A new environment welcomed Aegis as soon as he stepped inside the second floor of Sea God's Tower..
Unlike the previous floor, this trial was set inside a vast, crystalline blue lake. The air was calm, humid, and clean.
In the center of that blue lake, there was a magnificent tower that rose impossibly high into the sky. If he had to guess, it was easily 1,000 meters tall. He had to completely bend his head backward to see the very top. On the very summit of the tower, rested another glowing orb.
It was the reward for this floor.
But reaching there wouldn't be easy. The only way was across the water and into the tower.
Aegis looked at the bottom of the tower where a Giant Serpent was coiled lazily. Its scales were the color of deep emerald, and its girth was easily that of a massive tree trunk.
As soon as Aegis took the first step onto the rocky shore of the lake, the Serpent's enormous body uncoiled, and it opened its slit-like, golden eyes. The water around it began to ripple with immense power.
Then a system prompt flashed, identifying his opponent:
> [ Guardian Found: Leviathan Serpent ]
> [ Power Rank: Baron (D) ]
> [ Abilities: Hydro-Shockwave, Tidal Storm, Venomous Bite ]
> Trial Objective: Reach the top of the Central Tower and retrieve the Essence of Genesis.
A Barron? Aegis felt the blood drain from his face. This was a league above the Steward-Rank Drake he had fought before.
The Serpent was too powerful, and they were in its own domain.
Just then the Serpent spoke, "Hiss, welcome, little Heir! I suppose you already know the objective. Try to get past me and acquire the reward. But know this, I won't be going easy on you."
Aegis looked around cautiously. He had no one for his aid. Just waist length Water and a Terryfying Serpent who is Willing to devour him whole.
"Come on, Aegis. You have done this a lot of times. Think of it like another game," he cheered himself by saying this.
He also understood the clues instantly.
If he had to succeed he need excellent control over his Water Manipulation.
He needed to be fast, and he needed a way to traverse the water at superhuman speed without being immediately intercepted by the Guardian.
He focused his Water Manipulation skill on the surface of the lake directly in front of him.
He wasn't simply stepping on the water; he was condensing and shaping the medium itself.
"Hydro-Skate!"
Very quickly, a thin razor-sharp layer of super-compressed rigid water materialized beneath his feet, extending toward the base of the tower.
This allowed him to skate across the surface of the water with incredible, fluid speed, minimizing the contact time and reducing the friction.
"Hisss!"
The Leviathan Serpent hissed, recognizing the challenge. The water around it began to respond violently.
"A clever trick, Heir! But it's still futile!"
The Serpent shot forward, not through swimming, but through an immediate, massive burst of its ability: [ Hydro-Shockwave]
The lake surface exploded as a cylindrical wave of raw, pressurized water rushed directly at Aegis, wanting to sweep him into the air and leave him vulnerable.
Aegis pushed his E-Rank skill to its limit, diverting his focus from propulsion to defense.
"Tidal Displacement!"
He forced the water immediately in front of him to rapidly expand, momentarily forming a low-pressure void that acted like a cushion.
Splash~
The Hydro-Shockwave hit the air pocket and dissipated with a huge splash.
It failed to stop Aegis's trajectory.
The Serpent was enraged that its simplest attack failed. As such It launched its body into a soaring leap, aiming to intercept Aegis directly before he reached the tower.
"Foolish Heir! You cannot escape me in my own domain!" the Leviathan Serpent roared,
Its massive serpentine tail lashed out and struck Aegis's chest.
Bam!
Aegis barely had the time to conjure an incomplete water barrier to shield him from the blow. But the immense impact force swatted him away from the tower, throwing him back into the churning lake.
Feeling the water rush into his lungs, he stood up, sputtering. He looked at the Guardian with furrowed brows.
He understood a direct confrontation was out of the question and unnecessary.
So, he immediately cooked up a strategy to bypass the Guardian using illusion and speed.
He raised his hand above the surface, commanding the water around him.
"Water Cage!"
The water immediately moved by an invisible energy and formed a square-shaped cage around the massive 30-meter serpent. The walls were thick and translucent.
From within, the Guardian could see Aegis's distorted image, smirking. Enraged, it began to strike the Cage with ground-shaking force.
Bam! Bam! Bam!
Each blow was like hitting an iron wall, but the translucent Cage was visibly cracking and breaking.
Aegis still stood there, smiling strangely.
As the Cage shattered, the Guardian rushed toward the image of Aegis and instantly caught him like a little chicken within its coiling body. Its venomous fangs were just inches away from sinking into Aegis's neck.
But just then, the Guardian felt something was wrong.
"Why are you still smiling like a fool? Do you not fear death, Heir?"
Aegis still didn't reply. He was still smiling like a fool. Only then did the Water Serpent realize its mistake.
As it increased more pressure around Aegis's chubby body melted into a puddle of water.
It was a sophisticated Water Illusion.
Its furious eyes involuntarily turned toward the Tower's peak.
There he was. Aegis.
Aegis was smoothly gliding toward the top, using a compressed Water Pillar like a tail to propel and hold himself against the sheer stone face. He was just meters away from claiming the prize.
By then, the Guardian knew it was too late. It had fallen under his water illusion trick.
But despite that, the Guardian wasn't angry anymore. It was smiling.
"You got me, little Heir. To fool a Water Guardian using the same element is not something just anybody could pull off. You have passed this trial."
The Serpent uncoiled and bowed its massive head into the water.
Meanwhile, Aegis reached the top, grabbed the glowing orb, and felt a influx of energy running through him.
[ Skill Acquired: Hydro-genesis (Ultimate) ]
[ Hydro-genesis: .... ]