Erik's attention was drawn to the far end of the room, where a holographic console flickered, casting dancing shadows on the figure seated behind it.
It was another examiner, a woman whose sharp eyes glinted with an unspoken challenge. The soft glow from the console illuminated her features, giving her an ethereal look with blue and purple hues.
"Erik Kay," she stated, more than asked, her voice carrying the ring of authority.
"Yes, that's me," he responded, stepping closer to her console.
Her features seemed to light up with amusement. "Well, Mr. Kay, I've heard a lot about your progress so far," she said, her tone detached but curious. "Let's see if you can keep up the momentum."
She sat up straight and expertly manipulated the holographic controls, explaining the rules. Erik absorbed every word she said, creating an expectant silence in the room.
"In this room," she started, her gaze never leaving Erik, "is a chest locked by a complex mechanism involving an array of buttons, levers, and symbols. Your task is to unlock the chest and retrieve the artifact it contains."
Erik stood there as a holographic image of the chest appeared before the examiner, revealing its intricate design. "Note," she continued, "there is a correct sequence of actions to unlock the chest. A wrong step could reset the mechanism or, worse, lock it permanently."
Erik's heart quickened with anticipation as the gravity of her words settled in the room. Nonetheless, he held the examiner's gaze, nodding confidently for her to proceed.
"To aid you in your task," she continued, "you'll find clues scattered around the room. These may come in different forms: inscriptions, paintings, objects, and even seemingly random items. It's your job to piece together these hints and deduce the correct sequence."
Her gaze was analyzing Erik's response. "Time is of the essence, but haste often leads to mistakes. Observe, analyze, experiment, and think critically. This is not a test of speed, but a test of your problem-solving skills."
She leaned back in her chair after finishing her explanation. "You may begin when you're ready, Mr. Kay, but keep in mind you have only one hour, Good luck."
As her words hung in the air, the room fell silent once more, leaving Erik alone with his thoughts and the impending challenge.
Erik redirected his gaze to the room with a quick nod, his eyes filled with determination. The conversation with the examiner had been brief, but it had sparked a fierce determination within him. He was prepared to take on the challenge and prove his worth.
Erik activated Hais' brain crystal power by channeling mana through his neural links. The change was subtle, with a hardly perceptible energy shift, but it altered his perception. Erik felt as if he had stepped outside of time into a realm of tranquility where every moment could be explored with surgical precision.
The examiner's blink seemed to last forever, and dust motes suspended in a shaft of light from the ceiling appeared frozen in mid-air.
The room remained unchanged for any observer, with the holographic chest softly flickering as before.
However, time had stopped for Erik, and he found himself in a calm, undisturbed sea devoid of currents or waves.
Time was no longer an unyielding river but a vast playground of possibilities where each moment could be dissected precisely.
A faint thrum pulsed through Erik, the echo of his quickened cognition. The brain crystal's power turned his mind into a supercomputer, processing information at staggering speeds. It was like seeing a previously blurry image in high definition, with Erik being the sole beneficiary of this enhanced perception.
Time was no longer a limitation but rather a valuable asset. Erik could solve the puzzle that lay before him thanks to Hais' brain crystal power.
The first step was to collect the clues scattered throughout the room, hidden within seemingly random symbols and texts.
Erik's cognitive faculties were heightened, and his eyes darted around the room, hyper-observant and ready to devour any detail that could help him unlock the chest.
Erik's gaze swept over the intricate chest design, honed to detect the smallest nuances.
It wasn't just any old container but a work of art. The surface glistened in the light, and the sturdy material from which it was made remained a mystery to Erik, reflecting an array of enticing blues and purples.
Despite its appearance as a traditional treasure chest, it was far from archaic. It had a distinct futuristic quality, almost alien in its elegance. The edges were smooth and seamless, as if the entire chest was made of a single piece of this iridescent metal.
The front of the chest was adorned with twenty buttons, each etched with a different symbol. These symbols depicted celestial bodies such as stars, moons, and planets and images of mythological creatures from ancient times.
They appeared to glow from within, bathed in a light that added to the mysterious aura of the chest.
Several levers flanked the buttons, each with its intricate symbol. The levers were seamlessly integrated into the design of the chest, their symbols as cryptic and incomprehensible as those on the buttons. Each lever, button, and symbol combined form a complex locking mechanism to protect the valuable artifact hidden within the chest.
Erik compared the chest to an unspoken language, with the symbols serving as words and the sequence of actions serving as sentences. He imagined himself as a linguist tasked with deciphering this cryptic language using the room's features as a dictionary.
Erik stepped away from the chest, his gaze shifting to the surroundings. The room appeared ordinary at first glance, but he knew better than to trust first impressions, especially under Hais' brain crystal power's effects.
Erik was determined to find all vital clues hidden in seemingly insignificant corners. His gaze scanned the room methodically, like a high-end scanner, leaving no nook or cranny unchecked.
He was well aware that unlocking the chest and revealing whatever was hidden within would necessitate speed, precision, insight, and astute problem-solving.
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