926 Nest Of Regrets
The teams entered the sixth trial: "Nest of Regrets."
The moment they were sucked into this trial, all of them found themselves in an unexpected place.
It was a world made from their memories yet it was as tangible as anything real.
Prince Shak found himself as a younger self sitting at one of the VIP tables in the third row.
The venue was the crystal ground of the capital—a place completely made of colorful and exquisite crystals.
The ground was made of blue crystal, the tables were made of green crystal and even the tablecloth was made of a semi-solid red crystal.
"W-What?" Prince Shak let out a surprised gasp.
The people around him gave him a weird look before turning their attention back to the stage.
"Shak, what happened?" A familiar voice sounded, causing Shak to reflexively turn to the side.
A man with facial features somewhat similar to Shak was sitting beside him in a relaxed posture. His fingers were clasped together and the guests both from the front rows and the back rows were glancing at him from time to time.
"B-Brother…" Prince Shak gulped his dry saliva and said in an almost crying voice.
It was this day his brother went to that damn place and went missing. Even though they said he had died, he believed his brother was still alive.
But if he could stop him from leaving for that place…
'No!' Prince Shak shook his head and took a deep breath. 'This is an illusion. I just need to break it to clear the trial.'
Prince Shak took out a diamond bracelet from his storage ring and put it on his wrist.
This is a special treasure that could eliminate treasures even created by Sovereigns. For the prince of a kingdom, it's shameful to have such a lowly treasure. But that's the best Shak could manage.
'Come on! Go away!' Looking at his brother's increasingly worried eyes, Prince Shak prayed inside his mind.
The bracelet shook slightly before it calmed down.
The ceremony continued on.
On the stage, the King of Jewel Kingdom stood up from his seat and began his short yet important speech.
"…If we are outshined by other kingdoms, Lumen Empire would shift the resources to them and we will face a lack of resources, leading to low growth, which would once again lead to a decrease in resources, creating a vicious cycle.
To remain safe, we have to remain ahead. The only way to gain an edge against our equals is by working harder and taking more risks.
So, today is the day the geniuses and great warriors of our kingdom will embark on an adventure. Let their journey be victorious." Saying so, he snapped his fingers and a pure white aura drops began to rain on everyone present.
'Come on! Come on! Why aren't you working? Even if it's an illusion by a Celestial, you can at least inform me it's an illusion, right?' Prince Shak fiddled with his bracelet when the aura drops suddenly touched him.
A soothing sensation rose from the tip of his feet and shot up to the top of his head. The aura in his body grew slightly and the distance between him and the Sovereign state narrowed.
A human would've to work for at least five years for this improvement but this ceremonial farewell gift achieved the same!
As he felt his increased strength, Prince Shak had an ominous premonition. 'Hey, is the increase in my strength real?'
The diamond bracelet shone twice, replying in an affirmative.
'Is this world real? I mean, is it not a mental construct…but something tangible?'
The bracelet shone twice again.
"What the…" Prince Shak collapsed into his seat.
All the guests stood up.
The Dukes in the first row, the great warriors of the kingdom in the second row, fellow princes and princesses in the third row, the ministers and important officials in the fourth row, the geniuses in the fifth row…
Shak's brother cast him a worried look but after hearing his name from the stage, he signaled to his aides to look after his younger brother and marched to the dais.
"….Prince Sohan, one of the best geniuses of the Jewel Kingdom and our pride, is about to embark on a great adventure."
As the host announced, Prince Sohan respectfully accepted the storage ring from the King and stood at the back of the stage along with others.
The space behind the space twisted and dozens of spaceships appeared. Under the applause of the audience, the geniuses began entering the spaceships.
"No!" Prince Shak jumped from his seat and ran toward his elder brother.
This world wasn't a mental construct like he originally thought. It's real. He didn't know how the trial authority made it, but everything in this place was as real as it could get.
It's a world for fuck's sake!
'It means if I die here, I'll really die!' Prince Shak gulped his saliva and ran to the stage.
But before he could jump up, two silhouettes flashed and Prince Shak froze in his place.
The Celestial guard captains were looking at him with an indifferent expressions while the rest of the guests were staring at him with shock.
Why did a prince break all etiquette and showed so much disrespect?
The King heard the whispers of the guests and his gaze turned cold. He had too many sons and daughters to actually value one for being his child.
Still, since he's the younger brother of Prince Sohan, he didn't want to go overboard. "Prince Shak isn't feeling well. Escort him to his room and call the doctor to heal him. Even if it takes a year, nurse him back to health."
The implied statement was 'House arrest Prince Shak for a year and don't let him out.'
The guards understood this and lifted Prince Shak.
As he was about to be taken away, Shak yelled at his brother. "Don't go! Brother, don't go! You'll die! Don't go!"
