I Can Read People's Comments

Chapter 84 Hidden Trial

[Chapter 81 Comment]

[Just_for_novel: This is request to God of tricksters sama (sorry if spelled wrong) can you plzz reincarnate me in fictional world with 5 wishes which…see more]

[Hunter_Keenan_2132: Hmm an idea for you Theo, but if I say it too clearly it may backfire due to story logic. Remember how you originally 'fought the author'…see more]

…

"Haaa…"

"Ha…"

Aurora panted weakly as she was completely exhausted. Her legs barely supported her body.

The essence around her bow began to flicker. Her bow looked like a basic wooden bow. It didn't seem to be that heavy but it was quite durable. Still, the tips of the curve seemed to be extended by Aurora's essence.

When she was trying to catch her breath, a rumbling sound echoed from the left.

"!!!" Aurora jumped away as the ground suddenly shattered, with a centipede coming out. If she hadn't moved away, she would have died.

The centipede chased after Aurora, not letting her escape.

Normally, Aurora would use her elemental arrow to hit this one. But her elemental arrow didn't pack a lot of power.

And this trial had forced her to use all kinds of arrow shapes.

The moment she raised her hand, a short spear appeared in her grip. The spear was symmetrical, with a long blade at the tip. If not for the shape, it would look like a javelin.

This was the weapon that she had to use in order to kill the centipede. And because of the length of the spear, she had to extend her bow so that she could pull it completely.

Aurora drew her bow in an abnormal posture because she had to hold the spear on its handle instead of the spear's butt like an arrow.

However, she had gotten used to it and released the arrow with high accuracy.

The spear was coated with her essence. And the weight of the spear, the length of the bow, and the distance of the bow string strengthened the speed and power of the spear.

The centipede tried to use its giant fangs to knock it down. However, the spear was simply too strong, as it crushed the giant fangs and pierced through the head.

Even with a body that reached up to fifteen meters, the centipede died with that kind of hole in its head.

"Ha… Ha…" Aurora panted as she fell to her knees. Her hands were already numb, unable to draw her 'arrow' anymore.

But this was the time she received a big blue screen saying, "Congratulations."

"Did I…" When she was about to think about the meaning of that message, her consciousness returned to her original body. "I…"

Theo walked up to her with a smile. "Congratulations, you've passed your trials."

It took her a moment to actually process it. By the time she realized it, Theo had extended his hand.

"Ah!" Aurora hurriedly rose from the floor and grabbed Theo's hand.

"How are you feeling?" Theo asked.

"I… It just feels surreal." Aurora still had a hard time accepting that she had beaten the trial. "Did I really complete it?"

"Yeah. You're the first one to finish your trial. Great job." Theo smiled.

"Even faster than Mia?"

"Yes." Theo nodded. Though, he had made Mia's trial harder than all students.

"I see…" Aurora nodded her head a few times as she gradually pumped her fists. It truly felt surreal. She had fought with everything she had. It was exhausting, but there was one thing that kept pushing her forward. It was a promise Theo made. She thought she had to do something in exchange for that request. "I'm glad that I don't disappoint you, Teacher."

Theo chuckled and handed her a bottle. "You can get some rest first. Since you passed the trial three days prior, you are free to do whatever you want in the next three days."

Aurora looked at Theo and asked, "Teacher? I think I am a bit confused about the trial."

She recalled the trials and all the different shapes of her arrow.

"At first, I thought that I had to create a bow that matched the length and shape of the arrows, but after completing it, I felt something was missing. I can see that a different shape will give me a different type of power, but is that all there is to it?" Aurora asked.

Theo smiled, feeling happy that she could see the true trial. "I'll answer that question after the trial is done. You can think about it for the time being."

"Alright." She was curious, but it seemed that the answer couldn't be described with words. She decided to take some rest on the side. Since Theo had given her free time for the next three days, Aurora chose to use it to reflect on the trial.

Unfortunately, she couldn't find the real meaning of the trial.

Theo took this time to reply to the comments. "Ahaha, I'm not sure why you even want to reincarnate in a fictional world. But if it's only a door, I can somehow lead you to another reality, if we ever meet, that is."

"And yes, I know that method. I think I have shown it in the early chapters where I told Mia about the goal and method, forcing the author to hide it since it would just give away the fun. Though, I don't see the use of it for the time being. So, not now."

…

In the next three days, people began to complete their training.

Out of twelve students, there were five who managed to complete their trials. Aside from Aurora, the other four were Li Wei, Oliver, Luca, and Lucas. It was surprising that the twins managed to pass their trials despite not having experienced a thorough lesson by going on a mission with Theo.

There were a few students who were close to completing the trials like Serena, Lancelot, Avalon, and Jayden. Maya took too much time to get used to the loneliness, causing her to be late for the whole trial. She looked frustrated, thinking that her family was the only trial she would face.

Haruka was only halfway through while Mia had a separate trial from the rest.

Although they were disappointed that they didn't manage to clear the trials, they admitted that they had received a lot of things during the trials.

They lined up in front of Theo as the latter smiled while explaining the trial. "It seems that a lot of you are not convinced, but that's what will happen when you tackle the world. This world is unfair. You will definitely face a problem in your life where you have to fight against time, and you might not get a second chance, so remember this frustration."

"For those who complete the trials, don't get too complacent. You might have completed it, but there is no telling whether your trial is harder or easier than the rest. The only one who knows it is me, who sets them up, but you won't get the answer from me."

"And while I do feel a bit disappointed for those who can't come close to the finish line, you don't have to feel down. This trial is to get to know your weaknesses a bit more. Weakness is not something bad, it's a guide to getting stronger. So, continue working on it."

"Thank you very much." The students bowed to him.

"Alright. Let's move on to the five people who managed to complete the trials. You deserve some rewards. Well, I have to be professional, so I won't be giving you the reward outside school hours. So, other than you five, the rest can go back to the class."

"Eh? We can't see it?" Maya complained. "It's just watching, you know."

"This is their reward. So, go back." Theo shook his head, looking adamant.

"Tsk." Maya looked very annoyed, but she was more docile than everyone thought as she was the first one to walk away.

Since it was impossible to see it, they began walking away one by one.

Theo then turned to the five winners. He said, "It seems that some of you have noticed a hidden trial. However, you don't know what it is yet."

"A hidden trial? Is this the special reward?" Lucas asked.

"Indeed. You could say that the reward wouldn't be a reward if you couldn't complete the trial."

"So, the basic requirement to make the reward beneficial to us is to complete the trial." Luca glanced at her brother and exchanged nods.

"We'll follow the order, so I'll tell the secret for Aurora's trial first." Theo pointed at the field behind them and said, "Take out your bow and aim at that thing."

Aurora and the others were confused before noticing there was a barrel fifty meters behind them.

Aurora followed Theo's instructions and formed an arrow, but she suddenly felt something was wrong.

"Hmm?" Aurora squinted her eyes.

"Just shoot it, Aurora. Why do you look so confused?" Oliver asked.

"It's just…" Aurora asked Theo, "Teacher… Do I need to use this arrow?"

"Huh?!" The others were confused while Theo chuckled. While it looked like a normal barrel, it had been filled with rocks. If she used a normal arrow, the arrow wouldn't be able to pierce through it.

Theo smiled and moved closer to her while saying, "Aim your bow."

She raised her bow and adjusted the angle.

"Now form a spear in your hand."

"A spear?" The other students didn't expect such a ridiculous request, but surprisingly, Aurora formed a spear with her essence alone.

The flow was so smooth as if she had done this for her entire life.

She thought she should shoot the barrel with this spear, but Theo continued, "Now, try to compress the essence in your spear as hard as you can."

"Compress?" Aurora was confused, but she tried to follow his instructions. The spear gradually shrank, but Aurora's face was contorted as she had a hard time compressing the essence.

After reducing the spear to half its size, the essence exploded.

"Ah!" Aurora pulled her hand out of reflex.

"It's fine. Try again."

Aurora doubted she had the ability to do it, but since Theo asked her, she tried again. This time, Theo put his hand above her, controlling the flow of the essence.

"What do you think when you form a spear? A long handle? Its penetrating power? Its sharp tip?"

"When I used the spear, it would always pierce through the enemy." Aurora imagined the spear.

"How to increase the penetration force?"

"The concentrated essence on the…" Aurora suddenly understood the hidden trial. She tried to concentrate the essence from the entire spear into the tip. Of course, Theo helped her control the essence.

This time, she managed to form a complete arrow. When she shot the arrow, it pierced through the barrel and all the rocks, creating a hole that led to the other side of the barrel.

"Wow…" Li Wei felt like the arrow earlier was similar to his Sword Intent.

"This is what I want to teach you. Instead of the bow, I want you to modify your arrow. What is the purpose of that arrow? What is the shape you imagine to serve that purpose? By concentrating the essence on the tip, it will increase the penetration force. It could even lead to an explosion like firing a cannon. Or it can also fly like it's alive or curve like a whip. If you can achieve this, you will be able to handle all kinds of situations."