Chapter 431: True Greed

Seth was greedy, but that didn’t mean he would risk his life for treasure.

Treasure wasn’t all his heart yearned for, and neither was power.

Seth had a pure heart that yearned for a life of endless thrill, a life of constant pressure, constant challenges.

He didn’t want a single dull moment; ever since he had broken out of his shell when this all began, that was what he had set his heart on.

His greed wasn’t something mere treasure and power could fill. No, what he wanted was a life of infinite Evolution!

His greed drove him to take and plunder everything he needed to make this dream a reality, and if it meant risking it all just for some treasure he was confident he would outgrow eventually, he’d rather fail this trial.

At that moment, Seth’s jaw set, a force blooming from his heart as he clicked on purchase.

Back in reality, across the pulsing inscriptions etched on the pillar of green in the temple of the seven sins.

The flicker grew more brilliant as the pillar suddenly began to rattle, the whole temple following suit, a reaction that was all too familiar.

The same phenomenon that had occurred in response to Seth’s heart back when he was lighting the racial lamp!

A glowing, divine silhouette formed into reality, the figure levitating within the premises of the temple, their form coated with the matching green of greed.

Their featureless face turned towards the pillar, a voice booming through the halls of the temple.

"Finally! A true master of greed!"

"A greed not driven by the mundane! But one set on a dao!"

"This can’t get any more perfect..."

...

The scene shifts back into the trial grounds...

At the same time Seth clicked on the purchase, the other candidates landed what was left of their legs upon the next step.

The scene went silent.

Bloody but silent regardless, it was as though the very atmosphere itself went still.

No sound, no noise, until it happened all at once.

The candidates had brute-forced their way towards the next step, expecting glory, but they were met with gore.

They didn’t even gain a moment to realize what had happened before their minds shut down, crushed by the weight of it all.

And their bodies erupted into bloodied mush, instant and in sync.

The scene catching even Seth off guard.

Alas, he was too weak to make any sudden movement and could only watch as the gore from the other three at his side splattered all over him.

It was instant death for all 99 candidates.

Seth’s heart went cold at the sight, his body soaked with dark, bloody residue and clumps of mashed meat and organs.

But he didn’t have the liberty to be disgusted; instead his mind focused on the fact that this could have been his fate had he taken the step.

Once more Seth was reminded how cold this reality was: 99 prodigies, each from a distinct earthling race.

All powerful warriors that could best most of their peers any day.

If given enough time, powerhouses would have been bred from this bunch.

Yet all that potential, all that future shut down, just like that.

A shiver ran through him; the atmosphere was humid, but he felt the chills.

In the end, he couldn’t bring himself to mull over this matter for long.

His focus eventually shifted back towards his processing purchase.

[Congratulations, Candidate! You have purchased the pill "Will Forge Elixir."]

The screen flashed, before materializing into a simmering image of a grape-sized pill, glinting with a shade of gold.

An intense, aromatic, medicinal scent suddenly filled the air, digging into his nostrils.

From a whiff alone, Seth could already feel a force that had been dormant in his body since he went into a coma flare up for just a moment.

Will! His will had responded!

His breath hitched; this pill had to be it!

His way to accessing his will again — the oracle had told him that if he wanted a chance to succeed in his evolution of life, regaining his will had to be the first step.

Seth licked his lips, saliva already pooling in his mouth, the aroma alone rising up his digestive tract.

For a moment he seemed to have forgotten about the trial altogether, his focus lying only on his purchase.

He reached for the floating, glowing pill and, the moment he grabbed it, closed his eyes to feel its texture.

Feeling the smooth surface of the pulsing pill, he drew in breath after breath of the aroma the rich elixir released, each one making his dormant will spike.

He didn’t need any authentication method to know that this was surely the real deal.

He gulped audibly, his eyes peeling back open as he stared hungrily at the pill sitting within his palms.

But his fingers curled around it, holding back; he wouldn’t take such an important elixir in the middle of nowhere.

He needed a safe space to consume something so important.

And besides, the trial was still ongoing, and since he was the only participant left, he needed to decide his next moves.

It was at this point that Seth seemed to realize something.

"Hmm?" He blinked, staring at his outstretched hand, then dismissed the pill into his inventory and shook out his hands.

He jumped, all too easily; suddenly he was hit with a feeling of weightlessness, almost as though he was treading on clouds.

The strain from the stairs... It was all gone.

Before this could register properly, his vision spun and warped, and in a blink his surroundings changed.

He now found himself within a mysterious hall of sorts; before him stood seven pillars, the one directly in front of him pulsing with a thick brilliance of green.

"What the hell is happening?" Seth exclaimed, whipping his head left and right, his voice cracking.

’It couldn’t be that the trial had ended, right?’ he wondered, a sharp sting aching in his heart.

"Fuck, I still wasn’t done spending my balance!" He practically cried out loud, thinking about the rows of treasures he could have purchased.

Losing loot did indeed hurt like a bitch...

But just as he was sulking about his loss, a brilliant screen unraveled before his vision, catching him off guard.

With celebratory sparks lighting up the edges...

[Congratulations, Candidate Seth Duskreaver! You have proven your appetite!]

[Your greed knows no bounds!]

[You have cleared the trial...]

Seth’s mind went blank. "Won what now?"