"Welcome to the Rare Trial Plain, hahahaha!"
"What Rare Trial Plain?! Explain, am I in danger?" Jacob quickly asked while continuing to find a way out of this darkness.
Although his vision was good, this darkness was completely different, and he could only see Immortika because of their special connection.
"Not for now, I guess."
This reply from Immortika gave Jacob a massive relief, but he was still not out of the woods since this darkness was simply too eerie as all his senses were blocked, and all he could feel was moving forward.
"What is happening then?" Jacob properly asked while his swords appeared in his hands.
"Well, since you've already entered a Trial Plain, I can tell you now." Immortika wrote.
"But let me ask you something first since you were a researcher yourself and a successful one at that. What do you think about World Evolution? Which could change a World?"
Jacob's face fell. He didn't have time to play the riddle, but he still answered since it was a simple question, "Knowledge! Now just tell me where I am and where did that forest go?"
"No, it is 'Truth Behind Everything.' Knowledge can only be acquired after one finds a Truth behind something; sometimes, the Truth can be the opposite of what Knowledge deems it to be.
"Why, even after acquiring Knowledge, do we still dig deep into the same Knowledge and sometimes find something incredible? A Truth is what changes everything, and nothing can topple Truth.
"There is always Truth behind a Truth, like infinite layers. The more Truth you find, the more you want to confirm if it is the Truth or if someone else will doubt your Truth and then start searching for their own Truth.
"But if someone acquired an Absolute Truth, it could have unimaginable consequences. Like the Zodiac Plains, which is virtually immeasurable!"
Jacob's eyes widened in disbelief, "But how is that possible!?"
Although he understood what Immortika was trying to imply, he would never believe something so ridiculous.
Furthermore, he still didn't understand what this had to do with the current situation.
"Hahahaha… nothing is impossible, I had told you; you are so insignificant that even a grain of sand might have a higher status than you in the Zodiac Plains.
"But you will understand if you could cultivate the scripture to higher phases.
"All you need to know is the Zodiac Plains is immeasurable, and you could consider it a Universe. But it didn't work like the universe you know of. There are stars, solar systems, and galaxies, but for a particular reason, everything has been combined, forming the Zodiac Plains!
"As for why the sky, sun, and moon are just like you remembered, it is also related to the reason for Zodiac Plains being a Universe.
"The Common Plains are known as Type-0 Plain, and Rare Plains are known as Type-1 Plain. There are higher plains, and on those plains lies the unimaginable Truth.
"As for the place you are currently stumbled upon is called a Trial Plain. Every Plain above Zero has these Trial Plains."
Jacob calmed down to a great degree after he read all that unimaginable information. This mysterious world broadened his horizons again.
"What kind of Trials do these places have, and what is their purpose? Since they're Trials, who set them up and monitor them." Jacob asked sternly.
"These Trials are created by the Zodiac Plains itself, and it is also Zodiac Plains who monitored them. You can call it Zodiac Will. Like people say, Gods are always watching over the world, and the Zodiac Will is even more terrifying. Hahahaha."
'Zodiac Will? I'll remember it.' Jacob quickly engraved this name in his mind.
Immortika continued, "As for the purpose of these Trials, it has only one; to open the way toward a Higher Plain!"
Now Jacob was even more confused as well as startled, "Are you telling me without passing this Trial, no one can move to a higher plan? But it's impossible since the Alliance could take someone out of here if they complete a certain condition."
"You don't understand at all. By means to open the way toward a higher plain means stripping off the protection from that plain and removing the barrier that hinders other races from moving freely toward a higher plain.
"Aren't you curious why that undead couldn't attack or step foot into the freedom plains? It is because that area is called Life Plain, where Dark Beings couldn't enter, while the Place known as Wild Nation is established on an area called Dead Plain, where Living Beings couldn't enter.
"Lastly, the area where any being could move freely is known as Neutral Plain, like the Dark Woodlands.
"It's just that the living beings in this place are simply too weak. They had yet to find the exit from the Trial Plain like the Dark Beings and entered this neutral Plain while avoiding the actual Trial plain.
"Similarly, a being born on other plains or if they had a certain level of bloodline and prowess, couldn't enter those two protected areas or on the plain, as a matter of fact. Neither could they clear the Trial of that plain. Only a native born on that Plain could enter and remove the Trial of their birth plain.
"The only exception to this rule is the Star Ocean or when the protection of that Plain is lifted when someone clears that Trial. However, in the latter case, there is still power level restriction of the Plain.
"Or do you think both factions, Living and Dead, would let each other prosper on the same ground? There are more twisted rules on higher plains, but you don't need to know them now.
"Anyhow, the person who clears this Trial, either from the living or dead, will have a specific right on that plain, and every reward acquired from these Trials are lavish to extreme.
"Lastly, if a Trial were cleared, it would reset after 1000 Years, and every time a Trial is different from the last.
"My guess is the Dark Beings on Type-1 Plains had cleared the last Trial, and that's why they had the upper hand on the living and probably trying to clear it again. That's why they were swamping this place with their pawns to make things even more difficult for those freedom-plains fools!"
Jacob felt like a mist had been lifted from his eyes as he finally started to understand what was happening in the Rare Plains.
"Wait, you said only natives can enter these protection zones and Trials. Why am I able to bypass these two restrictions?" Jacob instantly caught the crux of the matter.
Just as he thought, Immortika's mad laughter filled the whole page.
"…hehe, how about you try to guess?"
Jacob instantly thought of something and replied uncertainly, "It's either you or it has something to be with my rebirth."
"Don't give yourself too much credit. Only the inheritor of one of the Nine Universal Godly Scriptures can bypass these rules. Let me tell you something else. Hehehe."
Jacob had a bad proposition all of a sudden.
"The Nine Universal Godly Scriptures could also see through the trial's hidden conditions," Immortika revealed.
"What it had to do with me? I'm not interested in clearing those Trials. On the contrary, as long as they won't completed, I can simply move between places and do my things. Even if I offend someone, I can hide in the other side's territory, and they won't even be able to touch me." Jacob was now completely calm as he thought of the benefits of having such an advantage over everyone.
"Hahahah… are you sure? Let me tell you, the person who clears these Trials will be rewarded lavishly by the Zodiac Will with ZC, and a special shop will be opened to the Trial's Champion. You can buy anything that exists on that plane from that shop, even 9-Star Element Cores!" Immortika words were laced with temptation.
Jacob's eyes widened slightly when he read it, "Are you serious?"
"Absolutely! Even the delivery would be instant. But think about it, if you lifted the barrier, the freedom plains would be swallowed by the dark beings at this juncture. Or even worse, those fellows in the living faction like your Alliance might hate you to tip the balance so soon." Immortika pretended to give a warning.
Jacob's lips curled into a disdainful, icy smile, "Do you think I care?"
Right at this moment, Jacob suddenly looked ahead as he saw the light at the end of the darkness. He was on his destination, wherever it was.
"Hahaha… I knew you wouldn't disappoint me. Alright, read carefully. I don't have time. You can't summon me in the Trial Plain for a reason I can't tell you right now. The moment you exit this space, I'll vanish.
"These are hidden conditions to complete this trial name Dark Ruins."
Jacob was baffled when he read he couldn't summon Immortika in the dark ruin, but soon his attention was drawn by the sudden shimmer spark on Immortika before an entirely new page appeared.
"Type-1 (Rare) Plain Trial NO.128094302
"Code Name: Dark Rune
"Time of Beginning: 392 Years Ago
"Time of End: Ongoing
"Conditions Implanted for Trial Code Name Dark Rune:
"1. …!