CH359

“It’s not too late Ben, Tell them you’ll actually be in the library waiting for them all to finish up and pass the time reading some books instead,” Myriad futilely begged him, with Nare choosing a different avenue.

“Or face craftsman’s tower instead since it would pay off a lot better for you in the long run. Come on, it’s been ages since we’ve had a challenger and it’s comparatively safe.”

“No and no. Guys, I’m not going to stand by while my friends put their lives on the line and I’m not taking a completely different trial. Seriously, why are you pushing that?”

“Mostly curiosity,” Nare said with a shrug. “As more and more of Myriad’s believers are reaching the point that they can use that connect skill for enchanting, the more the various crafting gods are growing interested in it. As a person who not only has the highest level of the skill on the planet, but also has two awakened crafting skills, there are plenty of us who want to see how far you can go with it,” He explained, his form glowing slightly brighter as he brought up what he thought would sweeten the deal. “That’s not mentioning the fact that it’s at least partially acting as crafting skill, meaning that if you get to the top we could push it over the edge for you.”

Nare had been right in saying it, that tempted him. It tempted him so much that he almost gave in, resisting only for the fact that he didn’t believe that as things stood he’d make it to the top, meaning he’d be wasting his time and potentially throwing himself into danger for at most the blessing.

Maybe if I had some actual colleagues I could do it with that would be one thing, but as it is, do I even know anyone with any high-level crafting skills who I’m close enough to do a trial with?

As he asked himself though, the obvious name came to mind and his eyes lit up at the thought.

“If I could talk Falk into joining he could one hundred percent carry me to the top. There’s no way he couldn’t.”

“Except he can’t take the trial again,” Nare said, letting a bit of info slip that Ben made sure to file away.

Of course a person with a ninth-leveled awakened skill would have already done the trial. Ugh, I mean, I guess I don’t know for sure his smithing skill is the ninth level one, but still, if he can make legendary items why wouldn’t he have done it already?

“Well in that case I’ll continue to pass,” Ben sighed. “Maybe if I get a couple more levels to my crafting and enchanting I will, but it would be nothing but a waste if I try and can’t get the best reward. If I’m going to be doing this, I’m not doing it till I’m certain.”

“You know there’s no guarantee you’ll raise your skills more,” Nare pointed out in a final attempt to talk him into it. “Plenty of people never get a level after awakening, you shouldn’t just blindly count on it. Trying to grab this chance to awaken your connect skill could even be your best chance to keep raising your other skills as well.”

Hearing all of that though, Ben could only look at him blankly. “Seriously, you’re going to tell me I’m not going to gain any more levels when I’m only at two and already making ultra-rare stuff on the regular?”

At that, Nare had to give up. Part of his interest lay specifically in how far above what was expected of his level the boy was hitting, to the point the crafting gods who were taking notice were confident that he’d at least get to the fourth level of his awakened skills before coming to a stop, but with the very real chance that Ben could die on the first or second wave, he and some of the others simply wanted him to awaken his connect to see what it could do before that could happen.

“Fine, fine, I give. Just don’t go regretting not doing it when the world’s burning around you,” The god grumbled, with Myriad feeling at least a little relieved with how the conversation had turned out. He knew Ben well enough that he didn’t think his apostle would abandon Thera to take a different trial, but there was always the risk that he would give in and do it right after for whatever small chance it would give him of awakening his connect skill.

“So are you feeling ready?” Myriad asked, knowing the answer wouldn’t change anything.

“As I can be. Pretty sure the ol’ headache isn’t going to be too much of a distraction and I made most things I could think would be helpful, And hey, I’ll be resting up here for hours so I should be in top shape.”

Or as top as I can manage I guess.

Both he and his god wished he was going into this with a decent night of true sleep, resting his mind along with his body, but Ben knew without even trying that it would be another day of nightmares if he did. The coming trial was too fixed in his mind when he was already struggling with the memories of the last one, but at the very least his body was getting some peace, so he contented himself to passing the few hours he had with the two gods before he had no choice but to get up and start the day.

Getting up and dressed, he and Thera made their way to the coast, standing in front of the trial entrance as they waited. They’d been there a few times already in their weeks of study, having gone to admire all eleven that were present in all of their majesty.

Each one was huge, with Ben estimating the diameter of each tower being almost a hundred meters across as they towered above the city, looking like they had far more than the five floors he’d been told about, but beyond that there wasn’t too much to be said. The magic laid across each of them was as impressive as any other trial he’d seen, but he didn’t think there was anything exceptional in it either, at least not more so than any of the smaller trials, and they were all practically identical baring the doors on each one.

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As for the earth tower in front of them, it had a collection of tight lines and dots for the pattern on the front, with a large symbol of a mountain representing the earth affinity front and center, with the other ten magic options having their own symbols around it.

The other trials had other designs. The water tower made sure that the wave symbol was at the forefront, with the design behind it seeming to have lines that looked more like rivers than the straight ones and right angles of what they would be walking through, and the fire tower was more empty in its look, having a few pictures of bonfires scattered over it along with the magic symbols.

Ben had evaluated each pretty lowly for their artistic value, but they got the point across well enough as he stared at the one in front of him, taking it all in before he would have to step through it.

It was only a few minutes longer before their companions joined, all of them decked out in light armours while both Jake and Yuzu held staffs in their hands, with Amy holding the weapon Ben had made her, along with two more noticeable additions to her outfit.

“Having some issues with what I made you?” He asked with a cocked eyebrow as he stared at the sword on her waist and the shield hanging from her back.