Chronicles of Forgotten Extra-Chapter 137: The Trial of Ten Echoes

[▒▒▒▒▒ Trial—You may challenge the trial, but each success increases the waiting time for your next attempt. Death in the trial means death in reality.

[Next Trial – The host will be teleported to trial within three days.]

He didn't even bother checking his status, as nothing had changed.

__

Alden focused on the trial part.

As he accepted the trial invitation in his mind.

I accept.

As soon as he thought that, his mind started spinning.

His vision started distorting...

His body stretched endlessly in his vision.

[TRIAL OF ▒▒▒▒▒ COMMENCED]

That was the last word he heard before everything turned dark.

__

When his vision cleared up.

He was no longer in his cosy room. He looked around himself.

He was on—--

A mountain?

Alden looked around puzzled.

He seemed to be standing on a mountaintop. The whole area around him seemed to be covered in a mist.

The mist moved as if it were alive. It made it difficult to see anything outside.

Alden then turned to look at his body.

Hmm, when did I change clothes?

He was no longer in his academy uniform.

Nope.

Instead, he was wearing an all-black martial artist robe.

Just then a voice resounded. It was soft, yet it echoed through Alden's whole being.

"Well, well, who do we have here?"

"A human?"

"A demon maybe?"

"On second thought, this one looks a bit too ugly to be one."

A voice echoed. It was smooth, smug, and absolutely punchable.

"Well, whatever."

"I'm not being paid enough to care about that…"

Did he just call me ugly?

Who the f—who is this clown?

How dare he call me ugly?

Bro. Please.

This man's clearly blind.

Yeah, that must be the case; otherwise, how could it fail to see my handsome self?

Or he must be just jealous.

The mist cleared up a bit around the centre as Alden saw it.

A calm lake was situated in the centre.

Besides, it was a beautiful and majestic tree with golden leaves.

Under the tree there was a small table with two chairs around it.

On one of the chairs sat a being.

Hmmm?

Alden focused his vision a bit around the table.

He saw who was sitting on it.

A monkey?

What the hell?

A goddamn monkey was sitting there casually sipping tea with a peaceful expression.

It has reddish-brown fur, and it was wearing a similar robe to Alden.

Is this a prank?

Did someone sign me up for a monkey yoga retreat without telling me?

The monkey didn't even look up as Alden approached.

It calmly stirred the tea in its cup with a wooden stick, pinky raised like it was the most natural thing in the world.

Alden narrowed his eyes.

"Are you the one in charge of this trial?"

Alden felt Initiate Rank strength from the monkey.

"Do you see anyone else other than me?" The monkey replied, "Well, I can't expect anything from an ugly demon like you, can I? You people always lack intelligence and manners."

A vein throbbed at Alden's forehead.

Do I have to kill this guy to pass the trial?

I hope that's the case.

Please let me kill him.

Just once.

I'll even say sorry after.

But then, he paused.

Okay, maybe not yet.

Don't screw this up, Alden. Stay cool.

Alden knew better than to mess with some unknown talking monkey wearing martial artist clothes.

The monkey finally glanced up. Its eyes were sharp—not wild, but ancient. Intelligent. Calculating.

"Well, I guess I should be kind to you people." The monkey continued.

"Let me introduce myself; I'm Mokha." He spoke. "I used to be someone so powerful, ordinary folk couldn't even perceive me."

"Even Fate couldn't control me, so it decided to nerf me by trapping me in this space as a punishment." He said

"I was punished to suffer in eternity until someone defeated me. It was like fate was laughing at me."

"I mean, how could someone even think to defeat the great me?"

Some leaves flew by him unnaturally, making it more dramatic.

Definitely his doing.

And he's delusional too. Great

"This space is—well, you won't understand even if I tell you. So I'll spare you the trouble."

"Just remember. You are here in your soul form, so you won't need to eat or sleep. And you have ten chances."

Alden raised an eyebrow.

Ten chances to do what? Solve a riddle? Climb a mountain? Beat him in a fight?

"Don't be impatient; I'm explaining." The monkey chuckled. "You see, I'm what you'd call... the gatekeeper."

"The rules of this trial are simple. You must defeat me."

Alden crossed his arms. "In battle?"

"In anything," the monkey said, grinning widely. "Combat. Cooking. Chess. Singing. Staring contest. Rock-paper-scissors."

"You pick. Any domain or any challenge. If you can beat me even once… the trial ends and you pass."

Alden blinked. "That's... it?"

"Sounds easy?" Mokha took a sip of his tea. "Many thought so."

Alden didn't respond.

He could feel the weight in the monkey's words.

"But there's a catch," the monkey said, holding up a single finger. "You only have ten tries. And once you start… that number ticks down no matter what."

"And if I lose all ten?"

"Then you stay here for eternity."

The words sounded ominous.

Alden felt a chill run through his body. "That's the cost?"

Let me show you a glimpse of what will happen if you lose.

Mokha casually tapped his fingers on the cup in his hands, and suddenly the mist surrounding the mountain cleared even more.

There Alden saw it.

The horror.

People…lots of people.

Innumerable to count were standing there with horrified expressions as if they had witnessed something beyond their comprehension.

They were frozen.

"And you know the worst part…" Mokha's voice turned solemn. "They can see and feel everything without dying."

The words sent a real chill down Alden's body.

Alden's heart started pounding.

He wanted to give up. To be honest, the stakes seemed too high to just try and fail.

He could accept dying if he failed. But this was worse than dying.

Who the hell designed this space?

Why was I sent here for my trial?

And who is Mokha?

All these questions echoed in his mind repeatedly.

Just then Mokha's sound came again.

"By the way, you don't have any choice... you can't give up."

"You give up, and you become like that."

Alden frowned.

He didn't have any choice.

Damn it.

Well, I'll just have to defeat this goddamn monkey.

It's not like it's better at everything, right?

There must be something it couldn't do.

And moreover, I have ten tries.

It's worth a try.

"Fine. I get it. I have ten tries, and I have to beat you in anything." Aden responded with what he understood. "If you win, I stay. If I win, I move on."

"Exactly," Mokha replied.

"What's stopping me from picking something stupid like a fart contest?" Alden asked curiously.

"Nothing. But I assure you, I'm undefeated in every category." The monkey tilted its head.

"I've lived for many years. Learnt everything from swordsmanship to pottery."

We'll know if you are indeed undefeated.

The confidence in his voice wasn't arrogance—it seemed like truth.

"So this is a test of… what? Creativity? Versatility?" Alden asked.

"No. It's a test for you." The monkey smiled.

"What do you think you're capable of?"

"What will you try when you're desperate?"

"How do you handle failure… again and again… knowing you're running out of time?"

Ten tries.

That number echoed in Alden's head.

"And what will be the reward if I do defeat you?" Alden wondered about the reward.

"That'll depend on from where you entered this trial. Did you enter through some sword or some dungeon?"

"Well, whatever is the case, it'll vary through different candidates." Mokha smirked. "And I'm too lazy to explain that to you."

"One last question: from what you said, you seem strong." Alden continued. "So how can I defeat you in combat?"

Mokha looked amused.

"Now that's a really good question."

"You see this damn space suppresses my strength to the level of a challenger, so I will be at the same rank as you."

Good. That gives me a fighting chance.

"I'm ready," Alden said, his voice steady.

"And one more thing, you only have five days," Mokha continued. "If you can't defeat me in that time, it will be counted as a failure as well."

Alden paused.

Yeah, how could I hope to have it easy?

Obviously there is going to be a time limit.

Still, he looked at Mokah.

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"So is the time here and outside the same?" He asked curiously.

"Well, you know the rules, right? Time is always distorted in trials like this."

"Let's do this." Alden took a deep breath. "I'll go with combat first,"

Just then the space morphed.

The lake vanished.

The tree disappeared.

The world twisted—turning into an open arena.

Alden's foot hit solid ground again.

The monkey stood across from him, no longer holding tea but a staff crackling with energy.

"First challenge—commence."

And in a blur, the trial began.

___

In the outside world.

Just as Alden entered the trial. His body fell unconscious.

The spirit pearl on the table beside his bed stirred as a black energy slightly leaked out of it.

But soon enough someone entered the room.

A beautiful girl with white shimmering hair and violet eyes.

"Calm down; everything's alright, little guy." Amyra said softly. "He's just completing a trial."

As if feeling something, the pearl stopped shaking.

Amyra looked at the unconscious figure of Alden with an eerie smile.

He won't know, right?

He's asleep, so he won't, I'm sure.

I'll be done quickly.

Just bear a little, ok, my dear…

_____

[Author's Note:]

[Sorry for the sudden change, everyone! I've decided to revise the trial, so treat the previous version as an exclusive spoiler—it wasn't completely useless and had some important spoilers hidden in it. Thanks for understanding!]