The Seventh Calamity: I am the True Villain!
Chapter 35: Ch 35 - Trial of Perception

Chapter 35: Ch 35 - Trial of Perception

In a desolate realm, similar to the one Kai encountered the very first time he was introduced to the concepts of the Trials—the training area—Kai silently sat in the centre with his legs crossed and eyes closed, his hands resting over his knees.

His brows frowned in frustration while his eyelids twitched as he struggled to keep them shut.

’This is driving me nuts at this point!’ He tightly clenched his jaws.

’Who would’ve thought that the Trial of Perception would feel this painstakingly long!’

***

An hour ago, when Kai had entered the fourth Trial—Trial of Perception—he arrived in an empty realm that looked oddly familiar to something he had seen before.

"Eh... This place looks kinda similar... To... The training area!? Except this one’s black..."

The training area. It was the very first area Kai was introduced to, after being practically abducted by the system.

Also, the place where he had gotten used to the weapons and the skills that eventually proved to be his lifesavers.

For a few moments, he stood at the same spot, confused, before the system finally made it to the spot and explained the Trial to him.

---

[# Trial of Perception]

[• Objective - Survive for the following given time with all of your five senses sealed.]

[• Time Limit - 1 hour]

[• For the next 1 hour, at pre-alotted times, one of your five senses will be sealed and you will have to survive through various traps and things that will be targeted towards you.]

[• The trial will automatically come to an end once the time limit is up, and the player will be teleported directly to the next Trial.]

[• Upon failure - Death]

[• The Fourth Trial has begun!]

---

"Hmm... This doesn’t sound that bad..." Kai slowly raised an eyebrow as his mind dozed off into a world of its own—already thinking about what kind of traps he’d encounter.

"Huh?"

However, shortly after, he was jolted awake by a strange feeling encroaching on him from his feet, slowly crawling up towards his head.

His eyes quickly darted downward, but he found nothing. Exactly then, a System window materialized in front of his eyes, solving all his doubts.

---

[First of your five senses, Hearing, is being sealed away.]

---

All of a sudden, a sharp pain surged through his head, resonating at the centre as a strange, high-pitched sound reverberated in his ears.

At first, the pain was unbearable. So much so that faint groans began to escape from his lungs.

However, for some reason, Kai was smiling.

’Compared to the level of pain I’ve felt before, this feels nothing more than a mockery!’ he thought as he quickly got used to the pain.

His eyes, darted from one direction to the other, continuously scanning the entire vicinity as he had already lost the very first tier of defense against the attacks of projectiles.

Even if he were no master in combat, he knew more about his own body than anyone else.

Suddenly, he felt something sharp slowly touch his right arm. It was only for a split second, but his body reacted almost immediately, pushing his arm all the way ahead, in the opposite direction from which he could feel the touch from.

Just as he had thought, something flew past his hand, grazing it slightly before landing onto the ground with a loud bang. It was an arrow, that snapped into two from the impact.

Without wasting even a second, Kai looked up and began scanning through the entire area with narrowed eyes.

Where did the arrow come from? It was unknown.

However, it was true that he’d have been dead by now if it were aimed for his upper body, especially his chest.

Kai stood on his grounds with his knees slightly bent and feet merely a foot apart, ready to dodge any forthcoming arrow.

However, for several minutes, nothing happened.

’uhh...? Don’t tell me this one only had a single arrow in the entire thing... Can’t be... Right?’

With time, Kai grew restless. Or rather, he grew wary of the surroundings. He wanted to let go of his guard and simply sit down.

However—’That’s the most stupid mistake one could make in front of the archers or snipers. Letting their guard down, exactly what those patient bastards want.’

’I don’t know about this one, but all the other trials sure have been following some really familiar routes.’

Just as Kai was simply organizing his thoughts, ironically, he had done the same ’most stupid mistake’ that he berated so heartily.

For a moment, his mind simply dozed off from the real world, making him prone to any and all attacks.

And just as he had said, that was exactly what an archer or sniper would want the most.

Suddenly, he felt the same sensation appear once again over his body, pulling his consciousness back into reality with widened eyes.

However, to his worst horror, instead of just 1, he could sense 3 at the same time. All of these touch-like sensations had appeared in the opposite direction, aiming for his right back, abdomen, and left arm.

A split second. That’s all the time he had to decide the course of his action.

’Fuck!’

Realizing the trajectory of these arrows was set in a way to cut off his escapes, Kai decided to opt for the most basic technique that could either save his life or end it all. Otherwise, he was dead anyway.

Using his left leg as his balance, Kai kicked the ground with his right and spun quickly towards his left side.