Walking through the tunnel for a couple of minutes, the girl noticed that hieroglyphs were appearing on the walls—just like the ones on the second floor of the house. At the time, she hadn't paid them much attention, but now…
Delia carefully extended her hand, pistol in tow, and touched the barrel to one of the symbols, which resembled a drawn bow with an arrow. Slowly tracing the symbol with the gun, she saw that no marks were left on it.
{Then it's not phosphorescent… Maybe some kind of…}
Before she could finish the thought, the symbol she touched began to glow brighter. Gradually, the other inscriptions lit up as well, their color shifting from pale green to vivid azure.
{…}
Deciding it was best not to touch anything else, Delia moved further down the passage. The deeper she went, the more symbols appeared on the walls. Another five minutes of walking, and the walls—and even the ceiling—were completely covered in them. Fortunately, at last, a blue door appeared before her.
Taking a deep breath and bracing herself as much as possible, she decided to open the door. But she hadn't even touched it when it swung open on its own.
In front of her was a medium-sized room. At its center stood a blood-red throne, occupied by a man. He had long white hair cascading over his shoulders. His face was flawless, exquisitely beautiful, the sort any woman would envy, yet he did not appear feminine. On the contrary—seated in his unusual white robes, he looked masculine and majestic.
Delia was momentarily speechless, but she still aimed her gun at him and said:
— So, you're the death waiting for me?
— And here I thought, — the man replied in a soft, pleasant voice, — what your first words would be when you walked in. My answer: yes… and no.
— Was I supposed to say, "Hands up! This is the police! Surrender, and no one will get hurt"? — she said irritably. — All these strange things happening with this case—symbols, tunnels… And you clearly don't look like someone who will surrender easily. So maybe you'll start your fascinating story?
— Ha-ha-ha, — he laughed lightly, pointing at the gun. — Well, you could have just tried to shoot me—it would have been safer for you and everyone else.
— I have a feeling that won't help against you, — the girl replied, lowering her weapon.
— You're right, — he smiled. — Alright, I won't delay. My name is XueXin XianZhe. From the ancient tongue, it translates as "Blood Sage." Everything happening here was created for one purpose only—to test you.
— Kidnappings, murders—and all for some test?! And how did you assume I'd even take it?! — Delia asked, outraged and aggressive.
— You'll understand the first part later. As for the second… — XianZhe snapped his fingers. A screen appeared in the air, displaying four children and Victor, trapped in a room resembling the one Delia was in. The man watched her silently.
— Fine… you've convinced me, — she muttered, dejected.
The sage nodded with satisfaction, and a door appeared behind him.
— Beyond this door lies your trial. But before you begin, I will give you a choice of two things, — he said, waving his hand.
Everything was becoming stranger and more confusing, especially when, as if by magic, six floating objects appeared before Delia: a katana, a bow, a massive two-handed axe, a spear, a shield, and a set of throwing knives. She had no time to ask what was happening. Carefully inspecting the items, she thought:
{Two ranged weapons, one shield, and three for close combat… Hm. They probably won't let me keep the pistol. Okay. The axe is too heavy. The spear isn't an option; the sword might be easier to use. The shield is good for defense, but ranged combat might be more useful. The bow is more powerful and long-range than the knives, but I don't see arrows. Do I make them myself? Maybe trust my intuition?}
Focusing and closing her eyes, Delia reached out and chose…
***
Stepping through the portal door, which vanished immediately, Delia was stunned by the scene before her.
The sky resembled cracked glass, with red lightning sparking along the fissures. The moon, split in two, hung amidst the cracks. The ground was a scorched wasteland, and in the distance loomed a massive, smoldering volcano. At its base sprawled a dead, sinister forest of giant trees.
The girl stood on the bank of what had once been a deep river, now reduced to a dry riverbed stretching toward the forest.
She hadn't taken a step before a small window appeared before her, displaying the following:
[Objective]: 0/100 enemies defeated[Inventory]:
Bow (Mortal, Low Rank)
Two-Handed Axe (Mortal, Medium Rank)
Police Uniform and Mask (No rank +)
{…}
Looking around and seeing no immediate threat, Delia hid behind a large nearby rock. She decided to test her equipment, weighing the axe in her hands—it was much lighter than it looked.
— It's like it doesn't even weigh a kilo… — she muttered. — Not much effort to attack. Strange. Must be some kind of magical artifact. Alright, what about the bow?
Removing it from her back and leaning the axe against the rock, Delia drew the string—and saw an arrow of dull gray energy materialize on the bow.
Aiming at the sky, she fired. The arrow soared upward, flew far, and disappeared.
{So, arrows aren't needed. Good. But there's probably a limit to how many shots—energy doesn't come from nowhere. I'd like to test it, but there's no time.}
Putting the bow away and taking up the axe, Delia headed toward the forest—other directions were just wasteland.
Fifteen minutes in, with about 150 meters to the forest edge, she noticed a body. Judging by its size and fur, it was a large beast.
Cautiously approaching within fifty meters, Delia glanced at the 0/100 enemies counter and thought.
{Apart from this corpse, I haven't seen anything even remotely like an enemy. Maybe it's a zombie waiting for me? Let's see.}
Drawing her bow, she held her breath.
«Fire»
The silent arrow pierced the beast's back, went through, leaving a fist-sized hole from which smoke poured.
Just as Delia thought it was merely a carcass, a deep, thunderous sound echoed from the body, shaking the forest. A chill ran down her spine; her heart raced.
The body slowly rose. It was a massive moose—its fur rotted and moldy, bones visible in places. Dark light burned in its eyes. Its antlers, once mighty, were broken, and its foul-smelling mouth revealed decayed teeth.
[Warning!
Undead MooseThreat Level: 1 (Mortal Rank)]
Without hesitation, Delia drew the bow again and fired.
«Fire»
«Hit»
The arrow tore through the top of its eye socket, taking one antler and a piece of skull with it.
Knowing there wasn't time for a third shot, she put the bow away and grabbed the axe.
The monster charged, its hooves thundering, drowning out all sound. With seconds to impact, Delia dodged and struck at its neck. But the axe embedded in its shoulder blade—the beast merely twitched, showing no weakness.
It spun and charged again. Delia tried to dodge, but the moose grazed her, tearing her uniform and leaving a cut. Pain seared her arm, momentarily breaking her focus, but she pulled herself together and jumped back—just as an antler slashed through the air again.
Regaining her strength, she swung—the axe cracked through the undead skull. The moose collapsed, letting out a final groan, and silence returned to the forest.
A new window appeared before Delia.
[Undead Moose Killed!]
[Congratulations on your first kill!
Reward: Advancement to Mortal Rank Level 1.
Delia felt energy surge through every cell in her body. She was stronger.
Rank: Mortal Rank Level 1Status: Weakened from infection (3 hours)
Objective: Find the exit (0/1)
Additional: 1/100 enemies defeated
Inventory:
Bow (Mortal, Low Rank)
Two-Handed Axe (Mortal, Medium Rank)
Police Uniform and Mask (No rank +)]