Divine Luck: SSS-Rank Battle Maid Harem

[Prove yourself.]

Zach looked at the message before trying to look around the room that was completely veiled in shadowy darkness. It felt like he was beneath the place where they had taken all the other Trials, but he couldn't explain why. It just felt like he was underground.

The faint light from the message was just enough to read it. He couldn't see anything else.

"Yanael." He didn't know if there was anyone else around, but it didn't sound or feel like it was, so he assumed there wasn't. He used his Angel's name.

She understood what he wanted. Her halo appeared over her head and shed some light onto their surroundings. Thanks to the light, Zach could see that the room was bigger than he first thought.

He was at one end of a large chamber. He could see the silhouettes of a few tall and wide pillars just a few steps away. Beyond that, the shadows still reigned.

Yanael slowly increased the brightness of her halo, letting Zach's eyes adjust to the light. After a minute, she was as good as a walking sun. It was enough to illuminate the chamber.

Zach took a look around.

There were two rows of pillars on either side of the room, creating an alley from the sealed entrance, where he was, to the throne at the other end of the chamber.

He was in a throne room.

'Prove myself?' Zach silently questioned the message.

He didn't know what he was supposed to do.

Filled with doubts, he took a lap around the throne room with his familiars. Together, they inspected every last nook, cranny, and corner of the room. But the walls were bare and smooth. There wasn't so much as a speck of dust that stood out. The pillars were straight and tall like exact copies of each other.

The only thing that looked like it would do anything was the throne at the other end of the room.

The sealed entrance was a pair of stone doors that had fused together. Yanael's sword didn't even scratch them.

If he didn't prove himself, he was trapped.

Left with no other choice, Zach walked over to the throne. It was a simple stone armchair with a tall backrest. It looked like it was slightly too big even for a tall man. But the size could be part of the aesthetic since it didn't look like it would be uncomfortable even for someone of his height to sit in it.

He was tempted to do just that.

But he wasn't going to do it just yet. It could be that the Trial was to do something before sitting down–something like proving himself worthy of the throne.

Zach had no idea what it could be.

He was reluctant to do anything with such a vague instruction. If he was supposed to and could prove himself, it also meant he could fail by doing something he shouldn't.

If he was supposed to prove himself worthy of the throne, he probably shouldn't destroy the throne room or the pillars looking for clues.

But it couldn't be as easy as just taking a seat on the throne. That was no way to prove himself. Even if Zach thought he deserved to sit on it, he was self-aware enough to know that not everyone would think like that.n/ô/vel/b//jn dot c//om

The Labyrinth definitely wouldn't think that.

"Do you guys have any ideas?" Since he couldn't figure it out himself, he could only ask his confidantes.

"My apologies, Master, but I do not know how to assist you with this Trial," Yanael admitted. She had been forced to see the Kraken pummel Zach. It was his barriers that took the beating, but still. And now, she had no idea what the Trial was. She couldn't help him. In her heart, she swore to better herself.

"I'm also at a loss, Master." Alzara didn't take it as seriously as Yanael. But she also didn't like how clueless she felt. A Trial was meant to be passed. That was why it existed. There had to be a way to pass this Trial. But she had no idea what it was.

Zach sat down on the floor in front of the throne and just looked at it.

"Alright." He lay down and looked at the ceiling.

"Let's talk about something else, then. That thing that happened during the maze…What's up with that?" Since they couldn't do anything about the current Trial, they could talk about something that had happened during a previous one.

Zach had starved in the maze when no one else did, thanks to his barrier that blocked everything but breathable air. And when he removed the barrier, he felt something similar to air enter his body and satiate his hunger as well as keep his body in great condition. As long as he slept occasionally, he could keep going for a long time.

Zach was curious about what that air-like thing that entered his body was and why he could sense it now but not before. It was like cloud or a stream of mist swimming around inside his body, energizing it.

"Do you feel it right now, Master?" Alzara asked.

"Yup. It's like a cloud of mist swimming around inside my body, energizing it."

"That's great, Master, truly awesomely great! This is your first energy, right?"

"Energy?" Zach raised an eyebrow and tilted his head to get a slightly better angle when looking at Alzara. It didn't help much since she was still standing up and he was still lying on the floor. It wasn't exactly helping their height difference.

"Underworld energy, for example. The martial energy that those other kids used. Magical energy that so-called orthodox mages use. Most unorthodox mages also use magical energy. What more is there…? Oh, I use curse energy.

Yanael?"

"I use sacred energy, Master."

"Okay…? What's the difference between all those energies, then?"

"Mainly, the properties and uses. As you know, underworld energy is corruptive and more inclined toward negativity and darkness. It's great for control and contamination.

"Martial energy is great for strengthening bodies and weapons and is related to the physical strength of the user.

"Magical energy is varied and has, in turn, several different sub-versions like different elemental versions. But most mages have a mix or pure-ish magical energy that lets them cast a variety of spells since that's what it's best for; action outside the body.

"Curse energy is used for, you guessed it. Curses. It's different from magic. How and why will take us time, so I'll skip that for now." Alzara looked at Yanael.

"Sacred energy is the energy of Heaven. All beings of Heaven use it. It's more powerful than most other energies, and how it presents itself depends on the user. I use a sword, so it's like a powerful version of martial energy, I guess could you say, Master." There were some other things Yanael could tell him about sacred energy, but she spared him the unnecessary details.

"And this energy within me?" He looked at Yanael who had spoken last.

"I am not sure, Master, but Alzara roi Kalam seems to know."

Together, they looked at Alzara for an answer.