Mutagen

<strong>D▋y -▋▋▋▋ - ▋▋:▋▋ ▋▋ - Ab▋▋don▋d Co▋st▋▋c▋ion Si▋▋, B▋r▋▋ga▋ B▋yan▋n, Ba▋▋o▋ Ci▋y, Pro▋in▋e of ▋av▋te</strong>

The woman in black dress stared at Mark with exasperation. By what it looked like, she never expected this kind of development.

Of course, the woman was no other than the Visayan Goddess of the Underworld, Magwayen.

"Just how absurd of a being could you be?"

Magwayen asked Mark, who was lying bloody on the ground.

Death in this world might not be harmful, but the pain should be real. In the first place, Mark was aware all along, even though he was not supposed to.

"What is with that expression?" Mark asked. "You put me into this mess without warning. I should be the one giving you a complaint."

Mark began recalling what happened before this mess started. Their group arrived in Kahilwayan, or at least, its remains. With Magwayen as their guide, they made their way towards the wooden mansion atop the highest hill. The climb through the uneven stone stairs was tedious. They wanted to fly up instead. However, Magwayen told them to climb as it was the rule. Even if it was abandoned for a long time, it was still an abode of the gods.

There were no qualms about climbing the stairs from Mark's group. As the saying went, "In Rome, do what the Romans do." Besides, although tiring, there was no harm in following the rules of this place.

Although there seemed to be nothing strange about the stairs going up the hill, it was actually the last thing that Mark remembered before being thrown into this confusing mess.

"Where are the others?"

Mark asked the silent Magwayen.

"There is nothing for you to be worried about. All of you went through this trial, and all of them had already exited. It was only you who actually took the time to enjoy this."

Magwayen explained with a sigh.

That set of stairs up the highest hill was called the [Path of Reminiscence]. Anyone recognized by the Gods of Kahilwayan would be given the chance to climb it and undergo the trial.

It was the [Trial of Regrets].

This trial was not made to bring harm. However, not being able to pass it would cause the Gods to revoke their recognition. Of course, losing the recognition of the Gods in the past was a huge deal. Even so, this trial was rarely held as Gods did not really pay much attention to mortals. It was unless that mortal had qualities that caught their interest.

And now, it was the last time that this trial would be held. For a very long time, no one was around to maintain the place. As such, even the mechanisms and magic of the trial were nearing their breaking point. This time, Mark's entire group went through the trial. It was more than enough to deplete the trial's remaining functions.

Worse, Mark actually used this opportunity to enjoy himself. For sure, this instance would be the last time before the trial was finally broken.

"Since when did you wake up?"

Magwayen asked Mark.

"Around the time of my title defense," Mark said. "What kind of trial is this anyway? Although I woke up, I can't really control myself the way I wanted. It's like I'm in a dream, but it's not just some illusion, either."

Mark had already experienced the [Illusion Magic] of [Tikabalangs]. He was pretty sure that this felt different than just some illusion.

"Of course, it is not an illusion," Magwayen replied proudly. "This trial, the [Trial of Regrets], was created with the help of various Godly beings. It reads the person's string of fate and simulates the parallel world where the right decisions were taken. In a sense, it was a world that you could have experienced if you took the most optimal actions in your life."

It was a simulation of a parallel world where everything went right in Mark's life. No wonder Mark felt that it was an enjoyable life.

As Mark stared at the sky, he could not help but sigh.

At this point, Magwayen's exasperated stare turned complicated.

"This trial. The fewer regrets the person had, the faster it would end. It did not matter whether the person passed or failed. The trial would last depending on the amount of their regrets," Magwayen spoke. "But you... the amount of regrets you have is equal to half of your life. Just how are you living in that condition?"

Mark could only shrug.

"Many people are like me in this world. I don't know if Gods are different. But we mortals experience many things outside our capabilities. Both physical and mental. It is only later on that we realize we actually had options, and the only thing left is regret."

"I understand that. Not only mortals. Us Gods are also prone to irredeemable mistakes. But you... You are regretting your entire existence. That is not something a normal person could live through. In your state, it would not be a surprise if you ended your life long ago."

Magwayen replied.

"Does it really matter anymore?" Mark grumbled. "That's already the past. I already got over it. My life might indeed have been better if I gave my best and chose the right decisions. But now, I'm already satisfied with what I currently have. I even achieved more than I deserved."

Magwayen nodded in agreement. Mark indeed had regrets from his past. However, he was doing better now, even if the entire world was in chaos.

"So, aren't we going to end this already?" Mark asked. "This body is already dead."

"It is up to you," Magwayen replied. "This is your trial. You must find a way to end it or else, you will fail."

"Did anyone in my group fail?"

Mark asked.

"It is something that you should ask them. Even as a God, I respect the privacy of mortals."

Magwayen shook her head.

"I guess that's true." Mark smiled. "Then, I guess I understand how to end this."

And then, Mark stared back at the sky.

"Goodbye. It was fun."

And there, the scenery began to distort.

Mark was lying down. But suddenly, he found himself standing as he was ejected through some sort of mirage-like portal.

"Gege!"

A voice entered Mark's ear as a heavy but warm embrace enveloped his body.

"Papa!"

Following the Mei, it was the little girls.

"Master!"

Amihan also followed, landing on Mark's head.

"Mei'er. You girls..."

Mark said as he sat down on the ground, embraced by his family.

He then saw Spera, Feng Zhiruo, Chimetrice, and Ilia, standing nearby.

At this time, Magwayen's avatar appeared out of thin air.

"Congratulations. You passed the trial."

Magwayen spoke, congratulating Mark.

"What's the prize?"

Mark suddenly asked, making Magwayen sigh in exasperation.

"Why not try to feel your body first before asking?"

Magwayen replied.

And since the Visayan Goddess of the Underworld said it, Mark did observe his body.

Now, Mark realized something. It seemed that there was an invisible film of energy covering his entire body. Furthermore, it was not only him. Mei, Amihan, and the little girls were the same. He also felt the same as he panned his eyes to the rest of the group. It was until his eyes fell on the dejected Feng Zhiruo.

"That is the [Blessing of Protection]," Magwayen explained. "It grants protection to those that passed the [Trial of Regret]. It is not something omnipotent. You can still die if the damage done to you exceeds the capacity of the protection. However, as this energy belonged to Kaptan himself, it would give a huge amount of protection against energies that came from his [Source]."

"Then, this is what you planned when you suggested coming to this place."

Mark spoke.

"It is." Magwayen nodded. "Although I said before. You might find something that could help. I believe you understood that a trial had a chance of failure. Rather, the chance of failing is rather high. It is just you and your group are a bunch of monsters."

"I was expecting an artifact of some sort."

Mark honestly mentioned.

"Artifact?" Magwayen shrugged. "Do not expect as such. The Gods of the past went against the protectors of this world. They would need all the strength they could get. Those artifacts you wanted are all either used up, broken, or lost after the era of Gods ended."

Mark fell silent. That did not enter his mind. If that was the case, it would not be a surprise if this place had nothing left of value.

In any case, it seemed that they got what they needed, although through unexpected means.

If they had some resistance against Kaptan's energy, then, Mark would not experience getting severely burned in an instant like before. Although Mark could regenerate his wounds, it was still a horrible experience.

"By the way... How long did my trial take?"

Mark asked. After all, he did spend several years in that illusory world. It would be hard to tell how much time passed in reality.

"Gege, it's already a whole week since we climbed the hill."

Mei explained.

If that was the case, then it was no wonder why Mei and the girls seemed to have missed him. Since they finished the trial before him, they might have been waiting for him for days already.

Furthermore, if it was already a week that passed here, the time that passed outside should be way longer.

"If you are wondering about the time outside. The time here passes at around a third of the speed outside. It should be more than three human weeks that passed there already."

Magwayen chimed in.

Mark frowned. The trial took him almost a month. He should have finished it quickly instead of trying to live it through.

"And now, you are regretting spending too much time within the trial," Magwayen said, seeing Mark's vague reaction. "You really liked living in regret, don't you?"

Mark stared at the Visayan Goddess of the Underworld. However, he could not refute her. Instead, he noticed something.

"Isn't your vocabulary getting more and more modern?"

Mark asked with a straight face. In fact, before they entered Kahilwayan, Magwayen still speak in an old way, using more old and deep words. Now, she was speaking like your modern-day neighbor.

It was not hard to notice such a change.

"I was watching the entire trial and learned about the world you all lived in. I believe there is nothing wrong with adapting to it. In fact, are you not having a hard time when I speak of unintelligible words to the people of this world?" Magwayen reasoned, and she quite had a point. "Still, I can't believe how interesting to watch the growth of a world without the reliance on magical aspects. Humans even achieved things that magic could not."

"Isn't that natural?" Mark asked. "Humans strive to make their lives better. If they had magic, they would rely on it. If not, then find another way. Is it not the case in your world?"

That question made Magwayen silent. She did not reply and answer Mark's question.

Instead, Ilia chimed in.

"We got what we needed here. What's the next plan?"

Ilia sure was in a hurry. Well, they did spend quite a long time here.

"Then, how about letting me rest first?" Mark replied. "You guys finished your trials quite a while ago, but I just finished it. I'm pretty tired. The feeling of getting shot and dying in a vacant lot is also unpleasantly lingering in my mind. I wanna sleep."

Mark's words made everyone look at him strangely.

"You spent a whole lifetime in that trial?" Ilia asked. "Is your head still okay?"

Not everyone understood Ilia's question. However, Mark understood her clearly.

Mark spent a whole lifetime in the trial. He experienced things that were different from his own reality. While it was a fake world, its effects on mental health were real. It would not be surprising if he incurred mental trauma and disorders from living a false life amidst the real one.

However, Mark was fine.

And rather, he was doing better than before.

Mark's experiences in the trial were a learning material for him. And from now on, he would make sure that he would get fewer regrets as possible.