Dimensional Keeper: All My Skills Are at Level 100

Chapter 2083: First Shadow Trial!

Max glanced at the Bronze Mark on his palm. After paying the five hundred Bronze Marks needed to enter the Ten Shadows Trial, he had only a little over one hundred left.

’That should be enough for the First Shadow Trial.’

His eyes moved to the enormous door standing beyond all the arenas.

He had already heard that most newcomers failed to beat even the early shadows on their first try, but he didn’t let that bother him. In fact, he saw it the other way around. If he couldn’t defeat the first shadow on his first attempt, there was little point in even thinking about the tenth shadow, where only one attempt was allowed.

It was a simple way of looking at things, but Max believed it completely.

Because of that, he didn’t bother entering any of the surrounding arenas to earn more Bronze Marks. Damian and Revona might need to build up extra marks so they could challenge the trial repeatedly, but Max had no intention of preparing for failure before he had even stepped inside.

He walked straight past the arenas and headed for the enormous door.

As he got closer, the crowd around the entrance grew much thicker, with geniuses from all five great races gathered near the door. Primordials stood quietly beneath the towering entrance while they discussed their previous attempts.

Several Dragon Race newcomers waited nearby with impatient looks, and angels and spirits occupied different sections around the entrance, while a few devils leaned against the stone walls and watched everyone else with cold eyes.

What caught Max’s attention most, though, was what was happening directly in front of the door.

People were constantly vanishing and reappearing. Every few moments, a participant standing before the door would disappear in a flash of light, clearly transported into the First Shadow Trial, and at the same time, others would suddenly appear in that same spot.

The returning challengers wore very different expressions.

One Dragon Race genius materialized with a wide grin. "Finally!"

The satisfaction in his voice was obvious, and the people waiting nearby understood right away that he had passed.

Not long afterward, an Angel Race newcomer appeared, and his expression couldn’t have been more different. His brows were drawn tightly together, and frustration was plain in his eyes. He didn’t say a word before walking away from the door.

A few breaths later, a Spirit Race genius appeared with a pale face and clenched fists. His clothes were undamaged, but the look on his face made it clear that whatever had happened inside hadn’t gone well. He had failed.

Max watched the entrance for a little while, and the contrast between the returning challengers was impossible to miss. Those who succeeded came back looking relieved or excited, while those who failed usually returned in silence with disappointment written all over their faces.

Some of them headed straight for the arenas, most likely planning to earn another hundred Bronze Marks before trying again, and others simply sat down nearby to recover and think about what had gone wrong.

The sight gave Max a clearer idea of how the Ten Shadows Trial really worked. Even the first shadow wasn’t something every newcomer could beat without effort.

Still, his expression stayed calm, and he kept walking.

The door grew more imposing with every step. Up close, Max could see countless ancient symbols carved into its surface. Some of them glowed faintly, while others remained completely dark.

A strange pressure came from the door itself, and it felt different from ordinary cultivation pressure. It was more like a silent test, as if the trial beyond were already examining everyone who approached.

Max finally reached the spot directly in front of the door. The moment he stopped, the Bronze Mark on his palm warmed slightly, and a translucent notification appeared before his eyes.

[Would you like to challenge the First Shadow Trial?]

[If you choose to enter, 100 Bronze Marks will be deducted.]

Max looked at the notification for a moment before answering. "Yes."

The instant the word left his mouth, the mark on his palm grew warm.

[100 Bronze Marks deducted.]

Before he could look at the message any longer, the space around him twisted, and his surroundings vanished. For a brief moment, there was nothing but darkness, and then his feet touched solid ground again.

Max opened his eyes.

The place he had entered was nothing like the inside of the monolith. A circular arena of smooth black stone stretched beneath his feet, and pale white light shone down from somewhere above, lighting up only the arena itself. Everything beyond its edges was swallowed by darkness.

It wasn’t ordinary darkness, either. Max couldn’t see any walls or a ceiling, and there was no ground beyond the edge of the arena. It was as though the lit platform were floating in an endless void.

He narrowed his eyes and activated his Dimensional Sovereign Body, and his perception spread outward.

Normally, even hidden formations or warped regions of space couldn’t fully escape his senses, since the Dimensional Sovereign Body let him perceive spatial layers that ordinary cultivators couldn’t even recognize. This time, however, the result surprised him, because he sensed nothing at all.

The moment his perception moved past the arena, it vanished into the darkness without any feedback. There was no spatial structure, no hidden boundary, and no trace of energy. It felt as though the darkness itself didn’t belong to normal space.

Max stared into it for another moment.

’Interesting. Even my Dimensional Sovereign Body can’t see through it.’

Before he could look into it further, something changed inside the arena.

A faint ripple appeared several dozen meters ahead as darkness began to gather. At first, it looked like smoke rising from the stone, but then the black mist condensed into a humanoid shape, and a figure slowly took form.

It was clearly built like a man, though it had no facial features anywhere. Everything about it was made of pure shadow. Its head, torso, arms, and legs were completely black, and faint gray currents moved across its surface like flowing energy. A spear appeared in its right hand, and that weapon was made of shadow as well.