Chapter 143: Side Effect
Back in the trial tower, William was being assaulted by thousands of white lights. His Earth Barrier had shattered for the fifth time, and his Absorption Arrays had broken long ago.
He had just reached floor 90, but things weren’t looking good. His Forcefield was covered in small spiderweb cracks and wouldn’t last much longer, leaving William with only his Hard Skin Talent to defend with the moment it broke on the 91st floor.
Just before the first white light hit his body, the Tribulation Transcendence Protective Amulet activated, shielding him from a group of white lights that battered the veil of Spirit Qi like raindrops during a stormy night.
The Amulet only lasted until the 94th floor before exhausting all of its energy, lasting around three hours. His Forcefield had repaired slightly, but it barely lasted another two floors before once again shattering like glass.
William’s eyes became fierce as he slashed with his sword to defend against the white lights. His Swords Talent was only D Rank, but it was more than enough for him to execute many swift strikes that clashed with four white lights at random.
This action wasn’t made with pure skill, rather luck. The white lights were much too fast for him to react normally, but there were so many that even swinging at random should have some effect.
The white lights that William slashed dissipated into thin air, reducing the number of white lights targeting him by four. As he continued to slash with his sword, a torrent of white lights targeted his back and arms, making William grit his teeth as he endured the pain.
Was I supposed to destroy these things with physical attacks the entire time? William had tried using Magic against the lights, but they were seemingly invincible, so he decided to save his Mana. Who would’ve known that this trial of resistance was also a test of swordsmanship?
His sword only struck a single white light on the next pass, but a victory was a victory. His Hard Skin seemed to be keeping up with the damage of the current strength of the white lights and each injury was healing at a rapid pace with the help of his natural regeneration.
There was one problem, however.
Each floor took an entire hour to complete, meaning William had been awake for over two days straight, battling from floor 51 to 96 with the white lights.
This was way too much for a normal human!
William didn’t have to wonder how he managed to stay awake this long, considering he had a Sleep Resistance Talent, but even that seemed to have a limit. He also discovered that he was becoming incredibly hungry.
While he was safely being defended by the Forcefield and Earth Barriers between floors 60 and 80, he had eaten a few times, but he hadn’t eaten since then.
Maintaining his Earth Barriers had become too difficult past that point, so William couldn’t afford to cook another meal, and the Iron Stomach Pills would only stave off his hunger and reinforce his internal organs for a few days. It wasn’t meant to be eaten for food, rather as a defensive measure.
He racked his brain for a solution. How could he die to hunger after coming so far?
Looking at his hands, William remembered the fourteen Space Rings he had taken from the group of Cultivators during the Array Trial. While they were locked by a series of Advanced Arrays, one even made by an Array Master with the Space Element, William was now incredibly talented with Arrays and could crack them open with a glance.
The only reason he hadn’t done so before was to limit the number of future enemies he might have. If it was anything like the Rhio Ancient Family, there was probably a token or something contained within that would reveal his location the moment the Space Ring was opened.
There was no time to think about that, and he already had a ton of enemies that were probably waiting for him to exit the trial tower. He disabled the Advanced Array in a few seconds while enduring attacks from the white lights and began to search its contents.
There were a good number of valuable items inside, almost comparable to the old Space Mage Fermus’s Space Ring, but William didn’t have time to check all of that. Instead, he specifically focused his search on looking for medicinal herbs, pills, or prepared meals.
Perfect! A Tier 3 Saturation Pill! According to William’s Alchemy Talent knowledge, this pill’s effects should keep a normal person feeling full for at least 6 months!
He immediately popped the yellow pill in his mouth, the saturation taking effect immediately. His quaking stomach calmed down and his hunger dissipated in a matter of moments. Even better, the aftertaste seemed to have been adjusted from its usual bitter to sweet. It seemed the Cultivator that purchased these pills couldn’t handle the taste of bitter foods.
With his hunger problem dealt with, William did his best to stay awake for a few more hours. He wanted to upgrade his Sleep Resistance Talent, but the trial creator was watching him, so he couldn’t upgrade the Talent right now.
The white lights continued to increase in strength and number, William’s blood splattering on the platform as they cut into his skin and threatened to invade his body.
His Regeneration Talent instantly healed all of the wounds, but his cells working overtime to recover from the damage made William feel even more exhausted.
He tried to find another miraculous item within the Cultivator’s Space Rings, but there wasn’t anything useful this time. There was no choice but to continue enduring the attacks and hope that he survived until the end.
-Your Regeneration Talent has triggered a side effect: +1 Age
William fought to keep his eyes open as a System Message appeared in his vision, but it was too blurry, and he couldn’t read it. He realized he wouldn’t make it, so he gave a last order to Atticus to remain safe and not to reveal itself.
Don’t worry little buddy. This is a trial; I won’t die for real. He consoled the rat snake in his mind as a slight smile crept on his face. This would be his first time experiencing death, even if he would be asleep for most of it.
He sat down while the more blood splattered on the platform, his head lulling despite the constant pain of being attacked by tiny white lights that somewhat reminded William of fireflies. A pool of blood was forming at his feet, pouring over one side of the platform and dripping on the floors below.
His eyelids hovered for a few seconds, before his body slumped to the floor and his eyes closed. The white lights continued to pelt the back of his unconscious body as the platform reached floor 98.
-Your Regeneration Talent has triggered a side effect: +1 Age
-Your Regeneration Talent has triggered a side effect: +1 Age
-Your Regeneration Talent has triggered a side effect: +1 Age
-Your Regeneration Talent has triggered a side effect: +1 Age
-Your Regeneration Talent has triggered a side effect: +1 Age
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