Endless Evolution: Last Star Chapter 1530: Too Slow (Part 1)
Previously on Endless Evolution: Last Star...
Adam and Alexia needed a couple of moments to grasp the trial's requirements. Merely 360 seconds remained for them to gather 59 Glowing Tips.
Though challenging, the feat lay within reach for these two K4-Phantoms, who had forged the pair of grand stars and even harnessed the ancient energy, though only in a constrained manner.
Confidence surged through them that those few minutes would suffice to finish the job.
Thus, once Adam seized the initial glowing tip, he and Alexia launched into pursuit of the golden spiders.
They dashed at top speed, splitting the lake area between them to maximize their coverage and efficiency.
Yet...
"Agh... Agh... Agh..."
Their labored breaths reverberated against the icy cavern walls as the final lights faded.
[The trial has failed.]
The Ancient Voice rang out just as the ghost spiders vanished entirely, and the spiral crystals ceased generating the barrier.
[You may try again at any time. All your Glowing Tips will be lost.]
Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.
The amber spheres floating over their arms shook violently before bursting apart.
Adam and Alexia shared a look. Rather than exhaustion, confusion and bewilderment marked their faces.
From the moment Adam figured out the objective, across those six minutes, they'd only secured 17 Glowing Tips.
Even with the full 10 minutes allowed at most, they'd likely snag around 30 tops, far short of the 60 required to succeed.
"Fuck, what was that...?" Alexia whispered, her lips quivering.
Frustration hit her harder than Adam. She'd believed snaring every golden spider would be a breeze, yet reality proved far tougher.
What went wrong?
Every time they claimed a Glowing Tip—meaning each golden spider slain—the surviving ones accelerated, while more ghost spiders swarmed in, growing fiercer.
After hitting 15 Glowing Tips, things escalated dramatically, evident from the gashes on Alexia’s shoulder. Those ghost spiders, once barely a threat, had powered up enough to wound her.
"They got way stronger towards the end..." Alexia bit her lip. "Shit! How could we have lost?"
Her fist pounded the floor, cracking the stone.
Adam's eyes narrowed while he replayed the events in his mind.
"No, that’s not the problem."
"Agh? What do you mean, that’s not the problem? How can we pass this trial if we can’t defeat all the spiders?"
Adam simply shook his head in reply.
"That’s not important. Even if we could kill all the spiders with a simple snap of our fingers, it wouldn’t change anything. We barely caught up with the last golden spiders, and the more Glowing Tips we have, the faster they are."
He fixed his gaze sharply on Alexia.
"We’ve only collected 17 tips, but what will happen when we have 50, let alone 55+?"
Alexia swallowed hard. The sheer velocity those golden spiders might reach defied her imagination.
Indeed, both possessed impressive speed, fueled mostly by their energy, raw strength, and robust physiques.
Yet neither boasted skills that boosted their pace outright.
To claim victory, they'd need a fresh strategy.
"Alright, let’s try again. Now we know what to do and can use every second we have."
"Is the plan still the same?" Alexia asked.
Adam nodded, lifting his gaze to the platform.
"We’re ready."
The platform ignited in brilliance without delay, spiral crystals gleaming as they enveloped the cave in an unseen force field.
Adam doubted they'd conquer this trial sans a strategy, but to devise the next move, he first needed to test their limits.
What marked their peak performance?
’17 tips in 6 minutes, right? We need to collect at least 30. Although it’s unclear how much more difficult it will become when we reach 25.’
Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.
The rocky spires quaked as hordes of ghost spiders materialized from every direction.
This round, however, Adam and Alexia spotted their targets right away—golden spiders lurking amid the throng, precisely what they sought.
Whooooooosh.
They charged ahead without pause, determined to nab as many golden spiders as feasible, even though deep down they sensed the challenge ahead....
Nine minutes later.
Step. Step. Step.
Adam chased the golden spider poised to yield their 30th Glowing Tip. With 29 already in hand, just one more would hit the halfway mark for the trial.
True, it fell short of victory; refining their approach remained key to triumph, but this leap dwarfed their prior effort.
’Shit! I can’t catch up with it!’ Adam cursed inwardly while pursuing the golden spider. Its legs churned furiously, trailing golden light from its blistering pace.
The creature blurred like lightning, forcing Adam to channel energy into his legs and surge even quicker.
’Come on, just a little more!’ Adam lunged with his hand, ready to seize the golden spider.
Tremble.
Instantly, the golden spider shuddered, rocketing ahead by meters in a flash.
Adam clutched at empty space.
"You little bastard..." His teeth ground in fury as he snatched a rock from the ground.
Eyes locked on the distant golden spider, he hurled the stone with full force—and oddly, the beast couldn't dodge.
BAM!
The energy-infused rock obliterated the golden spider.
A faint grin crossed Adam’s lips, only to vanish swiftly.
[Time’s up.]
[The trial has failed.]
[You can try again at any time.]
Uncertainty loomed over how many retries they'd require, stirring unease in Adam.
If this was merely the opening trial, what horrors lay beyond?