Cosmic Ruler

Ramis nodded at Jake's suggestion, and then both of them stepped into the next narrow passage, not before picking up the round runic disk dropped at the entrance to the next part.

As they exited the chamber, the chamber doors closed, and the sound of moving objects could be heard from the other side.

"It seems they are repositioning the mirrors and torches we moved earlier," Ramis said, hearing the noises. Jake nodded and gestured for him to move forward.

"I think these are some kind of trials," Jake suddenly said as they moved cautiously in the narrow corridor.

"You mean these shrines are some sort of trial for the final part, or the central shrine?" Ramis asked, looking at Jake.@@novelbin@@

"Yes, most probably. These runic disks are some kind of keys for the last chamber, and from there, we might get something of significance," Jake voiced his thoughts.

Ramis fell into pondering and said, "Or it might be some kind of legacy trial."

"If it is a legacy trial, then it's even worse than Infernals planning this gate," Jake responded.

"If it's a natural gate, not one made by Infernals, then it means at the Infernal side there is a seer," Jake said grimly.

Ramis frowned. "A seer? That would make this whole ordeal even more dangerous."

Jake nodded. "Yes, a seer would mean they can anticipate our moves. We have to be extremely careful and think ahead. Let's keep moving and stay alert. We need to be ready for whatever comes next."

"Not to mention, if our speculation about a Seer is true, then this gate holds a legacy that forced the Infernals to show themselves after so much time," Jake said.

"In simple words, either this legacy is of significance to the Infernals, or this legacy is immensely powerful. In either case, it's bad for us," Jake continued.

He then looked back at Ramis, who had a frowning expression, and said, "Whatever it is, let's focus on the chamber ahead."

Ramis nodded, shaking off his unease. "Agreed. We need to stay sharp and ready for whatever trials lie ahead."

They pressed forward, the narrow passage gradually widening into another chamber. The air grew heavier with each step, and a sense of foreboding settled over them. The walls were adorned with ancient symbols, some glowing faintly, others faded with age.

They carefully observed the chamber, and then from its center, it started splitting into two parts.

A wall rose up from the middle, dividing not only the room but also separating Ramis and Jake.

"Hey! Can you hear me?" Ramis yelled from the other side.

"I can," Jake replied, then continued, "It seems now we can only move forward."

"Why not try breaking this wall?" Ramis asked, hearing Jake.

"I already tried, idiot," Jake responded. "Just move. We don't know if this is a time-limited thing or not."

"Okay, see you at the exit," Ramis said. Jake looked ahead.

His eyes fell on the wooden mechanical golem sitting lifelessly at the door.

"I guess this is my opponent," he said. Creating a spear of light, he hurled it at the golem's center, aiming for a gap that seemed like a core.

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Jake watched as the spear flew toward the golem's chest, but then a hand grabbed the spear and broke it into pieces.

Jake looked at the hand's owner and saw it was a goblin.

The hideous orange goblin laughed as he looked at Jake, licked his lips, and then ran to the golem.

Opening a hatch, he climbed inside the golem and powered it up.

Jake now looked at the mechanical golem piloted by the goblin, who was laughing maniacally. "This shitty goblin is living my dream of owning a Mecha."

An unknown anger surged inside Jake as he saw the goblin mocking him. He felt like the next-door kid who is being teased by his neighbor showing off a new toy—a toy that the next-door kid dreams of owning.

"I feel bad for the goblin," Nexus said to Myne, who nodded back.

Together they watched silently as Jake used his void powers to directly teleport to the goblin, then grabbing him, he yanked him out of the mech golem.

And then, looking at it with a mocking grin, he began thrashing him with punches and kicks.

The goblin tried to fight back by engulfing himself in aura, but he was no match for the Ruination energy of Jake, which is superior in all forms compared to aura.

Breaking all its bones, Jake used the Usurper skill for the first time. He grabbed the goblin's head and usurped all its knowledge, achievements, and understanding of aura.

Now the goblin, or rather this gnome whom Jake had mistaken for a goblin, was nothing more than a newborn baby with no memories.

Jake looked at it as he digested all the knowledge he gained. "To think this hideous bastard was this talented."

This gnome's name was Nam'rk, a denizen of the world now reduced to this gate. He was from a gnome village where they had simple machinery like pistols and steam engines, but he revolutionized his whole village. Alone, he made enough inventions that could be compared to millions of years of past advancements.

He was that great.

And now he was imprisoned here by the legacy owner of this legacy trial.

From his memories, Jake learned this was indeed a legacy gate, and it belonged to a figure named the Nine Heaven King. This Nine Heaven King was a master of nine fields, including machinery. This shrine was the legacy trial for his machinery knowledge.

"But wasn't he a master of nine fields? So why are there only seven shrines?" Jake mumbled. He tried to carefully sift through the gnome's battle memories but was unable to find anything.

Jake then shifted his focus back to the gnome, who was sleeping while sucking his thumb.

"Hmm, I already have my hands full with other stuff. Good, you can be used as my machinery guy," Jake laughed like a villain and then, pointing at the gnome's head, he implanted a slave mark on him.

He transferred back some of the gnome's memories while altering some of them, creating a new narrative: Nam'rk's village was attacked one day, and a passerby, Jake, saved him. Though Nam'rk was the only remaining survivor, he now journeyed with Jake to become strong and avenge his village by defeating the hidden mastermind behind the massacre.

"I guess it's enough. It will also give him motivation to develop and improve faster," Jake mumbled, and then he threw him into Myrina World.

With the gnome taken care of, Jake took out the half runic disk from the mech golem, and as he took hold of it, the passage began to open.

Outside, Ramis looked at Jake and said, "You took your sweet time."

Jake glanced at Ramis's chamber and saw a large pile of broken mech golems.

"To think they had these mechas," Ramis shrugged and said.

"Were they driven by any gnomes?" Jake asked, looking at Ramis.

"Gnomes? No, they had this glowing yellow engine-like core. They stopped only after I destroyed it," Ramis said as he brought out an intact core.

"I took this from the last one. With no distractions left, it became easy to get it. I also stored some mecha parts that weren't broken," Ramis laughed and said.

'I guess he is from Earth too,' Jake thought, looking at the eager expression on Ramis's face as he examined the core.

"Good thinking," Jake replied, nodding appreciatively. "These parts might come in handy later."

' Though its clear you want to own a Mecha too' He inwardly added looking at Ramis.

Ramis's eyes lit up. "Exactly! We can use these to our advantage."

"Alright, let's keep moving. There are more trials ahead, and we need to stay focused," Jake said, pocketing the runic disk and leading the way forward.

Together, they overcame the next seven trials, alternating between defeating guardians and solving intricate puzzles. Each challenge become more difficult as they move forward, but their hardwork and teamwork saw them through. Finally, they stood before a massive door.

The door was imposing, crafted from ancient stone and metal, towering above them with an aura of mystery and power. It had intricate carvings and runes etched into its surface, telling tales of long-lost civilizations and forgotten knowledge.

At the center of the door were ten round key-like segments arranged in a circular pattern. Each segment was adorned with runic symbols that glowed faintly, hinting at their arcane significance. The segments appeared to be slots for the runic disks they had collected throughout the trial.

The craftsmanship was exquisite, each segment fitting perfectly into the door's design. The symbols on the segments seemed to pulse with a rhythm, as if they were alive, waiting for the right moment to unlock the door's secrets.

"Looks like we've reached the final test," Jake said, looking bat the symbols on dor and then on runic disks.

Ramis nodded, examining the segments closely. "We need to figure out the correct order. These symbols must correspond to something we've learned along the way."