Chapter 63: Passing Through

“Hahaha, adventurers, let me test your anxious hearts—whether your longing is for wealth, power, or loyalty to someone or something deep within. How much of what you display is truly genuine?” Anubis sneered.

“What on earth are you talking about?” a player shouted.

Anubis picked up a heart and said, “Is it so hard to understand? Your first trial is to test your confidence, resolve, loyalty, and everything else—to see if you are worthy to pass through this door. Let me, Anubis, be your judge.” He placed the heart on the scales and continued, “Place your heart upon this sacred balance, and it will reveal whether your inner self is true or false.” As he released the heart, everyone watched in shock.

The scales immediately lost balance, the side with the feather rising and the side with the heart dropping. With a whoosh, the heart was burned to ashes, and a white light rose from the corpse of its owner, vanishing instantly.

“Haha, so this is the heart of an adventurer? How disappointing. It’s filled with negative energy. Hypocrites—when your heart cannot balance with the Feather of Truth, not only your body and heart, but even your soul will disappear from this world.” He placed more hearts upon the scales. “This one too, and this one as well.” The players watched, grinding their teeth; were it not for Anubis’s terrifying power, they would have rushed him and torn him apart.

“Haha, your longing for wealth, power, the thrill of battle, or loyalty to others—all of it is false. Pathetic. This crop of adventurers is nothing but a group of hypocrites.” Anubis spoke sternly.

He continued, “Such a pity. If this continues, almost none will pass, and the game ahead will become terribly dull. Very well, I’ll make things easier for you once. Let one among you come forward—if that person’s heart balances with the scales, you all pass the first trial. If not, I’ll burn every soul here to ashes.”

His words sent a tremor through the crowd. To let one person decide the fate of all was a risky proposition; losing a level was one thing, but offending everyone here meant offending the entire world. Those who understood this dared not step forward.

“If none of you have the courage, then I’ll choose. You there.” He pointed to Ling’er, the female player standing beside Sword Alone in the Clouds. All eyes focused on her as Anubis said, “You will represent everyone and face the trial.”

Ling’er was so frightened she stepped back, but at that moment Sword Alone in the Clouds stepped forward and shouted, “Wait, dog-headed one! I won’t allow you to lay a hand on Ling’er. If you must measure a heart, use mine—my resolve.”

Ling’er immediately protested, “No, since he’s chosen me, I should—” But Sword Alone in the Clouds interrupted, “Ling’er, don’t worry. I won’t just lose a level for nothing; I don’t want to offend the world. And how can I let a girl take on such a damned trial? Besides, this system is ridiculous for creating such a challenge—it’s deliberately making things difficult.”

“Hey, you can’t make decisions for us.”

“If you die, it doesn’t matter, but I don’t want to lose a level with you.”

“Exactly, exactly.”

The players erupted in chaos, shouting and cursing in every language—turning the place into a marketplace. “Silence!” Anubis roared, and instantly the crowd fell quiet. Anubis said, “Very well, I’ll grant your wish. To measure your heart—I expect it will be very interesting.”

He raised a hand, making a grabbing motion toward Sword Alone in the Clouds’s chest. With a pull, Sword Alone in the Clouds’s heart flew out and was placed on the scales. Everyone stared at the balance as Anubis slowly set the heart upon it. Everyone’s own heartbeat seemed to synchronize with the rhythm of Sword Alone in the Clouds’s heart upon the scales. Not only I, but everyone else swallowed hard.

After the heart was placed, the scene everyone feared occurred—the scales did not balance. Despairing cries erupted from the players as Anubis declared, “The scales remain unbalanced; your heart is false. Your so-called resolve is nothing but empty words.”

“No, not yet!” I shouted. Everyone stared at the scales, joy suddenly appearing on their faces. Anubis saw it too—the previously tilted scales had become balanced. Anubis exclaimed in disbelief, “Impossible! The scales were clearly tilted; now they’re balanced. Such a thing cannot happen—why...?”

“For you, perhaps it’s hard to understand. A false judge who tramples on others’ hearts, maliciously manipulating the scales—for you, my heart of absolute resolve will never lose.” The speaker was Sword Alone in the Clouds. His heart flew back into his body, and the gaping wound in his chest healed rapidly before everyone’s eyes. He drew his Thunderfire Sword, and with a leap, struck Anubis, knocking him down. The crowd was stunned.

Previously, all attacks had been useless, yet this time he knocked Anubis down with a single blow. How could this be? Anubis stood, a giant axe suddenly appearing in his hand, which he swung at Sword Alone in the Clouds. Sword Alone in the Clouds blocked with his Thunderfire Sword, but a damage number—1233—floated above him. Yet this seemed not to harm him much. He retreated, and a bright red spot appeared above his head. After a flash of red light, a +2000 healing number appeared. It was clearly a priest’s healing, and the one who cast it was Ling’er, the female player, whose priestly powers had just restored 2000 health. Everyone was astonished; most priests could only heal between 800 and 1200, and even 1500 required the highest level and best gear. To heal 2000 in one go—such a powerful priest was exceedingly rare, and Ling’er was one.

With Ling’er’s healing, Sword Alone in the Clouds was restored to full health, and other players rushed forward to join the fray. Magic, blades, arrows, wild beasts—all assailed Anubis, and damage numbers poured forth. “Damn it!” Anubis shouted, unleashing a cloud of gray gas that erupted into flames, burning the vanguard players to ashes.

As those players fell, a figure dashed out of the smoke—Sword Alone in the Clouds, launching a charge that slammed into Anubis, sending him flying and stunning him. Sword Alone in the Clouds’s Thunderfire Sword grew into a ten-meter-long Sword of Extinction, which he swung down at Anubis. But then, something astonishing happened: the sword stopped just one centimeter above Anubis’s head.

“Damn, my body won’t move!” Sword Alone in the Clouds cried out.

“Hey, what’s wrong? Why aren’t you attacking?” a player shouted. Purple Moon explained, “It’s not that he won’t, it’s that he can’t.” She pointed at Sword Alone in the Clouds, showing that blue threads were wrapped around him, one end piercing into his body. Anubis tugged on the thread, and Sword Alone in the Clouds screamed as his heart was gradually pulled out, the pain so intense he couldn’t even hold his sword, collapsing as the Sword of Extinction reverted to the Thunderfire Sword.

“Haha, once I crush this heart, you’re finished, foolish adventurer.”

His heart was slowly pulled from his body, drifting into Anubis’s hand. Suddenly, a shadow flashed past Anubis, and with a shriek, Anubis’s hand was severed. The attacker landed some distance away, moving so quickly the eye could hardly follow. Everyone looked five meters to Anubis’s left, where a figure clad in black night gear stood, blood dripping from the blade of his black knife. Clearly, this was the one responsible, and Sword Alone in the Clouds’s heart returned to his body. Regaining movement, Sword Alone in the Clouds grabbed his Thunderfire Sword and charged at Anubis, thunder and flames roaring as he struck, dealing 2730 damage. Everyone saw Anubis’s health bar empty. Normally, he should have died, but instead, Anubis’s body dissolved into black mist.

At the door, Anubis reappeared in his original form and said, “How interesting. This group did not disappoint me. It seems relaxing the rules was the right choice. Proceed, survivors—I look forward to your performance in the trials ahead.” With that, he vanished into the air, and everyone began to pass through the door, continuing onward.