Demon Core Exorcist

8. Trial of Twin Paths: Path Of Agility

The hallway after the Path of Strength was narrow and silent. Blue light ran through shallow grooves in the stone floor, pulsing gently like a heartbeat. Nathan followed the light until it widened into another chamber.

It was nothing like the first.

The "floor" here wasn't a floor at all; it was an open void, stretching down into darkness so deep that Nathan couldn't see the bottom. Suspended in the air were floating platforms of various shapes and sizes. Some were wide and steady, others were little more than narrow planks. Many shifted slowly, either drifting from side to side or rotating just enough to throw off anyone who wasn't careful.

Chains hung from the unseen ceiling above, connected to massive swinging blades. Some moved lazily, others fast enough that the edges blurred in the dim light. A low, rhythmic whoosh echoed through the chamber every time a blade passed.

On the far side of the void was another stone doorway, smaller than the one at the end of the Strength trial, but carved with flowing, almost graceful lines.

The voice spoke again, calm and even:

"Speed without thought is recklessness. Thought without speed is hesitation. Show me the harmony."

These words felt like something that an elder would say, and Nathan surprisingly seemed to understand the statement.

Nathan stepped onto the first platform. It rocked under his weight. He crouched slightly, shifting his balance as he waited for the nearest swinging blade to pass. Then he jumped to the next platform.

The first few jumps were easy. Wide platforms, short distances. But as he progressed, the platforms became narrower, the gaps between them longer. The timing mattered now; jumping too early or too late meant landing right into a swinging blade or onto a platform's edge just as it rotated away.

Nathan thought back to his system; if it had something to help his strength, it would have something to help his agility. 

So without hesitation, he added his last stat point to agility

[AGL: 19>>20]

[Host had obtained skill 'Dash']

Once again, Nathan didn't read the skill description and just activated the skill immediately.

[AGL: 20 (+10)]

He could suddenly feel himself become lighter, as if he had lost a large amount of weight. He couldn't test it out here, but he knew that he was more than marginally faster.

But once again, it came with a price. He hadn't even started using the skill, but he could already feel that he would not last using this skill for a long time.

Once again, it was very important for him to finish it quickly. And this trial would be harder because he had injuries from the previous trial.

Well, now wasn't the time to think about all of that, so he threw it out of his mind and focused on the path in front of him.

The void was scary, and he didn't want to see what was on the other side.

He moved quickly, but not recklessly, letting instinct guide the rhythm of his jumps.

That was when he heard it, light, fast footsteps.

Nathan froze on a wide platform, scanning the air around him.

The space shimmered. Shapes appeared, tall, slender figures made entirely of polished metal, their limbs segmented like clockwork. Their heads were featureless except for a faint horizontal slit that glowed pale blue. In one hand, each carried a short, curved blade.

They resembled the previous golems, but appeared to be tailored specifically for speed.

The nearest one stepped lightly onto a platform just two jumps away. It tilted its head at Nathan, then leapt toward him without hesitation.

Nathan moved. He sidestepped, letting the metallic figure land where he'd been standing, then swept his leg low. The enemy toppled, rolling off the edge and vanishing into the void below.

It was risky, but risks had to be taken, and with the speed he got from the skill, he believed that it was enough.

But the risks weren't done.

The second one was already closing in. Nathan ducked under its slash, grabbed its wrist, and used its momentum to spin it off the platform.

But more were appearing.

Three, four, five of them.

Nathan's pulse quickened. The platforms weren't big enough to fight all of them at once, and staying still meant getting surrounded. He sprinted to the next platform, forcing them to follow in single file.

The first enemy landed just as Nathan jumped to the next platform. It tried to follow immediately, but its leap was mistimed, the platform spun away, and it plunged into the void.

Nathan grinned slightly. That could have been him if he hadn't been careful, but he also noticed another thing. The environment wasn't just an obstacle; it was a weapon.

The next set of platforms was trickier. They didn't stay in one place at all; instead, vanishing into the darkness every few seconds and reappearing somewhere else. Nathan had to watch their pattern, waiting for the right moment before leaping.

Halfway across, another enemy dropped from above, landing with perfect balance on the same platform. Nathan was shocked, but he reacted instantly. He stepped forward, caught its arm, and shoved it off just as the platform blinked out of existence.

He landed on the next platform just in time for two more enemies to leap toward him from opposite directions.

No way to dodge both.

Nathan dropped flat against the platform, letting them sail over him. As they landed on the platforms behind him, he sprang to his feet and kept moving.

The next stretch was worse. The platforms were arranged in a spiral, each one slightly higher than the last. Swinging blades cut through the gaps, forcing Nathan to time every jump perfectly. And now the enemies were climbing after him, using the chains and blades themselves as stepping stones.

One landed in front of him. Nathan feinted left, then lunged right, slipping past it and kicking it in the back mid-leap. It tumbled into the void with a faint metallic clatter.

Another jumped from a lower platform, trying to grab him. Nathan caught the chain of a swinging blade and swung out of reach, landing two platforms ahead.

His arms ached from the sudden jolt, but he didn't stop moving.

The spiral ended at a wide, steady platform, the last before the final door.

A single enemy stood waiting, its blade drawn. It didn't charge recklessly like the others. It stood still, letting the platform sway beneath it, as if inviting Nathan to make the first move.

Nathan accepted.

He jumped to the final platform, landing lightly on his feet. The enemy moved instantly, a slash toward his chest. Nathan blocked with his forearm, feeling the sting as the blade scraped across his jacket, then twisted to knock the weapon aside.

The enemy was fast. Every time Nathan attacked, it slipped just out of reach, countering with quick, precise strikes.

He needed to change the rhythm.

Nathan stepped back, making his movements slower on purpose, baiting the enemy into a sudden forward rush. When it lunged, he spun to the side, caught its wrist, and pulled it forward, using its own momentum to hurl it off the platform.

It didn't even try to grab the edge; it simply vanished into the void.

The platform stilled.

The voice spoke again, softer now as if acknowledging his determination:

"You have passed the path of agility. You know speed is nothing without control."

The door ahead rumbled open, revealing a narrow corridor lit by the same faint blue light as before.

Nathan took a deep breath, letting the adrenaline fade just enough to steady his hands. His legs still buzzed from constant movement, but his focus felt sharper than before.

The toll from the prolonged use of the skill hit him like a tidal wave. He didn't step into the corridor; this time, he rested his back against a wall, his breathing laboured as he tried to recover.