A change caught Eleanor’s eye as she checked her status, prompting her to look closer. "Nora, why is the Eye of Wisdom in my ability list?" she asked silently.
"Master, it’s an ability you’ve used several tis, and your body has already adapted to it. So now it’s included in your list," Nora replied, her voice as calm as ever in Eleanor’s mind.
"I was a little suspicious about your presence. Considering the nature of this trial, you shouldn’t be here with ," Eleanor said.
"I am always with you," Nora answered. "But whatever you’re experiencing now, I can’t see any of it. I’m with your main body. Judging by the activity in your brain cells, I can guess a few things, but since you’re inside a simulated world, I can’t observe anything directly unless I hack the simulation. If you want to, I can. But it might interfere with your progress. It’s better if you face the trials alone."
"I suppose so," Eleanor replied hesitantly. "Then I’ll follow the script. Can you help if I need information?"
"Of course. Whenever you call for in your mind, I’ll be ready," Nora said.
Before Eleanor could say anything more, Neva returned with several maids... so carrying trays of food, others stacks of books. After placing everything neatly on the table, they bowed and left. Only Neva remained.
Eleanor slipped out of bed and walked into the bathroom attached to her room. It was lavish and elegantly decorated. On one side stood the commode behind a sliding door; on the other, a basin and a large bathtub. Despite its dieval look, the fittings were surprisingly modern. A wide mirror hung above the basin.
She froze when she saw her reflection.
It was her... yet not quite. Her face looked human enough, but her ears were shaped as they were when she partially transford. Her features appeared slightly more mature too. Rembering that Neva also had pointed ears, she guessed this might be the natural appearance in this kingdom.
Deciding not to waste ti brooding, she chose simply to go along with it.
She found a toothbrush on the shelf with ease, though there was no toothpaste to be seen. After rummaging through several crystal jars, she discovered a container of tooth powder instead. Once she had freshened up, she stepped out of the bathroom feeling quietly satisfied.
After a light breakfast, she asked Neva to return the leftovers, then plunged into the stack of books. She was taken aback to see an unfamiliar script covering the pages. Just as she was about to give up, the text suddenly beca clear to her. She imdiately recognised the effect of her Universal Comprehension passive ability. Only then did it strike her that she had been speaking with Neva in English the entire ti.
With a silent sigh, she opened the history books and soon gained a clear understanding of her lineage.
Her family had ruled this kingdom for more than a thousand years. Her great-grandfather had been its first king. From that ti onward, the realm had been known as the Werewolf Kingdom, or the Wolf Kingdom for short. Before its founding, both werewolves and humans had lived in tribal groups across the land... so clans strong, others weak, yet all coexisting peacefully.
Back then, monsters attacked from every direction of the continent. The Vampires ford their kingdom in the cold northern mountain range; the Elves established theirs in the eastern forests; and the Humans built theirs on the western grasslands. The Wolf Kingdom rose in the coastal region, a blend of highland and open plains.
Many races lived harmoniously across the continent. Anyone could reside in any kingdom, regardless of whether they were werewolf, vampire, human, werecat, banshee, rfolk, or any other race.
But over fifty years ago, calamity descended. Trolls and goblins seized the Vampire Kingdom. Spiders overran the Elven forests. The Undead wiped out the Human Kingdom. From the oceans rose a new sovereign... a hydra that declared itself Ocean King and exterminated the rfolk from their islands.
The survivors of those fallen realms fled to the only kingdom that remained: the Wolf Kingdom. Their combined strength elevated its power to unprecedented heights. Since then, the borders had settled into a tense and uneasy stalemate.
She discovered sothing unexpected in a handwritten volu penned by one of her father’s advisers. The long stalemate was not only the result of the kingdom’s sudden rise in military strength; another factor had played an equally crucial role. The monsters feared the sword of the King of Werewolves. That blade could only be inherited by the Alpha of the Stormfang Clan... now Eleanor’s own clan. With it, the king could command the weather and summon devastating lightning from the heavens. The enemy forces were deeply wary of its power.
There were no detailed descriptions of the sword itself in the history books. Eleanor quickly moved on to the few volus dedicated to the inheritance. They offered little more, but she did learn the nature of the weapon. The sword possessed a spirit... so powerful it could even fight independently. It was the spirit of the land itself, and it could be summoned solely to defend that land. For this reason, the king could not carry the sword beyond the borders of the kingdom. The borders themselves had been drawn by the sword’s summoning line. Only within that boundary would the spirit answer its wielder’s call.
This revelation stirred a strong curiosity in Eleanor; she longed to see the sword for herself. But the books made it clear that the blade resided in the forbidden land behind the castle. Only an Alpha of the Stormfang Clan, chosen as king, could enter it—and only after passing the trial would they earn the sword spirit’s acceptance. Those who failed never returned.
Through the centuries, many had attempted to sneak into the forbidden land. All vanished without a trace. Only the Stormfang kings had ever erged unscathed. As for the nature of the trial, no one knew. Only the kings carried that secret.
Thinking the previous king might have left so guidance for his daughter, she looked at Neva and said, "Take to my father’s room. I want to check sothing."
Neva Sterling appeared startled. "Are you certain? You’ve avoided entering His Majesty’s chamber, even when the elders insisted."
"I’m certain. Please show the way," Eleanor replied with steady confidence.
She followed just a step behind Neva, as she had no idea where the chamber was, yet she walked in a manner that made it appear as though they moved side by side. All the while, she kept her gaze subtly fixed on Neva so she wouldn’t lose her lead.
When they reached the door, Eleanor asked Neva to open it. Once inside, she instructed, "Stand guard outside. Let no one enter."
Neva bowed and closed the door behind her.
Eleanor took her ti surveying the king’s chamber. It was even more luxurious than her own. She quickly searched the drawers and every book she could find, but they contained only financial calculations and scattered notes... nothing of significance.
A bathroom and a study branched off from the room. Ignoring the bathroom, she headed straight into the study. Several shelves were filled with books, yet none caught her interest.
Beneath the desk, she discovered a locked drawer. Without hesitation, she broke the lock and found a diary along with several notes about various individuals. Opening the diary, she imdiately found what she had been searching for.
It turned out the king had already prepared for the inheritance. He had written everything in his diary for his daughter, anticipating she would search for clues after his death. He had even left her a letter. When Eleanor and Neva Sterling were children, he had taught them a martial art called the Thunder Style Phantom Arts. Neither of them knew its true na, yet that martial art was the key to unlocking the real forbidden land behind the castle.
The forbidden land had two levels. The outer region was shrouded in mist throughout the year, protected by a formation that attacked anyone who entered its periter. Only those who knew the Thunder Style Phantom Arts could withstand the deadly assaults and reach the inner region, where the sword spirit resided.
Only a true-blooded mber of the Stormfang Clan could wield the sword. Once they ford a blood bond with it, they would beco the true ruler of the land. Eleanor also learned that the Stormfang Clan had not chosen the sword spirit; rather, the sword spirit had chosen the Stormfang Clan to govern the realm.
"But I don’t know the Thunder Style Phantom Arts. How am I supposed to receive the inheritance?" she thought.
Then it dawned on her. If there were truly no way to pass the trial, the tower’s AI would never have sent her here. Which ant she had to learn the martial art and obtain the inheritance to defend the kingdom.
"I have at most two days. I need to learn this martial art imdiately. The only person who knows it is Neva Sterling. I have to make her teach now. She already knows I trained with her, so how do I convince her?" Deep in thought, Eleanor stepped out of the king’s chamber.
Neva was still standing guard. Seeing her erge, Eleanor smiled faintly. "Let’s return to my room."
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