Chapter 49: Chapter49-The Terrifying Heritage Trial
John knew it was best not to delve too deeply into the subject, so he changed the topic.
Glancing around, he asked with a hint of confusion, "Where's Captain Victor? I haven't seen him around."
It wasn't just Victor who was missing.
John noticed that the transcendent-tier powerhouses seemed absent as well.
Old Dog gestured towards the towering edifice of flesh and blood atop the mountain peak and shrugged, "Inside the tower, just went in a little while ago."
John was even more puzzled after hearing this.
It made sense for the other strong figures to enter the secret realm, as they were likely the heavy hitters Baron had spent a fortune to hire.
But why would Victor go in?
It didn't seem like he needed to exert himself for House Fairfax.
Noticing John's confusion, Gold Flash offered a wry explanation, "The captain said there was something interesting about this 'Bones Tower', so he went in to sharpen his skills. Told us to wait here; he'll be out in a bit."
John was speechless.
So, the core area of this secret realm was like Victor's own backyard.
He could come and go as he pleased, enter and exit at will.
Strength truly did bring confidence, unlike him, who had to tread carefully even when approaching the core area.
As the four of them were chatting, the Divine Blood Tower suddenly stirred.
A flash of red light flickered across the standing blood tower.
"Whoosh!"
And then, a colossal six-armed golden statue appeared above their heads.
It was indeed Baron's "Radiant Visage."
The golden statue's light dimmed slightly, and it gradually dissipated into the air.
Baron's portly figure descended from the sky, stirring up clouds of dust as he landed.
The crowd was somewhat surprised; they hadn't expected Baron to emerge so quickly.
A strong figure from House Fairfax stepped forward and asked, "Chief, did you clear it?"
Baron wiped the sweat from his forehead and couldn't help but retort, "Clear it, my foot. Do you think a hell-level dungeon can be cleared so easily?"
The difficulty of clearing a secret realm was exceedingly high; average awakeners couldn't even dream of clearing it on their own.
And considering the Crimson Realm was a hell-level dungeon, the difficulty was exponentially greater, not something ordinary people could overcome.
Otherwise, Baron wouldn't have needed to call upon so many experts for assistance.
Their early entry was also meant to pave the way for the others, to get a feel for what lay inside so that everyone wouldn't be caught off guard by the monsters, without any means of defense or counterattack.
Knowing everyone was curious about the interior, Baron didn't delay.
After regaining some energy, he addressed the crowd, "First off, I have some good news. We can now confirm that this is indeed a dark god secret realm, and it contains a heritage known as the 'Crimson Demon'!"
At Baron's words, everyone except John was visibly shaken, their eyes ablaze with excitement.
This was a dark god's heritage secret realm!
Securing the dark god's heritage from within could fetch an astronomical price, even if one chose not to use it personally.
Even Old Dog and Gold Flash felt their hearts stir.
Obtaining this dark god's heritage could set them up for life.
However, some discerned the underlying message in Baron's words.
John and Dark Fox, for instance.
John said with a smile, "Don't get too excited just yet. That's the good news, but Chief Baron hasn't shared the bad news yet."
Dark Fox nodded in agreement.
As expected, Baron followed up with a bitter smile, "Then comes the bad news. Although this is the Crimson Demon's heritage secret realm, to obtain His heritage, one must pass through the 'Heritage Trial' in the Bones Tower. And this trial is no simple matter..."
Heritage secret realms, though rare in the Federation, were not unheard of.
Typically, such realms would feature a 'Heritage Trial', and only those who passed the trial could obtain the heritage within. This was quite normal.
Seeing that some still didn't grasp his point, Baron sighed, "Within the Divine Blood Tower, there are eleven Apostles of the Crimson Demon, all boss-level monsters. They adjust their levels according to the trial participants, meaning, to obtain the heritage here, one must defeat eleven bosses of their own level!"
Hearing Baron's explanation, everyone present gasped in shock.
Someone almost exclaimed, "Defeat eleven bosses of the same level? Are you joking?"
Old Dog was also astonished, "Damn, what kind of heritage is this, with such a twisted trial? This is madness!"
For an average awakener, defeating even a single boss of the same level was difficult, let alone eleven in succession.
This threshold alone would eliminate 99% of awakeners.
Gold Flash shook his head, "The master of this place never intended for anyone to obtain His heritage!"
Silver Tear also nodded earnestly in agreement.
How could an average awakener possibly have the strength to defeat eleven bosses, especially the Apostles of the Crimson Demon!
Dark Fox's expression remained unchanged, seemingly indifferent to the Crimson Demon's heritage.
Meanwhile, John's eyes revealed a contemplative look.
For others, defeating bosses of the same level might be difficult, even nearly impossible.
But for him, it wasn't much of a challenge.
Not long ago, he had easily slain the Blood Stripe Wolf King, a creature a whole major level above him, let alone a boss of the same level.
If he really encountered one, it wouldn't withstand his array of skills.
However, John was uncertain if he could continuously defeat eleven bosses.
The main issue was the excessive consumption of MP.
Without a time constraint, John felt confident, but with one, he was less certain.
Despite possessing skills like "Spring of Soul" and "Mana Recovery," John's casting frequency was so high that his MP wouldn't last long if he cast spells continuously.
This was one of John's significant weaknesses, with no immediate solution in sight, proving to be quite troublesome.
With the heritage seemingly within reach yet unattainable, Baron appeared somewhat disheartened.
He waved his hand and said, "For those who feel capable, feel free to give it a try. If you can obtain the heritage, it's due to your own skill, and I won't say much more. I also want to thank everyone for coming to help. The promised rewards will be given to you all once we leave the secret realm."
Having spent a great deal to summon so many experts and factions, only to find a seemingly useless heritage, left him somewhat frustrated.
Baron lost even the interest to try again.
The Radiant Visage heritage of House Fairfax was already top-tier, and acquiring the Crimson Demon's heritage wouldn't make much difference to him.
Moreover, his goal lay elsewhere...
In front of the Bones Tower, there was much discussion, but for a long time, no one stepped forward.
The daunting difficulty of the trial had intimidated everyone.
Although there were many geniuses and powerhouses capable of soloing bosses, none were confident they could clear the Heritage Trial.
Hesitating for a moment, John decided to give it a try.
After all, he had come for the Crimson Demon's treasure, and now that it was within his grasp, he couldn't bear to leave without at least attempting.
"Wait here for me; I'll be right back," John said to Old Dog and the others, then strode towards the entrance of the Bones Tower.
Old Dog was still puzzled and asked, "John, what are you doing?"
Gold Flash pondered for a moment and said, "Is he going to the restroom?"
Silver Tear timidly added, "But isn't it a bit crowded over there?"
Dark Fox, resigned, said, "He's intending to enter the Heritage Trial!"
At this revelation, Old Dog and the others were visibly shaken.
Old Dog jumped to his feet, about to pull John back, cursing, "Has this guy lost his mind? This kind of trial isn't something to just casually attempt!"
Gold Flash also wanted to step forward to stop him, but both were held back by Dark Fox.
With a profound look in her eyes, she slowly said, "Do you think he would dare to enter the trial without a shred of confidence?"
Old Dog and the others halted in their tracks, falling into silence.
They then remembered that John was different from them. Captain Victor had personally invited John into Hidden Stars and brought him, a newly awakened, into such an advanced secret realm.
This alone spoke volumes of John's extraordinary nature.
Watching John's retreating figure, their feelings were mixed.
Aside from Dark Fox, they had known John for a not insignificant amount of time.
Yet, at this moment, looking at John, they suddenly felt as if they didn't quite recognize this young man anymore.
John's actions quickly drew the attention of everyone present. It was hard not to notice him.
While everyone else hesitated to approach, only John's figure was seen walking towards the Bones Tower alone.
Clad in the black uniform of Hidden Stars, his face concealed by a black mask, his figure was like a lone ship drifting in the ocean, advancing against the waves while everyone else retreated due to the stormy weather.
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