Chapter 225 — The Choice of Fate

The sun hung high above the forest, its pale light filtering through the enormous canopy and illuminating the ruins that had once been a Goblin settlement.

The forest itself had returned to its usual silence.

Only the distant chirping of birds and the occasional rustling of small animals disturbed the stillness. Whatever horror had unfolded here yesterday seemed almost forgotten by nature.

Almost.

In the center of the ruined settlement, the evidence remained.

Burnt trees.

Collapsed walls.

Frozen patches of ground.

Broken weapons.

The bodies of hundreds of Goblins scattered across the earth.

And among them lay the charred remains of the wooden monster that had nearly killed Evan.

At the very center of this destruction, a single human body was breathing peacefully.

Evan.

His entire body was covered in dried blood, most of it belonging to others rather than himself. Yet strangely, there were almost no visible wounds remaining on his body.

He lay on his back without the slightest concern for his surroundings.

His Crimson Edge rested beside him.

For someone who had spent the previous day fighting a Shaman, two mutated Goblins, and a monster powerful enough to push him to the brink of death, Evan looked almost absurdly peaceful.

A small bird eventually landed near him.

The creature tilted its head.

It stared at the unconscious human for several seconds before hopping closer.

Curiosity won over caution.

The bird approached Evan's bare foot and pecked it.

Once.

Twice.

Evan's toes twitched.

The bird pecked him again.

Evan's entire body shuddered.

His eyes snapped open.

"What..."

The bright sunlight struck directly across his face, forcing him to squint as he instinctively raised an arm.

The small bird immediately flew away.

Evan stared at it for a moment before slowly sitting up.

His gaze moved across the battlefield.

Nothing remained of the settlement except destruction.

For several seconds, he simply stared.

Then the memories returned.

The assault.

The Goblin warriors.

The Shaman.

The two mutated Goblins.

The Totem.

The wooden monster.

Vela.

The temporary unsealing of Crimson Edge.

And finally...

His own body collapsing beneath the night sky.

Evan slowly exhaled.

"So I actually survived."

He moved his arms.

Pain immediately spread through his body.

His bones felt as if they had been shattered and put back together incorrectly. Every movement produced a dull ache, while several deeper injuries still lingered beneath his skin.

But there was no immediate danger.

Evan closed his eyes and inspected his internal state.

His mana reservoir was completely full.

His expression softened slightly.

'A full night's rest was enough to recover my mana.'

That was useful.

He activated his healing talent.

A warm energy spread through his body, rapidly repairing the remaining minor injuries and easing the pain in his damaged muscles and bones.

After several moments, Evan finally stood.

He looked down at his weapon.

Crimson Edge was lying exactly where he had dropped it.

Evan picked it up.

The moment his fingers wrapped around the hilt, he noticed something different.

The weapon had changed.

The hilt was no longer completely metallic.

Small orange-grey crystalline structures had begun growing around its base, spreading outward in delicate patterns. The blade itself also looked different from before.

It was still recognisable as the same weapon.

But it no longer felt like an ordinary Tier 0 Erith Weapon.

Evan carefully examined the strange crystalline growth.

'The temporary seal release must have affected its structure.'

His eyes narrowed slightly.

'Perhaps this is the beginning of its transformation. Once I reach Tier 1, the weapon might undergo a complete evolution.'

He didn't try to interfere with the change.

For now, there was nothing he could do about it anyway.

Evan stored Crimson Edge inside his Inventory.

Then he turned toward the ruined settlement one last time.

The Shaman's final words came back to him.

'My master will take your head one day or another.'

Evan's expression became slightly colder.

He still didn't know how the Shaman's master had been informed about what happened here.

The Shaman had spoken as if his master already knew Evan existed.

That meant there was probably some method of communication involved.

'I don't know what kind of connection that Totem had with his master.'

Evan looked toward the distant mountains.

'But I'm not interested in finding out by walking directly into an entire Goblin tribe.'

Not yet.

He turned around and left the settlement.

His destination was the Skypeak Mountain region.

For now, distance was more valuable than another battle.

The forest swallowed his figure as he walked away from the ruins.

After travelling for some time, Evan finally decided to inspect the results of yesterday's battle.

He opened the system.

The moment he did, several translucent panels appeared before his eyes.

Evan's expression changed.

There were far more notifications than he had expected.

Panels overlapped one another across his vision, each one carrying the cold, precise markings of the System.

He quickly began reading.

[Mission:Eradication.] ✅

[Primary Objective Fulfilled.]

[Description: Escaping the enemy encirclement with great courage and tactics and swearing to eradicate the settlement next time.

The Trial remembers everything.

Words spoken before an enemy should not be empty. Prove those words were not the cries of fleeing prey. Return to the Goblin Settlement and fulfil your declaration with blood.]

[Reward:

• +5% Curse Effect Subjugated. (3+2% Bonus)

• Next Linked Mission Granted.

• +2 Selection Points]

Evan's eyes moved across the panel.

Another notification immediately appeared.

[Host's combat record has been evaluated.]

[Goblins × 537 slained...]

[Mutant Goblin × 2 Slained...]

[Goblin Shaman × 1 Slained...]

[Cursed Monster {N@%%R@ #PI@T Puppet} × 1 Slained...]

[Trial Evaluation has been increased...]

[Rewards are being upgraded due to Extreme Mission Difficulty...]

[You have gained +5 % Curse Subjugation.]

[You have gained 2 Selection Points. TP: 5 Selection Points.]

Evan's eyes narrowed slightly.

Another panel appeared.

[New Diversion Linked Mission has been granted.]

[Objective: Choosing the Path of Fate]

[Description: You've completed an almost impossible mission by eradicating the entire Goblin settlement alone. By destroying the cause of the Curse, you've discovered the true meaning behind the Curse that has fallen upon the Forest.

Two paths have been presented before you. Your choice will determine the path of your fate and the ending of your Trial.

Option 1:

Leave the Forest through the path you came from and escape from the Cursed Forest and the Trial itself. End the Trial and gain the opportunity to ascend to the next Rank.

{Note: Choosing this option will permanently end the Trial. No further Missions will be generated, and the Evaluation will be finalised.}

Option 2:

After discovering that the Shaman's Master is aware of your existence and is preparing to slay you as a sacrifice to their Totem God, choose the path of a Tyrant.

Govern the entire Forest under your rule, slay all ruling figures within it, claim ownership of the Ancient Forest, and uncover the complete truth behind the mystery of the Curse.]

Evan's eyes lingered on the second option.

The System continued.

[Reward:

Option 1: 

• Trial End

Option 2: 

• Next Chain Mission Granted.

• Rewards depend upon the Chain Mission Clearance rate.]

Evan stared at the panels for several seconds.

So that was the choice the Trial had prepared for him.

Escape and ascend.

Or remain.

And conquer the entire forest.

His eyes narrowed slightly.

There was no doubt which option interested him more.

But before making any decision, another red panel appeared before his eyes.

[Detected: Severe cost has been paid for the Temporary unsealing.]

[Cost: - 99 Vitality.]

[Your total points have been devoured by your item <Crimson Edge> to temporarily remove the seal of the item.]

Evan stared at the panel.

Then his expression became strange.

'Why did it leave me with exactly one point?'

He looked at his remaining Vitality.

'Was leaving one more point some kind of courtesy? System-style mercy?'

He shook his head and ignored it.

At least the rewards were quite pleasant.

His Curse Subjugation was already close to 57%.

The Mission itself had only granted him another 3% directly, while the remaining 2% had been listed as a bonus.

But after reading the description of the new objective, Evan understood something else.

The Totem he had destroyed was likely the source of the Curse.

Destroying it had probably caused the additional increase.

'So that's where the bonus came from.'

Evan opened his Status Panel.

The Curse Effect had decreased again, while several of his other status values had increased.

He checked his Vitality.

As expected, exactly 99 points had been consumed.

His Vitality had dropped all the way down to the limit of 50 Red Stat.

Evan closed the panel.

His gaze then shifted toward his Talents.

Most of them were still blanked out by the Trial's restrictions.

He couldn't access them yet.

But there was something else he could use.

His Selection Points.

Evan opened the corresponding panel.

Selection Points: 5 SP

He looked at the five points available to him.

These points could be used to unlock abilities and other options within his Status.

Evan's eyes narrowed.

'Five points...'

He had finally gained enough to start unlocking something useful.

Evan first glanced through the available Talents, and several immediately caught his attention.

Among them were Lunarch Ascension (SSS+), Gravitic Vein (A), and Enhanced Recovery (D).

However, after looking through their advantages and drawbacks, he quickly crossed them off his immediate choices.

Lunarch Ascension was undoubtedly powerful, perhaps even one of the strongest options available to him right now. But its effectiveness relied heavily on nighttime conditions, which could become a serious limitation depending on where his future battles took place.

The other two Talents were useful as well, but spending 1 SP on either of them felt too expensive compared to the benefits they provided.

Evan moved on.

His Summon Space was another possibility, but the number of Selection Points required was simply too high.

He wasn't going to waste almost all his resources on something he could barely make use of at the moment.

Next came the Abilities.

This time, several choices genuinely caught his attention.

Edge Sense (SSS-)

Verdant Lord's Command (S-)

Hawk Eye (A)

Arcane Focus (B)

Edge Sense was obviously an incredible choice.

For only a single SP, gaining an ability of SSS- quality was practically impossible to ignore. It could greatly improve his combat instincts and help him read the trajectory and danger of attacks more accurately.

It was definitely going onto his final list.

But Evan still decided to hold off.

He wanted to see everything available before spending even a single point.

Next was Verdant Lord's Command.

This one was especially tempting in the current environment.

If he could properly use this Ability, he might gain control over the surrounding vegetation and potentially achieve something similar to the Wooden Monster he had just fought.

However, Evan still didn't know whether the monster could actually be summoned or recreated through the Ability, nor did he know the full extent of its capabilities.

So this one also entered his consideration list.

As for Hawk Eye and Arcane Focus, both were useful.

One could greatly improve his vision and perception, while the other could strengthen his magical focus and spellcasting.

But compared to the other choices, neither felt like the best use of his limited SP.

Evan continued exploring.

Eventually, he found a few options that immediately caught his attention.

Their costs were extremely high.

But they were high enough for a reason.

One of them was his Physique.

Death Monarch.

The price was a full 5 SP.

Evan stared at the option for a long moment.

He still didn't fully understand what would happen after awakening his Physique again.

But after everything he had experienced with the Curse, he had a strange feeling that this choice could be far more useful than it appeared.

Death was already deeply connected to his power.

His control over his undead might improve.

His mana circulation could potentially become stronger.

And perhaps...

The Physique might even help him subdue the Curse itself.

That final possibility made Evan's eyes narrow.

He added it to his final list.

Then he saw the last option that could genuinely compete with it.

His Super Summon.

Velma, the Death Phoenix.

The strongest summon currently available to him, sitting at the peak of Tier 0.

If Evan chose to continue along the second path and face whatever existed deeper within the Forest, Velma could become an enormous asset.

Her strength alone could change the outcome of future battles.

But the cost was equally enormous.

Unlocking her would consume almost all of his available SP.

Evan stared at the two choices.

Abilities.

Or Physique.

Velma was an incredible option, but he eventually dismissed it.

Not because she wasn't worth it.

Rather, because he believed there was something more important he needed right now.

After carefully comparing everything, Evan finally reached his decision.

'So it's decided then.'

He looked ahead.

The mountain pathway where he had escaped from the Forest earlier was already approaching.

Evan entered the pathway and continued walking until he found a suitable location away from the main route.

He found a small cave and entered it.

After making sure there was no immediate danger nearby, Evan used his Ability to dig deeper into the cave, creating a secluded place where he could make his choice without interruption.

Finally, he sat down.

"Let's do this. I've made my choices, so now I have to move forward with one of them."

Evan opened the Selection Panel.

His gaze stopped on the option he had chosen.

[Physique: Death Monarch]

[Requirement: 5 Selection Points]

Evan stared at it.

Five points.

Every point he had.

There was no room for hesitation anymore.

He was gambling with his own future.

But he had already made his decision.

Evan selected the option.

For a moment, nothing happened.

Then a strange cooling sensation entered his body.

It spread from his chest throughout his veins, almost soothingly cold.

Evan frowned.

But the peaceful feeling lasted only for a few seconds.

A chilling pain suddenly erupted from his chest.

His expression changed.

Evan immediately grabbed his chest as the coldness spread through his entire body.

It felt as though his blood was freezing.

His fingers became numb.

His limbs gradually turned cold.

For a moment, Evan even felt as though his entire body was being transformed into ice from the inside.

Outside the cave, the sky suddenly changed.

The wind began howling.

Dark clouds gathered above the mountain pathway, and distant thunder rolled across the sky.

It was almost identical to the phenomenon that had occurred when Evan awakened his Physique within the dungeon.

The same terrifying presence.

The same feeling that something ancient was about to awaken.

Yet before anything could happen...

The chilling presence inside his body suddenly disappeared.

The pain vanished.

The coldness faded.

Evan remained sitting there, breathing heavily.

"What..."

He looked around in confusion.

Nothing had happened.

No transformation.

No massive surge of power.

Nothing.

Evan slowly released his chest and let out a sigh.

'What the hell was that?'

He immediately opened his Status.

Several notifications were already waiting for him.

Evan's eyes widened.

He read them once.

Then again.

And finally...

"Hahahaha..."

A strange laugh escaped his mouth.

"Ha... hahaha... Hahahahahaha!"

Evan started laughing.

His voice echoed throughout the cave.

"Yes..."

His eyes became increasingly excited.

"That's exactly what I was hoping for."

He stared at the System Panels before him.

"My choice wasn't wrong."

His laughter became almost uncontrollable.

"I knew it."

The System continued displaying the information.

[You've re-awakened your Physique: Death Monarch.]

[Detected: A severely high-ranked Curse has been placed upon the Host.]

[Curse Effects are being nullified.]

[Error... Curse Rank is too high to be completely eradicated.]

[Detected... The Curse has been severely weakened.]

[Curse Effects are being diminished to the current limit.]

[Current Curse Effect Subjugated: ??%]

Evan stared at the final panel.

His eyes were wide.

The Curse.

The same Curse that had been torturing him since entering this Forest.

The Curse that had forced him to fight, struggle, and gamble with his life just to suppress it little by little.

It was finally being affected.

Not by some external item or a temporary effect.

But by his own Physique.

Evan's laughter echoed through the cave again.

"Finally..."

His hand slowly tightened into a fist.

"After everything I went through..."

His eyes became cold.

"...I finally found something that can actually suppress you."

This single choice had completely altered the possibilities before him.

The path he had been considering only moments ago was no longer the same.

His choices had changed.

His future had changed.

And from this moment onward...

So would the way Evan approached the Trial.

__

A/N: 

Hi everyone! The author here, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I'm really interested in your thoughts on the pacing—if it still feels a bit slow, just let me know, and I'll work on making it tighter in future chapters.

Your feedback means a lot to me! If you're enjoying the novel, I'd also appreciate it if you could leave a review and a rating.

Thank you for your support!