Ben found himself in a much smaller room than any other time he’d finished a section and thought it to be a good sign. There was no fountain for water, nor table for food, and while the pile of old items was still there, that wasn’t necessarily a bad thing.

The only difference he could see was a small stand with a bound book placed on top of it, and seconds later the appearance of a star.

Star was the best way to describe it at least, even if it didn’t feel like it was burning hot, nor was it large, only being about his size as it hovered above him. It wasn’t blazing just red or yellow or blue, but instead the light it gave off was similar to the light in Helori’s horns, looking like all branches of mana were swirling together to make whatever it was.

It pricked at his sacrilege, but not in a way he knew what to make of. It didn’t seem like a god, a fact all the more likely if it was true the trial maker was dead, but instead it felt the same as if he was looking at the statue of one. Something with some faith to it, but not true divinity that only began to make sense as it spoke up.

“Congratulations,” It began, pulsing and changing with the word. “To be the first people to complete my challenge on this world, you’ve surely done your races and your gods proud. I am the great god Galwax, or at least I was. All you see before you is nothing more than an image or an echo to leave my final message and my reward.”

“And some healing would be nice,” Ben muttered as he pressed his hand against his bleeding wound, not that there was anything there to hear him as the message went on.

“My people were a proud race of warrior mages, or at least they were when they arrived, a threat I’m sure you’re all too aware of. Centuries can change the shape of a culture, but at least at that point, they were at their best to fight. They even survived to the third wave, striking a heavy blow in the process against the monsters that came to conquer, but in the end they still lost, choosing to fight to the last of them instead of fleeing.”

I’m sure your race was great but if you could hurry it up cause I think I’m dying.

“Of course, I had to do the same as well. As their god it was only right, but not before coming to this world. A passing void god had informed me of this refuge, and though I had no one to bring, I did have things I didn’t want to fall into enemy hands. The trial, which can operate independent of myself-”

Absolutely should have fucking left it for them you evil bastar-

“And the archive on the table. An item I gifted the people of my world able to store their most valuable knowledge. An item that could be used by the many races of this world as well.”

That was enough to make Ben’s anger at the god briefly disappear as he threw his head away from the image of Galwax to the book he’d only glanced at before, looking at it with the limited analysis his crafting gave him in order to see it’s rank and finding the pain in his body instantly forgotten as he saw what it was. A middle mythic item, sitting there and free for the taking.

He felt himself begin to drool as he looked at it, doing his best to keep at least some of his minds on the image of the dead god to see if it had anything else important to say.

“Since I didn’t stay long enough to learn to interact with the system here, the rewards I give will be limited. I have no skill to bequeath you, but in its place I believe selling that should allow however many of you made it through to live as emperors for the rest of your lives. Speaking of which, it’s time to discuss how you did,” The star said, staying silent for a few moments before briefly flaring up. “A part of me can’t believe I’m even bothering to set up the recording and reward parameters for this, but in the spirit of looking after every possibility I have no choice but to accept that however unlikely, it is possible. In a trial designed to let up to twenty-seven people take it, you’ve somehow completed it with only two and no deaths. Considering the previous record for such a thing was five, you should consider yourselves to be outstanding.”

“There’s going to be two more deaths if you don’t get on with it and let us out of here!” Ben yelled out as it went on.

“Not only that, but to have finished the trial in only fourteen days. While that has been accomplished by members of my own race, I have to say that your achievement was extraordinary.”

“Fourteen days? It’s been like two and half months, what are you…”

He trailed off as the answer occurred to him. He’d been freezing the counter within the rest areas. All the time he’d spent in there hadn’t been recorded for the trial to acknowledge, leaving Ben feeling supremely smug in the process.

“I left enough of myself to pass on my blessing to a full team, but it will be all the greater for the fact that it won’t go nearly so divided. As well, as mentioned I cannot give you a skill as seems to be the common reward, however I will do the one other thing I can to pay off this massive achievement. A soul can only grow so much at once, I will stretch the limits of what I can give for both your lifeforce and mana. Use it well.”

As those words were said and the notifications went off in his head he felt something change within him and checked his card to see just how much his mana and vitality had grown, having high hopes that instantly crashed to the ground. It looked like both values, as well as his regeneration rates, had all grown by thirty percent. It wasn’t nothing, especially considering the fact that he’d been under Greed’s buffs for so long he hadn’t seen any real growth to his attributes, but at the same time considering all he’d been through it felt insignificant. Even a one hundred percent increase would have felt low after that, but as things stood it was hard to say he felt the achievement had been properly rewarded.

Then again, I just got my hands on a mythic item so maybe I shouldn’t be so quick to complain.

That fact alone made what felt like an altogether weak reward significantly more worthwhile and kept him from feeling too cheated as he finished listening to the end of the speech.

“As a final gift, the same I’d give to any of my worshipers, All that the trial has is yours. You may take all of the treasures left from failed participants. When the door opens the trial won’t commence again for a full day on this planet. It should give you plenty of time to take whatever there is out. Know that all of the power left within to grant a reward has been used up, however the trial will still run. It is my hope that the people of this world will use it to train and grow, but spread that there’s nothing to be gained from it other than their own self-improvement. I’ve removed the covenant on it so its details may be shared freely, I can only hope it’s put to good use. Once again, I congratulate you trial takers.”

Wait, so if literally anyone had completed it in the past I would have been able to learn what we were dealing with ahead of time? Oh, you no good fucking awful… You want this crap thing to keep being used? I’m going to make sure that never happens.

With that the image of the god faded away, leaving him to hear the sound of a door opening behind him and letting him breathe a deep sigh of relief through the pain. He was done. They were free.

The first thing he did was grab the book, the archive, and tossed it into his bag to hide it away before turning for his exit, or at least what was supposed to be his exit.

As he saw the open door with nothing but a wall of stone behind it he couldn’t help but scream as he made his way over to it, fruitlessly punching it, not paying any mind to his broken fingers as his flesh tore against it, bleeding all the more. He wasn’t bothering putting pressure on his wound any longer, his pounding heart making his blood pour out all the faster. After everything they’d been through, everything they survived, they were still trapped.

A familiar voice exploded in his mind.

As his god was processing everything, his apostle’s survival and severe injuries the wall came down, letting Ben see the sun for the first time in months as tears began to fall from his eyes, his emotions overwhelmingly him and only being shoved away when he noticed an unexpected yet familiar face waiting for him, wide-eyed and shocked as he came out.

The horror he’d been feeling when he thought he was still trapped melted away as he realised he was really free. “I can’t tell you how good it is to see your face Abrus. Tell me Thera’s still around somewhere,” He said as he walked to the man, only to fall towards him, landing in his chest as his injured body gave out, making the great spirit scream out.

“EVERY LIGHT AND LIFE SPIRIT IN THE AREA, TO ME NOW!”

“Wait, so you’re telling me that we both almost died cause legs bruised some guy's ego?” Greed asked a few hours after they’d been treated.

They’d gotten out in the early hours of the morning but as they were being healed passerby had noticed the door open and word had spread, resulting in them both waking up to a crowd that Abrus was keeping away from them, wall erected to force them to keep their distance while any that tried to jump them were locked into the earth.

“That would be the gist of it. He’s already been put to death so neither of you can exact any revenge, but I’m less concerned about that than whatever the point of all of this is?”

He was asking in regards to the first thing Ben had asked for help with when he was well enough, a spiral ramp that the great spirit had erected around the circumference of the trial in a corkscrew shape, giving Ben access to every inch of the wall as he did after all of the items within had been pulled out and the doors shut tightly.

“A different bit of revenge,” He said as he chugged a mana potion as Greed’s numerous buffs were in place, letting him push his new level of mana to an even greater limit as he walked along the wall, looking at each enchantment and stimulating them the same way he had been to make it give them extra food.

He wasn’t sure if it would work, if the desperate gamble he’d considered before was even possible, but it was the only way he could think to try and get back at the god who’d made it, as well as ensure that nobody would have to suffer through it again, especially now that there was no reward to give.

The trial wasn’t meant to have so many parts activated at once. The magic on it was meant to be invoked floor by floor as each one was complete, but Ben was stimulating everything he saw to act, enchantments he’d never even decoded doing whatever awful thing they did, and by the time he’d made it to the sixth floor it had worked. Before the eyes of everyone around, the trial vanished into the air as all of the magic within being activated at once forced it past the power limit on that layer of reality, leaving an empty space in its place.

A satisfied grin spread out over his face as the surrounding crowd exploded at the sight, none knowing what to make of what just happened as Ben made his way down the ramp back to Abrus who let out a worried chuckle.

“You really are an interesting boy, you know that?” the great spirit said, wondering if Ben was about to suffer some sort of divine retribution so soon after gaining his freedom.

“What can I say, I really freaking hated that place. Also, the god that made it said that all the trial had was mine so I could do with it what I wanted. Well, I guess I was splitting it with Greed. Sorry if you wanted to keep it man.”

“Screw that place and good riddance,” The crab spat, getting a laugh from Ben.

“Well, do you mind if I use this land? I’ll pay you properly for it, I swear.”

“Hell legs, do whatever you want with it, I’m not going to complain.”

“Sweet. Hey Abrus, mind if I get your help with one more thing before anyone in Allfaith see’s this land up for grabs and decides it’s theirs to keep or sell?

“Ha, Ben honestly I’m just so happy to see you alive and well that so long as it isn’t too unreasonable I’ll do it.”

“I mean, considering just how powerful you are, I don’t think it’s unreasonable at least, but here’s what I’m thinking…”

Ben took the time to explain exactly what he had in mind, and in great detail too, to the great earth spirit who was listening carefully to exactly what he wanted before fulfilling the request, giving the crowd around another incredible sight as the powerful being built a cathedral then and there, raising it from the ground to end with something smaller than the trial had been, but being as glamorous as any church on earth, with a fair amount of cubes mixed into it to denote his god before he turned to the crowd of onlookers and yelled out, silencing them all before he said the only thing he needed to.

“When we beat the trial, the god who’d made it said that everything he had was ours to do with. As far as I’m concerned that includes the land, so from now on, this is being used for the church of the god Myriad. If anyone has a problem with it feel free to speak up now, but your complaints will be ignored.”

He was expecting some opposition but got none, everyone there being too impressed by the display of power that occurred to say anything in the face of it, let alone try to argue it.

Myriad basically sobbed in his head.

Ha, well just remember that the next time I do anything less than acceptable. I am a level eight sacrilege holder now after all, it’s gonna happen.

Ha, I’m glad to hear you too man. Honestly, I missed you. Now to just find-

His thought was cut off as a cloaked figure made their way to the front of the crowd and hopped the wall, not being stopped by Abrus as they ran straight at him, tackling him to the ground in their haste to get him in a tight hug, their face pressed into his chest and leaving his shirt damp.

“You idiot. Do you have any idea how worried I was this entire time,” She said, not pulling her face away. “I think I must have lost decades of my life to how scared I was.”

He wrapped his arms around her too as he laid there, feeling content and truly at peace for the first time in weeks.

“I’m back, Thera.”