Chapter 82: Solomon’s Curse

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The moment I stepped into the first room, the statues seemed harmless, but as soon as I turned my back, three of them leaped at me, attempting to crush me.

CLASH!

Thankfully, I reacted on time. If I hadn't buffed myself beforehand, things might have gone a bit awry, though. Especially because these statues were so strong, they made slight cracks on the floor.

"…"

However, the moment I glanced back at them, they stopped moving, staying still on the floor. As if they had never moved by themselves.

"So that's how you work?"

I swung Gram horizontally, channeling the power of my [Sunlight Blade (B)] skill, unleashing several slashes of pure light against them. However, they barely developed any cracks in their bodies. Apparently, while in this state, their defenses increased a lot. I wonder if it would be the same if I turned around?

"OOOHH!"

A statue reached my back. This time, I didn't look at it directly, but I quickly merged the power of [Great Sorceress (S)] with [Sunlight Blade (B)], creating a ring of blades made of light, and fired them towards the statue. All three blades of light pierced their bodies cleanly this time; the statue gave a last scream before collapsing into pieces and leaving behind a shiny yellow crystal.

["So, they're weaker when they attack, but once they stay still, their defenses increase drastically!"]

"Yeah, more or less," I laughed at Gram.

There's just one problem. They're too fast. If I show my back to too many of them at once, I won't be able to slay them all due to their speed. At most, I can focus on two at the same time. Too many, and I can only defend, which will bring us back to the same problem.

"I know…"

I quickly stepped into the gates and turned around there. Then, I moved slowly, barely exposing my back to the statue closest to me on the left. With a furious scream, the statue flew towards me, swinging a stone sword towards my neck. It was fast and deadly, but I was expecting this!

"{Sunlight Blade}!"

Imbuing the power of the skill into Gram, I swung the blade vertically into the sky, the attack quickly reaching the statue midair.

CRASH!

The entire thing crumbled apart instantly, leaving behind stone and yet another yellow crystal. I guess this is why that angel couldn't fight them, though. They're too fast, and he lacks wings and looks very weak.

For this trial, what's necessary is proper planning and reaction speed. Though, didn't he say that these statues were people?

["Well done; now kill the others and get going."]

"Are these statues... angels that were cursed in these forms?" I wondered. "{Eye of Truth}"

[You have utilized {Eye of Truth}; you have deciphered what these monsters are!]

[Petrified Angel (B- Rank)]:

[A low-rank angel that lived in the Celestial Realm. Cursed by the Eyes of Solomon, it has been forever converted into a vengeful, weeping statue that only moves when someone within their range gives them their back. While moving, their defenses decrease, but their attack power increases.]

[While being stationary, their defenses make them nearly indestructible. Because they have been in this state for thousands of years, they cannot return to normal and are technically classified as undead monsters. The only way to save them is by breaking their petrified bodies and freeing the crystallized soul inside.]

Eyes of Solomon? Not something like Medusa?

So, these people are really angels.

Ugh, now that makes me feel strange.

But... that guy said they had been cursed for eternity in these forms.

I don't know if it's true, but if that's the case, they might not be able to go back to normal anymore.

If those crystals are their hearts, then they might contain their souls.

This entire trial is about freeing these people from... whoever this "Solomon" is.

I don't remember him from the novel.

["What are you looking at?"]

"Never mind. Let's continue."

I continued to slowly show my back to them while intercepting their attacks. Over an entire hour, I took them down one by one while taking small breaks to recover Mana and Ki. Once I figured them out, it wasn't hard to take them down at all.

But that might as well be because I've grown strong. At my current stats without using any transformation, I am probably as strong as a C+ Rank Hunter, if not a B- Rank Hunter. I might be almost as strong as these statues individually. I guess that's why I can shatter them with a single blow.

"Phew… I think we're done here," I sighed in relief. "Though, I ended up taking a bit too long on this."

["You've not killed them all yet. I can sense another one hiding somewhere."]

"Really? Let's see. {Mana Sense}"

I spread my senses through the Mana Sense Skill, and this quickly confirmed what Gram said. I detected a small presence within the upper left corner of the temple, hiding behind a large pillar.

I walked there, finding the small statue of a girl with little wings there. She was moving even when I glanced at her, trembling in fear.

I turned around, yet she didn't attack and simply continued trembling.

She stopped trembling when I walked away, perhaps feeling relieved.

"It must be her."

["So, she is the sister of that guy?"]

"Most likely. He did say she would hide and not attack," I nodded. "Well…"

I walked back to her again. She started trembling once more. Her face's expression had anguish, fear, and innocence.

"I'm sorry..."

CRASH!

With a single swing of Gram, her entire body acquired several cracks and shattered into pieces, emitting a painful scream.

"Her crystal…"

Her crystal was different than the rest; instead of being bright yellow, it was rainbow-colored.

[You have obtained the [Innocent Angel's Crystalized Soul Heart (A Rank)] x1]

While hers was an A rank, everyone else was only a B rank, and they were only called "Sinful Angel's Crystalized Soul Heart".

"Sinful and innocent, huh?" I sighed, quickly storing everything inside my inventory as I made my way outside of the trial dungeon.

"Ah, you're back... I heard the commotion inside. D-Did you kill them? Did you… free them?" he asked.

"I did what I could. Is this your sister's crystal?" I asked, showing him the rainbow-colored heart crystal.

"I-It is! My sister…! Gabriella…" he cried.

"Here," I said, giving it to him.

The man gently held his sister's heart with his old, scarred hands as he started trembling. Tears fell from his eyes, covering his heart.

"Gabriella… After so long... Your heart is so innocent, the only one that remained rainbow," he cried. "Thank you, otherworldly traveler... You don't know how much this means to me."

His body slowly started to glow as he walked towards the area where the sunlight was coming from the broken ceiling.

He threw away his black cloak and hugged the heart with his old and scarred arms.

"Now we can finally... Rest in peace, Gabriella."

He slowly started turning into particles of light alongside his sister's heart.

"E-Eh? What's going on?!" I asked. "W-Wait! Can you at least tell me what happened here?"

He smiled gently back at me.

"I guess it is the least I can do…" he sighed while slowly fading away. "Once our Realm was devastated by the Apocalypse, the last of our refugees hid inside this temple, King Solomon's property."

"So, this place…"

"However, Solomon was cursed… or blessed by a malicious Constellation," the man said. "The Constellation told him to sacrifice everyone in the temple for more power. And he turned them all into stone with the eyes that malevolent being gave to him."

"…"

"But that came at the cost of his own body also turning like those statues," the man said. His tattered body suddenly started to fade away, and for a second, he showed a much more young and beautiful self, with full-grown wings and a handsome face.

"I've been trapped there for many years…"

Suddenly, his sister in her truest form, a small, adorable girl with tiny wings, hugging her big brother, appeared. "Thank you for freeing me from that hell…" Tears flowed from her eyes.

"Please… Stop this madness," he cried. "You're our only hope... Free the rest of the angels from their eternal prisons. And slay King Solomon."

"You're the only one here that's strong enough to do it, big sis!" cried little Gabriella. "Please…"

"I will," I nodded. I couldn't help but shed a small tear. "Rest assured."

Their souls slowly started to ascend into the skies, slowly turning into countless butterflies made of light, spiraling with the wind, and dissipating into the blue skies.

"Please, take this… It might be of some help."

Right where he was seconds ago, there was a small, golden-colored mirror glowing with a faint aura of divinity.

[You have completed the Special Quest: {An Angel's Last Wish}!]

[You have helped free Gabriella's soul from her eternal imprisonment in those statues, and with her big brother, Jose, she had ascended into the afterlife.]

[What awaits their souls in such a place is unknown. Yet you secretly hope for them to find the happiness their gentle hearts deserve.]

[You Received TheFollowing Completion Rewards]: [Gabriella's Golden Mirror (A Rank)] x1 [Angel Beings Favorability +1000]

"This mirror…" I kneeled to take the mirror, as it shone brightly and beautifully.

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[Gabriella's Golden Mirror (A Rank)]

A small mirror made of gold that the Little Cherubin Gabriella once used to see herself through its reflection and better take care of her hair and face.

It contains the wishes of Gabriella and Jose for the freedom of the rest of the angels trapped within Solomon's Temple, the Celestial's Mausoleum.

By imbuing it with mana, any magic can be reflected five times.

Once all five uses are made, the mirror will break and disappear.

Usages: 5/5

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"This mirror might actually be really useful if Solomon really has those eyes…" I felt surprised. "See? It was useful to be a nice person with them."

["Hmph, it was just a very rare occurrence. Don't trust strangers too much."]

"I don't. Thanks to my Privileges, I can tell when people hold malicious or good intentions, or even if they're lying or saying the truth with my eyes." I smiled. "I never suspected a thing from them."

I quickly saved the mirror in my inventory for the moment as I stepped back into the temple while drinking a Health and Mana Potion.

[Extra Tip: To get the best reward out of this Trial, complete it within 3 Hours.]

[Current Time: 1:12 Hours.]

"I guess we can't slack off anymore," I said. "Let's get this done with... Even if I must fight multiple of those statues at once."

I entered the second temple room, and dozens of statues greeted me. Holding Gram with my right hand and my Dragon Tooth Knife with my left hand, I readied myself.

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