Imprisoned for a Trillion Years, I Was Worshipped by All Gods!

"That young man from Velen's Forge has no hope whatsoever."

In truth, he had never intended to recruit anyone from Velen's Forge in the first place.

He was merely following protocol by attending.

After all, did he not already know what kind of place Greenstone City was?

The city's ceiling was limited—it was only good for acting as a feeder force to Artisan's Sanctuary, supplying talent when needed…

But that was something for the future.

So, this Enlightenment Competition had only been proposed as a test to make things difficult.

The true intent was simply to crush any ambitions the forge had and keep them focused on their work.

Greg suddenly had an idea.

Turning to the man from Artisan's Sanctuary, he said:

"Sir, if that's the case, I'd also like to participate. It would be a good chance to see the true talents of other factions… and to teach a certain frog in a well what real geniuses look like!"

The Artisan's Sanctuary representative knew exactly what Greg was up to.

After all, he had heard Greg mumbling to himself earlier.

Greg was talented, no doubt.

But he was also arrogant.

Overconfident.

Then again, most young prodigies were like that.

It was nothing unusual.

Besides, Greenstone City's Enlightenment Competition tested five elements. Explore more at My Virtual Library Empire

Greg met all the participation criteria.

"Fine, go ahead. Just don't overdo it."

"Yes, sir!"

Greg responded, then returned to his seat.

His gaze locked onto Velen's Forge, specifically Daniel.

His eyes gleamed with anticipation.

Time passed quickly.

The Enlightenment Competition was about to begin.

At that moment, a golden light shot out from the Thousand Suns Hall's floating ship at the center of the lake.

A golden barrier momentarily enveloped the entire Blue Lake, then vanished.

Instantly, the once-noisy crowd fell silent.

"Is it starting?"

Daniel glanced around and murmured.

He had already learned the details of the first trial from Dixon.

The First Trial: Crossing the Lake

That's right.

Competitors had to travel from the shoreline to Lake Island at the center.

Reaching the island meant passing the first trial.

It sounded simple—but in reality, it was anything but.

That golden light released by Thousand Suns Hall wasn't just for show.

It activated a complex magic array, which divided the lake's surface into countless sections, like a honeycomb grid.

Some sections were solid, allowing people to step on them.

Others, however, were illusions—if stepped on, the competitor would fall straight into the water and be eliminated.

In other words:

If you fall in, you're out.

The solid tiles followed specific hidden patterns.

So, this trial was about comprehension—participants had to perceive the patterns, identify the safe paths, and avoid elimination.

The bell tolled.

The Enlightenment Competition had officially begun.

As soon as the sound faded, the first competitor couldn't wait any longer—he leaped onto the lake.

The moment his foot touched the water, golden light flickered across the lake's surface.

For an instant, a honeycomb-like grid appeared, revealing tens of thousands of hexagonal tiles.

Then, in the blink of an eye, it vanished.

It was like a giant invisible net.

The first competitor got lucky.

The tile he stepped on turned white, signifying it was solid and safe.

However, when he took his second step, his tile immediately turned black—

SPLASH!

He fell straight into the water.

Eliminated.

Seeing the first person go in, the rest of the competitors followed suit.

Some were lucky—they landed on safe tiles.

Others were unlucky—the moment they jumped in, they fell straight into the lake.

Eliminated.

Of the first few hundred participants, less than ten percent remained standing on the lake's surface.

Most had barely taken a step or two before plunging into the water.

Watching this, even Daniel couldn't help but cringe.

"…Are there really this many useless people?"

He turned to Ed, puzzled.

Crossing a lake was already wiping out so many people?

Wasn't this supposed to be a prestigious event filled with young prodigies?

Because from what he was seeing… not so much.

"It's usually a little better than this," Ed admitted, looking a little embarrassed.

"Walking two steps and immediately getting eliminated… how is that any different from clowns coming to put on a show?"

They clearly weren't here to compete—just to have fun.

Still, people kept trying.

The sound of splashes filled the air.

Of course, some people tried to cheat—they followed the steps of successful competitors, hoping to copy their paths.

However…

Did Thousand Suns Hall really seem like the kind of people to leave such an obvious loophole?

The grid constantly changed.

The moment one person stepped off a tile, it randomized again.

If they were lucky, it would remain solid.

But luck wasn't something you could depend on forever.

This was designed to eliminate those relying on tricks instead of their own abilities.

As more competitors entered the lake, they became more cautious.

They hesitated before taking each step, trying to analyze the situation.

Because of this, fewer were being eliminated.

It was still happening, but the rate was less ridiculous than before.

Daniel remained on the shore, still observing.

By now, about seventy percent of the contestants had already been eliminated.

"Daniel, aren't you going in?"

Ed asked, looking at him.

The first wave of careful competitors had already crossed nearly half the lake.

Even Betsy urged him:

"Yeah, Daniel! Some of them are almost at the island!"

But Daniel remained calm.

"There's no rush. There's no time limit for the first trial anyway."@@novelbin@@

At that moment, Daniel felt a gaze on him.

He glanced toward the second floor of the pavilion.

Greg.

He was staring at him, eyes filled with provocation.

Then, Greg gestured toward Blue Lake.

Daniel instantly understood his meaning.

He smirked and said:

"Alright, I've rested long enough. Let's see what this is all about."

He stretched.

"This… really doesn't look difficult at all."

Without hesitation, he jumped into the lake.

His first step landed on a white tile—solid ground.

"Daniel, hurry! The sooner you reach Lake Island, the better your advantages!"

Betsy called out.

Daniel casually began walking forward.

Seeing this, Greg prepared to enter the lake as well.

Then, as if remembering something, he turned to the Artisan's Sanctuary official and asked:

"Sir, if I make minor modifications to the magic array, Thousand Suns Hall won't hold it against me, right? As long as it only affects one specific person?"

The official replied casually:

"Just don't kill anyone."

In other words—do whatever you want to Daniel, as long as he doesn't die.

Thousand Suns Hall wouldn't interfere with something like that.

Greg smirked.

Nodding, he leaped into the lake.

Conveniently, he landed right near Daniel.