Read Novel Full Chapter 1422 No Trial
Chapter 1422 No Trial
[The primordial entity, Quinlan Elysiar...]
[...has passed.]
Quinlan stared at the words.
For a heartbeat, he thought he had misread them.
Then his breath caught.
Behind him, movement stirred.
Mearie was the first to speak. "Quinnie?"
Seraphiel stepped closer. "What is it? What's wrong?"
Quinlan did not turn.
"It says I passed," he murmured.
Silence fell hard.
"... What?" Luminara gasped, shocked.
That single word rippled outward. Conversations cut off. Heads turned. Even those who had already begun walking away slowed, sensing something off.
"Passed?" Mearie repeated with disbelief, clear in her voice.
Quinlan finally pulled his hand back from the monument.
"It didn't start. There is no trial."
Seraphiel stepped up beside him to hold his hand. Her gorgeous, crystal clear, blue eyes stared up at him with concern.
"That... Are you sure, Quin? Look, even the primordials look shocked!"
A low murmur spread through the square.
"Rank-up trials don't just... skip," Thyra muttered. "I've never heard of such a thing before.
Quinlan's jaw tightened. He exhaled once, slow and controlled, then lifted his gaze, no longer focused on the monument but on something deeper.
"Could I get an explanation?" he called, addressing the Soul Records directly. The space before Quinlan felt suddenly occupied, as if something vast had leaned closer.
Words formed again.
[The Primordial Entity Quinlan Elysiar has met the qualifications for ascension to the next primordial rank.]
Quinlan's breath stalled.
His fingers tightened around Seraphiel's hand without him noticing. His eyes stayed locked on the space where the words hovered, jaw set hard enough that a faint ache crept along it.
"That's it?" he asked quietly.
"No trial?" His voice sharpened. Despite being told what should be considered great news, Quinlan was feeling a mounting dissatisfaction in his heart.
This was not what he wanted.
He prepared his mind for the trial already, and more so than that, prepared his greed for the juicy rewards that would follow.
After all, his greatest jumps in power came from passing these exact tests.
Behind him, Mearie frowned. She could not see the message, only the way her son's posture shifted, spine straightening, shoulders squaring like he was facing an enemy rather than good news.
"Quinnie?" she called. "What are you seeing?"
Quinlan did not answer her.
Instead, he lifted his chin, gaze steady and unyielding. "I... Soul Records, I didn't know you were a prankster."
The air pressed back.
[This is not a joke.]
"Wait, is he talking to the Soul Records?!" Multiple primordials snapped, starting with Zen. The man with samurai attire looked brutally shellshocked.
He was not alone.
The primordials already knew that something was very strange about the new child when they saw his elemental powers and then learned his Primordial Class wasn't connected to that.
However... This was new.
Not even the Goddess got to converse with that mysterious entity whenever she wished.
In fact, it only ever responded to her once in her long life, and that, too, was connected to Quinlan...
It happened when Lilyanna was having a minor breakdown when she saw Quinlan rampage through the human cities, looking extremely unfair against the mortals that were poor enough to become his targets.
Quinlan let out a short breath through his nose. Seraphiel watched him closely, thumb brushing against his knuckles. She was not alone. Soon, the other girls stepped up as well. It looked like a whole, giant family getting ready to have an argument with an unseen, omnipresent entity.
"You're telling me I just... pass?" Quinlan continued.
[Correct.]
That answer landed poorly.
Quinlan's shoulders rose and fell once.
"But I don't..." He had to stop himself, because he was about to say something truly entitled. With difficulty, Quinlan pulled the words back and reshaped
them.
"I earned every ascent so far. Getting to level 50 just like this feels... Hollow. If there's something left that can measure me, I want to face it."
For a brief moment, nothing happened.
Then the pressure returned.
[It appears the Primordial Entity Quinlan Elysiar has misinterpreted the
function of Rank-Up Missions.]
Quinlan's brow furrowed.
[You perceive them as compensation.]
[As incentive.]
[As something to be claimed.]
[Rank-Up Missions are not rewards.]
[They exist to expose inadequacies fitting for the current level of an entity.]
The words hung there, unseen by anyone but Quinlan.
He stayed quiet for several breaths. Then he turned.
"It's saying I already crossed whatever line this trial was meant to test," Quinlan
spoke up, explaining. "Rank-up missions aren't rewards but more so filters... If you still have gaps that matter for your current level, the system forces you to
confront them before letting you progress further."
That alone was enough to set the square buzzing.
"He's explaining it like it's talking back to him," Vaclor muttered.
"He is!" Luminara beamed with the extreme pride of a mother for a moment before she returned to serious mode due to the situation.
Several primordials stiffened. A few took an unconscious step back. Zen's hand
had gone to the hilt of his blade, more out of habit than threat.
"So it decided you didn't need the test," Miri spoke slowly while tapping her
fingers lightly against her arm.
Lumi nodded. "Meaning whatever it checks for... You already resolved."
The girls clustered closer.
Serika tilted her head. "Inadequacies, huh? That does make some sense."
Vex clicked her tongue, clearly angered that her Hubby was facing a setback she couldn't solve for him, then gave a stiff nod. "Yeah. I don't like it, but I get
it."
The gorgeous, white-haired Hexwitch's gaze slid sideways, landing squarely on Felicity. "Some people can farm experience points without ever needing to put
in real effort or face danger."
Felicity flinched. "Hey! Stop looking at me!" She puffed her cheeks, color
creeping up them.
Vex grinned but showed no mercy. "A princess mage with elite guards doesn't
grind the same way others do. She can just stand still while enjoying the professional protection of the kingdom's best and cast spells at her leisure." Ayame stroked her chin. "Compared to a peasant who has to start with nothing but a pitchfork and grandiose dreams, it is indeed unfair, especially if we consider the speed at which different class archetypes can gather experience
points."
The oriental samurai shook her head, grinning, "As Quin so accurately showcased, destructive mage classes or those that can summon minions are unfairly favored, especially if papa dearest buys them a gang of royal guards to combat the only weakness they have; their lacking defenses. That's why a second test, demanding more than mere levels, works to search for
inadequacies."
Felicity looked away, lips pressed thin. She did not argue.
"But so what?" Iris spoke up with her arms folded. "Life isn't fair. never was. I
don't see the need for artificial tests like this."
Quinlan looked at her.
Really looked. Then he smiled fondly.
"Iris, I get your point, but also... I'll have to defend the Soul Records for once."
He paused, searching for words that fit.
"I experienced life without a system like this. We had no levels, no opportunity
for visible, personal growth aside from working out in a gym and getting slightly firmer muscles. I worked every day in a building full of people who would never become anything more than they already were. Life was pure depression, as far as I was concerned."