Chapter 389: Five Doors of the Elemental Trial

"Done."

Marcus stood over the fallen body of the Stone Grunt Knight Guard, studying it for a moment in silence. The knight itself had not been weak. On the contrary, its durability and recovery abilities were impressive. The real problem was that his burst skills were simply too overwhelming, and the knight had completely misjudged what it was facing. By the time it realized the danger, half its health had already vanished.

Offense, as always, proved to be the best defense.

Of course, Marcus knew better than to let victory inflate his confidence. His strongest abilities were now all on cooldown. If another knight appeared at this moment, even one weaker than the previous opponent, things could quickly become troublesome without his trump cards available. The same principle applied on a larger scale. In Guild Wars or Nation Wars, once his major skills were spent, sheer numbers alone could bury him under endless attacks.

Still, considering his defensive capabilities, bringing him down would never be easy.

Pushing those thoughts aside, Marcus began collecting the battlefield’s rewards. He swept through the fallen Stone Grunt Spearmen and Sorcerers first, only to discover that none of them had dropped Golden equipment.

"Trash mobs."

He shook his head with mild disappointment before heading toward the knight’s corpse. As usual, he started with Gathering.

Ding!

[Congratulations, player Stonehaven. You have obtained one unit of Demon-Repelling Holy Water. Gathering proficiency increased.]

—

Demon-Repelling Holy Water: Intermediate item. Prevents Dark-type monsters, including Demonic, Undead, and Death-aligned enemies up to 20 levels above the player, from actively attacking. 3 uses remaining. Each use lasts 1 hour.

—

Ding!

[Congratulations, player Stonehaven. You have obtained two pieces of Light Stone Ore. Gathering proficiency increased.]

—

Light Stone Ore: Intermediate forging material infused with Light elemental energy. Suitable for crafting weapons and equipment with strong Light attributes.

—

"Not bad."

Nothing particularly rare, but respectable enough. After all, the knight had only been Silver-tier.

Marcus examined the remaining drops carefully. Alongside two Dreamland Gems, the knight had left behind two pieces of Golden equipment: a Cross Hammer and a Light Stone Chainmail.

Both were clearly knight-class gear.

After using Identification, he confirmed that the stats were excellent, though tailored toward recovery-type builds focused on healing and support. They held little value for his aggressive combat style.

Without hesitation, Marcus stored the items in his inventory.

One last object remained on the ground.

A black scroll.

"A skill scroll?"

Curiosity stirred as he picked it up and checked the description.

—

Key to Level Four of the Mystic Turtle’s Tomb: Recite the incantation recorded on this scroll to open the entrance to Level Four and gain access.

—

"So it’s a key."

That explained the dark stone door.

Still protected by his remaining defensive buffs, Marcus wasted no time. He recalled his combat pets, unfolded the scroll, and carefully recited the incantation written across its surface.

A low hum filled the air.

The black scroll suddenly glowed with eerie dark light, slipped free from his hand, and drifted toward the sealed stone door. With a heavy tremor, it embedded itself into the center of the door.

Creak...

Stone ground against stone as the massive door slowly opened. Beyond it, a swirling screen of black light rotated endlessly, like a gateway into another world.

The path forward had revealed itself.

"Let’s go."

Marcus signaled Pebble and his two Sea Demon Souls before stepping into the spinning light. The moment he crossed the threshold, the surrounding environment shifted completely.

A long, straight passage stretched ahead, constructed from enormous blocks of stone. Bright lights embedded along the walls illuminated the tunnel clearly from end to end. No monsters appeared, and no ambush followed.

Marcus exhaled cautiously.

"Please don’t be another maze."

The first level of the Mystic Turtle’s Tomb had been a nightmare of twisting corridors. Thankfully, things were different now. With the Seven-Colored Divine Eagle at Level 25, he could perceive everything within a fifty-meter radius, even detecting hidden paths through solid walls unless they were magically sealed.

"Seven-Colored Divine Eagle."

He summoned the bird immediately.

The radiant eagle appeared beside him, feathers shimmering with rainbow-colored light. As Marcus looked at it, he noticed something new. After the previous battle, it had leveled again. Its detection range had increased to fifty-two meters.

Not bad progress.

He checked his own experience bar next. Despite defeating the knight and clearing dozens of mobs, his progress toward Level 50 had only reached forty percent. He still needed another fifty-eight percent to level up.

"Ugh."

The grind was real.

Still, when Marcus scanned both sides of the passage through the eagle’s enhanced perception, he found nothing but solid darkness. No branching paths. No hidden chambers.

At least this level was mercifully straightforward.

"Move out."

He nudged Blackie forward. Hooves echoed rhythmically against the stone floor as they advanced deeper into the passage.

After roughly a hundred meters, the tunnel opened into a large hall flooded with bright light. On the opposite side stood five massive stone doors, each glowing with a distinct color: gold, green, blue, red, and yellow.

Marcus slowed his approach, studying the room carefully.

"What’s this supposed to be?"

Above the doors, two large words were carved into the stone wall.

Elemental Trial.

The meaning became obvious almost immediately. The golden door bore the character for Metal. The green door represented Wood. The blue door was Water. The red door symbolized Fire. The yellow door marked Earth.

Five elements, five trials.

To proceed, he would have to choose one.

"Damn... that’s brutal."

Marcus understood the design instantly. This was clearly intended to divide teams. In a guild or mercenary party, each member would enter the trial matching their highest elemental resistance, minimizing damage while maximizing survival chances.

He stepped closer, reading the instructions carved beside each doorway. The rule was simple: higher elemental resistance meant less damage taken during the trial inside.

Marcus opened his status window.

Water resistance: 180%.

The choice made itself.

"Water it is."

He glanced at the Seven-Colored Divine Eagle, which was happily perched atop Blackie’s head, hopping slightly as if excited by the glowing surroundings.

"Alright, little eagle. We’re going through the Water door together."

He decided not to recall it. As long as the eagle remained within five meters of him, it would not receive damage. Even though it was only Level 26 and far weaker than Lyanna or Camillo in combat, it was paradoxically his safest companion to bring along.

Still, Marcus refused to be careless.

He drank a Super Health Potion, feeling vitality surge back through his body, then advanced with Pebble, his two Sea Demon Souls, and the eagle toward the blue stone door.

Even with 180% Water resistance, he knew better than to assume immunity. Dominion’s damage calculations never worked that way.

If an attack carried 400 points of bonus Water damage:

0% resistance meant taking 800 damage.

100% resistance reduced it to 400 damage.

200% resistance lowered it further to 200 damage.

Resistance reduced harm, but it never erased danger entirely.

With that understanding firmly in mind, Marcus stepped through the Water door and accepted the Elemental Trial.