Alchemist In The Apocalypse: Rise Of A Legend!

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[This chapter might be confusing so if you are confused, please say in the comments section and I'll address you. Thanks for reading!],

The 'Guardian'[5]

[Ace POV],

Because there was no sound in this fog, I had to rely on my senses, so when I felt a presence at my back that was quite close, I dashed away without hesitation.

"Oh?" I heard a voice that sounded like it was a little surprised. I said it because it was difficult to tell what gender it was since its voice sounded like one of both genders. It was strange to say the least, but when I turned around to see what had crept up behind me, all I saw was the same fog as before.

'What was that?' I thought as I raised my guard.

I'm not sure what was in the fog with me, but given that its only goal up to this point had been to touch me, I didn't think allowing myself to be captured was an option. It didn't help that I couldn't see through the fog, but whoever was with me could.

I truly wonder how Anna crow could see in this fog.

"Okay, that's enough. It's already pointless to continue," something suddenly said, and immediately it did, something unexpected happened next as I saw the fog around me begin to thin until it disappeared, but that wasn't what took me aback, it was the scene that appeared in front of my eyes that did.

I realized I was standing on grass rather than the bridge I was expecting. The part that took me back was seeing my teammates beside me with their eyes closed and muttering unintelligible words.

The stunning part I should say is that my body was still the same as it was when I first entered the foggy bridge. It was like everything that happened in the fog I thought I was in appeared to be a lie.

"Because it was", a familiar-sounding voice said. It was the voice in the fog that spoke.

Turning my head to the direction the voice came from which was in front of me, I finally saw its appearance, which was strange, to say the least.

If I had to describe it in one word, it would be "beautiful man." But I suppose he's a tree man.

In front of me was a humanoid-like creature that appeared to be both a man and a woman, but instead of being ugly or unpleasant to the eyes, it was quite harmonious.

Its skin, however, was that of a tree.

Seeing this, I turned to look at its name with the primordial chronicle.

[Gateway Guardian ???? ??],

When I saw this, I subconsciously took a step back, only for the 'guardian' to speak again.

"It doesn't matter if you do that, I could have killed you when you were standing there," it said as I tried to find a form of expression on its face but couldn't find any.

'And did it just say I've been standing here?

'I reflected as the guardian spoke again.

"Why do you keep referring to me as it?" it said.

Seeing this, I spoke.

"You can read my mind?" I asked.

"Yes I can"

"I have a question", I said.

"Ask"

"Are you a male or female?" I asked as our surroundings suddenly got quiet. This was a question I was genuinely curious about.

"....."

"Am neither", it said as it broke the silence that reigned in the air.

Hearing this, I nodded and spoke.

"Now do you realize why I refer to you as it?" I said as the guardian looked at me deeply for a few seconds before speaking again.

"Are you not scared?" it asked.

"Of what?" I asked.

"Of me. Don't you feel fear?", it asked to which I gave my reply, saying;

"I wish," I said.

"....."

"You're a strange one", it suddenly said.

"First time I've heard this"

"....."

"What are you?" I asked.

"A guardian", it said.

"Guardian of what?" I asked, pausing before asking again; "Are you going to kill me like them?" I asked, pointing to a specific area beside me where dead Bodies were scattered and piled on top of themselves.

When the guardian saw where I was pointing, it shook its head and spoke.

"It wasn't me who killed them. They died because they failed the test", it said.

"Test?"

"Test yes. The one to cross the bridge which you just passed", it said.

Hearing this, I became perplexed and asked a question.

"Wait, I thought the bridge test was to survive the monster wave that attacked us?" I inquired.

"No, that wasn't the test to cross the bridge; that was the test set by the primordial chronicle to determine whether you were qualified to cross the bridge," it said.

This....

So four rank 1 Monsters attacking together with multiple monsters was just a test from the primordial chronicle to see if we were even qualified to even cross the bridge.

And did it just say that I passed the test?

'Which test?'

I wondered because I couldn't recall doing anything that resembled a test.

As I was thinking these thoughts, the guardian spoke up.

"The test was what you experienced in the fog as you crossed the bridge," it said.

"The choice was the test?"

"Correct", it said.

"What would have happened if I hadn't stopped then and chosen a voice to go to?" I asked, curious as to what would have happened.

"If you made a different choice then and chose to move to a different location, then you would have entered a maze in your mind where you would have to find the exit and if you couldn't do so in the period of time set by me, then you'll be like them and would have died because you failed the test," the guardian said, pointing to the dead bodies around me.

From this, I knew it was as I thought that these dead humans should be the ones that took part in this quest.

It appears the group of humans I was with weren't the first to partake in this quest.

But the test was still perplexing because I couldn't see what it was for. The method of the test itself was questionable.

In fact, everything about this test and quest is already confusing me. It's hard to make sense of what was truly happening here.

The Guardian spoke again as I was thinking about this.

"You don't have to think about the test as it is completely up to me to say whether or not you were qualified to pass the quest by crossing the bridge", it said.

Hearing this, I decided to temporarily stop thinking about the quest and asked a question.

"Are my teammates in the test right now?" I inquired, and the guardian nodded.

When I saw this, I asked another question.

"What is a gateway?" I asked, turning to face a familiar-looking portal beside the guardian.

"A gateway is a passage to the true world"

"True world?"

.....

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