The woman named Thena stands graciously and regally before Jin. Her golden hair cascades down her back, woven from the light itself. Parted bangs frame her face, showing her sharp and intelligent golden eyes, which seemed to know everything in the world.
She wore a flowing white dress covering her body to her ankle, fluttering gently as the breeze blew away her angelic presence, making even the flower in the mountain peak ashamed.
"Hm, the wind is pretty strong!". Thena closed her eyes as she held the shimmering golden thread that flowed gently.
When Jin saw her appearance, he could do nothing but stare. In his new life, he had seen numerous beauties all over the place surrounding him, but the one standing in front of him was by far the most beautiful of them all.
"Is there anything wrong with my appearance?". Thena tilted her head adorably, looking at the stiffened Jin.
"...Eh? No, there's nothing wrong, it's just… you are beautiful?!".
"Is that so? Fufu, thank you for your heartfelt compliment".
Seeing the woman's calm and collected reply, Jin felt his head cool off as well. He looked around, trying to determine if there was another being in this space.
"Don't worry; there are no other presences beside me".
"I see".
'Wait, did she just read my mind? No, never mind that! Where the hell is this place? Shouldn't I be inside a dungeon right now?'. Jin averted his eyes and soon delved into his thoughts.
Seeing the curiosity that started to bundle around the boy, the woman parted her lips as she kept observing him. For the first time since this place was built, a Mortal had visited, so her first priority was to ensure that the Mortal was without an evil intention in his heart.
The conversation stopped, leaving only a subtle silence that soothed one's own heart. Neither Jin nor Atena don't rush and just let the situation flow on its own.
"You must be curious about where you are. Let's go. I will take you for a tour around the place." Thena raised her hand, holding the book, and it disappeared.
Jin was surprised at first, but then Atena's smile was directed at him. He had no composure or courage to ask any further and decided to follow two steps behind her as they toured the garden.
"This place is…".
First, Athena shows the garden how fast it is and what variety of flowers are cultivated there. As they walk straight ahead, approaching the mansion, a subtle fragrance of sweet nectar filters to Jin's nose, coming from the woman before him. Jin sees Athena take a left turn, circling the mansion and continues to guide Jin.
"A Gazebo?".
"Yep, it was pretty, right? I used to relax at that place, and the scenery surrounding it was beautiful".
"Indeed".
A luxurious white gazebo with an intricate design and golden linings stood in the middle of a pond filled with crystal clear water, reflecting the sunny weather above. The bridge made from an aged wood erected across the pond's bottom, lining up with a solid foundation, merged a path between the land and the place.
The two continued until they arrived at the backyard, where Jin's feet stopped, seeing an absurd building in the shape of a dome standing tall amongst the others.
"...What is that?".
Thena kept her silence as she guided the dumbfounded boy to the silver building. She placed her hand in front of the reinforced steel door and let the building recognize her presence.
The door shook before sliding to the side, allowing all the trapped air inside to circulate. Then, Thena turned her back and stared at the surprised boys.
"This is the place you will begin the Trial".
"Trial? Right, there was something like that too…".
Jin shrunk his eyes, seeing a completely white space behind the door. He hesitated and walked inside, his eyes distorted by the sudden expansion of the space.
'Hm? What happened?'. He gazed back and saw that the door he had barely passed earlier now stood dozens of meters away from his reach.
[Commencing the Trial of the Gods]
[Are you ready?]
[Yes or No]
A huge translucent panel appeared before Jin, giving him a bit of shock at the sudden development. Jin contemplated for a moment before calmly muttering, 'Yes!'.
[Trial Begin]
[Please Imagine the strongest being you can think of!]
"Imagine? What was that supposed to mean?".
[The system will recreate the exact copy based on the being you thought off]
"I see… Wait, did the panel just respond to me?".
[...]
The system suddenly turned mute after Jin accidentally blurted his remarks. Jin waited for a couple of seconds, but seeing that the system didn't want to interfere in any case, he dismissed the thoughts.
'Strongest person? Who is it? Father? Roland? …Master?! No, even though I was under his care for such a time, I can't imagine the Katana style he practices, which is suited for human battle, would benefit me here when I would face monsters and different kinds of beings… What should I do? Imagine…?!'.
After mulling for about a minute, Jin finally decided to imagine a certain character in a game he used to play that had characteristics and a Katana style like him. 'I wonder if it works?'.
Many particles of light began to emerge from the atmosphere surrounding the place. They clumped together in one place before forming a human shape that stood a few meters before Jin.
The man's white hair swiped back, highlighting his sharp features and handsome face like a wolf. He wears a midnight coat that drapes down, along with black trousers and shoes. A black vest covers his vital area, and he holds a Katana in his left hand.
"Damn, it works?!".
Jin looked at the creation that stood before him with a mixture of awe and guilt. However, he couldn't think of any other person in his arsenal who would be a good example of how he could steal its technique.
[Do you wish to proceed with this one?]
[Yes or No]
He looked toward the character before him and soon nodded his head as the panel began to disappear. Both of them take their Iai stance and prepare to fight at any time.
'Let's see if he can fight like I imagine?!'.
Jin breathes out and plans to dash forward to confront the character head-on, but his vision starts to distort in disorder, and he can see two sides at the same time. 'What happened?! ' As his brain begins to catch up, his vision blacked out.
…..
"Waa?! Huf… huf…".
Jin, who had regained consciousness, looked around and saw he was inside the white space, and the character was standing still in suspended motion.
"That's right, what happened earlier?".
[You are Dead!]
[Number of Death: 1]
[Reviving success]
"Dead…?!". His throat parched as Jin heard his heart drum wildly inside his chest; it almost burst his ear apart.
[Playing the battle record!]
A translucent panel and a futuristic screen displaying the earlier footage began to appear.
Jin saw himself facing the character, ready to engage in battle. However, the moment the battle started, Jin began his move, but simultaneously, the character also moved by stepping back, lowering its stance to the Iai position, and drawing the Katana.
It was too fast for Jin to see its hand movement, and when he turned to the other side, he saw his body spread apart, bisected into dozens of pieces, without any time to catch up with what was happening.
"This?!".
His body shuddered, seeing himself turned into such mincemeat. Within just a second, the battle began. Luckily, he couldn't feel anything and faced instant death, but if he was sane at that time and experienced that excruciating pain.
Slowly, as he regained his calm mind, Jin stood up and looked at his opponent's character once more.
"Let's do it again!".
…
[You are Dead!]
[Number of Death: 2]
[Reviving success]
…
[Number of Death: 13]
…
[Number of Death: 26]
…
"Should I change my opponent!".
[You can't change the Trial opponent unless you defeat it first!]
"Ahaha, damn!". His laugh seemed hollow, accompanied by a dread that chilled him to his bones, making him tremble non-stop. 'This is Hell!'.
Numerous failed attempts added to the death count that is being projected before his eyes. Jin, whose eyes had turned bleak, exhaled. He didn't know what sort of move he could deal with that first strike.
Jin recognizes the technique when a space around him starts to distort, trapping him in place. Then, an invisible slash from the character bisects him into several pieces, causing his mind to be distorted.
He sat hunched while gazing at the white floor, thinking, shoulders slumped from the invisible weight that pressed him down. Jin's breaths were slow and uneven; each exhale was filled with exhaustion that slowly sapped his sanity away.
"What should I do?". Jin's eyes, which were bright with spirit, now stare vacantly toward the transparent panel that appeared before him.
[Do you wish to take a break?]
[Yes]
Suddenly, the panel in front of him compromised without asking him first, and Jin found himself sitting on top of a grassy field under the scorching light that touched his skin. The warmth from the sun and breeze that caressed his cheeks slowly returned the light that once disappeared from his eyes.
"I am? Outside?".
"How was your condition?".
A melodic tone that soothed his heart rang behind Jin before a looming shadow protected him and gazed at his hunched back with worry.
"...". Jin sat in silence; he was too tired to answer.
Thena, who saw the boy, was thrown into the abyss of despair and exhaled in resignation. She crouched down beside him and gently wrapped the boy's cold hand.
"Let's eat first. I made some warm snacks for you".