After several minutes of descending through the smooth passage, the corridor opened, not into another cavern, but into a vast, open space bathed in sunlight.
Lassim stepped out onto what looked like a field of softly swaying grass, but was then suddenly submerged up to his ankles under crystal-clear water that sent a ripple that would’ve stretched out to as far as the eye could see.
This chapter is updat𝙚d by freeweɓnovel.cøm.
Yet, the ripple only made it about a meter away from him before the water forcibly stilled itself and returned to being nearly invisible. Had he not been standing in it, he would not even have noticed. The water itself was odd in that way as well as it was practically invisible from his senses.
He could see that it was there, touching him, but it felt almost glass-like and not like the water mana he was used to.
Lifting his head to see above him, a yellow sun beamed down with its warm yellowish rays filtering through the water and casting dappled patterns of light across the submerged landscape. Once more, perfectly refracting through the water like crystal or glass as if it wasn’t there at all.
The field was eerily beautiful, the grass moving gently with the currents, giving the entire area a serene, almost dreamlike quality.
The water was so clear that Lassim could see every detail of the field beneath him, from the delicate blades of grass to the small fish darting between them. But the tranquil setting did nothing to ease the tension that gripped his heart.
In the center of the field, partially submerged in the water, was a massive eel. Its body was long and sinuous, easily over a hundred feet in length, covered in shimmering, crystalline scales that reflected the sunlight in a dazzling array of rainbow colors.
Its eyes glowed with a cold, calculating intelligence, and as it moved, the water around it didn’t ripple at all despite its undulating movements..
The Crystal Eel raised its head slightly, its gaze locking onto Lassim as he entered the field and disturbed its waters.
The creature’s presence suddenly filled the space with an almost palpable sense of danger, but before Lassim could formulate a plan, the eel suddenly vanished. It was as if the creature had melted into the water, its form dissolving into the surrounding liquid without a trace.
Even his spirit sense, which had always been reliable, failed to detect its presence at all.
The water around Lassim remained perfectly still all around and the surface where it disappeared was undisturbed as though the eel had never been there.
Lassim’s eyes narrowed in suspicion as he scanned the area, his muscles tensing in anticipation. He knew the eel was still there, somewhere, watching him as he could feel its presence almost breathing down his neck. The silence and stillness of everything was unnerving.
And then, without seemingly any warning, the eel struck.
A surge of water erupted beneath him, the eel’s massive body crashing into him from the front with the force of a boulder rolling down a hill.
Lassim barely had time to react as he was ejected backward, his halberd spinning out of his grasp as he landed spread on his back with a splash and struggled to stand back up and regain his footing.
His chest bled slightly as the eel’s teeth managed to slice dig into his front as it struck him. The blood dirtied the crystal clear water slightly before dispersing unnaturally without him noticing.
Lifting his head out of the water to push himself up, he was able to barely catch sight of the eel’s scales shimmering briefly in the sunlight before it vanished once more. Its form disappearing like liquid into the still water.
Lassim scrambled to his feet, wicking the excess water from his sect uniform and activating his newly acquired [Life Stream] technique to stop the bleeding from his chest.
His mind raced to make sense of the situation. "[How is it doing this?]" he thought.
He recalled the previous attacks—each time, the water had remained perfectly still, as if nothing had happened. "[Even when I move, I barely cause a ripple.]"
Mari chimed in, "[The eel must be using the water to cloak itself, somehow it’s controlling the surface with such precision and skill that it hides itself completely with the reflected light.]"
The eel struck again, interrupting their exchange, its body a blur of motion as it lashed out from the water.
Lassim managed to dodge this time at the last second, his sense of danger kicking in as he rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the creature’s sharp teeth.
He swung his halberd in a wide arc, but the blade passed through nothing but empty water, the eel already vanished as if it was an illusion by the time he reacted.
Lassim gritted his teeth as he was frustrated by the lack of ability to control the water mana in the crystal clear water around him. It seemed like it was almost made of a different kind of material, and to defeat the Crystal Eel he needed to find a way to disrupt the eel’s control over the water, to force it out of hiding.
Lassim’s eyes narrowed as an idea struck him. "[Maybe lightning will force it out,]" he thought, gripping his halberd tightly.
He channeled his divine lightning mana into the polearm, feeling it hum with power.
"Let’s see how you like this!" He shouted as he thrust the end of the weapon into the water like a guardsmen banging his spear against the ground in salute.
Sending outward a charged pulse of lightning mana rippling through the liquid, the water around him crackled with electricity with bright arcs dancing across the surface.
For a split second, he watched, hoping for the eel to reveal itself. But the water stilled itself once more, the energy dissipating harmlessly. The eel remained hidden, most likely its crystalline scales deflecting the lightning with ease.
"So much for that idea," Lassim muttered, frustration bubbling up as he realized he’d need to try something else.
As Lassim pondered his options, something clicked in his mind. "The eel’s relying on the stillness of the water," he realized, his eyes narrowing. "Its illusions, its ability to stay hidden... It’s all about keeping the surface perfect and glassy. If I can disrupt that stillness, create enough turbulence, I might be able to force it to show itself so I can attack it."
A plan began to form, and Lassim wasted no time putting it into action. He focused his water mana, channeling it along the blade of his halberd, condensing it tightly. Then, nearly at the same time, plasmafied the internal channel with thick lightning mana.
With a swift activation of [Hydroburst], Lassim watched to see how the eel would react. The first burst was smaller than the usual explosions he was capable of, as it was just a test, and the surface trembled, rippling slightly as the force of the burst disrupted the stillness.
For a brief moment, Lassim caught a glimpse of shimmering scales, the eel’s form flickering in and out of visibility. "[Got you,]" he thought as he grinned in the direction where the creature disappeared again.
Encouraged, Lassim intensified his efforts. He unleashed another [Hydroburst], stronger and more focused on covering a larger area this time.
The water shook violently, ripples spreading in all directions as the surface broke apart. The eel reappeared, its body twisting and writhing as it struggled to maintain its invisibility.
"The more I disrupt the water, the harder it is for you to hide! Isn’t it?" He challenged as he jumped closer to the eel’s location before it disappeared.
The eel hissed in frustration, its control over the water slipping as Lassim continued bombarding the field with [Hydroburst]s.
Each burst sent waves crashing through the water, turning the once-calm surface into a chaotic mess. The eel’s form became more visible, its shimmering scales no longer fully hidden by the illusion as he moved closer and closer.
"[Just a little more and I’ll be in range to strike it down,]" Lassim thought.
He could see the creature clearly now as he kept activating the [Hydroburst] technique in a rapid fire, its body writhing in agitation as it tried to force the surface of the water back into submission.
"[Next one should do it,]" Lassim thought, gathering his mana for one final, massive [Hydroburst]. He focused all of his energy into a single point, feeling the halberd in his grip begin to churn violently as the pressure built.
With a final, powerful surge, Lassim released the [Hydroburst].
**BOOM**
The force of the explosion sent shockwaves through the entire field, the water erupting in a massive wave that crashed down with such intensity it shattered the eel’s control completely and drenched its scales.
The creature’s body was also flung out of the water into the air, its shimmering scales fully exposed as it was thrown through the air.
"[Now!]" Lassim thought, not wasting a second.
He charged forward, his halberd glowing with a bright, azure and violet light as he prepared to strike with one more [Hydroburst].
The eel itself was dazed and disoriented from the previous impact and could do little to defend itself as Lassim brought his weapon down in a powerful arc.
The halberd’s blade cut through the air with a sharp whistle like a kettle screeching as it made contact with the Crystal Eel’s body just behind its head. It exploded the eel in half, slicing through the eel’s crystalline scales with ease.
The creature didn’t even have the ability to let out one final desperate cry as Lassim’s attack severed its head from its body. Its life and innards spilling out into the now-turbulent water.
As if in response to his victory, a soft, yellow glow appeared from the eel’s body as it shattered into millions of light fragments like the other defeated guardians.
Then, up from beneath the surface of the water where the eel had fallen, Lassim watched as a familiar small, luminous fragment floated to the surface. Its light grew brighter as it approached.
He reached out and took the fragment in his hand, feeling a familiar tug of the fragment trying to connect and merge with the others as he held it.
The fragment was the third piece of the pearl, the third key to unlocking the final reward of the trial.
"Three down," Lassim muttered, slipping the fragment into his magic pouch. "One to go."
With a final glance at the now slowly stilling waters of the field, Lassim turned and made his way back to the central arena of pathways. The anticipation building as he prepared to face the fourth and final guardian.