Trial Is Over

Soon after they had set camp, they were given stale bread and water. All of the slaves were huddled together near the fire. The soldiers were chatting together.

Sunny chatted a little with Scholar, just like in the novel, about bloodbane berries. After a while, a commotion rose between the soldiers. He knew about it; they found out about the missing key, which he was currently holding in his arms.

Before they could even start an investigation, a thundering voice rang from above.

And, in the next second, something massive came crashing from the sky.

Sunny was already upright, his attribute-enhanced eyes piercing the darkness. He took a calm, measured step back. In the next second, a piece of ice the size of a man's torso hit the ground right in front of him and exploded.

The creature moved, slashing his claw in his general direction. He was one step ahead, though.

He grabbed the broad-shoulder slave beside him and jumped sideways, as much as the chain allowed. The claw found tore through half of the slave's body, though.

It was intentional. He could have moved the man to safety.

But why?

In the novel, he would die and become a wormified corpse. Pushing the shouting slave above him, he stood up.

He was drenched in blood.

'Good'

Taking out the key, he drove it straight through the slave's skull before the worm could even begin its work. The slave's body went limp.

Then he maneuvered the body. The sight of the man's bloodied half body, its intestines naked, and black goo leaking should have made anyone nauseous.

Sunny just drove the key straight through the man's heart, just where a worm was trying to hide.

[ You have slain a dormant human, name unknow.]

[ You have slain a dormant beast, Mountain King's Larva]

Taking a deep breath, Sunny calmed his mind. He then maneuvered the shackles on his ankles, trying to get them in a suitable position, and pushed the bloodied key into the lock. After a few moments, the unfamiliar (familiar) lock clicked open.

Sunny got straight, took another deep breath, and threw the key to Scholar.

He pointed at him and Shifty.

"Save yourselves."

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A bit of time later, the four of them (Sunny,Hero,Shifty,Scholar) were sitting around the bonfire, soaking up the pleasant heat.

The wagon-chain plan worked without a single hiccup; he killed three more worms and even gained a memory.

The reason he needed the key early was to get this memory. If he waited for Hero to give him the key while making a dashing entrance, an unknown soldier would die.

But if he got himself free early and used the limited time window to rush and kill the unknown soldier just before he died, he would manage himself a weapon memory.

[ Incandescence Steel: This short sword was the last memento, the owner had of his dead friend. It shined whenever the owner felt sorrow for betraying his friend.]

The short sword looked fairly simple. The blade length was small, there was a leather handle, and just that.

Since he got it from killing a dormant human, it's safe to assume it's Tier I and possesses only one enchantment.

From his previous loop, he knew it could shine or emit light.

Currently, no one knows he has it.

Of course, there was also the [Silver Bell].

[ Silver Bell: a small memento of a long-lost home, which once brought its owner comfort and joy. Its clear ringing can be heard from miles away.]

Sitting beside the old soldier and humming a tune felt fantastic when the man was drowning in his own blood.

Back to the present, now.

His body was full of bruises and shallow cuts. Taking three dormant monsters was a life-risking task, even if you knew their moves from previous loops.

They had already collected everything that was useful. Hero asked him why he stole the key, while Shifty and Scholar were looking at him fearfully for showing an unprecedented level of violence.

Sunny already had the script ready for Hero. He managed to skillfully direct the conversation, and soon they were moving.

The first to fall was Shifty. The moment he missed the rock, Sunny immediately grabbed the guy. But the man's weight was not something he could manage alone. He just had to hold it for a few seconds, struggling until Hero climbed down to help them.

Before that could happen, Shifty's hand slipped away.

Sunny looked at the corpse dangling below darkly.

Then Scholar died, and the conversation between the three of them was too repetitive for him. He just replied everything in auto-pilot.

Hero dragged him to a corner and made him bleed as much as possible.

After that, they made camp. The scene went just like in the novel. Sunny delivered his "There is nothing more pathetic than a slave who begins to trust his slaver" perfectly. (Where is his Oscar?)

The moment Hero showed symptoms of bloodbane affecting him, Sunny didn't waste a single second to throw his already summoned short sword at him like a dagger. It didn't kill him, but it was enough to make him non-lethal.

Pulling back the sword, he thrust it one more time into Hero's head.

[ You have slain an Awakened human, Auro of the Nine.]

In the novel, Sunny used [Silver bell] to attract the monster. But this time, Hero's final scream of agony will be enough.

So Sunny ran. He ran as fast as he could. He could sense the monster was already finished with Hero's corpse and was now looking for him.

He ran. He pushed his bruised body to its limit, the cold making it impossible to think straight.

'I am not dying of hypothermia after all this shit.'

He reached the temple, then found the altar. Lying on the cold stone, he made sure that one drop of blood made its way to the flat surface.

The Mountain King was already standing in front of him, looking at him with his five blind eyes.

Sunny just smiled and accepted his fate. It's not like he's dying.

[ You have offered yourself as a sacrifice to the gods]

[ The gods are dead, and cannot hear you.]

[ You soul bears the mark of divinity.]

[ You are a temple slave.]

[ Shadow God stirs in his eternal slumber.]

[ He sends a blessing from beyond his grave.]

[ Child of Shadow's, receive you blessing!]

He didn't need to see to make out what was happening. The shadows became alive, and tentacles of darkness surged forward.

The shadows grabbed the tyrant from different directions, pulling in different directions. The mighty king struggled, but could it resist the power of a god?

The next second, its body ruptured, torn apart into pieces.

Blood, viscera, and severed limbs fell on the floor in a crimson torrent, and just like that, the creature was dead.

Sunny sighed in relief.

[ You have slain an awakened tyrant, Mountain King.]

[ Wake up Sunless, your nightmare is over!]

AN: The middle part may look a little disjointed, because I crammed a lot of things into a single chapter. But I needed to get to the main plot fast. Also I have to explain how his flaw affects him and what about the paradox Cassie creates....blah blah

Anyway thanks for reading, let the power stones flow.

Also can you add a review, it would be helpful.

Thanks again :)