Endless Evolution: Last Star

Chapter 1534: It’s Not That Simple

"Agh... Agh... Agh..." Adam breathed heavily as he watched the disintegrating golden particles fly before his eyes.

Ten golden spiders were smashed against his needle in just a second and a half. Their speed was tremendous, but that short period of time seemed too long for Adam.

He felt the impact passing through his body with each thrust, and if he had taken a step back, lost his balance, or dropped his needle, it was quite possible that one of the golden spiders would have passed through him, piercing him like a high-speed projectile.

But what made Adam frown was not the spiders or the spiral crystals, but the trial.

"Shit, so everything obeys the rules until it doesn’t?"

Alexia understood this too as she stared intently at the platform where only three glowing sockets remained. All the others had gone out, and only a few seconds separated them from failing this trial.

"This is not good at all. We thought we had multiple attempts. That we could prepare a plan and figure out what to do next, how to optimize our actions, but in the end, we were just set up!"

She was right. They had indeed almost lost because the Ancient Voice hadn’t told them all the details, but the problem was elsewhere.

"Tsk, the Ancient Voice..." Adam croaked. "It is neither our ally nor our enemy. It just watches from the sidelines and makes sure everyone follows the rules. However, if the rules state that the conditions of the trials must change suddenly, then the Ancient Voice sees no problem with that."

Tremble.

Shaking, Silvana and Louis appeared next to them. They had passed this trial, but if they wanted to move on, they had to understand how to act in such situations.

"Maybe we should ask the Ancient Voice as many questions as possible?" Silvana suggested.

Louis shook his head. "Adam tried. If the Ancient Voice is not supposed to do so, it will simply ignore the question. I think we should focus on the trials, not the Ancient Voice."

"Hmm?" Alexia tilted her head in confusion.

"I may be wrong, but it seems to me that each subsequent trial will have some kind of trap or unexpected condition. The Ancient Voice won’t tell us about it because it’s not in the established rules. So..."

Adam interrupted him:

"We have to guess what the worst thing that could happen to us is, right?"

Louis nodded.

"Something like that. In this trial, your main problem was time. Ten minutes didn’t seem like enough, but you were sure that sooner or later you would pass this trial because the attempts were unlimited. So, at one point, the restriction became stricter, and your advantage simply evaporated."

After a short pause, Adam dusted off his shoulder and turned to the cyan crystal.

The spiders, the actual ones, were still watching them from the shadows of the cave, but as before, they were in no hurry to act. They did not need to intervene.

Strangely enough, this made Adam think about something he had overlooked before:

"Huh, I didn’t realize it at first, but it seems that they are not thrilled that their nest is part of the trial. So they are not part of the Frost Oasis, something powerful came here and established its rules."

"Agh?" Alexia raised an eyebrow. "Why? This place is in the middle of nowhere!"

Louis narrowed his eyes.

"I disagree. This abyss attracts monsters with its power. Moreover, only those who possess the ancient energy can descend. It’s like a trap where only the strongest are allowed in to get as much out of them as possible."

Silvana looked at the Pale Spider Pearl.

"Whatever is here, it’s powerful enough to make the Ancient Voice work for it."

Step. Step. Step.

Adam stepped forward, rushing past Silvana as he stood in front of the cyan crystal.

The amber stars above his arms soared upward, forming a semicircle aimed at the crystal. That was only half of it.

"Alexia, don’t stand aside. We must move on."

Alexia gasped.

"Yes!"

She ran forward as her amber stars reacted.

Soon, sixty amber stars in a circle hovered above the cyan crystal. They actively trembled and simultaneously, like half a hundred blades, cut straight into the crystal.

Crack. Crack. Crack.

Cracks ran through the crystal as it shattered into pieces before Adam and Alexia’s eyes.

As if it had been planned, the gray pearl remained in the center, on the lone crystal that had managed to withstand the destruction.

"Alright, it’s ours now."

Adam picked up the Pale Spider Pearl. He didn’t know what to expect, but it was just a plain, cold orb that looked like a simple ornament and nothing more.

[You have obtained the Pale Spider Pearl.]

[Bring the orb to the gate to complete the first pattern.]

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Dozens of the blue spiders descended to the edges of the lake, staring intently at them.

They hissed, wanting Adam and Alexia to leave as soon as possible.

"Tsk, shouldn’t you be glad we saved you from this trial?" Adam frowned as he moved forward. "Let’s go, Alexia, we’re not welcome here."

"Pfffft!" She snorted. "They should be grateful that I’m not interested in fighting weaklings like them!"

Silvana and Louis just exchanged silent glances before leaving.

Despite Alexia’s bravado, her wounds could not be hidden from their eyes. If the next trial was more difficult, there was no telling what they would have to go through next.

The blue spiders did not pursue them when Adam and Alexia’s backs disappeared into the passageway, instead heading toward the cyan crystal in an attempt to absorb its energy.

Unfortunately for the spiders, they were no longer needed in this place, just like the Ancient Voice.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

The spiral crystals trembled before shattering and releasing their last field.

At the same moment, each blue spider froze in place and exploded like a meatball.

None of them survived.