Healing System

Chapter 225 Child of Shadows (5)

"Wrong."

"Wrong."

"Wrong."

The same voice resounded for the hundredth time, and even as Kevin attempted all sorts of different questions, the answer remained the same.

"Wrong."

He was once again sent back outside, heaving an exhausted breath.

'136 tries, 130 different questions... and yet, it's still the same,' Kevin thought with frustration as he headed over to another tower, climbing to the very top of it.

However, instead of saying something, he decided to simply stay quiet. When he had done so last time, he wasn't kicked out.

Therefore, the answer might lie in silence or something similar.

'But this is very... awkward.' Kevin stood before the man, watching as he flipped the pages in silence.

Yet with each page turned and read, a particular detail stood out—one that Kevin wanted to make sure of immediately.

"Are you the Child of Shadows?"

"Wrong."

He was swiftly sent out, but that was his plan in the first place.

Kevin wasted no time climbing back up and eventually arrived at the very top.

This time, however, he did not pay much attention to the man. Instead, he focused on the book—especially the pages.

What had caught his eye was the fact that each time he stood here, the book was the only thing that changed.

The pages turned, and now that he's back, they once again reset to what they had been the moment he entered the tower.

Which meant his idea of being silent was accurate. The book was likely a timer he had to wait out, and only then would he get some answers.

A minute, an hour, and lastly—after four whole hours—the man turned the final page.

'Finally...' Kevin sighed, finding it extremely exhausting to just stand there and wait.

The man finally took his eyes off the book, staring straight into Kevin's eyes.

"Took you a while to figure out the first answer... we are doomed."

'Excuse me?' Kevin's brow twitched at the man's snarky remark.

"Anyway, come with me." The man stood up, signaling toward the nearby wall before walking toward it.

His body passed through the wall, and before long, Kevin followed right behind him.

To his surprise, the moment he passed through the wall, he entered a lush plain grassland, with only a single black tower in the far-off distance.

'This must have been what I was looking for,' he thought, steadily following the man who began increasing his pace.

Strength-wise, they seemed the same, but even then, the possibility of manipulating one's mana core was tedious—yet very effective.

He could do it too if he tried, but since his strength was merely at Tier 1, there wasn't really much to hide.

"..." Kevin was about to speak but stopped himself. For all he knew, this was still a continuation of the previous test.

But his suspicions were deemed wrong as the man let out a loud chuckle.

"You can talk. Ask away."

"Then can you answer the question I've been asking for the last day?" Kevin said, a small frown on his face.

The man before him seemed extremely off, and the more he tried acting normally, the more off he felt.

"Child of Shadows, right?" he replied before continuing, "It's just a formality we call those who have a deep connection to the land of the dead."

"Doesn't the Death or Darkness affinity deal with the dead?" Kevin questioned in a puzzled tone.

"Mainly, but shadows can thrive in both darkness and death. While it isn't as strong, with enough outer assistance, it becomes just as good." The man answered and continued walking forward, awaiting more questions.

Therefore, Kevin did not shy away from asking, "Are you the examiner of this land? The same one who sent me here?"

"Yes and no. I was tasked to evaluate your personality. As for the person who sent you to this place, they are very high up in the food chain, so worrying about them would do you no good."

He was not convinced; therefore, he decided to dig deeper.

"How deeply rooted are you in my past?" Kevin insinuated in a tone that anyone who knew about his previous life would immediately catch onto.

However, the answer he was initially expecting was only half there.

"I don't know much about the past you are referring to; all I know is that this time around, we must get you into shape much sooner due to the emergence of the seventh trumpet."

"Seventh trumpet? You mean the calamity?" Kevin's eyes widened as he knew exactly what the man was talking about.

Just before he died, he remembered hearing a loud screeching noise that soon turned into the sound of a trumpet playing.

It was only a single one, yet it was able to affect the surroundings and even the demon prince he was fighting, signifying its great power.

No one knew anything about it, aside from the fact that it was some black-winged abomination that disappeared shortly after, never to be heard about again.

But it wasn't like it wasn't predicted, as many prophets and all sorts of literature had the same information.

Seven trumpets are sounded, one at a time, to cue apocalyptic events that would befall the entire world—or even the universe.

The beings were shrouded in mystery, and no one knew their identity. The only thing known about them was that they were likely living among the rest of the races in perfect harmony.

However, the most important thing now was that if Kevin was called to become stronger faster, then that meant this situation was somehow connected to him.

'But how...?' he wondered, and soon, a single face appeared in his mind—one that was both obnoxious and trustworthy.

'Michael?'

As soon as he thought that, the man before him stopped, turning back around.

"We are here, Child of Shadows," he stated before opening the massive tower's door.

"The trials will be arduous and long, but do not fear. This is a time-gated realm, meaning time does not pass outside of it, nor does it pass in the world where you traveled here from."

Kevin nodded in response. At least that meant he could get stronger quickly and head back to Elizabeth.

"The gateway is about to close, so please go in," the man said, his hands holding the door trembling.

"Alright," Kevin agreed and quickly made his way toward the door, and without a moment's hesitation, passed through it.

Immediately, a veil of darkness covered his eyes, and in the same darkness was a lone message.

[Part 2 commencing: Trials]

'Here goes nothing...'