NOVEL WEB Chapter 291: Completed The Second Trial
The space around him shifted into a crystalline lake, its surface rippling like a silver mirror under the crescent moonlight.
A cold, mystical breeze flowed through the air, and the gentle waves of the lake rose and fell with a strange, magical rhythm.
"That?" Daniel's eyes narrowed as he sensed something at the center of the lake.
In the middle of the lake, a massive creature appeared — a whale that looked as if it was made entirely of crystal.
He could faintly feel the pull of gravity and currents radiating from the creature's body.
Its form was built from transparent crystals, reflecting the crescent moonlight, and its eyes glowed like two deep, endless pits.
Each sweep of its tail sent out gravitational waves that shook the ground and warped the air.
[ Welcome to the second trial ]
[ Please defeat the Crystal Whale, embodiment of Gravity ]
"Just as I thought, this trial's about the gravity aspect!" he muttered to himself.
The moon is linked to the tides of the oceans, representing the force of gravity and the natural flow of things.
If he could grasp the gravity aspect of the Moon's power, he could probably control gravity itself — and even currents…
Currents like the flow of fate, the flow of life and death, and maybe even beyond that… Though to manipulate things at that level, he'd need at least an S-rank.
He readied Heaven's Honor, its aura wrapping around the blade like a soft flame.
The Crystal Whale let out a deep roar and attacked. Its tail split the lake, releasing a gravitational wave that surged toward Daniel like a storm.
The air grew heavy, as if a colossal weight was pressing down on Daniel's shoulders, dragging him toward the lake's depths.
Daniel chuckled calmly, channeling Death Energy into his legs, and with a light leap, he dodged the wave. The black aura of Death Energy coiled around his legs like a living shadow, letting him resist the gravitational pull.
"It's like tides, just a flow pulling in and out."
The Eternal Moon Orb's mystical voice echoed in his mind, once again guiding him like a teacher.
The whale attacked again, this time twisting its body to create multiple gravitational waves, surging toward Daniel like overlapping ocean swells. One wave hurled him upward, while another tried to slam him into the ground.
With agility, Daniel expanded Heaven's Honor's sword aura.
The white light coiled around him like a shining shield, diverting the gravitational waves.
He floated in the air, and with a motion of his hand, channeled Death Energy into the lake below. The black aura spread through the water like a living serpent, disrupting the whale's gravity.
"Gravity's like a rope — if you can grab its end, you can pull it."
With a quick dash toward the whale, he charged Heaven's Honor with a mix of white aura and Death Energy.
His blade shone like a dark, radiant star, and with a horizontal slash, he cleaved through the whale's gravitational wave.
The Crystal Whale let out a crystalline roar as it was sent tumbling back, its body dispersing into waves of silver that dissolved into the lake.
But the trial wasn't over yet. The lake trembled, and the whale reformed, this time with two smaller versions of itself flanking it. All three attacked together, releasing multi-directional gravitational waves that cracked the crystalline ground and warped the air.
"Three of you? Now it's getting fun!" Daniel laughed. He focused on his inner sense as the Eternal Moon Orb projected visions of ocean tides into his mind.
The flow of the moon — a rhythm you could guide. With a flick of his hand, Daniel poured Death Energy into the ground, unleashing a surge of darkness that nullified the whales' gravity. Then, with Heaven's Honor, he fired a concentrated beam of light, slicing apart one of the smaller whales.
The white glow streaked into the lake like a meteor, and the smaller whale dissolved into drifting silver particles.
The main whale and its remaining clone charged in rage, but Daniel leaped high, letting himself float midair before spinning and striking both at once.
Heaven's Honor gleamed like a deadly crescent, and the combined wave of light and darkness consumed the whales.
The lake calmed, and the silver waves faded away.
"Well, I think I got the hang of it. Gravity's like a dance — you just need to catch its rhythm." Daniel murmured as he landed gently on the crystalline surface.
[ You have successfully completed the second trial ]
[ Your comprehension of the Law of the Moon has increased by another 7%, reaching 12% ]
Without hesitation, he tested the Moon's power to see how much he had progressed.
He felt the Law of Gravity like a living current he could guide with focus. Now, he could slightly manipulate gravity around him — making his body lighter or pulling small objects toward himself.
Of course, he could do similar things using mana alone, so it didn't mean much to him yet.
"Maybe as my comprehension grows, I can do more? Like nullifying gravity in an entire area, stripping the gravity from someone's limbs, or even disrupting the flow of someone's life itself?" His eyes gleamed.
He had plenty of ideas for using this new power, but for now, he'd need free time later to experiment with them.
Another one of the silver pillars in the real world lit up, and suddenly, manifested words surged around him and sank into his mind.
His understanding of the Moon Law became clearer and sharper.
Meanwhile, outside the temple, Lana stared at the second pillar with disbelief and emptiness.
"He cleared the second trial in half an hour," she muttered, wanting to cry but having no tears to shed.
This guy had cleared two trials in under an hour! At this rate, he'd be done with all of them in two more hours.
Was he even human anymore? Clearly not. He was a monster — a real freak!
For her, it had taken almost an entire day to clear the second trial. After all, understanding gravity and flow was the hardest part of it.
But how was Daniel's rate of comprehension this monstrous? She simply couldn't make sense of it.
As she sank into her thoughts, her communication talisman suddenly lit up and began to vibrate.
"She's here." Her eyes went to the talisman. It wasn't hard to guess who was contacting her.
She answered and told the person to come to the Eternal Moon Temple. The person was slightly confused as to why she needed to come there but didn't refuse and said she'd be there soon.
"I can't wait to see her reaction when she sees him." Lana laughed and turned her attention back to the temple.