Chapter 359

“It’s not too late Ben, Tell them you’ll actually be in the library waiting for them all to finish up and pass the time reading some books instead,” Myriad futilely begged him, with Nare choosing a different avenue.

“Or face craftsman’s tower instead since it would pay off a lot better for you in the long run. Come on, it’s been ages since we’ve had a challenger and it’s comparatively safe.”

“No and no. Guys, I’m not going to stand by while my friends put their lives on the line and I’m not taking a completely different trial. Seriously, why are you pushing that?”

“Mostly curiosity,” Nare said with a shrug. “As more and more of Myriad’s believers are reaching the point that they can use that connect skill for enchanting, the more the various crafting gods are growing interested in it. As a person who not only has the highest level of the skill on the planet, but also has two awakened crafting skills, there are plenty of us who want to see how far you can go with it,” He explained, his form glowing slightly brighter as he brought up what he thought would sweeten the deal. “That’s not mentioning the fact that it’s at least partially acting as crafting skill, meaning that if you get to the top we could push it over the edge for you.”

Nare had been right in saying it, that tempted him. It tempted him so much that he almost gave in, resisting only for the fact that he didn’t believe that as things stood he’d make it to the top, meaning he’d be wasting his time and potentially throwing himself into danger for at most the blessing.

Maybe if I had some actual colleagues I could do it with that would be one thing, but as it is, do I even know anyone with any high-level crafting skills who I’m close enough to do a trial with?

As he asked himself though, the obvious name came to mind and his eyes lit up at the thought.

“If I could talk Falk into joining he could one hundred percent carry me to the top. There’s no way he couldn’t.”

“Except he can’t take the trial again,” Nare said, letting a bit of info slip that Ben made sure to file away.

Of course a person with a ninth-leveled awakened skill would have already done the trial. Ugh, I mean, I guess I don’t know for sure his smithing skill is the ninth level one, but still, if he can make legendary items why wouldn’t he have done it already?

“Well in that case I’ll continue to pass,” Ben sighed. “Maybe if I get a couple more levels to my crafting and enchanting I will, but it would be nothing but a waste if I try and can’t get the best reward. If I’m going to be doing this, I’m not doing it till I’m certain.”

“You know there’s no guarantee you’ll raise your skills more,” Nare pointed out in a final attempt to talk him into it. “Plenty of people never get a level after awakening, you shouldn’t just blindly count on it. Trying to grab this chance to awaken your connect skill could even be your best chance to keep raising your other skills as well.”

Hearing all of that though, Ben could only look at him blankly. “Seriously, you’re going to tell me I’m not going to gain any more levels when I’m only at two and already making ultra-rare stuff on the regular?”

At that, Nare had to give up. Part of his interest lay specifically in how far above what was expected of his level the boy was hitting, to the point the crafting gods who were taking notice were confident that he’d at least get to the fourth level of his awakened skills before coming to a stop, but with the very real chance that Ben could die on the first or second wave, he and some of the others simply wanted him to awaken his connect to see what it could do before that could happen.

“Fine, fine, I give. Just don’t go regretting not doing it when the world’s burning around you,” The god grumbled, with Myriad feeling at least a little relieved with how the conversation had turned out. He knew Ben well enough that he didn’t think his apostle would abandon Thera to take a different trial, but there was always the risk that he would give in and do it right after for whatever small chance it would give him of awakening his connect skill.

“So are you feeling ready?” Myriad asked, knowing the answer wouldn’t change anything.

“As I can be. Pretty sure the ol’ headache isn’t going to be too much of a distraction and I made most things I could think would be helpful, And hey, I’ll be resting up here for hours so I should be in top shape.”

Or as top as I can manage I guess.

Both he and his god wished he was going into this with a decent night of true sleep, resting his mind along with his body, but Ben knew without even trying that it would be another day of nightmares if he did. The coming trial was too fixed in his mind when he was already struggling with the memories of the last one, but at the very least his body was getting some peace, so he contented himself to passing the few hours he had with the two gods before he had no choice but to get up and start the day.

Getting up and dressed, he and Thera made their way to the coast, standing in front of the trial entrance as they waited. They’d been there a few times already in their weeks of study, having gone to admire all eleven that were present in all of their majesty.

Each one was huge, with Ben estimating the diameter of each tower being almost a hundred meters across as they towered above the city, looking like they had far more than the five floors he’d been told about, but beyond that there wasn’t too much to be said. The magic laid across each of them was as impressive as any other trial he’d seen, but he didn’t think there was anything exceptional in it either, at least not more so than any of the smaller trials, and they were all practically identical baring the doors on each one.

As for the earth tower in front of them, it had a collection of tight lines and dots for the pattern on the front, with a large symbol of a mountain representing the earth affinity front and center, with the other ten magic options having their own symbols around it.

The other trials had other designs. The water tower made sure that the wave symbol was at the forefront, with the design behind it seeming to have lines that looked more like rivers than the straight ones and right angles of what they would be walking through, and the fire tower was more empty in its look, having a few pictures of bonfires scattered over it along with the magic symbols.

Ben had evaluated each pretty lowly for their artistic value, but they got the point across well enough as he stared at the one in front of him, taking it all in before he would have to step through it.

It was only a few minutes longer before their companions joined, all of them decked out in light armours while both Jake and Yuzu held staffs in their hands, with Amy holding the weapon Ben had made her, along with two more noticeable additions to her outfit.

“Having some issues with what I made you?” He asked with a cocked eyebrow as he stared at the sword on her waist and the shield hanging from her back.

She froze at the question, staring blankly at him for a moment as it looked like she was trying to figure out what to say on it, eventually only shrugging. “It’s nothing wrong with what you made, it just doesn’t hurt to have some backups.”

“Eh, true enough I guess.”

Looking at both, it was easy for him to see that both items were in the high grade of rare, and seemed like they had been made specifically with earth magic in mind. Both had exclusively earth enchantments on them to strengthen them, and Ben had to admit that they looked well made, even if it did pick at his pride that she felt the need for backups considering how good the item he’d made her was.

Seeming to sense this, Jake jumped in, changing the subject as he looked at the two of them. “Ignore what we’re wearing though, Thera, how does your armour look so cool? It’s like you’re wearing a dragon’s skin or something. And Ben, your outfit looks even more bizarre than yesterday, I’m digging it.”

“Hey, I’m practicality before I’m form,” He told him, not particularly caring how he looked. He really was dressed mostly the same as he was yesterday, with the main two differences being that he lacked the deathstone and moribusial bracelets out of a desire to not have any attributes drained as they were fighting for their lives, along with the addition of a vest beneath his jacket, the many pockets on its front giving him far easier access to the things he’d made then he’d get from having to dig through the backpack he was carrying. “Anyway, before we go in I have something for you all so be eternally grateful that you know such a fantastic craftsman.”

He reached into his bag, pulling out five armbands, each looking nearly identical with each one having five small compasses inscribed with a letter built into them as he handed one to each of them to wear.

“Love me some free stuff,” Jake said happily as he put it on. “What’s it do?”

The answer came not from Ben though, but Amy, who managed to understand it after only a moment of looking, her eyes widening in surprise.

“Are these tracking devices?” She asked as Ben smiled.

“They are indeed. If any one of us gets separated then you can follow the pointer to their direction. It’s just going to send you into a straight line towards the person if you follow it, but hopefully we won’t even need them to begin with.”

They were extensions of him learning to enchant with his bind skill, and clever applications of it too. He vividly remembered the constant worry that he and Greed might get separated in any of the stages of the last trial he went through, and considering he couldn’t just shove anyone he was currently with into a pocket or the same armour as him, that meant he wanted a way to find each other if need be.

The three of them did a quick test, making sure they understood how to use them as their teachers watched from the back, feeling impressed as they did.

“Don’t suppose that we could get something like that for finding these three?” Vasta asked, thinking of how useful it would be for keeping those in their charge safe.

“Assuming we don’t die horrible deaths and manage to get out of there, you two can just have the ones me and Thera are using at the moment,” He told them. After they finished the trial it wasn’t like either of them would be needing them, so he had no issues parting like that to earn some goodwill.

“So are we all ready then?” Amy asked them as she looked at her four companions, with three of them cautiously agreeing while Jake objected.

“Hold it! We can’t go in like this, someone needs to say something! We need to set the mood a bit!”

She couldn’t help but rub her temples hearing it, with Jake making the same assertion before they’d done the life trial together, but she gave in since she knew it would be quicker than arguing the point.

“Fine. What do you want to say?”

“Ah, me? I got nothing.” Jake said, not noticing the death look he was getting from his girlfriend as his wife just smiled at his free spirit. “Ben, Thera, one of you say something. Come on and inspire us!”

“Um, pass,” Thera told him, stepping away and leaving only Ben in the other man’s view as Amy mouthed him an apology.

“…Do I seriously have to do this?”

He looked at the four with him, and with Jake and Yuzu’s positive spirits about it while Thera was trying to keep from laughing, he could see it was doing wonders to break the tension at least, so without getting an answer he gave it.

“Fine, fine. Speaking purely from my own experience, there’s only one thing you need to remember when doing a trial. The gods are your enemies. Their goal is to squeeze as much faith from you as humanly possible and since they don’t seem to much care if you die as it happens, your goal should be to ensure that they get basically nothing while taking all you can. Do whatever it takes to survive no matter how many levels of sacrilege you gain or what you break doing it and let’s get this over with.”

His god asked as other voices filled his head as well.

Helori told him, paying no mind to the fact that she’d once challenged him and his god to a fight to be petty.

Nare asked as the god’s laughter rang out in his head, all of which Ben ignored as he focused in on his friends who all had their own varied reactions to everything he’d said, with Jake being the most positive, letting out a cheer.

“Hell yeah guys, onward!” He called out, and before anyone could stop him moved to open the door, letting himself inside.

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