「Trial - ‘Fear of the Bitter Cold’ has ended.」
With the message, Antiphus’s body, which had been frozen solid, thawed in an instant.
His flesh returned to its original, perfectly normal state, as though he had only been dreaming.
“Huuuk…….”
The breath he had been holding burst out of him, and he hurriedly sucked air back in.
Antiphus Praman.
The man called the strongest in the world outside.
He had thought there was no fear left in him.
“This…… damn it…….”
But that had not been the case.
Primal fear was something even Antiphus had never experienced before.
His entire body froze, and his whole body was seared by fire, yet there was nothing he could do.
He tried to resist with skills, clad himself in aura, and swung his sword, but nothing worked, as if he were cutting through a midday phantom.
The thought that he might die like this, unable to do anything, writhing in pain.
The helplessness that came from realizing that none of the strength he had worked for, none of his abilities, could avail him.
Taken together, it was fear.
But he had to overcome it, no matter what.
That was the path he himself had chosen.
「You have completely overcome the Fear of the Bitter Cold.」
「You have fulfilled the activation conditions for Trait - ‘Ruler’.」
The trait ‘Ruler,’ obtained as the privilege for ranking second.
Among the tens of thousands of known traits in the world of Ventair, it was called the strongest, a trait that stood at the summit.
He did not know what privilege the Supreme Heavenly Demon had received for ranking first, but at least in terms of traits, it was surely inferior to his.
Naturally so, for ‘Ruler’ was a trait aimed solely at the very peak.
If one could wield it properly, it was a perfect trait that would allow one to become the strongest in the world.
Of course, not just anyone could handle it.
Even if others had obtained it by luck, they would never have been able to take possession of it.
A ruler was one who knew no fear.
One who must not feel fear.
The moment one failed to overcome that fear and was devoured by it, one would lose all the power one had achieved and fall in an instant—a perilous ability.
It was possible only because he was Antiphus.
「Trait - ‘Ruler’ dominates the ‘Fear of the Bitter Cold’.」
「You have acquired Trait - ‘Unshaking Body’.」
「The accuracy of all skills increases.」
「You have acquired Trait - ‘Ice Attribute Imbuement’.」
「You can now imbue aura and mana with the ice attribute.」
「Ice attribute resistance greatly increases.」
「You have acquired Skill - ‘Cold Release (Lower)’.」
「By overcoming the Fear of the Bitter Cold, the skill’s grade increases.」
「Skill - ‘Cold Release (Lower)’ has changed to Skill - ‘Wave of Frost (Mid)’.」
This was the power of Ruler, which stood at the summit of all traits.
A monstrous power that dominated abilities and made them one’s own.
It could not handle a single attribute to its utmost limit like the Supreme Heavenly Demon’s ‘Ruler of Flames’ or Daphne’s ‘Ruler of Glaciers’ in the game, but it was a trait that could handle every attribute and stand above them.
In that sense, this Space of Ordeals was an unrivaled training ground for Antiphus.
After all, it presented primal fears that he could never experience under ordinary circumstances, and trials that forced him to overcome them.
It felt almost as though it understood his ability and was trying to nurture it, but that was going too far.
“Heh heh heh…… I’ve overcome the Fear of the Bitter Cold too.”
He had overcome the Fear of Flames, and now he had even overcome the Fear of the Bitter Cold.
Since they were rare, primal, and powerful fears, it meant the traits and abilities he had gained were quite extraordinary.
In other words, he was growing stronger quickly.
Of course, the trials were not over.
「Trial - ‘Fear of the Deep Sea’ begins.」
That did not mean these trials were enjoyable.
「Endure and overcome the fear of the deep sea.」
They were horrifically difficult.
That was why these were the Trials of Ordeal.
“Guuuugh…….”
By the time he had overcome the Fear of Flames, the Fear of the Bitter Cold, and even the Fear of the Deep Sea, he was already in tatters.
His body was fine, but his mind had been cut to pieces.
He had no idea how much time had passed.
It said he had overcome the fear, but in truth, he could not even clearly recognize how he had done it.
There was only one thing that had brought him this far.
An intensely powerful competitive spirit, the will never to lose.
A mighty competitive spirit that could suppress even primal terror and ultimately overcome it.
As he endured while thinking only of that, before he knew it, even the fourth trial, the Fear of the Desert, had come to an end.
「Trial - ‘Fear of the Desert’ has ended.」
Without even having the presence of mind to check the message, he collapsed onto the floor.
The fourth trial, the Fear of the Desert.
Even so, it had been somewhat better.
Compared to the preceding fears of flames, bitter cold, and the deep sea, the pain of having all the moisture drained from his body while sand and insects crawled over him was bearable enough.
Of course, regardless of what he thought, his mind was reeling and no strength would enter his body.
「You have successfully cleared the Space of Ordeals.」
At the same time as he overcame the fourth trial, the Fear of the Desert, the message of success finally appeared.
“F-finally…….”
Antiphus rejoiced, uttering words unlike himself.
“It’s over… I definitely, definitely won.”
Even for him, who possessed the Ruler trait, this had been such terror and pain.
It was only fortunate that he had a competitive spirit strong enough to surpass that fear. If someone else had entered, they surely would have suffered several times more than he had—or perhaps even failed the trials.
Thus Antiphus looked upon the collapsing Space of Ordeals with certainty and joy.
“Supreme Heavenly Demon. No matter who you are, there is no way you have no fear.”
A trial concerning fear and the overcoming of it.
In a sense, it was a field that could be called Antiphus’s specialty, but who could he possibly complain to about that?
“So do not make the excuse that you were unlucky.”
The space shattered, and his vision sank into darkness.
「The Space of Ordeals is collapsing.」
The Supreme Heavenly Demon was probably having quite a hard time even in the Space of Infinity.
He did not know how much time had passed, but once he joined them, he would surely play a major role and provide help.
As he thought that, the space completely collapsed. Before his still-darkened vision returned, his hearing recovered first, and sounds reached him.
As expected, the noise of fierce combat, as if they were fighting intensely.
And then.
“Advance! Advance!”
The cries of knights filled with strength.
Kwaaaang—!
Explosions continued to ring out from every direction without pause.
Just as he began to think that the situation seemed somewhat different from what he had expected, his vision started to return.
The first thing that entered his eyes was pillars of fire soaring up from every direction. The sight of knights merrily slaughtering monsters as they pushed forward.
And then.
“…….”
An unidentified reaper displaying an overwhelming presence at the center.
And a man in splendid attire standing beneath it.
“Supreme Heavenly Demon……!”
He had cleared the Space of Ordeals before Antiphus and come out first, and was now flaunting his presence even in the Space of Infinity.
In a state that looked far too intact, unlike Antiphus, who was swaying on his knees.
What that meant was clear.
Defeat.
He had lost again.
The Supreme Heavenly Demon won, and he lost.
This could not be allowed to become natural.
Did he not know better than anyone that if it repeated enough times, even he himself would start by assuming he would lose?
And so, with the fury in his heart, he tried to raise his sword—but in truth, there were not even many monsters left.
“Hio Pavlenko!”
“The great guardian knight of Verden!”
As Hio Pavlenko personally cut down the last monster’s neck, the conquest of Abyss’s 53rd floor came to an end.
「The 53rd floor sinks into an unfathomably deep abyss.」
The one who had emerged first from the Space of Ordeals was Hio Pavlenko.
Thus, the one who drew the most attention was also Hio Pavlenko.
The name everyone was shouting was likewise Hio Pavlenko.
Yet there was not the slightest trace of joy on Hio Pavlenko’s face.
That made Antiphus even angrier.
「The floor is collapsing.」
Even until the moment they returned.
It displeased him that, while everyone chanted his name and cheered, Hio was staring at nothing more than the corpses of monsters strewn across the floor.
It displeased him that even after they left the Abyss, Hio exchanged a few words with Vitalianus and then simply flew away.
It displeased him that on the way back to the imperial capital, everyone talked about Hio Pavlenko.
Even in that situation, Antiphus had to participate in the triumphal procession for fame points, while Hio Pavlenko did not even take part in such things and acted lofty. That displeased him too.
Even so, Hio Pavlenko’s name still rang out from place to place, and that was unbearably displeasing.
And so, in the middle of the triumphal procession where only Hio’s name could be heard, Antiphus vowed once more.
Next time, without fail.
No matter what it took, he would win.
He had gained much from this Space of Ordeals as well, so he would make it completely his own and surpass the Supreme Heavenly Demon.
That was the path of the ruler as Antiphus knew it.
* * *
“So. How did it feel to work with the continent’s most elite expeditionary force?”
At Melissa’s question, Claire shook her head from side to side.
“To be honest, it felt like there was no place for me there.”
Only a few days had passed since the conquest ended, yet what had happened back then felt like something from the distant past.
That was how much of a different world their battle had belonged to.
And what had Claire herself done there?
She had merely been protected.
“Of course it would still be too much for you. Didn’t you say it’s only been a year since you graduated from the Academy?”
“Ah, I haven’t graduated yet.”
“Hm?”
“I mean, it’s been a year since I enrolled, not since I graduated……”
“……I see. In any case, you’re doing well, so there’s no need to be too discouraged.”
Melissa comforted her like that, but Claire was not particularly discouraged.
She had simply felt it once again.
Just what it was that she was aiming for.
She had reached a place where she could see it with her own eyes, but standing beside it was still unimaginably high and terribly far away.
“So, how did it feel to see your goal up close in person?”
“……Pardon?”
“No need to pretend you don’t know. You joined the Royal Knights because you wanted to see the guardian knight, didn’t you?”
“N-no, it’s not necessarily that…… How did you know……?”
“You were making it that obvious. How could I not? Anyway, how did it feel? Incredible, wasn’t it?”
At Melissa’s question, the scene from several days ago surfaced in Claire’s mind.
The overwhelming sight of him sweeping away monsters the moment he emerged from the Space of Ordeals.
That powerful strength with which he commanded the reaper and settled everything so easily.
“Yes. He was incredible.”
An expeditionary force gathered only from renowned powerhouses of the empire and the continent.
And even among them, overwhelming strength.
That was the path she wanted to walk, her goal.
“Don’t tell me you’ve given up.”
At Melissa’s question, Claire’s head snapped up.
“Of course not.”
Facing those red eyes, burning even more fiercely than before, Melissa smiled, an uncommon sight for her.
When she looked at Claire, she felt as though even she might be infected by that blazing passion.
“So this is why Lord Vitalianus brought you along.”
Perhaps Vitalianus had abruptly brought Claire along as if to say that they should watch this girl who worked so hard and learn something from her.
As Melissa muttered that, Claire, who had been fidgeting, carefully opened her mouth.
“Um…… More importantly, there’s something I’d like to ask.”
“Go ahead.”
“Hio…… no, where exactly is the guardian knight? He left right after the conquest and hasn’t returned to the imperial palace……”
“Do you want to see him?”
“What? No! No! It’s not like that. I was just curious…… is all!”
Melissa’s faint smile deepened a little.
To think she would get such a fresh reaction within an order of knights full of people who were either missing a screw or stiff as stone.
“Unfortunately, no one knows the guardian knight’s location. He’s always busy somewhere.”
“Ah…….”
“Well, perhaps His Majesty the Emperor or Lord Vitalianus might know. Do you want to ask them yourself?”
“N-nope! It’s fine! Then I’ll be off to train now!”
Claire scurried away before she could be teased any further.
Melissa’s blue eyes followed Claire’s back.
“……Claire, huh.”
The faint smile that had lingered there vanished, and her expression settled back into its usual coldness.
In accordance with it, her two blue eyes also sank deep.
There was one reason she was watching Claire so closely.
“She’s a monster.”
It was because Melissa had seen Claire’s monstrous talent at the Abyss Gate—the place they had begun to call the Demon Realm.
What had Claire accomplished with that casual bit of advice Melissa had offered in passing?
Put your heart into your skill.
She had told her to load her emotions into the fire, but she had not expected much.
Yet what Claire had done immediately afterward was certainly……
“This.”
Will.
“I’ll have to work harder too.”
The foundational stage of Will.
Will—an ability even Melissa herself had not yet properly comprehended.
A technique of the strongest, said to be completed only when one could perfectly control the body, fully govern the mind, and furthermore look into one’s own soul.
Of course, it was still insignificant for now, but the important thing was Claire’s terrifying speed of growth.
If she kept growing like this, the day she stood shoulder to shoulder with Melissa might not be very far off.
And so Melissa, too, moved her feet after Claire.
Perhaps this was.
“Claire, let’s go together.”
“Y-yes?”
The spark of change that Vitalianus had wished for.
Its beginning.