The Exalt [Cultivation Fantasy]

Oscar looked carefully at the leaves, branches, blades of grass, and flowers. He sniffed the air multiple times, but only the smell of the forest remained. Everything was telling him it was real, but Oscar had already experienced a frightening illusion back at Elire Mansion.

The Ein flowed into his astral third eye and gathered into the purple ring overlaid on its pupilless blue surface. The purple ring that he had received from Abe a while ago allowed him to see through the true nature of illusions, but he had few opportunities to use it.

'Come to think of it, Abe never told me the technique's name.' Oscar wondered as a small purple glint shone as a ring in his obsidian black eyes.

Oscar did not know but the reason Abe did not divulge the name of the Elire's secret technique was that he felt the Elire were no longer worthy of passing their name down. They were a proud family, but that all went to ruin at the hands of one of their own.

Abe wished for a clean slate for this technique, so he passed it to Oscar without its name. He wanted Oscar to forge a new path for this technique.

Oscar observed the forest, but none of the scenery shifted or dispersed. The trees, grass, flowers, and others all remained the same. Either they placed an incredibly powerful illusion beyond his means to see through, or they grew an entire forest inside the Spire of Ascension.

"The constructs before and how this forest. The Pavilion goes all out for the promotion exam." Oscar sighed and was about to turn off his Prinstyct, but then he caught a hint of something strange. His eyes shot straight toward a small dark circle in the distance.

Oscar walked ahead, kept his eye on the dark circle, and squatted to see it closely. It was a dark swirl, but the strangeness was the small patch of barren land around it. "Can it be?"

The purple ring faded from his eyes due to Oscar stopping its effect. This ability also used a fair amount of Ein, so Oscar was relieved for the break. His eyes narrowed at the spot where the dark circle was.

The dark circle was gone and replaced by a thick patch of grass that was the same as all the other greenery across the forest but with a slight difference that one wouldn't notice unless they had a very keen sight. Oscar activated the purple ring again, and the grass vanished like a puff of smoke, revealing the dark swirl and barren land once more.

"These must be the traps the sign mentioned. If I didn't know any better and stepped on it, I would have gotten caught in something unnecessary." Oscar laughed cheerfully. "They really did grow a forest in here. There are all kinds of wonders I have yet to see."

Oscar stood and patted the dirt off his knees. "Then let's go find the exit."

The purple ring shone as Oscar infused more Ein into it. He strode carefully deeper into the dense forest. There was little chance of him being trumped up, but Oscar did not neglect the idea that they could have set well-hidden traps without illusions.

He was growing tired as his purple ring continued to pulse, and he was scrutinizing each part to make sure there weren't any tricks. However, Oscar was gratified by the opportunity to experience using his purple ring more. What use was the power if he rarely used it?

'I should name it.' Oscar thought as he continued walking through the forest. His hair was sleek with sweat from the humidity, and his breathing grew more ragged. Every so often, he used 'Ein Awaken' to try to recover while moving, but it only delayed the consumption of his Ein for some moments.

'Abe gave me this gift. I should name it something to respect him.'

Oscar recalled the time he was with Abe in the illusion. The memory of the constant shouts of 'Mister' and the game of 'The Floor is Lava' made him smile. The Elire Mansion was a terrifying place, but it was also a place of fortune that returned his friend and granted them a boon.

'Oh!' Oscar's eyes perked up. 'I got it. How about I name it the Eliren Breaker? It's a technique to see through illusions and originates from the Elire Family. That has a nice ring to it.'

Contrary to Abe's self-deprecating wishes, Oscar remained steadfast in his attempt to show respect to Abe and the Elire name. With this new name, the technique still paid homage to its origins.

With the 'Eliren Breaker' in his arsenal, Oscar navigated through the forest without tripping up any traps. All the traps seemed to be placed in a concealing illusion, making the journey a cakewalk for Oscar. However, the sheer amount had befuddled Oscar.

He came across a place with many dark swirls that were an arm's length away from each other. If anyone went through this place, they would have been severely screwed by the sheer amount of traps they would activate.

"Seriously, who made this room?" Oscar stepped awkwardly around the dark swirls, made his way through the vast area, and shook his head. "I am curious, though. What is in one of these traps?"

Oscar thought about using his deer anima to spring a trap and see what happens, but he shook away that thought. There was no reason to go out of his way to inconvenience himself intentionally. He needed to find the exit as soon as possible to continue accumulating points.

…….

Elder Dustin stared blankly at Oscar, watching the young Exalt navigate through the forest while avoiding all the traps. After all the huss and fuss he made about Oscar's strange fighting style, he couldn't muster a word at how easily Oscar could bypass everything.

Ava Jones stood beside him, passing a freshly brewed cup of tea, but her eyes were also fixed on Oscar's footage. She couldn't believe what she was seeing and tried to remember what the Judge had relayed to them. But she hadn't paid mind to the smaller details as she couldn't recall anything else other than the part about Oscar being sent to Abyss Prison.

Thankfully, Elder Dustin was an astute old man who was also an alchemist. Accumulating knowledge and remembering sequences were his entire life. Also, his frenzied interest in Oscar made him want to remember everything about this strange student.

"I won't tell you specific details, but the boy has no illusion-breaking spells or a natural disposition to illusions." Elder Dustin spoke carefully. "That is why I am astonished at this. Somehow he is picking up on the traps hidden behind the illusions and avoiding them."

Ava Jones began to treat this seriously and was in deep thought. The traps weren't that harsh, but it was a huge time waster if students kept getting caught. This place tested a student's observational skills and ability to deal with sudden events.

However, Oscar had broken that motive and tore it to shreds. In the image, he was sidestepping and hopping like a bunny over everything. Even the traps that were incredibly well hidden and had no way to spot them were avoided.

Ava Jones looked at the image that showed Mary Jones, and her eyes widened as she looked at Oscar and back to Mary. "This is not good. Please take the other hallway, Mary."

…….

Oscar finally found a door that was outlined by the branches and limbs of the trees around it. They were like wooden arches that led to a safe haven. He scanned the ground and found no dark swirls.

Feeling relieved, Oscar canceled the 'Eliren Breaker' to conserve his Ein. However, he did not immediately exit the forest but sat on the floor in Ein meditation. He didn't want to leave the room without being at his peak condition.

Suddenly, a new sign popped out of the ground like a weasel. Sounds of bells resounded through the forest to call for the end of the trial.

"Congratulations on making your way out of the forest. Here are 600 points for your trouble."

Oscar's scroll glowed again, and he checked his current score at 1350 points, an incredible score that still maintained his status as first place. He scanned the other rankings and found the second was at 1100.

"This goes on for a week and a half?" Oscar checked the time and found it was getting late. "Do I find a safe spot and rest or continue through the night?"

Another sign popped out, interrupting his thoughts.

"The next clue is to go down."

Oscar stood up with a bright expression. The clues were a great addition.

He exited the forest and returned to the labyrinth. On the left, he spotted a set of stairs that led downstairs. However, as soon as he walked, another door opened, and someone came out.

"Mary?"

"Oscar?"

Suddenly, a bright circle formed underneath the two. The duel was about to begin.