MMORPG: Rise of the Primordial Godsmith

Chapter 1673 1673: The Depthsʼ Mystery

ʼFor the two of you to have gotten this far… is no easy feat.ʼ

ʼAfter all, not only have the two of you shown great tenacity and willpower while enduring against the oceanʼs obstacles…ʼ

ʼBut the two of you have also shown exemplary comprehension of your respective concepts during your defense against the wave of attacks just earlier.ʼ

ʼFrom the performance that Iʼve witnessed… the two of you have gained the rights to head deeper into this ocean.ʼ

ʼHowever, whether or not you choose to head to where the second test lies is entirely your choice.ʼ

ʼ…For even I cannot tell you whether what remains where I reside is worth risking oneʼs life.ʼ

Whoosh!

Letting the words of the deep yet weary voice echo in their minds for a bit more, Valyr and Ataraxia eventually looked at each other, their expressions a mix of confusion and curiosity.

ʼSo, if weʼre getting this right, what weʼve gone through just now seems to be a test,ʼ said the latter through their connection. ʼSpecifically, a test based on our comprehension of concepts?ʼ

ʼSeems that way.ʼ Valyr slightly shrugged in response. ʼAfter all, it did focus on that aspect when it talked about the wave of attacks we had to endure just now.ʼ

ʼAside from that… there was a test here?ʼ

ʼMy thoughts exactly.ʼ Ataraxia wryly smiled at those words. ʼWe only came here because we wanted to improve our concepts before ascending to Rank 5.ʼ

ʼYet, just because we wanted to get to the Depths, we ended up stumbling across a test that we succeeded in.ʼ

ʼ…You think it has something to do with the pull weʼve been feeling?ʼ Pondering over the voiceʼs words, as well as their conversation for a bit, Valyr eventually posed this question to his other self.

ʼAfter all, if you think about it, the pull weʼre feeling only appeared ever since we got to this part of the ocean.ʼ

ʼItʼs the most likely conclusion.ʼ Ataraxia faintly nodded after giving the idea a bit of thought. ʼEspecially if you think about the timing of the mental attacks that bombarded us the moment we reached the Depths.ʼ

ʼI suppose weʼre the first ones to pass the test,ʼ said the former in return, the gears in his mind continuing to turn. ʼAfter all, it said at the start that weʼre the ones whoʼd finally set it free.ʼ

ʼWith how long this place has probably existed, itʼs kinda weird that weʼre the first,ʼ replied Ataraxia in response, to which Valyr nodded in agreement. ʼBut then again, is reaching this depth the only requirement to trigger the test in the first place?ʼ

ʼProbably not,ʼ replied the latter, getting the feeling that there was more to the test than meets the eye. ʼAnyways, requirements aside, are we heading deeper into the ocean for the second test?ʼ

ʼIs there any reason to?ʼ Ataraxia looked back at his other self with a slightly raised eyebrow. ʼIʼm as curious as you are when it comes to the cause of the pull weʼve been feeling, but that doesnʼt mean we should just go for it the moment the opportunity arises.ʼ

ʼPlus, you heard what the voice told us,ʼ he continued. ʼThe rewards that weʼd obtain from going that far might not be worth the time and effort we put into it.ʼ

ʼAnd if it was?ʼ Valyr raised his eyebrow in response.

ʼ…Even if it was, we have no way to confirm that with what we know,ʼ replied Ataraxia as he inwardly let out a sigh. ʼAll we have so far are the words the voice told us, as well as the speculations weʼve been coming up with ever since we heard them.ʼ

Though the young man got the feeling that it would be in their best interest to dive deeper into the ocean in order to take the second test, Ataraxiaʼs words forced Valyr to snap back to reality, forcing him to weigh the pros and cons of such a decision.

Letting the gears in his mind turn for a bit more as he pondered on what their best course of action was, the young man eventually let out a faint sigh as he gave his other self a slightly apologetic expression. ʼI suppose I got a bit too ahead of myself there.ʼ

ʼYouʼre right,ʼ said Valyr through [Soul Entanglement]. ʼWe have no other piece of information regarding the tests aside from what the voice told us just now.ʼ

ʼAlthough the possibility of striking it rich is definitely there, it wouldnʼt matter if heading there in the first place could put our lives into danger.ʼ

ʼAside from that, we came to this ocean to deepen our comprehension.ʼ The young man gave Ataraxia a wry smile. ʼIt wouldnʼt make sense for us to waste the limited time we have here, only for our efforts to get that far to be all for nothing.ʼ

The latter faintly smiled in response to those words. ʼBack to our original plan, then?ʼ

ʼBack to the original plan…ʼ Valyr nodded, only for a random thought related to the situation to pop up in his mind. ʼFor now.ʼ

Not expecting his other self to still be thinking about the second test that resided within the deeper parts of the Ocean of Crystallized Truths, Ataraxia looked at Valyr with a mix of confusion and disbelief.

However, once he heard the reasoning behind the addition of those few words, the young man was forced to give it some thought, only to look at his other self with slightly narrowed eyes.

ʼYou really think our efforts wonʼt be wasted going that deep?ʼ Ataraxia asked.

ʼAt the very least, weʼd have pushed our concepts to their limits before heading there.ʼ Valyr shrugged in response. ʼWin-win situation, no?ʼ

ʼMan… fine.ʼ Letting out yet another sigh after hearing the words he received from Valyr, the former eventually decided to relent after considering the truth in the latterʼs claims.

ʼHowever, you better be prepared for me to say I told you so when we donʼt end up gaining anything after going through the second test.ʼ

ʼDonʼt worry.ʼ Valyr chuckled in response as he began to swam deeper into the ocean.

ʼMy gutʼs telling me you wonʼt have the chance to say that in the first place.ʼ