Purpose

June wandered around, making sure to watch his step as he did.

He hadn't made much progress or spotted anything that would lead to an escape so far, but he was grateful to be alive nonetheless.

Even though a part of him did want to die — no… actually, that wasn't true any longer. 

Sure, life was meaningless and nothing back in the Mortal Realm was waiting for him, but if there was anything he had learned so far through such a bizarre ordeal… it was that he indeed wanted to live. 

Otherwise, he wouldn't be fighting so hard to do just that.

Of course, he didn't exactly know why he suddenly desired to live, especially since there was a high chance of him dying anyway, but he did nonetheless.

Perhaps it was because he had already brushed death's door once mere moments ago and that was enough to quell any urge to die. Or maybe he just wanted to go down fighting for once in his life, instead of accepting the card fate had dealt him.

After all, June had a bad habit of always shrugging things off and taking the easy way out, accepting the way everything panned out rather than refuting it and fighting back.

'Ha… if I had this type of mindset from the get-go, maybe I could've stopped my parents from leaving me… or maybe not, who knows. Either way, I could've tried...'

Casting it all aside, June sighed and continued walking down the precarious path with caution.

The walls and overhang continued shaking under the force of the battle above, signaling the ongoing fight between the Great Serpent and the cursed tree.

At this point, he had grown used to it.

Every few minutes, the space would shake either faintly or intensely. Plus, there were several things weighing on his mind that prevented him from cowering in fear of the creatures above any longer.

Obviously, it'd be a whole different story if he was still up there with them, but thankfully, he was not, granting him a sense of peace — if only a little.

Although… such peace wouldn't last long, that's for sure.

It was only a matter of time before the Great Serpent emerged as the winner and redirected its attention toward him.

'There's just no chance that damn thing will be defeated.'

With all its ferocious might, a small cursed tree — or the trunk of one, rather — wouldn't be able to hold it off for long. Soon, the tree would be utterly destroyed, and this time for good.

'Gotta thank that thing, though… it sure did save my life.'

In a way, it really did. Of course, it didn't mean to… but it did.

Now, it was dealing with the Great Serpent in June's place, and that was completely okay with him. 

Though that led June to another thought he couldn't help but wonder. 

What exactly would happen if he killed the Great Serpent himself?

He knew it was for a Trial of some kind, clearly. But even now, he didn't have a clue what it was exactly about. He had a few guesses, however. 

In fact, one in particular seemed to hold some substance.

See, he didn't care about what the Ark brought or its impending doom that loomed over humanity's existence because he himself despised the world — he still did.

But, that didn't mean everyone else felt the same exact way. 

Which was why he always heard of Ascenders — humans who traversed the Ark; to challenge it and seek freedom for their world.

So, what if a Trial was what one went through when they first entered the Ark..? 

His claim could also be backed up with solid evidence too. 

Almost every year, he would consistently hear about the piling death count of Challengers that faced the Ark — all for the purpose of awakening the energy that lay dormant within them… becoming Ascenders in return. 

Not to mention, just before everything went haywire, and the Serpent appeared, the voice had said specifically: "Proceeding to commence Awakening Trial."

'Crap…'

Now he seemed to understand. Perhaps not entirely, but he knew enough.

The Trial had commenced because he was infected with the energy that his soul was exposed to during the Breach sprouting.

This energy served as a key of sorts, igniting the Awakening Trial.

Now, if he completed the Trial required by the Ark which was defeating the Great Serpent, he would awaken the energy dormant inside him… which, from what he's heard, grants him magical powers.

But, that's if he kills the Great Serpent. 

Something… he wasn't capable of doing. 

'Now I see why that damned death count increases every year.'

Without resources or preparation, a mundane human would just meet their end inside the horrid clutches of the Ark. It also made him wonder what others faced in their Trial… what kind of creatures were they required to slay?

And why a Serpent for him..? Was it just random, or did it discreetly symbolize something?

"Hm?"

Suddenly, June's thoughts came to an abrupt end as his attention landed on something, stopping him in his tracks.

The ravine was partially illuminated by the teal glow of the translucent river below, providing a glimpse of its vastness for June to travel through.

Thanks to it, he spotted a shallow alcove that jutted out on one side of the uneven pathway, barely discernible if not for its stark structure compared to everything else.

Curious, he slightly turned to walk toward it.

In time, he arrived, and his brows furrowed as he looked down at something.

It was a corpse… that had far decomposed, now serving as a rotten skeleton with tattered clothes draping over its figure, resting against the wall.

'This person… what a grim fate.'

June inched closer before he stooped down, frowning.

On his left, carved into the wall were numerous tally marks that recorded the number of days he had spent rotting in the depths of the ravine.

'A solid month… poor guy.'

June looked over to the corpse, whispering the words:

"May your soul find peace…"

With that, he reached over and grasped a small pouch by the drawstring which had been wrapped around the bony neck of the corpse. As he removed the pouch, the skull, which had been propped against the wall, unexpectedly slipped and tilted sideways. 

A second later, several small spiders escaped from within its hollow eye sockets, scurrying away in a hurry.

Paying it no attention, June loosened the drawstrings and took a peek inside the pouch, seemingly curious.

'What's this..?'