Chapter 76
76 Pillar of Mind (II)
The moment Cain was teleported into the Pillar of Mind, a message arrived at his [A.I. Chip Module].
“Cadet, prepare yourself. The Trial of Mind will begin in two minutes. The trial will submit you to increasing levels of mental pain, measuring your willpower.
The test will last until you ask for the trial to stop or fall unconscious. The more you last, the higher your ranking will be.
We advise you to end the trial once you feel you can no longer endure it, as pa.s.sing out could lead to some minor brain trauma.”
Cain nodded once he heard the robotic voice and adopted a meditative position before emptying his mind and calming his heart.
As he waited, he went through his understanding of willpower. It was a very abstract concept in the Old World, but now that the G.o.dslayer Humankind’s knowledge reached such an immense level that even embarked on the soul, many scholars have studied it.
Of course, the level of information that Cain could access was too shallow, and he only knew two important facts. One was willpower being part of an individual’s soul, and the other was that cultivation had an enriching effect on it.
Wave Cultivators did not suffer from ailments like post-traumatic syndrome and the like because their cultivation improved their willpower, allowing them to cope better with war trauma.
Cain began to feel mental pressure after two minutes, just like the message said. However, it was so weak that he barely detected it.
.....
‘I guess it starts really slow in case a Level 1 Wave Warrior would be so dumb as to test the pillars.’ Cain did not overthink the slow starting point and remained focused.
However, after half an hour, Cain felt almost no real pain. For a moment, he thought that the Pillar of Mind had malfunctioned.
Only when the hour mark arrived did Cain begin to feel real pain. It was not too severe but enough to make him frown. As time went by, the pain kept growing stronger until the point it truly pushed him to his limits.
Cain had no way of knowing just what level he had reached, but he did not want to quit. At least, he hoped to gain a mark that would put him at Level 3.
Ten minutes later, when Cain’s time inside the Pillar of Mind almost reached two hours, he could no longer endure it.
“Stop!” The pain a.s.saulting his mind vanished as soon as Cain uttered those words. He was pale and cold sweat soaked his body.
Cain fell to the ground as he felt he had no energy left. His body was in perfect condition, but if his mind could not operate it, then there was not much he could do.
“Apex, exactly how long did I spend inside the trial?”
“One hour and fifty-seven minutes.”
Cain could not help but show an odd expression. Levi and Beelze took around ten minutes in each trial and reached Late Level 3.
‘Although the Pillar of Mind should be different from the others, since I was inside for so long, maybe I reached Level 4.’ A smile appeared on Cain’s face as he thought of that.
Once he could finally stand up properly, he sent the command, and the Pillar of Mind teleported him outside.
The first thing that received Cain’s sight after the teleporting was a ma.s.sive crowd. Hundreds of soldiers were waiting outside the Pillar of Mind, and he became the sole focus of their eyes.
Cain could see the shock in their gazes and did not understand what was happening. Levi and Beelze immediately appeared by his side, and the duo’s expressions were no different than the soldiers.
An idea came to Cain’s mind, and he turned to the Cadet Ranking to see just what level he had reached. As he saw the position of Saint of Killer in the ranking, he could almost not believe it.
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However, that was far from enough to cause so much shock. Everybody looked at Cain as if he was a monster because of the legend next to the t.i.tle.
Late Wave Champion Willpower.
‘WHAT!’ Cain could not believe what the Pillar of Mind’s Cadet Ranking had written.
Even if the cultivation was not primordial in determining your willpower, it was still a core component. Finding a Level 9 Wave Warrior with willpower at the Early Wave Champion would raise ma.s.sive havoc. So one could imagine how surprised people would feel with a Level 2 Wave Warrior that reached the Late Wave Champion.
The only reason Cain could think for his incredible level of willpower was his ident.i.ty as a Reincarnator or the fact that the Absolute Life Form System had fused with his soul.
Unfortunately, he did not have time to focus on an answer as he was in grave danger. Having a high ranking should be great for him, but it was too high and would definitely draw envy.
Cain did not have a background that could act as a deterrent, and while his name did not technically appear in the Cadet Ranking, it could not belong to anyone else but him.
Suddenly, Cain’s instincts began to scream danger as a handsome soldier with blonde hair and a tall body walked toward him.
“Cadet, your actions inside the Pillar of Mind raised too many suspicions. Do not resist and come with me!” The man spoke those words with a righteous expression as if he was some hero of justice.
The actions of the blond man caused many soldiers to frown, as they were curious about Cain’s feat, but none dared to defy him.
Cain could see the greed hidden in the blonde man’s eyes and knew nothing good would wait for him if he went with this one. Asking for help did not seem like a choice, as that man had some level of background by the way the other soldiers acted around him.
‘Apex!’
The System Spirit knew what Cain wanted and immediately used the [Pseudo Cellular a.n.a.lysis] tool on the blond man.
[Scan of target completed:
—
Name: ???
Race: G.o.dslayer Humankind
Lineage: ???
Path of Power: Astral Rebirth (Level 7 Wave Warrior)]
‘He looks so young and is already a Level 7 Wave Warrior. Just what kind of talent is that!’
Cain clenched his fist as the Absolute Life Form System showed him that information. There was no way he could face a Level 7 Wave Warrior.
Of course, even if the opponent had so much power he could never defeat him, Cain would not just surrender. No matter how futile it might be, he would fight.
Levi and Beelze did not move from Cain’s side. There was no fear in their eyes as they faced the blond man.
Although even together, the trio had no way of defeating this one, they could at least make things hard enough so the higher-ups in the Imperial Lightning Fort could not simply turn a blind eye to what happened here today.
Seeing the defiance in the trio made the blond man’s eyes show coldness and a flash of killing intent. Yet, soon a smile emerged, as he was sure he could defeat them without much commotion.
Unfortunately for the blond man, a sky-blue fog flooded the terrain before he could get close to Cain. It affected all the soldiers but generated a vacuum around the three cadets.
When Cain saw that fog, he remembered Wink’s Free Flow. However, this one had greater control and power, pressuring all the soldiers while avoiding harming him, Levi, and Beelze.
“Who was the one that dared to question the Pillar of Mind!”
Everybody focused in the distance and saw an old man walking toward them. His body seemed very weak, yet he was the origin of the sky-blue fog that restrained all the soldiers.
Cain immediately recognized that old man as Oliver, who advised him to attempt the Pillar of Mind.
Oliver walked until he was right in front of the soldiers and focused on the blond man doing his best to stand straight.
“You were the one that insinuated that a Level 2 Wave Warrior could trick the Pillar of Mind?”
The blond man was not even able to give an answer before all of the sky-blue fog concentrated on him, pushing him to the ground while coughing blood.
Oliver glanced at the blond man for a moment before turning toward Cain, Levi, and Beelze.
“I think you three fulfilled the purpose of your trip here. Return to the cadet’s section. No one would dare to stop you now.”
Cain, Levi, and Beelze stared at the old man for a moment before giving a deep bow and walking away. Things would have been much harder had it not been for Oliver’s arrival, so they were truly thankful.
Cain was full of questions for the old man since it seemed this one knew something like this would happen. But now, it was not the time.
Just as the trio was leaving, Cain heard Oliver’s voice in his mind.
“Brat, I will come to visit you at night. There is someone very interested in meeting you.”
Cain’s eyes narrowed when he heard that. He turned toward Oliver and nodded before continuing to walk.