The Exalt [Cultivation Fantasy]

"It doesn't taste like anything…." Demon chewed on the cooked steak held in his hand, dripping the grease from his hand onto the floor. An hour into his freedom on the outside, his stomach started to grumble, signaling the signs of hunger. So, he cooked up a heaping pile of steaks, according to the amount Oscar typically ate.

"Oscar eats this happily like an idiot, but it doesn't taste like anything. How strange. Don't you think so?" Demon turned to his right, where two people were lying on the cold floor. Puddles of blood expanded underneath them, and they let out painful, weak groans that grew quieter with each passing second.

"Hunger is such an inconvenience. Though I can't feel it, it's a necessary part of living." He wiped his hands of the grease, noticing a cut on the back of his hand. Somehow these two recently advanced Middle Elite Exalts managed to wound him. Did he slip up somewhere? His movements should have been perfect. Demon bandaged his hand, gripping it tightly.

Neither a sting nor ache came from the wound. Demon approached the two who were still bleeding out, dirtying his shoes with their blood. After looting their space pockets, Demon didn't bother to stick around to watch the process of them melting. Although, the scene would be interesting to watch.

Nevertheless, he had other priorities to attend to. Oscar's will was his own, and he couldn't let anything stand in the way of achieving them. He had to find a token and help Oscar's friends if necessary. Now, where was the token? When Oscar ran into the room, it started something, dropping everyone into the tarantula nest. For certain, the rooms contained the way forward.

"Which of these rooms has the best chance of containing a token?" Demon glanced over Gol-4's map, gazing over the hundreds of drawn rooms. None of the rooms could be ignored, not even the bathrooms. Any one of these rooms could be the winner.

"Here we are…." At the other end of this corridor was a large door. According to the map, the doors led to a series of stairs to go upstairs. If the maps were correct, he'd end up in the living quarters for servants. Demon put away the map. Gol-4 wasn't trustworthy, in Demon's opinion.

Demon thought of Oscar's idiotic and relaxed face at times. He knew Oscar had concerns but still held some trust in the mechanical head when he shouldn't. Trusting a mysterious head from a supposed plundered vault was the height of folly. Its past achievements didn't matter. What mattered was the secrets it withheld from them.

No matter what, he wouldn't let Oscar be tricked by a ruined golem or anyone else. Same for the woman, Serena. Demon ran faster to reach the door as he continued pondering. He felt she was far too intrusive and troublesome for Oscar. It was only natural to stop it before he came into harm because of it. 'Enough of useless thoughts.'

Demon exhaled and kicked open the large door. Instead of the spiraling stairs, which the map indicated, he entered a small room around the size of a closet. A single person could barely fit inside. The mechanical head was incorrect, and Demon wanted to leave.

He couldn't.

Strange. His feet were stuck to the floor. An unnatural force forced him immobile. Demon stared around with an icy gaze. He tried to turn his head with all his might, popping several veins around his neck. The large entrance closed with a loud clutter. A click sounded in the tight closet.

'The floor….' Demon felt the floor lowering itself. The marbled wall of the closet moved up until only a rocky wall remained. A few minutes later, Demon crossed his arms and exhaled. Hot air filled his lungs, and sweat beaded down his face. Where was he being taken?

The rising temperatures reminded Demon of a memory, Oscar's memory. A memory from years ago when Oscar took the inner hall promotion exam. Right…Demon finished glancing through Oscar's memories. Most likely, a deep underground magma chamber awaited him.

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Another click entered Demon's ear, and he lifted his head. He no longer felt the floor dropping. Demon lifted his foot one by one, regaining his control. Instantly, he entered the Adamasreis, not wanting to get caught off guard and without proper preparations.

Turning around, Demon faced a new set of soot-covered doors, similar to the ones Oscar went through in the Foundry. Reaching out his hand, his skin dried instantly—an intense heat that would run him dry in moments. Luckily, Oscar was a fabricator. Demon changed into the fabricator uniform, hiding his face and affiliation under it.

With a sigh, he opened the soot-covered doors. Heatwaves rushed in and covered Demon, raising the temperature further. Even with the fabricator uniform, Demon found putting up a thin Ein Shroud necessary to lessen the heat. Under his helmet, Demon gazed indifferently at his destination.

A vast underground expanse of rising pillars of magma and rivers of lava expanded endlessly underground. It was an ocean of red that far eclipsed the one in the inner hall promotion exam in front of Demon. Demon moved closer, scrutinizing the strange platforms in the lava.

Perfect squares of white like the ones on the chessboards lined neatly into a series of pathways and forks, all starting from a single square by Demon's door. Strange runic symbols patterned the squares, filled with intent. Demon stepped onto the square, similar in size to the platforms used for the Grand Gathering.

"Strange platforms, and the heat is gone. But I shouldn't reveal my face, or Oscar may face some trouble later." Demon tightened the fabricator helmet more onto his head. He failed to spot an exit or any end to this long stretch and returned his focus to the platforms. Shifting his foot toward where his square met another, Demon felt an invisible barrier preventing him from moving onward.

Perhaps, something needed to happen for him to continue. Demon backtracked, but a similar barrier prevented him from retreating. Just like the closet, he was isolated and kept in this space.

"ALL PLAYERS HAVE GATHERED!"

A voice boomed and pierced through Demon's ears. He searched for the source to no avail. He chose to ponder on the words spoken by the mysterious voice. One part piqued his attention, not interest, players. "There are people other than me, and this is some sort of game?"

"THERE ARE SIXTEEN INDIVIDUALS IN TOTAL, AND YOU CAN CHECK THE STATUS OF EVERYONE AND THE MAP BY SAYING STATUS."

"Status," Demon spoke instantly. A bright glowing square of Ein and light materialized out of thin air. On it, Demon saw a large network of squares all linked up, resembling a series of roads. He saw many red dots on certain squares, all around the edges of the map, including a single blue one.

'THE REDS ARE YOUR ENEMIES, AND BLUE IS YOU.'

The voice answered Demon's questions.

'THE RULES ARE TO TRAVERSE THE PATHWAYS AND ARRIVE AT THE DESIGNATED EXIT. FAILURE TO DO SO WILL RESULT IN EJECTION OR DEATH. THE PLATFORMS YOU GO ON WILL CONTAIN A SURPRISE OR NOT.'

Demon sat down in a meditative pose, absorbing as much Ein as possible while listening. Every second was important in becoming stronger and entering his best condition to kill his enemies. Unlike Oscar, he wouldn't let themselves enter another sticky situation.

"ON YOUR STATUSES, YOU CAN SEE A DICE OF LIGHT. TAP ON IT TO ROLL. THESE DICE WILL DETERMINE HOW MANY SPACES YOU WILL MOVE."

'It really is a game….' Demon tapped on his square platform. 'I wonder what will happen if we encounter others. If it's killing, that would be best. Though if it's an ally, who should do it?'

"NOW, EVERYONE ROLL THE DICE TO DECIDE WHO WILL GO FIRST! YOU CAN ONLY MOVE ON YOUR TURN. ANY ATTEMPTS TO BREAK THE RULES WILL RESULT IN DEATH."

Demon tapped the twenty-sided dice on his status. The dice of light and Ein rolled around until it landed on twenty, the highest he could have wanted. Demon noticed his result was put up as were the others'. In the end, his twenty was the best out of the rest.

"So I get to go first. Would that be an advantage or a disadvantage?" Demon stood up and waited for the voice to announce the results.

"ALL PLAYERS HAVE ROLLED, AND THE TURNS HAVE BEEN SET. WELCOME TO THE BOARD, PLAYERS! THE GAME OF HELLFIRE SHALL BEGIN. PLAYER ONE, IT'S YOUR TURN!"

The twenty-sided dice turned into regular six-sided dice. Moving up to twenty paces sounded the most efficient to get through this game faster, but the game had other plans for him. Demon flicked his finger on the dice, spinning it until it landed on a four.

"PLAYER ONE WILL MOVE FOUR SPACES FORWARD!"

Demon stepped on the next platform, feeling nothing happening. Staring out onto the straight path, he had an idea. Silver Burst exploded under his feet, propelling him forward at breakneck speeds. Right when he entered his sixth platform, the invisible barrier sprung up and stopped him in mid-air.

"...." Demon felt a surge of Ein. The runes all over his new platform started to shine. Something stirred from within the magma. Bubbles and ripples concentrated on certain parts. Creatures of black-ash rocky skin climbed onto his platform.

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