The small Hydro creatures emitted high-pitched vibrations, almost cries.
Oceanid: "The Abyss..."
The name echoed like a curse.
Oceanid: "They pollute the currents."
"They disrupt the balance."
"They reduce the sacred waters to mere tools."
The light from its core pulsed more intensely.
Oceanid: "You're not the first to mention this pearl."
Venti's heart sank.
Venti: "Do you know where it is?"
Oceanid: "I know it was torn away."
"I know a being of electricity and pearls has been drained of its power."
The image of the Millennial Pearl Seahorse immediately flashed through Venti's mind.
Venti: "It's still alive."
"I freed it... well, almost, but without its pearl, it won't survive long."
A heavy silence fell.
The water around them calmed, becoming almost still.
Oceanid: "So the wind acts where many look away."
The hydro creatures moved slightly apart, allowing the main figure to approach Venti.
It was now only a few meters away, close enough for him to feel the water's pressure against his skin, yet without getting any wetter.
Oceanid: "But tell me, Venti of the Wind… why would a mortal risk his life for monsters his kind fears and hunts?"
The question wasn't accusatory. It was genuinely curious.
Venti remained silent for a few seconds.
Venti: "Because they live here."
"Because this cave isn't a mine, nor a trading post."
"Because the Abyss only destroys, and if no one opposes it… then everything disappears."
The Oceanid observed him for a long time.
Then, for the first time, his voice changed slightly.
It became… softer.
Oceanid: "You resemble those of old."
"Those who still listened to the rivers and conversed with my kind."
The water beneath Venti's feet began to move differently. It no longer held him back. It supported him.
Oceanid: "You're looking for a way out."
Venti looked up at the vertical opening.
Venti: "Yes, but above all... I'm trying to stop the Abyss Herald."
A ripple ran through the entire cavern.
Oceanid: "The Abyss must not seize this place."
"If the fusion is complete, these waters will become a weapon, and the storms will become spears."
She slowly raised a liquid arm toward the ceiling.
Oceanid: "I cannot leave this sanctuary."
"But I can help the wind... if it promises not to let these waters fall into the hands of the Abyss."
Venti: "...."
Venti felt her heart beat faster.
Venti: "I promise you."
A moment passed.
PLPLPLPLPLPLPLPLPLPLPLPLPLPLPLPLPLPLPL
Then the water around Venti suddenly rose, forming an ascending column, stable, powerful, yet surprisingly gentle.
Oceanid: "Then let the currents carry you."
The column of water began to lift him slowly toward the opening.
Oceanid: "But know this, Venti of the wind..."
He looked up at her.
Oceanid: "If you fail... these waters will remember your name."
The column accelerated slightly.
Venti clenched his fists, his gaze determined.
Venti: "Then I will not fail."
PLPLPLPLPLPLPLPLPLPLPLPLPLPLPLPLPLPL
Venti, carried by the column of water, felt his ascent slow.
The Oceanid hadn't yet dissipated the current, but he instinctively understood that she expected something from him.
His mind, already strained by the urgency, was struck by a detail that refused to leave him.
Venti: "...When you spoke of a sanctuary earlier... what exactly were you referring to?"
The column of water came to a complete standstill, leaving Venti suspended several meters above the ground, between the rock and the water.
Around him, the currents changed rhythm, as if the cavern itself were holding its breath.
The Oceanid straightened slightly. The many voices that composed it blended into a deeper, more solemn harmony.
Oceanid: "This place is not a mere cavern."
"It existed before mortals charted their kingdoms, before some seas even acquired their names." "
Images formed in the water around Venti, projected directly into his mind:
- Gathering Oceanids
- Swirling Hydro streams
- A bluish glow saturating space
- And small creatures made from elemental energy
Oceanid: "One hundred years ago, when the conflicts between humans, fallen gods, and creatures of the Abyss intensified, several Oceanids chose to withdraw from the world."
The light from the core pulsed.
Oceanid: "We condensed an immense amount of Hydro energy to create a barrier."
"Absolute isolation."
"....."
"A sanctuary."
Venti felt a strange pressure in his chest, as if the air were becoming denser.
Venti: "A sanctuary... outside the world?"
Oceanid: "Not out of this world."
"Enter."
At these words, the cavern seemed to warp.
The rock walls appeared slightly blurred, as if seen through water too deep.
Oceanid: "The Electro, Hydro, and Cryo energy that the Abyss Herald fused has cracked this barrier."
"An opening has formed... not in space, but in the flow of time."
Venti's heart skipped a beat.
Venti: "...Time?"
Oceanid: "Here, time dilates."
"It flows six to seven times more slowly than in the outside world."
A hush fell.
Venti opened his eyes slightly, gradually grasping the magnitude of what this meant.
Oceanid: "One second outside... is almost seven here."
Venti's face paled.
Venti: "So..."
He clenched his fists.
Venti: "Then I'm sorry, but I must get out of here as quickly as possible to stop this madman from destroying Rillmont."
The city's name echoed through the cavern.
The hydro creatures shuddered, some dissipating briefly before reforming.
Oceanid shook his head slowly.
Oceanid: "You can't."
The column of water subsided slightly, forcing Venti to stabilize.
Venti: "What?"
Oceanid: "You cannot leave this sanctuary under any circumstances without having passed the Hydro Trial."
Venti's heart raced.
Venti: "...The trial? What is it?"
This time, the Oceanid remained silent for a long moment.
The multiple voices separated slightly, murmuring amongst themselves, as if consulting a collective memory.
Oceanid: "When we created the barrier, we knew that one day, someone would try to escape it."
The water around Venti began to swirl slowly, forming concentric circles.
Oceanid: "The sanctuary protects... but it also judges."
Images appeared: mortal figures trying to cross the barrier, repelled, swallowed, or simply erased.
Oceanid: "The Hydro Trial exists for a simple reason; only those capable of understanding, adapting, and being reborn can leave this place."
Venti swallowed hard.
Venti: "And if I refuse?"
Oceanid: "Then you'll stay here."
The words fell like a sentence.
Venti closed his eyes for a second, trying to calm his mind.
Every moment lost here felt like several seconds outside.
- Rillmont.
- The inhabitants.
- His companions.
Venti: "You say the trial can help me... become stronger?"
Oceanid: "Yes."
The luminous core shone brighter.
Oceanid: "You weren't lying to me."
"In your current state, you don't stand a chance against the Abyss Herald."
Venti grimaced.
Oceanid: "But here, time is on your side."
The water began to form complex, almost runic symbols.
Oceanid: "The Hydro Trial will allow you to gain many levels."
"Your raw potential will increase considerably."
A fleeting hope crossed Venti's mind.
Venti: "Then why do I have the feeling there's a catch?"
The Oceanid inclined his head slightly.
Oceanid: "Because there is."
The ground beneath Venti materialized, the water gently settling him upon it.
Oceanid: "The moment you accept the trial... all your skills will reset to level 1."
The world seemed to stop.
Venti: "...What?"
Oceanid: "Everything."
Venti felt an icy chill run down his spine.
Venti: "You're asking me to become weak again... when every second counts?"
Oceanid: "I'm asking you to be reborn."
Their voices blended once more.
Oceanid: "Water never retains its form."
"It abandons what it is to become something else."
Venti: "Damn, damn, damn..."
Venti gritted his teeth.
He understood now. Gaining levels, yes... but losing all the mastery he had acquired.
Starting over from scratch, in an unfamiliar environment, facing trials designed by ancient entities.
Venti: "If I fail... I lose everything."
"If I succeed... I will be much stronger."
He raised his head.
Venti: "And how long will this trial last?"
Oceanid: "Here?"
"Several days."
"Perhaps weeks."
His heart sank.
Oceanid: "Outside... a few hours at most."
The choice was cruel, but clear.
Venti took a deep breath.
Venti: "If I refuse... Rillmont is doomed."
"If I accept... I have a chance."
He looked up at the Oceanid.
Venti: "Tell me one thing."
"Is this trial meant to break me, or to prepare me?"
The Oceanid moved closer, so close that Venti felt the Hydro energy vibrate around him.
Oceanid: "Both."
A bitter smile spread across Venti's lips.
Venti: "Then I accept."
Immediately, the cavern trembled.
The water surged violently, forming a vast circle around Venti. Ancient symbols glowed on the walls.
Oceanid: "From this moment on, the wind relinquishes what it believes to be its strength."
A dull ache shot through Venti's body, as if something were being torn away, layer upon layer.
Oceanid: "And learns to sink... before rising again."
PLPLPLPLPLPLPLPLPLPLPLPLPLPLPLPLPLPL
The bluish light finally stabilized.
When the glare faded, Venti felt his feet touch a solid, yet strangely supple surface, like a floor covered with a thin layer of moss.
Venti: "What is…?"
The water enveloped him completely, yet he had no difficulty breathing.
Each breath filled his lungs with fresh, slightly salty air, charged with Hydro energy.
Venti: "…What?"
His voice resonated softly, muffled, as if the water absorbed part of the sound before releasing it.
He looked up.
Before him stretched an immense circular chamber, its walls disappearing into a turquoise twilight.
Ancient stone pillars supported the vault, etched with undulating patterns reminiscent of ocean currents and forgotten creatures.
Between these pillars rose countless shelves, some intact, others leaning or partially overgrown with algae and coral.
Books sometimes floated freely, suspended by faint Hydro currents.
Others still rested serenely on the shelves, their pages protected by a translucent energy that prevented water from damaging them, and by a glow of elemental Hydro energy surrounding them.
It was a library.
Venti: "A library?"
A submerged library, silent, yet strangely alive.
Luminous fish swam slowly between the rows, while small Hydro creatures watched Venti curiously before disappearing behind the pillars.
The ground was a mixture of fine sand, polished stones, and marine vegetation, giving the place the appearance of a sanctuary forgotten by time.
Oceanid: "This is the Hydro Trial."
Venti turned around immediately.
The Oceanid floated not far from him, its body composed of pure water, radiating a soft glow.
Its presence filled the room with an invisible yet soothing pressure, like the depths of a calm ocean.
Venti: "Why a library...?"
He didn't know what to expect, but certainly not this.
Oceanid: "Knowledge is the first wave."
"Those who seek power without understanding its nature drown before they even grasp it."
"And those who swim too fast drown in knowledge, accompanied by the destruction of their souls."
At these words, the Oceanid began to shine even brighter.
FFFFFFFFFFffffffffffffffyyyyyyyyyyyy
The currents around her intensified, swirling slowly, until her form transformed.
The water condensed, refined itself, taking on a humanoid silhouette.
Before Venti now stood a woman:
- A serene appearance
- Light blue hair
- Clear eyes reflecting the surface of a still lake.
Her body seemed made of solidified water, delicately sculpted, without being entirely material.
Oceanid: "This is the first trial."
Her voice was clearer, but still multiplied, as if several consciousnesses were speaking in unison.
Oceanid: "This library contains knowledge accumulated over centuries."
"Writings left by Oceanids, mortal scholars, and even entities that no longer exist in your world, such as spirits, fairies, or djinn."
Venti turned slowly, trying to take in the vastness of the place.
He immediately sensed that this place wasn't meant to be rushed.
Each shelf, each book seemed to demand time, attention, and above all… reflection.
Oceanid: "The goal of the Hydro trial is simple on the surface."
She raised a hand, and several books lit up briefly before falling silent again.
Oceanid: "A question."
"Answer… a simple question."
Venti frowned slightly.
Venti: "And you will judge that answer?"
Oceanid: "No."
She shook her head gently.
Oceanid: "She will be judged by us."
At these words, Venti sensed presences.
Subtle, distant, but undeniable.
He understood that other Oceanids were observing the trial, hidden in the water, in the walls, in the very memory of the library. They would not intervene.
They would watch. They would evaluate.
Oceanid: "We will know if your answer is sincere. We will know if it is understood, or simply recited."
A shiver ran down Venti's spine.
Then the Oceanid added, almost casually:
Oceanid: "The second you entered this place, all your abilities were reset."
Venti: "…"
Venti's heart leaped.
Without hesitation, he pulled out his adventurer's crystal. The familiar light activated, projecting the interface he knew so well before him:
- The numbers were there.
- His level was intact.
But everything else… :
Name: Venti
Level: 28/100
Max HP: 8400
ATK: 1300
DEF: 860
Elemental Mastery: 310
Identified Skills:
- Telekinesis — Level 1/10
- Stat Boosting — Level 1/10
- Intangibility — Level 1/10
- Flight — Level 1/10
- Soul Manipulation & Lie Detection — Level 1/10
- Elementary Anemo Mastery — Level 1/10
- Illusion Creation — Level 1/10
- Resistance Reduction — Level 1/10
- Stat Reduction — Level 1/10
- Mass Increase/Decrease — Level 1/10
- Teleportation — Level 1/10
- Wind Communication — Level 1/10
Venti silently scanned the list.
All his skills. Every single one.
Back to level 1.
He gripped the crystal a little tighter.
Venti: "So it's real... it's not an illusion."
He took a deep breath, forcing his mind to remain calm.
Panic wouldn't help. He had accepted this challenge knowing full well what he was getting into.
Venti: "Very well..."
He raised his head to the Oceanid.
Venti: "What is the question?"
The Oceanid stared at him for a long moment.
Her gaze seemed to pierce Venti, probing something far deeper than his body or his stats.
Oceanid: "You can ask me to repeat the question if you misunderstand it... or if you forget it."
She paused.
The water around them grew calmer, almost still.
Oceanid: "Here is the question." "
His voice echoed throughout the library, spreading through the water, the walls, the books themselves.
Oceanid: "What power does a soul confer,
and what power can a drop of water transmit?"
Silence fell instantly.
FFFFFFFFFFFFFffffffffffffffffffffffyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
Even the fish stopped moving.
The currents froze, as if the entire cavern were waiting.
Venti remained motionless.
He slowly repeated the question in his mind, feeling its weight, its depth.
This was no ordinary riddle.
This was not a question that could be answered with a simple definition.
He looked around him.
Thousands of books.
Centuries of knowledge.
Contradictory truths, perhaps.
Venti: "A soul... a drop of water..."
He understood then that this test was measuring not only his intelligence, but his understanding of the world, of life, and of himself.
The Oceanid retreated slowly, almost merging with the surrounding water.
Oceanid: "The test has begun."
[Venti's Stats — Visible only to him]
Name: Venti
Level: 28/100
Max HP: 8400
ATK: 1300
DEF: 860
Elemental Mastery: 310
Identified Skills:
- Telekinesis — Level 1/10
- Stat Boosting — Level 1/10
- Intangibility — Level 1/10
- Flight — Level 1/10
- Soul Manipulation & Lie Detection — Level 1/10
- Elementary Anemo Mastery — Level 1/10
- Illusion Creation — Level 1/10
- Resistance Reduction — Level 1/10
- Stat Reduction — Level 1/10
- Mass Increase/Decrease — Level 1/10
- Teleportation — Level 1/10
- Wind Communication — Level 1/10
Chapter 61: Reset
The End