"Surrender now, relinquish everything you’ve gained in this realm, and leave with nothing but your pathetic lives, or face the final trial... and erge glorious."
The god’s words had reverberated through the golden chamber, each syllable crashing down like divine law etched into the bones of reality.
We froze.
No one dared to breathe.
The weight of his voice settled over us like a mountain, heavy and suffocating. It pressed into our bones, threatened to buckle our knees, dared us to crumble beneath it.
Now, we had to make a choice.
We could walk away and live. But everything—everything—we had fought for, bled for, clawed our way through hell to obtain... would be lost.
The gold, the relics, the enchanted armor that wrapped around us like second skin, humming with power...
The strength that now flowed through our veins, hard-earned and paid for in pain and sacrifice.
It would be gone, in an instant, vanishing like mist at sunrise...
Like a soap bubble floating high, bursting just before it touched the clouds...
Like a flower blooming in perfection, only to wilt the mont it reached its peak.
Unless we stayed....
Unless we faced the final trial, and gambled everything for the chance at sothing greater.
It was madness, cruel and unfair.
And yet... we could not defy it, the will of the god.
Now that I had tasted it, all the flavors of true wealth, true power,,felt the weight of gold in my hands, worn armor no smith could replicate, finally understood.
I understood why kings started wars, why tyrants clung to their thrones until their last breath, why people burned empires to keep their crowns.
My hands trembled as I looked at myself, at the reflection of on my armor and weapons.
And suddenly, the thought of losing it terrified , more than dying, more than anything.
Yes, this treasure, this strength... it had beco part of .
Not chains of steel, but chains of longing, of need, wrapped tight around my soul.
I didn’t want to let go.
I couldn’t.
Not now.
Not after everything.
Not after what we’d beco.
And so, a war raged violently inside , inside my mind.
Half of wanted to run, to sprint toward that swirling portal, to escape this nightmare while I still could, and never look back.
But the other half?
The other half wanted to stay, to fight, to prove I was more than what I used to be.
I stared at my hand. It was trembling, caught between fear and hunger, life and glory.
Should I... just flip a coin then?
————————-
Before I even realized it, others had already made their choice.
"Please! Let stay!"
"Yes! too!"
"I’ll take on the final trial!"
Their voices rang out across the chamber, clear and resolute.
There was no hesitation in their tone, there was only conviction, burning bright and fierce.
Eyes once hollow with fear now glead with purpose.
They had tasted glory, strength, sothing far greater than they had ever known.
And none of them were willing to let it go.
For a mont, I was too.
I was drunk and blinded with greed.
But then, for so reason,
Sothing deep inside twisted, heavy and dark, a primal, urgent voice screaming at to leave now.
To get out while I still could.
And as that feeling got stronger, my heart pounded harder, erratic and sharp, like a war drum sounding retreat.
Right...
Our lives.
Nothing is more important than that!
NOTHING!
Oh god!
I cursed at myself.
I’m so stupid, so dumb! How the fuck had I forgotten that most basic rule of being an adventurer?
All of this, all of the gold, power, and enchanted relics would an nothing if we died.
Yes, if we were ground into dust by the next monstrous trial, it would all vanish!
And then, everything we’d suffered through, every drop of blood, every sacrifice...
It would truly be for nothing!
Right... even if we went back to being poor, even if that darkness consud us again, we could still work and fight for a brighter future and pull ourselves out.
But if we die...
That’s it.
And just like that, that fear snapped back to myself.
—————————————
And so, I turned to my siblings.
My hand found Carmien’s, and I gripped it tightly, as if holding on could anchor us both to reason.
"Brothers... Sister... let’s go," I said, voice cracking under the weight of urgency.
"Please. We have to leave."
I spun toward the portal, towards the way out, the promise of life beyond this nightmare.
But I didn’t make it far.
Because the hand I held... didn’t move.
"Carmien?" I whispered.
I turned back.
And there they were, my siblings, Kerth, Carmien, Kailene, standing just a few steps behind .
All three of them still.
All three of them smiling.
But not one of them moved.
Kerth t my eyes, his voice was low, quiet, aching.
"I’m sorry, Karlogen... I can’t go. Not yet."
Carmien gave my hand a gentle squeeze before slipping free.
" neither," he said softly. "I’m staying. I’m going to take on the trial."
Kailene chuckled, light and careless, as if we were children playing so ga.
"You’re the weakest, dummy. Just head out and wait for us. We’ll be back in no ti."
Their voices tried to soothe.
Their smiles tried to comfort.
But their eyes—
Their eyes burned with that sa fire I’d seen in the others.
A fierce, feverish light that now scared more than any monster we’d faced.
It wasn’t madness.
It was purpose determination...
And it froze to the core.
I stepped forward, heart pounding, throat tight.
"Please!" I begged, my voice shaking. "You don’t understand. We’ve made it—we survived! That’s enough. That has to be enough! If we face another trial... we might not make it. We might all die. And if that happens... what will any of this an?!"
I reached for them, tried to move them, tried to shake them free from whatever obsession had taken root in their hearts.
But it was no use.
They didn’t flinch.
They didn’t waver.
They only looked at ... with those sa distant, determined smiles.
It was all futile.
...
Kerth stepped forward and gently placed a hand on my head.
His fingers were warm, steady, and heavy with finality.
"I’m sorry," he said, barely above a whisper. "I just... I can’t go back to that place. Not after all this."
Carmien moved to stand beside him, his voice clear but trembling at the edges.
"You were right, Karlogen. Life is precious. It is."
He paused, struggling for breath, closing his eyes.
"But to return to the way we lived before..." His voice cracked. "I’d rather die."
"So Karlogen, my dearest brother," Kerth continued, his eyes locking with mine. "You have to understand. If we leave now—if we give all this up—we’re not just giving up treasure. We’re giving up everything."
His voice lowered.
"We’d go back to starving in the alleys. Back to drinking dirty water and hiding from debt collectors. Back to being stepped on... ignored... hated."
He swallowed hard.
"At the bottom of society, where people look at us like insects. No—less than that. Like we were never ant to exist in the first place."
His hand trembled on my head. His voice cracked, heavy with pain and rage, rage not at , but at the world that had always treated us like filth.
"I’m tired of that life," he whispered. "I’m so tired of it."
Carmien’s expression softened. "So don’t worry, little brother. Just wait for us."
"If we co out victorious," Kerth said, forcing a smile, "we’ll share our fortune with you."
"And if we don’t..." He trailed off.
"Hey, brother, don’t say that!" Carmien nudged him with an elbow, forcing a laugh. "We’re going to win, obviously! We will co out and reunite with our youngest brother!"
Kailene stepped forward last, tousling my hair with a grin that shined brighter than all the gold in here.
"Just trust us, okay? We’ll be back. I promise! Hehe!"
And just like that—
One by one—
They all refused.
Refused to leave.
Refused to let go.
And there was nothing I could do.
Even as my heart scread.
Even as I wanted, more than anything, to drag them to safety.
They had made their choice.
And just like that...
It was over.
—---------------------
...
...
And then, it ca.
The voice of the god, ringing through the chamber like the toll of a final bell.
"Ten seconds until the gate closes," he announced, casually—almost amused. "Ten... nine..."
"Brother! Sister! Please!" I cried out one last ti, my voice raw, desperate.
"Eight..."
"Karlogen, go!" Kailene called, her voice breaking.
"Seven..."
...
"Two..."
"GO!" Kerth shouted, and then he shoved .
Even now, with my newfound strength as a B-rank, Kerth, now an S-rank, hurled like I weighed nothing. A blur of light and force tore past as I was flung toward the gate.
"See you again!" Carmien shouted, smiling.
"NOOOO!!!" I scread, reaching out for them as they vanished behind the golden glow.
...
And then, the world changed.
The warmth of the chamber disappeared. The golden light blinked out like a dying star.
Suddenly, I was outside, thrown from the dungeon like a discarded mory.
My body hit the black stone ground hard, tumbling and scraping against the jagged rock. Pain flared, but I didn’t care—I scrambled to my feet, heart hamring in panic.
"No! No! NOOOO!!!"
I sprinted back toward the dungeon gate, eyes wide with horror, throat tight with a scream that refused to stop.
Tears blurred my vision as I reached out, my trembling hand slamming against the glowing surface—
However...
BOOM!
A shockwave blasted out, hurling backward.
The gate was sealed. I could no longer enter.
All I could do now was wait, hoping that the people inside would complete the trial... and return.
Reviews
All reviews (0)