Reincarnation Of A Swordsman: The Omni Mage

Chapter 222 Clearing Floors (2)

'The green crystal first, to stabilize the glyphs. Blue to synchronize the rings. Red last to finalize the alignment. Simple.'

Without hesitation, Kyle placed the green crystal on its pedestal. The obelisk responded immediately and its runes glowed brighter and rearranged into coherent shapes.

Next, he slotted the blue crystal. The golden rings above the obelisk slowed and their erratic rotations became fluid and rhythmic.

Finally, he approached the red crystal. As he placed it on its pedestal, the obelisk vibrated and its runes aligned perfectly with the gentle spin of the rings.

A sharp chime echoed through the chamber, and the entire structure lit up in radiant gold.

[Trial Complete. Floor 5 Cleared]

'That wasn't too difficult. Even someone without any knowledge on runes would figure it out with trial and error,' Kyle thought before rewards sounded in his head:

[Rewards Acquired: Mana Focus Sphere, 1,500 Gold Coins]

Kyle was surprised at the new reward that he was notified on. 'Mana focus sphere?'

[Mana Focus Sphere: Increases mana regeneration by 25%. Valid for 30 minutes only]

Kyle sighed after seeing that the new item won't be useful for him since he didn't recover his mana unlike other mages, but he stored it and the gold coins in his inventory regardless, save for the Ascension Orb.

Like usual, he channeled his mana through the orb and the chamber began to dissolve once more.

[Ascension Initiated. Prepare for the sixth trial]

Kyle soon found himself standing on a vast, open plain under the sky.

The deep, resonant voice returned, cutting through the quiet.

[Sixth Trial: Complete the 5-kilometer course im in 10 minutes]

[10:00].

Kyle glanced far ahead, and since there weren't any obstructions, he could see a long tower up ahead.

It seemed almost absurdly far, yet the instructions were clear. This was a test of raw speed, and he couldn't help but feel some amusement at the simplicity of it, as he ran 10 kilometers almost every day.

'A speed trial? They're really just handing this one to me,' Kyle thought, already visualizing the path ahead.

The course wasn't entirely straightforward; the glowing pillars indicated subtle curves in the route, and small obstructions rose that would require careful maneuvering at high speeds.

For any other Beginner Mage, the challenge would lie in balancing agility and endurance to finish within the time limit.

For Kyle, however, it might as well have been over before it began.

He inhaled deeply, rolling his shoulders to loosen up, and then surged forward without activating any spell.

>SWOOSH!<

The sound of the air being cut and his legs stomping on the earth with speed was very audible as he launched himself into motion, his body becoming a blur.

The glowing pillars raced past him in streaks of light, their sharp curves and sudden obstructions posing no challenge to his reflexes. Kyle's every step was precise, calculated, and impossibly fast.

Within seconds, the translucent arch marking the finish line loomed before him. Without breaking stride, Kyle passed through it, his feet skidding to a stop just beyond.

[Trial Complete. Floor 6 Cleared.]

[09:58]

Kyle glanced back over his shoulder at the endless stretch of glowing pillars. The starting point was nowhere in sight, it felt as though he had crossed a great distance in the blink of an eye.

'Five kilometers in… what, two seconds? If I wanted to, I could've shaved that down,' Kyle mused, shaking his head. 'They really thought this would take me ten minutes?'

The rewards notification appeared as usual:

[Rewards Acquired: One time Agility Booster Pill (Consumable, Duration: 15 minutes), 2,000 Gold Coins.]

Kyle inspected the pill briefly before tossing it into his inventory. He had no use for temporary boosts when his stats were already far beyond normal limits.

With the gold coins secured too, he turned his attention to the radiant Ascension Orb that appeared before him.

'Next trial,' he thought, gripping the orb and channeling his mana into it.

When the world shifted again, Kyle found himself standing in a colossal stone arena. The walls stretched impossibly high.

The floor was rough and uneven, scattered with enormous boulders and shattered fragments of stone.

Directly in front of him stood a massive stone monolith, nearly 30 feet tall, with a golden sigil carved at its base. Nearby, a large bronze hammer rested on the ground, its head as large as a man's torso.

The voice echoed once more:

[Seventh Trial: Break the Titan's Wall]

[Objective: Strike the monolith with sufficient force to shatter it]

[5:00]

Kyle walked toward the hammer, glancing at it with mild curiosity before shaking his head.

'Why would I even need that?' he thought.

Placing one hand on the hilt of his katana, he drew it in a single smooth motion. The blade glinted in the faint light of the arena, and he stood still for a moment, calculating the exact force required.

'They must've assumed I'd use the hammer. Poor design choice,' he gleamed from the toughness of the statue.

With a sudden burst of motion, Kyle lunged forward and slashed at the monolith with all his strength.

>CRAAACK —BOOOOM!<

The blade connected with a deafening crack, and the monolith shattered instantly, causing fragments to explode outwards.

Dust filled the air, and the golden sigil at its base flickered before fading completely along with the hammer that rested beside it.

[Trial Complete. Floor 7 Cleared.]

[Rewards Acquired: Ascension Orb, Titan's Core Crystal, 3,000 Gold Coins.]

[Titan's Core Crystal(One use item): +20 Strength when equipped.

Duration: 1 hour]

Kyle didn't give the rewards much thought and activated the Ascension orb after storing them in his inventory.

The chamber dissolved once again, and Kyle found himself standing in a new environment.

For the Eight trial, he was required to cross an enormous lava lake that had floating stone platforms hovering in the air with some crumbling and reforming at random intervals.

A glowing archway far across the lake marked the end point.

Kyle easily passed through the platforms with ease, thanks to his [Air Steps] mastery that allowed him to easily maneuver and switch positions when any platform was about to crumble.

[Trial Complete. Floor 8 Cleared.]

[Rewards Acquired: Rune of Windwalking, 2,500 Gold Coins.]

Kyle stashed the rewards and reached for the Ascension Orb, hoping that the next trial had something better to offer.

The scene shifted to an open field under a pale sky. Two targets stood at the far end of a field at varying distances.

A simple longbow rested on a pedestal nearby, accompanied by a quiver of arrows.

[Trial Objective: Destroy all targets within 10 minutes]

Kyle picked up the bow reluctantly. 'I've never handled these before, I'll see how I fare'

Kyle got into position on a small circle mark on the floor that glowed green the moment he stepped inside.

He clumsily held the bow, trying to asset his grip on it and managing to nock an arrow on it after some failed attempts.

'Finally,' Kyle thought to himself after succeeding in properly nocking an arrow on its string. 'Let's see how this goes.'

>SWOOSH!<

The arrow managed to leave the bow, maybe because of the strength Kyle had released it with... But it missed entirely, flying the opposite direction of the target instead.