Lord of Mysteries: Starting As A Reader

Upon "flying" into the vortex, Ebner's surroundings blurred abruptly. When his vision cleared, he found himself facing a magnificent temple crafted entirely from colossal crystals. The temple stood amid profound darkness, with towering columns supporting an extravagant dome that seemed to seethe with ominous presence. Merely glancing at it provoked an inexplicable unease in one's heart.

"Strange... Besides the darkness, there's something that feels oddly similar to the Book of Calamity. Did this 'God of Luck' consume other peculiar characteristics?" Ebner muttered, scanning his surroundings.

To his mild surprise, Laticia and her companion were nowhere in sight. After a brief reflection, he deduced that the trials of the temple must be conducted individually and that they'd likely reunite only after completing all challenges.

Of course, their "reunion" might involve an immediate clash…

Taking a silent breath, Ebner pushed open the half-closed doors before him and stepped into the crystal temple.

Inside, a seemingly endless corridor stretched ahead. One side of the corridor's walls bore embedded glowing crystals, resembling miniature suns that illuminated the space like daylight. On the opposite wall were vivid, lifelike murals seamlessly interconnected, forming a continuous narrative akin to film reels portraying an ancient tale.

"Do all Beyonders of the 'Monster' pathway love painting? Urolius was like this, and now this 'God of Luck' too. Well, although this one's composition is mixed, the highest-ranked trait they've assimilated is 'Prophet,' so painting might indeed be a 'signature trait' of the pathway."

Ebner quipped before focusing on the mural's details. To his surprise, the images didn't depict elven history but rather recounted the "God of Luck's" own experiences.

From the dawn of consciousness, the God of Luck was a "Prophet," surviving amidst desolate lands through fate's favor, evading powerful monsters while hunting those of comparable strength to grow stronger.

Even so, despite extraordinary "luck," the God couldn't evade repeated descents into madness, narrowly avoiding fatal traps multiple times.

This continued until meeting the "Elf King" Soniathrym. The king's teachings on the importance of "faith" brought the God some respite. Yielding to the king's wisdom, the God of Luck became a subordinate deity, aiding in trials, nurturing kin, and waging wars until the awakening of the "Ancient Sun God."

Foreseeing the inevitable downfall of Soniathrym, the God of Luck advised submission to the "Sun God," like Herabergen before. The Sun God sought only uniqueness and characteristics and had means to extract them without taking lives.

However, the Elf King refused, instead entrusting an artifact to his queen, the "Queen of Calamity," with instructions to deliver it to the Western Continent if the opportunity arose. The item was said to hold the key to his "return" and was not to be opened before reaching the West. Following this, the king ordered the God of Luck and the Queen of Calamity to break through the encirclement and flee the court.

---

The mural abruptly ended as Ebner reached the corridor's end.

Despite being mere murals, observing them evoked an illusory sense of a "historical panorama" unfolding before his eyes, conveying the mural's essence with precision.

"Return to the Western Continent... vital to the 'Elf King's' 'return.'

"Come to think of it, in the original timeline, the Queen of Calamity's deal with the 'Hanged Man' involved sending an inconspicuous item from the Book of Calamity to the Western Continent after attaining demi-godhood…

"And it was because Alger developed this side quest that he avoided being eliminated by Lord Sea Serpent.

"What could that item be?

"Considering the rarity of characteristics in the Western Continent but the abundance of 'primordial matter,' perhaps it pertains to the latter's power.

"The Elf King was an Ancient God. Besides primarily embodying the 'Tyrant' pathway, they likely integrated disaster-related authority traits, perhaps even uniqueness...

"The murals even show that the Elf King was quite attractive... Did they merge with the Witch pathway's Sequence 1 or uniqueness?

"With a queen by their side, they probably held 'Conqueror' traits as well...

"Given these connections, could the Elf King have secretly allied with the City of Calamity by the end of the Second Epoch?

"Could part of the Red Angel's characteristics—or even uniqueness—originate from the Elf King? That might explain the abnormalities at Bansy Harbor and why the Red Angel had to be sacrificed..."

Ebner's thoughts spiraled as he stood at the corridor's end, lost in contemplation. He lingered until the corridor's crystal lights began dimming, then snapped back to reality and pushed open the double doors at the far end.

Before leaving, he resolved to share the murals at the next Tarot meeting. It would enrich everyone's knowledge and serve as a warning to the Fool and Hanged Man, possibly averting unforeseen schemes.

---

Meanwhile, adventurer Laticia reached the corridor's end and felt puzzled: Why do all the murals in the Trial Temple focus on the Elven Queen, the Queen of Calamity?

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Behind the double doors lay utter darkness—a void so profound that even Ebner's "night vision" ability could barely discern a meter ahead.

As soon as he stepped into the darkness, the door creaked shut behind him.

"This setting feels straight out of a horror movie… Now, shouldn't some zombies or other monsters show up for atmosphere?"

No sooner had Ebner voiced his jest than a foul stench wafted from his left. A grotesque face—uglier than even the Bellman Carnot's—suddenly appeared in his "dark vision." Its maw stretched grotesquely wide, revealing blood-stained fangs as it lunged at him with terrifying speed.

"Figures..."

Prepared for such an encounter, Ebner didn't panic. Aiming at the charging creature, he released the black-and-red flames he had preemptively conjured.

The monster's anguished screams filled the air as it burned but still pressed forward to bite him. Its fangs met Ebner's skin—and shattered.

At last, overwhelmed by the flames, the monster slowed, succumbing to its fiery demise.

Retracting his defensive layers of "Illusory Scales," "Dragon Scales," and "Zombie Skin," Ebner observed the ashes of the fully immolated creature. His expression contemplative, he deliberately conjured an image of a vengeful ghost from his previous life.

Moments later, the chilling presence of a white-clad woman climbing out of a well appeared behind him. Before she could act, a barrage of black flames struck her, dispersing the apparition instantly.

Though simulating "Sun" or "Warrior" pathway abilities would've been more effective, Ebner avoided doing so in a temple dedicated to the elves. The Ancient Sun God's signature abilities might provoke unfavorable consequences, and the Warrior pathway's ties to the Giant King could similarly invite conflict.

With these thoughts in mind, Ebner assessed the trial.

The darkness seemed to materialize the trial-taker's inner fears, manifesting hostile entities that would attack.

Remaining fearless and avoiding reckless imaginings appeared key to passing. Such an environment truly tested "courage," requiring one to tame their thoughts and maintain composure amidst overwhelming stimuli.

Conversely, entering the trial with fear in one's heart would likely spawn innumerable adversaries, overwhelming even the bravest.

Clearly, the elven elite must've had significant advantages in these trials, Ebner mused, recalling his own arsenal. "With strong backing, one's courage naturally increases…"

Confident in his position, Ebner indulged in experimentation, conjuring manageable monsters for practice, honing his techniques as he proceeded along the seemingly endless stone pathway.

Finally, as he contemplated summoning higher-tier adversaries, the stone path abruptly ended. In its place stood a luminous door.

"Guess I can't exploit this further," Ebner sighed, pushing the door open to reveal another corridor identical to the first. One side featured murals, their narrative continuing from where the earlier ones left off.

The new murals depicted the God of Luck and the Queen of Calamity fleeing across the seas after the destruction of the Elven Court. As the humans rose to dominance, claiming lands and reducing the elves to scattered remnants, faith in the two deities weakened.

This instability led to bouts of madness until the God of Luck observed the angels under the Ancient Sun God and deduced patterns in their trait consumption, eventually discerning a safe method for trait ascension.

With this discovery, the God of Luck devised ways to expel surplus and conflicting traits, starting with their own and then assisting the Queen of Calamity.

During this process, pursued relentlessly by the Sun God's angels, the God bestowed the first expelled "Prophet" trait to a deep-sea beast, diverting their pursuers...

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Simultaneously, in another corridor, Laticia's mural showed the Queen of Calamity gifting an excess Sequence 3 "Sea King" trait to a sea serpent. Under the God of Luck's blessings, the serpent successfully assimilated the trait, gaining rudimentary sentience and naming itself Kalvetua.

End of Chapter.