Chapter 425 - A Test of Wisdom (Patreon)

Zeke collapsed the moment he passed through the doorway, but he flared [Cambion’s Awakening] with as much mana as he could muster. The skill’s power swept through him, soothing the devastation his Will had left behind, though it didn’t heal him – not quickly, at least. Instead, he lay there, wallowing in his own pain, for nearly three hours before he could even summon the strength to sit up. When he did, he got a bit of a surprise.

His previous experiences had led him to expect another ravine or corridor, but the sight that greeted him was decidedly different. He found himself in a simple, round room. The walls were entirely unadorned, and they’d been constructed of simple bricks. However, the mortar binding those bricks together glowed with ethereal light that, to the senses granted by his Path of Arcane Destruction, twisted into the tiny runes of complex enchantments. No matter how closely he looked, though, he couldn’t figure out the purpose of the enchantment.

In the center of the room stood four pedestals, all arrayed in a line. Upon those platforms were four treasure chests of varying sizes. From his position on the floor, Zeke couldn’t see much more than that, and he wasn’t in any condition to change that. So, he pushed himself against the wall and continued his healing.

Fortunately, he had full access to his spatial storage, and he used it to his advantage in order to satiate his hunger and quench his thirst. Not only did healing use mana – both from within and without – but it also required quite a bit of caloric intake to offset. Once, it had been explained to him that, even with magical healing, the body required fuel.

So, Zeke ate. He drank. And he healed. Slowly, his body mended, and though he had no real context to measure time, he had enough experience with healing a ravaged body to estimate that it took him close to three days to recover. That was an improvement, and he suspected it had something to do with his increased control over his Will. Before, he’d been forced to let it run rampant, but now, he managed to stem the flow to just what he needed. That, in turn, protected him to some degree.

“You may also be growing more resistant to your own power. With every level, your body grows more durable,” Eveline said. She hadn’t spoken much during Zeke’s convalescence, but he took solace in her presence as well as the insight she could provide. “How long has it been since you inspected your status?”

Zeke thought back, but he couldn’t remember the last time he’d done so. He said, “I’m not sure. Maybe when I was level forty-five? Doesn’t seem all that important to look at it more often than that.”

“I find that odd,” Eveline stated. “I’ve known people – well, demons, but they’re people too – who couldn’t go more than a few minutes without gazing lovingly at their status. There was this imp I knew just after I evolved into a succubus. Slimy fellow, but he had a talent for fire magic I’d never seen before. He was also obsessed with his status. Ended up killing him.”

“How?”

“Oh, he was distracted by it and another imp – nasty things, imps; they’re evil, even for demons – snuck up behind him and stabbed him in the back,” Eveline said. “I never got that bad, but I’ve been known to appreciate my own status from time to time.”

“You have a status?”

“Everything has a status,” she said. “Even beasts. They just don’t have the capacity to see it.”

“Can I see yours?” Zeke asked.

“No.”

“What? Why?”

“Because it’s private.”

“You can see mine, though,” he insisted.

“Of course I can. What does that have to do with anything?” she responded.

Zeke started to respond, but knew he was never going to get through to her. The moment he had that realization, he felt a sense of satisfaction radiating from Eveline’s mind. That seemed to support his supposition. Whatever the case, Zeke turned his attention back to his oft-ignored status. It was much as he’d expected, and he’d gained two points in both strength and endurance for every level he’d gained. In addition, he’d been awarded a point each in intelligence and wisdom for those levels as well. Finally, he’d split his two free points per level between his other stats, bringing his vitality, agility, and dexterity to reasonable levels. They would always lag behind, but he was happy with their progression, nonetheless.

For the next day, Zeke slowly healed until, at last, he felt completely recovered. Once he did, he pushed himself to his feet and stretched his stiff muscles before once again satisfying his hunger and thirst. Unfortunately, he was prevented from summoning the gate that would let him enter the tower. Apparently, there was some mechanism at play he didn’t understand.

Whatever the case, Zeke stepped forward to inspect the treasure chests at the center of the room. He’d seen them from afar, but during his convalescence, he had refrained from progressing further into the room, lest he trigger some trap before he was ready to deal with it. However, no such trap presented itself, and he soon found himself standing before the four pedestals.

To say that the chests were different was quite an understatement. The first was wooden, and judging by the smell, it was made of cedar. Holding it shut was a simple latch without a lock.

The second chest was slightly more elaborate, and it had been constructed of polished wood and banded with sturdy iron. Its latch was guarded by a thick padlock, though one that looked absolutely ancient in design.

The third was made of pure gold, with jeweled accents and silver banding. It was held shut by a massive lock that had been merged with the lid.

Finally, the fourth was obviously alive.

“What gave it away?” asked Eveline. “The lolling tongue? Or the growling?”

Indeed, a thick purple tongue stuck out from the mouth-like lid, and a steady series of threatening growls filled the air.

“What is that thing?” Zeke asked.

“Nothing good,” Eveline concluded. “Probably stay away from it. Or smack it with your stick.”

“It’s not a stick.”

“Hammers are just fancy sticks,” she insisted.

Zeke was reminded of similar exchanges he’d shared with Abby, and he went silent. It was just in time, too, because he suddenly became aware of another presence in the room. He turned around to see the mushroom man approaching.

“I see you have recovered. This pleases me,” the creature said, spreading its long arms.

“What’s going on here?” Zeke asked.

“Isn’t it obvious?” the fungus man asked. “You must choose a path. This is a test of wisdom.”

“I don’t have enough information,” Zeke stated, looking from the mushroom man to the chests. Clearly, he needed to open one, and yet, there was nothing to indicate the correct choice. Zeke said as much, then amended, “Other than the monster chest there, I guess.”

“There’s probably a key in one of them,” Eveline pointed out, mentally gesturing toward a metal door across the room. It looked like it belonged in a prison, and sure enough, there was a key hole near the handle.

“So, how do I choose?” asked Zeke.

The mushroom man said, “That is for you to decide.”

Then, he went still, dropped his arms to his side, and in seconds, he looked like an ordinary mushroom, albeit one with an incredibly long stalk.

“Well, that was insanely unhelpful,” Zeke muttered to himself. Then, to Eveline, he asked, “Any suggestions?”

“The shiny one.”

“Is that based on logic in any way?”

“The key is important. Therefore, it must be in the most important-looking box. This is easy.”

Zeke didn’t think she had the right idea. If it was him setting the challenge up, he definitely wouldn’t have put it in such an obvious place. In fact, he’d have put it directly in the middle.

“But then again, the one nobody’s going to want to choose is the monster one,” he reasoned. Then, he ran his hand through his hair and groaned. “Why couldn’t there have been a hint or something?”

“It has to be the shiny one. Because it’s so…shiny,” Eveline insisted.

“What do you think happens if I pick the wrong one?” he wondered.

“Instant death. Maybe. Probably not. But it’ll definitely hurt. Why? Are you planning on picking the wrong one? I’m telling you, it’s obviously the gold one.”

Zeke pondered it for a few more moments before realizing that any choice was the same as the others. There was no reasonable way for him to know which chest held the key. So, he figured he may as well follow Eveline’s suggestion.

“Not a suggestion, minion. Also, may as well? You should be honored to do my bidding.”

For that, Zeke chose the one furthest from the golden chest.

“So rude,” she muttered as he stepped toward the cheapest-looking box.

Zeke ignored her, then lifted the lid. When he did, two things happened. First, the chest disappeared into motes of mana that misted into the air. Second, a monstrous weasel the size of a labrador manifested, then launched itself at him. By reflex, Zeke reeled backward, nearly tripping over his own feet as the creature brought its sharp claws to bear. Despite his high endurance, they ripped into him with ease, sending blood and bits of his flesh flying.

Letting out a growl of pain and surprise, Zeke grabbed the overly large weasel by the nape of its neck, then tore it free. It took quite a lot of his left pectoral muscle with it, and it never stopped growling, spitting, and hissing. So, without missing a beat, Zeke spun and tossed it against the nearest wall with every ounce of strength he could muster.

It sailed through the air, hitting the wall with enough force that it cracked a few of the bricks. However, the thing was only dazed by the impact, and it quickly threw itself back at Zeke. He met it with a hastily summoned Voromir, and the creature’s bones cracked under the blow. Still, the ferocious beast didn’t even slow down, and over the next fifteen minutes, Zeke was forced to repeatedly fend it off.

Each time he slapped it away, it slowed a little, but wearing it down still took quite a lot of time and effort. And more than once, the creature slipped past Zeke’s guard and tore a chunk from his body. He healed quickly enough, but that did nothing for the pain, which was quite a bit stronger than he would have anticipated.

Still, Zeke finally managed to down the thing when he hit it with an overhand blow that broke its back. It still tried to squirm away, but with its back legs crippled, it could do nothing more than squirm a little. Zeke ended its life a few swings later.

“Jesus Christ. That thing was vicious,” he breathed, leaning on his hammer. “What the hell was it?”

“Devil Marmot. Level forty-seven. Don’t you ever use your [Inspect] skill?”

“Sometimes.”

“Not often enough,” Eveline pointed out. “Plus, I told you that wasn’t the right chest. You should listen to me more.”

Zeke growled, “Fine. You want the pretty one? Let’s do it.”

He was already annoyed by the frustrating fight against the Devil Marmot, and he had no interest in listening to Eveline’s flippant comments. So, he stomped toward the gold box, grabbed the lid, then ripped it open. The sound of a breaking lock echoed through the room before, a stream of green liquid hit Zeke in the face.

He stumbled backward, tripping over his own feet and falling on his backside. However, he wasn’t even remotely concerned with that because it felt like his entire face had caught fire. More than anything, he wanted to claw at his burning face, but he barely managed to restrain himself. Instead, he summoned a jug of water from his spatial storage, then tipped it back, washing away the acid. Or poison. Or whatever it was.

At the same time, he desperately shoved mana into [Cambion’s Awakening], healing the damage it had left behind. At first, the healing skill barely kept pace with the damage, but as Zeke washed the poison away, it slowly gained ground. Even so, in addition to the initial damage, which felt like his face was being melted, Zeke could also feel some secondary effects. His muscles twitched out of control, and his heart was beating out of his chest.

Still, Zeke kept up the healing going, and slowly, the symptoms dissipated.

Finally, once they’d disappeared altogether, he just lay back with a sigh of relief. “That was one of the most painful things I’ve ever been through,” he muttered.

“Clearly, you should have chosen a different chest.”

“I picked the one you told me to pick.”

“Really? I don’t remember that. Perhaps you misunderstood.”

“I hate you sometimes,” he muttered, picking himself up. He took a few moments to ensure that his face was not, in fact, a scarred and horrific mess. Given the pain he’d endured, he felt like it should have been, but it was the same as it always was. Still, he felt weakened by the poison, so he remained idle for a little more than an hour.

At the same time, his gaze went from one chest to the other. The mid-range chest, which was made of all polished wood, looked practically innocent next to the monstrous one. However, no matter how many times he looked, Zeke couldn’t see anything to indicate which one held the key.

“I guess I’m just stupid,” he said.

“I often think that.”

“You were wrong, too,” he reminded her. Eveline pointedly ignored his statement. So, after a few more minutes, Zeke finally made his third choice. Predictably, he was wrong when he opened the wooden chest.

Earthen walls shot up all around him, trapping him in a tiny stone box that didn’t even allow room for movement. For a second, Zeke didn’t react, but when those walls started to close in, he embraced [Shifting Sands]. Time slowed as he sank into the ground, then he rocketed forward and to the surface. It took no time at all, and when he canceled the skill, he heard the thundering impact of the stone walls of his former cage slapping together with crushing force.

“I knew it was the monster one all along,” Eveline said.

“I really don’t want to do this,” he stated, eyeing the monster. Its purple tongue writhed, glistening with saliva. It was anything but inviting, but he didn’t have a choice. There was only one option left. It was just by chance that he’d picked the wrong one each time.

But now, he couldn’t get it wrong.

“Win by default. Great.”

As Zeke approached the monstrous treasure chest, he felt almost like he was getting a participation trophy. Still, he had to keep the end goal in mind. It didn’t matter how he conquered the dungeon. All that really mattered was that he got what he needed, which was an alliance with the centaurs.

So, it was with renewed determination that he grabbed the lid and yanked it open. Or tried to, at least. The second that he did, the monstrous chest went insane, chomping down on his hand with bone-crushing force. Zeke’s hand shattered, and he let out a pained grunt. But he’d been in enough agonizing situations that he wouldn’t lose his wits because of a little pain. So, with a herculean heave, he lifted the chest from its pedestal, then slammed it on the ground. It hit with a wet thunk that sounded nothing like the wood it appeared to be.

It didn’t shatter, though. Instead, it deformed a little before suddenly sprouting a pair of legs and sharp claws. Before it could bring those to bear, Zeke smashed it against the floor again. Then again. Its teeth ground into his shattered hand, threatening to tear it completely off. So, Zeke didn’t dare stop.

Over and over, he beat that chest against the floor until, at last, it went limp. He hit it a few more times for good measure before finally pulling away. As he channeled [Cambion’s Awakening], Zeke felt a deep sense of confusion.

“No key.”

“Maybe you need to dig for it,” Eveline suggested.

Zeke groaned, and once his hand had been healed, he knelt beside the dead treasure chest monster and looted it. But he got nothing, so he decided to do it the old fashioned way. He spent the next few minutes literally ripping the thing apart, but when he was done with the disgusting task, he’d found nothing.

That’s when it dawned on him.

“No…I can’t be this stupid,” he said, pushing himself to his feet. Then, he crossed the room, reaching the door in only a few seconds. He grabbed the handle and pulled. It opened without a sound. “I guess I am that stupid.”

The mushroom man had never even mentioned a key. He’d simply told Zeke to choose the correct path. Everything else had been a result of his own assumptions.

“Congratulations,” said the mushroom man, who was suddenly on the other side of the door. “Wisdom is seeing the entire…wait, you…you opened all the boxes?”

“Yeah. I’m thorough like that,” Zeke said, pushing into the room and looking around. “Now, that’s the end of the dungeon, right? Where’s my prize?”