Endless Evolution: Last Star Chapter 1534: It’s Not That Simple

"Agh... Agh... Agh..." Adam panted roughly while gazing at the golden particles breaking apart right in front of him.

In a mere second and a half, ten golden spiders got crushed into his needle. Their velocity was incredible, yet that brief interval felt endlessly drawn out to Adam.

With every jab, he sensed the force rippling through his frame, and had he retreated even slightly, stumbled, or let go of his needle, one of those golden spiders might have easily torn right through him, slamming like a bullet at full throttle.

Yet, it wasn't the spiders or the spiral crystals that caused Adam to scowl—it was the trial itself.

"Shit, so everything sticks to the rules until suddenly it doesn't?"

Alexia grasped this as well, her eyes fixed sharply on the platform that now held just three lit sockets. The rest had dimmed completely, with mere seconds standing between them and total failure in this trial.

"This isn't good whatsoever. We figured we'd get several chances. That we'd devise a strategy, plan our next moves, refine our approach, but nope—we got totally tricked!"

She hit the nail on the head. They had nearly blown it since the Ancient Voice withheld key info, though the real issue lay elsewhere.

"Tsk, that Ancient Voice..." Adam rasped. "It's no friend or foe to us. It merely observes from afar, enforcing the rules for all. But if those rules allow for abrupt shifts in trial conditions, the Ancient Voice has zero qualms about it."

Tremble.

With a quiver, Silvana and Louis materialized beside them. They'd cleared this trial, yet to advance further, they needed to learn how to handle surprises like these.

"What if we bombard the Ancient Voice with as many questions as we can?" Silvana proposed.

Louis shook his head. "Adam already gave it a shot. If it's not meant to answer, it'll just brush off the query. We ought to zero in on the trials themselves, not the Ancient Voice."

"Hmm?" Alexia cocked her head, puzzled.

"I could be off base, but it feels like every following trial hides some snare or surprise twist. The Ancient Voice skips mentioning it since it's outside the set rules. Therefore..."

Adam cut in:

"We need to anticipate the absolute worst that might befall us, yeah?"

Louis gave a nod.

"Pretty much. Here, time was your biggest hurdle. Ten minutes felt tight, but you banked on eventually succeeding thanks to endless retries. Then bam—the limits tightened up, wiping out your edge in a flash."

After a quick breather, Adam brushed the dust from his shoulder and faced the cyan crystal.

The real spiders lingered in the cave's shadows, eyeing them steadily, but just like earlier, they showed no rush to strike. No intervention was required from them.

Oddly, this sparked a realization in Adam about something he'd missed earlier:

"Huh, it didn't hit me right away, but they clearly aren't happy their lair's tangled in this trial. So they're outsiders to the Frost Oasis—some mighty force showed up and imposed its own order here."

"Agh?" Alexia arched a brow. "Why though? This spot's smack in the boonies!"

Louis squinted his eyes.

"Can't agree there. This chasm draws in beasts with its raw might. Plus, descent's only for folks wielding ancient energy. It's basically a snare luring in the mightiest to squeeze every drop from them."

Silvana glanced at the Pale Spider Pearl.

"Whatever lurks here packs enough punch to bend the Ancient Voice to its will."

Step. Step. Step.

Adam advanced swiftly, brushing by Silvana to position himself before the cyan crystal.

The amber stars hovering over his arms shot skyward, arranging into a half-ring directed at the crystal. But that was merely part of the setup.

"Alexia, get in on this. We've gotta push ahead."

Alexia let out a sharp breath.

"Yes!"

She dashed up as her own amber stars sprang to life.

Before long, sixty amber stars formed a ring suspended over the cyan crystal. They quivered with energy and, all at once like fifty sharp edges, sliced directly into the crystal.

Crack. Crack. Crack.

Fissures spiderwebbed across the crystal, which then burst apart in front of Adam and Alexia.

Perfectly timed, the gray pearl sat untouched in the middle, perched on the single crystal shard that endured the chaos.

"Alright, that's ours for the taking."

Adam snatched the Pale Spider Pearl. Unsure of what might happen, he found it to be a simple, chilly sphere resembling nothing more than a basic trinket.

[You have obtained the Pale Spider Pearl.]

[Bring the orb to the gate to complete the first pattern.]

Tap. Tap. Tap.

Dozens of blue spiders clambered down to the lake's borders, locking their gazes on them.

They let out hisses, urging Adam and Alexia to vacate the area without delay.

"Tsk, aren't you lot thrilled we freed you from this trial?" Adam scowled while pressing onward. "Come on, Alexia, they want us gone."

"Pfffft!" She let out a scoff. "They oughta thank their lucky stars I'm not itching to scrap with pushovers like you!"

Silvana and Louis shared a quiet look before heading out.

For all her bold talk, Alexia's injuries were plain to see. Should the upcoming trial prove tougher, who knew the ordeals awaiting them?

Once Adam and Alexia's figures vanished into the tunnel, the blue spiders held back from chasing, turning instead toward the cyan crystal to siphon its power.

Too bad for the spiders—they'd outlived their purpose here, much like the Ancient Voice.

Tremble. Tremble. Tremble.

The spiral crystals shook violently prior to exploding and unleashing their final surge.

In that instant, every blue spider halted dead and burst open like overripe fruit.

Not a single one made it out alive.