Chapter 528: Cheval Spiritual Screener
Siberia: Tree class adventurer.
Ranked 2/700 in Thaad.
Ranked 4/700 in Wilds.
Ranked 20/700 in the world.
“She came from the Northern continents, closer to where devils frequently attacked,” Eric explained, his voice dropping into a lower, more serious register. “She was born and raised in an environment that forces individuals to be strong… or die. The North isn’t kind to anyone, but it’s especially cruel to the weak. The people who come from there never had the luxury of training safely, or learning from mentors who will pulled their punches.”
He went quiet for some seconds, then he continued: “Rumors say she is the sister of Kapil, but we don’t know that for a fact. They never confirm it or deny it, and they don’t seem to care what anyone thinks about their relationship. They arrived together, and they have always fought together—but whether that’s because they’re family or just two kindred spirits who found each other in the chaos, nobody knows for certain. However, Kapil and Siberia registered in Thaad as adventurers for the first time, 20 years ago.”
“Wait, how old is Siberia again?!” I nearly leapt out of my skin, my voice cracking with disbelief.
“They were both 15 years old when they came to Thaad,” Eric explained with the confidence of someone who witnessed it happen before his eyes. Long-lived races and their low-key arrogance. “When they both registered, they instantly hit Garden class, bypassing grass and flower easily.”
As for Kapil, he was also a monster. I glanced back at the banner, reading his numbers again with fresh eyes.
Kapil: Tree class adventurer.
Ranked 3/700 in Thaad.
Ranked 5/700 in Wilds.
Ranked 24/700 in the world.
Except for the global scale, Kapil was always directly behind his sister. Well, it isn’t proven that they’re siblings, but still.
I think I see them in a different light now. They weren’t just powerful—they were synchronized, in sync in a way that went beyond mere partnership.
Whether they were blood or just two souls who’d been through so much together that they’d become inseparable, the bond between them was clear as day.
“Applicant No. 5! Heka of Verdant Spire!” A receptionist finally called for Heka to do her own spirit trial.
Her voice rang out across the hall, sharp and clear, cutting through the ambient noise of conversation and clinking mugs.
And I could see the whole guild visibly shifting, all their attention was fixed on Heka like it was a public spectacle.
Adventurers who had been deep in conversation suddenly fell silent. Mugs of ale remained suspended in the air, forgotten.
Every pair of eyes in that space turned toward Heka, watching her with anticipation.
She had somehow become a celebrity in under a day—the daughter of the Amazon queen, the woman who’d slapped a wyvern to death, the warrior who’d sent Octavius crying to his mommy.
Everyone wanted to see what she would do next.
Oh, by the way, Octavius even shit himself, and was shamefully removed from the area by his loyal sycophants while he cried like a little girl.
I’d noticed the commotion earlier—the way his face had gone pale, the way his knees had buckled, the way his friends had scrambled to drag him out of the area before he could embarrass himself any further.
No seriously, poor guy.
How could anyone enter such a brutal contest without hitting the bathroom first? As a professional, he should know these things.
Nerves were one thing, but full-blown loss of bowel control was just…
Okay, back to now: A tall and big oval shaped thingy was rolled forth, since there seemed to be round things down the base acting as tires.
The base was adorned with intricate engravings, symbols and patterns.
A team of guild staff pushed it forward with obvious effort, their faces straining with the weight, and positioned it where Heka could interact with it.
At the surface of the large oval was something that resembled trapped water—a shimmering, translucent membrane that rippled and flowed like a liquid caught mid-motion, yet never spilled over the edges.
To me, it seemed like a full length oval-shaped mirror that had shifting watery images inside, reflections that weren’t quite reflections.
“My lady, please step forward,” one receptionist politely requested, gesturing at the oval with a graceful sweep of her hand.
She was the same girl who’d nearly swallowed her quill when Heka revealed her lineage, and she was still clearly nervous, her voice trembling slightly despite her best efforts to sound professional.
“This is a Cheval Spiritual Screener, an artifact that will determine your adventurer class. This is to guide you in the field so you do not take on a quest larger than yourself. Our creed in this guild is that your life matters more than reward. Your safety is our priority. Please place your palm on the surface.”
“Understood,” Heka walked forward, her steps measured and confident, showing none of the hesitation and nervousness that might have plagued a novice adventurer.
She stopped in front of the Screener, watched the shifting surface for a second, her eyes tracing the patterns that danced beneath the rippling membrane, as the guild went quiet with expectancy.
Just hours ago, she’d been a stranger to these people, just another face in the crowd. Now she was the center of attention, the subject of whispers and speculation, the woman everyone wanted to see succeed or fail.
Her hand pressed on the spiritual screener and it rippled in contact, like she touched a water’s surface.
Silence prevailed for the next few seconds, while the artifact made a humming cadence that filled the atmosphere.
The sound rose and fell, like a heartbeat that was slowly accelerating, building toward something. The swirling colors coalesced into shapes—images that were almost recognizable, almost tangible, but always shifting before anyone could fully grasp them.
“A… AHHH!!”
No, nobody died.
Just a shocked receptionist losing footing and crashing to the ground.
Her back hit the wooden floor with a solid thump, her legs flying up in the air, and her skirt flipping over her face.
Ah, I saw her panties.
But I was apparently the only one who noticed—and the only one who cared—because everyone else was too busy staring at the artifact.
Nobody was bothered by the fall and cute panties, and the receptionist herself wasn’t as well.
That was because they were gawking at the screener, while it artistically formed a… beautiful tree, as it grew from sapling to its full glory, almost seeming like it was going to break out of the glass.
The tree was breathtaking—a towering oak with spreading branches and deep, intricate roots, every leaf and knot and whorl of bark rendered in shimmering light.
It grew in fast-forward, rising from a tiny sprout to a majestic giant in the span of seconds.
The colors were impossibly vivid—emerald greens that seemed to glow from within.
The screen was clear, the verdict undeniable.