"Is it any different than the last four?" Beck asked.

"Much different," Emelia replied. "You'll have to fight other Players."

Gladwyn frowned, but Beck looked confident.

"I thought it might come to that," Gladwyn said.

"Do you know who we'll fight?" Adam asked her.

She didn't look at him as she said, "I only know who Adam will be facing. Grenouille normally doesn't make it this far, and I'm not familiar with Princess Buttercup's match-up, but I think he usually wins. However, it's best I explain the various types of Players you'll encounter at this point so you're as prepared as possible."

"You really don't have to use our nicknames," Gladwyn commented.

"Then start winning the bets," she told him. "Actually, let's make it so the winner gets to also reset their nickname on top of picking the loser's."

"Fine by me," Beck said immediately.

Adam and Gladwyn agreed too.

"Alright. So these are the main types to look out for, but keep in mind that there are a lot of variations. There are also those who got this far without a solid setup, but you don't need to worry about those.

"So, first off, Afflictionists. They should be your main concern, regardless of what weapons or Relics you're using. Even having an Affliction Ward won't help you. These are Players who stacked Afflictions like bleed, venom, taint, and anything else they can find. The very strongest of them use the Overflow Diadem with the Relic Renewal Stone, so if you see anyone with a diadem on their head try to target it. When the Relic breaks, it triggers a violent backlash that'll usually kill the wearer. You cannot properly defend against afflictions until Stage Eight, so you have to go on the offensive against Players like that."

Holy shit, I didn't realise the Diadem had such an insane weakness. I didn't even think to target someone's Relics to be honest.

Ilya was using an Affliction build when he killed me and it's true, I don't know how you really defend against that unless you have a bunch of Affliction Wards.

I wonder if there are any Players that got the Cracked Conjuring Stone and used it on the Diadem with something else, like the Plague-Spreader's Mask.

"The next ones on the list are the Parry Masters. Basically, anyone with the ability to parry. It can be a parry shield, like the ones from the level 12 Outrider evolution of Defender and the Hoplite evolution of Lancer. It can also be a rapier like what Duellist receives from the start or a parry dagger that Backstabbers get from the Opportunist evolution."

"Why are these a problem?" Beck asked. "I use magic, I can't be parried."

"Projectiles, whether magical or not, can be parried. They are physical and can therefore be affected by physical interactions like parrying. Those competent enough can and will try to parry you, whether you use magical bolts, a sword, or a barrier." She said the last part while looking at Adam's ridiculous floating throne. "Being parried means you'll be disoriented, which makes you unable to do anything. In a fight against another Player, a moment of inaction means death."

"They can long-range disorient by parrying?" Adam asked, surprised.

"Yes, that's why it's a problem you'll have to worry about."

I totally underestimated the parry shield. If I had parried one of Ilya's thrown spears I could've killed him and survived last loop…

"Can they parry magical traps?" Beck asked.

Emelia shook her head.

"Thank God," he muttered.

"What do you mean by traps?" Adam asked.

"The spell staff allows me to prime magical spells, but I have to strike them to fire them off," he explained. "If I don't strike them, someone else can trigger them, which usually means they get a backlash equal to the spell's damage."

"That sounds pretty powerful if you know where the enemies are coming from," he replied.

"It is," Emelia said, "which brings me to number three on the list: Trappers. These include Spellcasters like Beck, Blood Mages which are extremely rare, and Huntsmen."

"Huntsmen?" Adam asked.

"It's a level 12 evolution of Woodsman," she replied. "It unlocks a unique Relic that lets them place a bear trap. It may sound easy enough to avoid, but the traps can be hidden, and they deal 100% of the Player's damage. They'll also inflict any afflictions they possess, as well as a unique one called 'Trapped' which marks you to the Huntsman until you heal back to full. I've only encountered someone like that once, but it nearly killed me. With just a couple Uncommon Relics like Committed Attack Glove and Echo Earring they can kill just about anything with their traps."

New fear unlocked…

"What about Warders like me?" Adam asked. "We can use our barrier to try and crush people."

"There aren't any competent Warders besides you," Emelia commented, "so it's not something to worry about."

"What can Blood Mages do?" Beck asked. Gladwyn nodded, clearly also wanting to know.

"You saw the tattoos that Ezral had in Stage Three, right? Those are the weapons of a Blood Mage. Basically, they can prime spells like Spellcaster by using their blood. If they absorb enough of an enemy's blood, they can do some pretty horrific things. That being said, there are only four of them left."

"Only four??" Adam asked in disbelief.

"It's the most difficult weapon to use in the Trials until Stage Ten, and it's Epic rarity. Only about six-thousand people started off with it. Since it has very low Mana and also uses the caster's own blood for spells, it's really easy to end up dead from Mana Exhaustion or bloodloss."

"Anything else to watch out for?" Gladwyn asked.

"The three I mentioned are the main ones to worry about, since they'll be able to kill you before you know what happened," she replied. "But competent Players are dangerous regardless of what weapons they use, so stay on guard. Anyone with the level 12 Quickshot evolution of Archer can be super dangerous in the narrow halls of Stage Five.

"Other than specific Weapon Types, it's important to watch out for certain Relics. The main ones are the Slime Gloves and Blood Rings, since they are quick to use and can deal a lot of damage, if not be an outright one-shot like the Green Slime Glove. Anyone with the Slime Crown is also going to be hard to beat, but there are only three Players still using that. Those with the Fiendbarb Relic can also be bad news, however, you can completely counter it by having Weaver make you a full-body suit to go under your clothes. I hope you still have Points left to buy that, but it only costs 100. You should also get a medium healing potion just to be safe."

"I already spent all my Points," Beck said.

Gladwyn shook his head.

"I'll go do that now," Adam said.

"Now?" Beck asked.

"It'll take her a while to make," he argued, although his main reason for going was that he needed to visit Luvicidix before it got dark.

Emelia nodded. "You should do that too Gladwyn."

"Gotcha," he replied and stood up, vanishing from the table.

Before Adam could leave, Emelia said, "You have to get rid of that pendant." Her tone was serious.

Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

He paused and looked at her. "Why?"

"Because Scorn will guarantee you die in Stage Five. Once you and Gladwyn are back, I will explain the Worship portion of The Forbidden Altar. But I will tell you right now, you cannot worship anything if you're wearing that. If you cannot worship an Absolute in Stage Five, then you cannot claim the Altar. If you cannot claim the Altar, you cannot beat the Stage. So get rid of it."

"What if I just take it off before I try to claim the Altar?" he asked.

"It will be too late by then."

How can you be sure? he wanted to ask, but her tone made it pretty clear he had no choice.

"Fine, I'll get rid of it," he told her.

Then he floated down to the ground floor and dismounted his barrier.

"Shitbox, store the Queen's Pendant in my Player House."

No way I'm just gonna sell something that useful.

[Understood.]

Adam had finished ordering a Spidersilk onesie from Weaver and flown to the centre of Interim Island just as the sun was about to set.

Luvicidix flew down from the clouds above and alighted on the edge of a house in front of him.

"You know how I feel about you showing up late," she scolded him.

"I've been busy," he replied. "Just show me your upgrades real quick and I'll let you go to wherever it is you go."

"Thank you," she replied.

< < Meta Upgrades For Sale > >

< Damage — Increase All Damage by 10% — 1000 Points >

< Rewards — Increase Reward Options by 1 — 625/4000 Points >

< Vendors — Increase Vendor Options by 1 — 4000 Points >

< Rerolls — Start every loop with 1 Reroll Dice — 2500 Points >

< Relic Saving — Start every loop with 2 Saved Relic Slots — 5000 Points >

< Cheat Death — Start every loop with the Cheat Death Relic — 10000 Points >

Adam wanted to leave some Points remaining for last minute purchases, and, since he had 1901 Points left after buying the anti-Fiendbarb clothing from Weaver, he knew exactly how to spend it with Luvicidix.

"I will spend 1000 Points on the Damage upgrade and 1 Point on Rewards."

"Just 1 Point?" she asked.

"That's right."

"Why?"

"Because it's annoying to look at."

"That's a strange argument," Luvicidix replied.

"Well, it's how I've decided to spend my Points."

"I see…"

< < Meta Upgrade Unlocked > >

< Damage — Increase All Damage by 10% >

< < Meta Upgrade Progress > >

< Rewards — Increase Reward Options by 1 — 626/4000 Points >

"What does the Damage upgrade cost now?" he asked.

Luvicidix waved one of her black-banded arms and the next upgrade appeared.

< < Meta Upgrade For Sale > >

< Damage — Increase All Damage by 25% — 2500 Points >

"Is it adding 25% to the 10% I just unlocked?" he asked.

"No, the 10% increase will become 25% once you unlock this second step."

"What is the next step?"

"I cannot tell you that," she replied.

Been a while since I heard that phrase.

"Speaking of things you can't tell me, will you end up selling a Scale of Remembrance at some point?"

"You know the answer to your question already," Luvicidix replied and lifted into the air. "Goodnight, Adam."

"It was worth a try. Goodnight."

He watched the moth take off into the sky and pull the floating scales with her. Then the Eye unfroze.

Guess I'll go see Alivida before I return to the Tavern. I shouldn't have been gone that long so they probably won't mind if I take a little longer.

"You're back… It has been a while," said Alivida.

"I brought two Mastery Shards with me," he told her.

"That's good. Have a look at my upgrades."

The small black moth swiped an arm over the purple-glowing crystal ball and her selection appeared.

< < Mastery Upgrades For Sale > >

< Skipping Stone — Skip a Stage if eligible — 2 Shards >

< Orb of Insight — View info about the upcoming Stage — 1/3 Shards >

< Visiting Stone — Visit the Dimension of a known Player — 8 Shards >

< Vanity — Turn an Interim Island Denizen into a humanoid — 10 Shards >

I think I'll get the Orb for Stage Eight. Since it has a 2-Stage cooldown, that means I can use it right away.

"I'll buy the Orb."

"Thank you," Alivida replied.

< < Mastery Upgrade Unlocked > >

< Orb of Insight — View info about the upcoming Stage >

"You wouldn't happen to sell a Scale of Remembrance at some point, would you?"

"No," Alivida replied firmly.

So it definitely comes from Luvicidix.

"How do I use my new upgrade?" Adam asked.

The moth indicated the crystal ball in front of her on the round table.

"Guess that makes sense," he said.

"Peer into… the Orb of Insight."

Adam leaned closer and then—

< < Orb of Insight Activated > >

< Viewing Stage Five — The Forbidden Altar >

Adam's mind was sucked into the purple-glowing orb and his vision flickered black for a second before switching to a hallway of stone.

He was seeing from the perspective of something like a drone that hovered slowly through the air while looking at the walls and Elphin statues lining them. Then one of the statues broke free from the stone and raised a weapon.

Time froze and something like an X-ray vision overlaid the Statue Elemental, revealing the glass core in its torso.

The perspective switched to a dead-end hallway with statues lining its walls. One of them held two swords and as the thing guiding him moved closer, its right sword pulled down and the end of the hallway opened like a door.

His vision flickered again, showing a chamber with three solemn Elphin statues standing in front of a carved stone shrine where a dark spear lay like a sacred object. As he hovered closer, he saw the statues were actually alive, although their skin was dark-grey and their eyes totally black.

The perspective switched again, showing a statue with a missing left eye holding a spear. Then a blue pearl floated into the empty socket and the wall the statue was mounted on swung open to reveal a small chamber with a stone chest inside.

It switched again and this time it showed a large altar in a natural cavern that the underground stone tunnels clearly led to. Puddles covered the floor, created by the dripping stalactites jutting out from the ceiling. The altar was a round stone disc full of carved channels that the cave water filled. There were fifteen plinths on the outer edge of the disc, all were the same size except four, which were larger than the rest. Each plinth had a rounded hole in the top, and in the centre of the disc on the floor was a heavy-looking stone orb.

Suddenly his perspective was forcefully torn away and he saw six faces in quick succession, one of which was his own, and another which belonged to Willow Martin. The remaining four were one woman and three men, but he didn't recognise them.

< < Orb of Insight Deactivated > >

The vision ended abruptly and his mind was shot back into his own body with such force that he stumbled a step and nearly slipped out through the door-flap to Alivida's tent.

Adam breathed rapidly as his mind reeled from what he'd seen.

It showed me the stone spear weapon and how to open the way, and it showed me how to use the Skyblue Pearl to get to the map. Just like Emelia told me.

The Orb of Insight is clearly a useful tool to find Secrets.

I guess there aren't any Secret Bosses though, unless those black-eyed Elphin count as one.

From what I can guess, the Altar part of the Stage works by lifting that stone orb and placing it atop a plinth to pick someone to worship.

He paused as he realised what the last part of the vision meant.

Fuck…

Suddenly Emelia's reaction to Willow's name made more sense. It explained why she wouldn't help him get in touch with her. She'd been trying to protect Adam from getting hurt, because she'd known.

She knew that I would have to fight Willow in Stage Five…

He wouldn't accept it.

There had to be a way for him to defy the Trials' cruelty.

Adam ran out of the tent and jumped on his barrier, flying off to the Tavern.

Emelia immediately accepted his connection request. Neither Gladwyn nor Beck were with her when she appeared.

She looked at Adam's face and then at the simple stool he sat on. He had been too much in a hurry to bother shaping his barrier into a seat.

"What's wrong?" she asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

"I found out who I'm fighting next," he told her.

Her expression darkened. "How?" she asked.

"I bought the Orb of Insight and it showed me."

From the look of surprise that flashed across her face, it was clear Emelia hadn't given the upgrade any thought whatsoever.

"You need to help me defy the Forbidden Altar!"

"It can't be done, Adam. I've already told you."

"Why not!? There has to be a way!"

"I asked Arturo many times and he said it couldn't be done. I haven't been able to prove him wrong."

Adam felt like he was gonna throw up. A ball was lodged in his throat and bile rose up, threatening to spill out.

"I don't want to kill her…" he said, feeling on the verge of despair.

"You don't have to," Emelia replied.

Someone else will, his mind said, finishing her sentence.

"You don't understand," he told her, basically pleading for her to fix what couldn't be fixed. "She's the reason I even started time-looping in the first place. Just like how you wouldn't have survived to find the Divine Relic if I hadn't saved you in Stage Seven."

Emelia froze. "You used the scale?"

"Of course I did, but it's not important right now. We need to find out how I can save Willow."

She reached an arm across the table and tried to touch his hand, but her fingers passed through him.

"Let me tell you about the rest of the Stage and how the Altar works. Maybe there's a way."

Adam knew that she was just lying to be nice to him.

But he let himself be swept up in the lie.

He needed to save his friend, even if she was just a stranger to him in this universe.

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