Much to my disappointment, none of the ceremony goers knew a thing about what happened to Dr. Walter’s body after that bizarre ritual. The most information I got from it was that I was blessed or some other such nonsense - nothing I didn’t already know based on the title’s descriptions. I was going to find that woman who lit me on fire and see if she knew anything else, but that plan got interrupted by the arrival of the Aspirants.

  A half dozen disheveled and tired-looking men and women stormed the grounds with no heed for their apparent lives or safety. Just a casual glance told me that these poor individuals had been pushed hard on their journey here. Their eyes looked lost and hollow, and the once pristine equipment that they wore was covered in mud and other foliage. They looked more like zombies than humans at this point, yet they still attacked the villagers with admirable gusto.

  Their opponents, unsurprisingly, didn’t take this frontal assault lying down, but I will hand it to the Aspirants, they weren’t slaughtered wholesale like I thought they would be. Well, two among their rank did parish without much of a fight. I vaguely recall them being in the same bunker that I was in when I was infiltrating their ranks, so it came as no surprise that they died so fast, but what I couldn’t understand was why they chose to rush to their demise without a second of hesitation.

  “It is because of Eric, my Host,” Noe answered, “They fear him more than they fear the prospect of death.”

  It was a rhetorical question, Noe, I’m not an idiot.

  “But you did not ask a question, dear Walter, but rather a statement. Are you sure that near-death experience did not impair your cognitive abilities?”

  I rolled my eyes. It was good to see that Noe still retained her low-key snark. Ha ha, Noe. But if they’re afraid of Eric more than certain death, then shit, he must have really lost it after accepting that Sponsorship.

  “All indications I have on file about the Sponsorship Program lean toward that conclusion, my Host. Mortal minds and egos do not integrate well with the divine, especially this early on in the Ascension process. The Aspirants’ own wills can be easily superseded by the will of a god.”

  No wonder Jae-Hyun warned us about taking these deals; you’re all but signing away your freedom if you accept one unless they really like you. But speaking of gods, is there anything from Molly and Big Bob on the identity of this mysterious Sponsor?

  “Negative, my Host. I have heard nothing so far, but your friends are trustworthy individuals, they will let you know when they have the information.”

  Not if they’re busy with more… I shuddered and quickly purged those images out of my mind. Big Bob’s flabby belly next to Molly’s tendrils of hair, not to mention the kinds of machines my friend could create… I shook my head. Never mind, it’s not like it matters now. I have a feeling that this Trial will be over sooner rather than later.

  I watched on as the remaining squad of Aspirants fought for their lives. There was an even mix of melee and ranged combatants in this squad of five, and although it was clear from their slightly stilted coordination that they were not used to fighting as a team, they did an admirable job holding their ground. The lead individual, a hulking woman who was at least 7 and a half feet tall, was somehow causing the villagers to focus their attention solely on her if she stepped within about a six or seven-meter radius of her. Her skin seemed to glow a faint silver whenever an attack would land on her, and her wicked counters seemed strong, albeit a bit slow.

  However, she didn’t need to do the actual damage, and the woman was more mobile than I had anticipated. She must have specced quite a lot of points into dexterity along with her durability because she would move to intercept anyone outside of her agro radius as needed. It was just a pity that although she took minimal damage from the retaliation of the villagers, she was not unharmed. The woman would chug a potion every now and then to alleviate the worst of the damage, but it was clear that she wouldn’t be able to last for much longer under the relentless assault, especially since they didn’t have a dedicated healer in the bunch.

  The other four were faring a lot better, given the admirable job of their comrade, but that was only on the condition that the tank of the group didn’t falter. Worse still was the imbalance of their party composition. Three of the remaining four Aspirants had stealth or saboteur classes - perhaps that was why they were able to survive till the end - and although they peppered the villagers with daggers and needles, the actual damage they inflicted was minimal to practically nonexistent. The poor dude who mainly used poisons was essentially useless, and the miasma of toxins he released did more to hinder his friends than the villagers.

  To be fair, these Aspirants did adapt well enough, having given up offense completely and instead moved to assist the tank in her role. They would try to slow down or stifle especially strong attacks before they could reach the large woman, while others went for the eyes or joints in the villagers in a futile attempt to slow the foe down as much as they could. All of that meant that most of the offensive abilities of this party were left to the last individual, some kind of magic user.

  This poor girl was materializing shards of a pitch-black substance that kind of looked like obsidian and using that as a weapon. The tiny shards, about a few dozen of them in total, danced to her will as they cut and pierced anything that tried to get too close, but every now and then, she would lose a shard or two from the force of her strikes. From the scowl she gave each time that happened, I could only assume that those things were either a limited resource, or they were very costly to remake, but either way, they were effective. It was true that the Aspirants wouldn’t survive this ordeal, but at the same time, it would only be a matter of time before the first casualty among the villagers appeared.

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  I frowned and gripped my bone saw. I should help out. No sense in letting my future allies suffer.

  “I believe that is what Eric wishes for you to do, my Host,” Noe warned, “Your main opponent is planning something, and I must advise caution before we know what he is up to.”

  I saw the wounds on the villagers increase by the second. But-

  “They are tougher than they appear, my Host, and the villagers are not mindless creatures. The inhabitants of this Trial know when to back down when needed, they will not perish due to those five.”

  I relaxed my grip on Dr. Watler’s weapon - my spare bone saw since I lost the old one - and nodded. Noe was right, there was nothing to be gained before I found out more. Plus, if I did go out now and triggered some kind of trap, then it wouldn’t just be me that would be affected. I’d have to trust in the abilities of the villagers for now.

  What would you advise then, Noe?

  “Eric is still the primary threat, he is the only unknown factor here. I would advise the Host to observe that Aspirant and bide our time. He must act soon, and if he does not, then we must be the ones to strike on our terms, not his.”

  Fair enough, do you think he can find us if I hide?

  “Nothing can pierce the Shroud of Serendipity, my Host,” she answered with supreme confidence, “Not the Trash Matrix, and certainly not the slave of a lesser god.”

  Fair enough. I took my trusty partner’s advice and slithered underground toward Eric’s position and took my time observing him. He was just… standing there? Wait, no, I think he was trying to hide as well - doing a very poor job of it if I might add - but that was apparently it. I knew he was waiting for me to act, but shouldn’t he be doing something productive at least? Wait, maybe he’s channeling mana or whatever for some big spell.

  “That is possible, but with your body’s inability to sense any magic, we cannot confirm or deny that hypothesis.”

  But it’s a safe bet to assume, right?

  “He would have to be a monumental idiot to do nothing during this time,” Noe answered, “So I would say there is a more than even chance that he is gathering his strength.”

  Which means that we strike before he has a chance to finish whatever it is that he’s doing.

  “That would be prudent, my Host,” Noe answered, “However, I would advise against using your Secondary Form during this battle. The Sponsor has direct links to its servant, and if this god sees you using your ‘true’ form to fight, then that would constitute a breach of conduct for an Arbiter. With your current operations already on thin ice, we do not need the Overseer to have any more reasons to censor you. You are technically here as a Human; no one is to know that your status as a Xollon is from your Soul Title.”

  I didn’t plan to do that in any case. I think it’s time for the Divine Dr. Walter to make his entrance. I’m curious as to what these new abilities are, and we have the perfect punching bag to use.

  “Do not underestimate your opponent, my Host. His abilities are boosted to levels that we have not encountered so far. Retreat and bide our time if needed. Combat is not our forte, and it is not our only road to victory.”

  Yeah, yeah. I know we can always ambush ‘em later, but I’m fed up with sneaking around all the time. Even I want to Vadeem some shit every now and then.

  “As you will, my Host.”

  Without wasting any more time, I burst out of the ground right below the Aspirant and swung the bone saw as hard as I could. My other hand held the new cane-whip and I allowed Noe to take complete control of that limb. I went all out from the get-go, even spending a few dozen Luck Charges in the process, so hopefully, my sneak attack combo would do some damage.

  It didn’t.

  The bone saw smashed into an invisible barrier and the impact almost broke the instrument along with the bones in my hand. I cursed Newton and his damned second law. Noe’s attack was a little more effective, but only just. The blade segments were able to pierce a weak segment of Eric’s shield, but a wave of force battered the rest of the attack away. It was only due to Noe’s intervention that I managed to dodge the retaliation; a gust of wind blew some dust into the Aspirant’s eyes which caused the wave of energy to go wide of my position.

  Eric frowned as he studied me. “You’re not a villager… What are you?”

  I didn’t bother to answer, but instead, I rushed toward the Aspirant’s position once again.

  Eric didn’t even look the least bit threatened by my approach but simply waved his hand. Another wave of force slammed into me, launching my body back into the foliage. “Strange, the Book of Thoth says nothing about you. Are you some kind of summoned construct from the enemy Aspirant?”

  I cursed under my breath. My Absolute Luck Skill was still in effect, and the fact that no charges were spent told me that there was either nothing that Noe could do to mitigate that last attack or I simply didn’t have enough charges. Either option didn’t strike confidence in me. I threw a rock at the smug bastard and, unsurprisingly, it shattered before it could so much as graze the man.

  “Ah,” Eric muttered, still examining me like I was some kind of zoo exhibit, “You’re that doctor creature from before. That would explain things, but from Benjamin’s recounts, you can speak.”

  I snarled at him as I weighed my options. What tools did I have at my disposal to deal with the guy…?

  A smirk crossed the Aspirant’s lips. “Playing the mute I see, but that’s fine, it just means I get to break you. I have some questions I need to ask of your master, and you will answer.” He studied me again, taking in every movement, and shrugged. “Or maybe you won’t. It's hard to say if things like you even feel pain.” Eric turned away from me and addressed the empty air around him. “Either way, your master will see his little pet monster suffer. I know you can hear me, Aspirant Walter! My god knows what you're doing and your situation! You cannot hide forever. It’d be best if you came out soon, or he’ll lose a useful tool. He won’t be able to best me by himself.”

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