I coughed blood from my position inside the crater on the wall, looking down helplessly at my utterly mutilated body, watching all the tens of System Prompts take up my entire field of view.

[All ribs have been broken by a Blacksand Scorpion]

[Your lungs have collapsed]

[Your heart has been impaled]

...

...

...

That was some Claw-Swipe. Abisai wasn't joking when he said Failed-Disasters were stronger than other Crisis-Class beasts. The Shadestalkers might as well be children compared to strength like that.

It had come completely out of the blue if I was being honest. I'd noticed the beast was being extremely passive, only ever defending my attacks. It had only served to confuse me for a good while, until that Car-sized claw rammed me so hard I turned into a missile.

But still, out the corner of my eye, and the through the fog of dust, I could see the Colossal black scorpion standing in place, its gait still as awkward as ever. Even after that hit, it didn't look to be taking the incentive in this fight.

What's wrong with it? Beasts aren't generally like this...

My gaze fell back to the System Prompts as my Gift finally kicked in, healing everything right back up.

[Host's [Impact Resistance] has increased greatly: x25]

[Enhanced Impact Resistance V --> VI]

[Host's [Pierce Resistance] has increased greatly: x25]

[Enhanced Pierce Resistance V --> VI]

[Host's [Slash Resistance] has increased greatly: x25]

[Enhanced Slash Resistance V --> VI]

Heh. That's really something. At least this proves I'm not in some sort of dream-state. If the System registered those injuries, and my Resistances are being upgraded as a result, then this has to be my real body...but it still doesn't explain why the Main mind is no longer with me...

Right now, I was only functioning using the awareness formed from the Berserk Mana. It felt odd, having one consciousness suddenly removed when you were used to having two. But in the face of a Crisis-Class Blacksand Scorpion, I'd been forced to bite the bullet and take the trial.

I need to come up with some sort of plan to kill this thing. Intisak said no channeling, so I can't produce nearly enough strength to break through its shell...that leaves me with...not that many options.

The System Prompts detailing the improvements to my Resistances finally ended, and I was about to pull myself out of the crater in another attempt to brute-force this uphill battle, when another completely new System Prompt appeared before me.

[Will Resonance: 1%]

My brows scrunched in confusion. What the hell is Will Resonance?

I peered through the clouds of dust once again, eyes locking on the Scorpion's six pairs, each one glowing yellow upon its massive head. Is it...staring back at me?

I couldn't tell. The thing's eyes had no pupils, it could just as well have been looking at the clouds themselves, and I wouldn't have been able to tell the difference.

My gaze once again fell to that final System Prompt.

Will Resonance...is this how I pass the trial? Do I need to keep fighting this thing until it becomes 100%?

It was the only straw I could grasp at in my situation. I didn't have any other options.

With a heavy grunt, I finally pulled myself out of the crater in the wall, and hopped back down to the polished blackstone floor of the Arena.

Keeping close watch on the Scorpion's movements, I cautiously walked over to my estranged Greataxe, and picked it up.

Let's do this then.

With practiced movements, I gripped the axe with both hands once more, then dashed straight back in, this time approaching it from the opposite direction to my last curved path. I'd noticed that it's right claw looked to be just a little more flexible than the left, so I targeted that discrepancy, circling the beast anti-clockwise in an effort to force contact with that left claw.

Strange as it was, the beast only ever turned in place. Never approaching nor retreating. Not that I was complaining. It made this battle a hell of a lot more feasible than if it could.

I continued to track the beast's rotation as my path curved to its left, patiently waiting for that singular moment to dash in. And that moment came.

The beast's six legs finally stumbled over each other after their continuous efforts at rotation, and I employed the same strategy I had in the fight against the two Knife-Tailed Boars back in Eidolon's Matrix. My curved path was cut short in a flash, using my Silver Physiology best I could to redirect all that momentum in a straight dash straight towards the left claw.

The Greataxe tightened in my grip as it trailed behind me, raising the weapon until it was level with the ground, and then, using all my momentum, all my strength, and the beast's imbalance, I struck.

A perfect Horizontal Slash, heading straight for the joint between the claw's pincers and the beast's arm.

An inch.

The axeblade had been a single inch from contact with that joint when the beast finally moved.

It turned out that the beast's left claw wasn't any less flexible than the other. It snapped backwards in a shockingly precise maneuver, raising the claw to the blinding blue skies.

And I could only gulp as it dropped down like an ungodly boulder straight over my head.

BOOOOOM!

The ground cratered where I stood, my body turned to mush in the ground as every bone in my body was broken for the second time in 3 minutes.

System Prompts poured, first the ones detailing all my various injuries, until the healing kicked in and the next set poured in.

[Host's [Impact Resistance] has increased greatly: x40]

[Enhanced Impact Resistance VI --> VII]

[Host's [Pierce Resistance] has increased greatly: x40]

[Enhanced Pierce Resistance VI --> VII]

[Host's [Slash Resistance] has increased greatly: x40]

[Enhanced Slash Resistance VI --> VII]

And yet the beast didn't act any further. Only staring at me with those same yellow eyes, completely indifferent to my state.

No. It wasn't indifferent. I could almost see the hints of amusement hidden behind their smooth sheen.

It's...not attacking..?

I was utterly confused as I laid there in the crater on the ground, simply waiting and watching my body heal. The beast wasn't attacking while I was incapacitated, yet it had reduced me to a bag of meat and broken bones twice in the last few minutes. I didn't understand. Not a single hypothesis, not even a wild theory. I had nothing to explain the beast's completely counter-intuitive behavior.

But then, that final Prompt came.

[Will Resonance: 5%]

I felt a change. I didn't know what it was. But it was there. A sense of...understanding?

My eyes met the beast's once more, and the small inkling of an idea began to form. But I pushed it away, believing it to be far too ridiculous to even consider. There had to be another explanation.

I just had to find it.

My injuries healed up a few seconds later, and I stood back up from the crater, the Scorpion still rooted in place and staring down at me with that same look of hidden amusement. It was starting to anger me.

Is it ridiculing me?

I controlled my emotions. I couldn't get agitated over a completely baseless conclusion. For all I knew, this was just how Blacksand Scorpions looked. I could just as well have been imagining these so-called 'hints of amusement'.

I stepped back carefully, picking up my axe and making a cautious retreat from the beast's vicinity. It didn't pursue, but its eyes were locked on me like a vice.

I swallowed, unsure what to do, but desperate for information.

Might as well take the initiative.

"What do you want?" I asked aloud.

The beast didn't react, only continuing to stare.

Of course it's not going to talk back to you Axel, what did you think would happen?

But then the beast moved. It raised one of its giant claws, and tapped it against the ground, a firm, singular thud.

My eyes narrowed. That was definitely deliberate. But...what does it mean by that?

"Do you...understand me?"

The claw raised once more, and this time, it tapped twice, two clean thuds.

My brows raised slightly. I swallowed again. "Do you want to kill me?"

One tap.

My eyes widened into saucers. Two taps for yes...One tap for no...its actually communicating....

I stepped forward cautiously, "Do I need to fight you to pass this trial?"

This time, the beast...did nothing. Nothing at all. Does it not know the answer either?

But again it moved, and this time, the claw tapped thrice. I understood it. "Maybe?"

Two taps.

Unbelievable. How is this possible?

The theory that I'd pushed aside now seemed to be becoming more and more plausible. My eyes flicked to the "Will Resonance" System Prompt, contemplating my next words deeply. I could be revealing something no one was supposed to know. It was risky. I knew it was.

But something told me I was right.

I gulped.

"Are you...the Main Mind?"

The singular moment that followed felt like my entire body had paused in function. The implications of such a thing...the purpose of this trial...the method to prove myself...my perception of it all would have to change.

Sweat beaded on my forehead as I waited, until finally, the beast's claw raised, then came down to the tap the ground...Twice.

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