.

Hina, who was lying on her back, raised her body and saw the mess after the collision. The spider web ran along the ground and the black clouds kept flaunting themselves obstructing her view.

She scanned her surroundings and her sight landed on the figure of Soma who was lying on his stomach not too far away from the middle of the center of the battlefield.

"Soma".

Seeing the figure of Soma who is lying, not moving, even after she shouted his name made her chest tighten in pain. Hina's heart began to throb, she raised her body before dashing away approaching him.

Hina, who walked in a hurry, felt that her sight was distorted for a moment as she stumbled on her feet. She is on her knees looking at the hard ground. Her nerves are screaming in pain because of the aftereffects of the collision that happened earlier. However, she grits her teeth and resolves herself to approach Soma.

After having a closer look she raised her brows as her heart began to throb intensely seeing Soma's bloody right hand. His hand was shredded without much skin to cover its red muscle tissue. He was lying on the puddle of blood that oozed out from the side of his hips. Her feet turned soft as she dropped to her knees for the second time, looking at his sorry figure.

"No, no,, please no.".

A pleading voice escaped from her mouth, her eyes' vision started to turn blurry and she couldn't help herself began to sob and feel a great amount of regret overwhelming her mind.

"..Ugh".

Hina's body jerked as her ears caught a slight hoarse voice coming from Soma's mouth. She raised her face and found his whole body twitching. With a sudden surprise before her, she rushed trying to raise her body, but stumbled herself and lay beside Soma.

"Soma".

"Hi,, na,".

She put more strength in her hands and crawled her way to approach him. With the puddle of blood beginning to smear her hands, she keeps persistently arrived by his side. She began to raise her body and sit in seiza posture, while gently touching his stiff shoulder carefully turning him around and making him face the sky.

After his body lay down facing the sky. Hina could grasp how severe the wounds on his body were. The right hand was completely shredded and lost its protective layer, multiple lines of cuts from a sharp blade from compressed winds, and the blood that kept oozing itself from the open cut on his right hips bathed their body in red color.

Soma's body is as white as a sheet, and his body temperature is also cold to the touch because of the blood loss he suffered. His breathing also is shallow as if it could stop at any moment.

Hina, who was alarmed by that, retrieved the green potion she stored in her storage rings. She opened the lids and poured the contents toward his wounded body to stop the blood loss from occurring further. Then, the remaining half she poured it to his shredded right hand and she took another one for him to drink.

The effect was working instantly. Soma's shallow breath regains its rhythm and his pale face regains its vigor. The lines in his body were closed, leaving only the blood remaining. Then last is his shredded right hand. The torn skin began to regenerate and it regained its normal look with a clear skin coating it.

"Are you okay, Soma?".

With a distressed voice, Hina asked Soma who had opened his eyes.

",, Yeah, not quite. But, I am alive at least".

"I am glad".

Hina exhaled in relief seeing the high-grade potions she had could cure the injury Soma sustained. Her tense muscle loosened up as he saw Soma was now looking at her eyes straight.

"...Thank you, Hina".

"Don't worry about it, I am glad you have been healed".

Soma opened his eyes wide hearing a rare thing that appeared from her mouth. But, he wouldn't let that thought be known to her. He smiled, then he tried to focus his attention on his body only to realize he lost all the sensation over his body.

[The user's body is Paralyzed for using the skill Oni Wrath. Time remaining: 59:58:17]

"I see".

"Hmm?".

"Nothing, just talking to myself".

"Okay..".

His body feels so heavy even he cannot lift a single finger in his limbs. Hina noticed that Soma was knitting his brows trying to do something. She tilted her head to the side before a light began to shine in her mind.

"..Are you being paralyzed right now?".

"Yes".

Soma could only smile wryly facing the intense gaze that looked his way. Hina sighs.

"So you used the skill?".

"Yes, I don't have any choice".

"I see, ...No wonder you had that ferocious aura around you..".

"What?".

"No-nothing, just talking to myself".

At first Soma's plan was to utilize his new skill to strengthen his Physique stats by fifty percent. But, after he received the wolf attack head-on, the swipe gesture from the wolf made him realize that the wolf was not something he could defeat with his current strength. He changed his mind and began to improvise in his plan, as a result, he used the skill of Oni's wrath.

The skill is dangerous, it will turn him completely into a berserk mode if he uses it. However, his mental enhancement skill saved the day, for the negative effect of the skill was negated. But, Soma could feel that even having the mental enhancement skill in his possession, his instinct told him that he would be swallowed in fury if he used the skill for a long period.

That showed how powerful and dangerous the skill in his possession is. This could become one of his homework in the future to try to find a solution for that.

"How about the wolf?".

Soma, who was submerged in thought, snapped back and opened his mouth.

"Right".

Hina's relaxed body turned tense all of a sudden as she shook her gaze to the sideways trying to find the wolf trace.

The black clouds in the area were dismissed a bit, and a figure of a four-legged monster could be seen in the gap between the rising smoke.

"..That..".

"What? What happened? Did I fail?".

Soma, whose body was paralyzed, couldn't move his head to look up. But seeing Hina's reaction a sense of foreboding began to creep into his chest. He clicked his tongue and issued his order.

"..Tch, Hina run..".

[You entered a safe floor]

"Huh?".

The wolf's body glowed, it turned into a figure of light and crumbled leaving a single mana Core as big as a volleyball with its pretty blue color, beside the mana core there lay a huge rectangle of golden-brown box carved by fancy craving adorned with gold lining, whose inside contained a hope and dream for everyone who found it.

[You gained 200 Exp]

[You cannot level up, for still haven't met the requirement to unlock your first ascension to learn Martial Saint skill]

[Your Exp will be stacked until you learn the skill]

[Exp: 202/200]

"What the heck?!".

"What is wrong?".

",, Nothing, sorry about that".

Hina looked at him weirdly as Soma suddenly threw an outburst that startled Hina who loosened all of her guard after hearing the notification of a safe floor and the disappearance of the monster.

"..Hina the truth is.. ".

"What?".

Soma hesitated at first but soon started to spill all the beans.

"The truth is I hog all of the experience points for the Valiant Wolf".

Hina opened her eyes wide after hearing what Soma told her. She sighs.

"..Stupid, how can I care with a mere experience point where my life is on the line. Having my life still attached to myself is already a great reward for me".

Soma raised his brows as he looked at the figure of Hina near him, then opened his mouth.

"Woah, such an adult-like response".

"What? Do you want to pick a fight with me?".

He just tried to lighten the mood by throwing some jokes, but Hina didn't take it. Instead, she knitted her brows further while gripping her katana tight in her hands ready to draw it anytime.

"No. no, I am sorry miss".

"This punk..".

Soma with a cold sweat that appeared on his temple could only smile wryly. He is glad that the distance between them was shortened albeit slightly, because of this incident.

At first they arrived at this place Soma was feeling anxious because of the uninvited guest who came with him to the gate. But, because of that their bond was strengthened and they could entrust their back to each other albeit, still hiding something in their heart.

An hour had passed in the blink and Soma regained his freedom to move his body at his will. Soma now stood up while checking the condition of his body, he clenched both fists and then started some stretching to loosen up his sore muscles.

"Let's check the spoils we got".

"Okay".

Soma, after finding out that there is nothing wrong with his body, starts to approach the treasure box with Hina who walks beside him. Standing before the treasure box, the two of them found something different in it.

"Bronze treasure box?".

"This is crazy".

Hina with raised brows threw those words. The box before them was indeed different from the past box they found. The boxes they found in the past had their structure built using a good quality strong wood and had a grainy surface while also being adorned with steel, but the box before them had a smooth appearance that reflected a bit of light and its smooth surface reminded him of a surface of the mirror that has a clear reflection upon himself.

As the novel reader Soma was knowledgeable about this kind of phenomenon. His heart began to hit its drum, he couldn't help but feel his heart race in anticipation of what items the treasure box would present to them.

"Let's open it".

"Okay".

Urged by the exited Soma Hina nodded her head. They simultaneously opened the box together. The opening lid had more resistance because of the material it made. But it couldn't deter the strength of the two teenagers who felt excited about what kind of rewards awaited them inside.

""Woah"".