533 Dig?
0.01%!
Himmel Soan drew in his breath. He didn’t think Leela was lying. He knew it made that judgment based on his performance so far.
He couldn’t help but wonder how dangerous the remaining trial would be. He was still taking the first test and had only defeated three out of the five guardians. However, it had been so challenging that he nearly died.
That was how difficult the test was.
However, Himmel Soan was more curious about Leela’s attitude toward Firey.
Leela interfered because Firey wanted to kill herself. None of the three guardians attacked Firey, which showed how special she was.
It was all quite suspicious; he wanted to find out why. He didn’t say anything because he knew Leela had left. It came here because of Firey. Now that she was out of harm’s way, Leela had no reason to stay.
It must be watching Himmel Soan’s test from above.
The water and wood guardians were gone as well. They didn’t stay here and were also watching Himmel Soan from their hidden corners. They couldn’t interfere with the test, whether Himmel Soan passed it or not.
The test continued.
“I still have to face the guardians of metal and earth.
“The personalities and fighting styles of the previous guardians were all related to their element. I think it’ll be the same with metal and earth.
“Metal is the most aggressive element of the five, and the metal guardian should have the most powerful attacks. Earth is solid and hard to penetrate. The earth guardian won’t be as tenacious as the wood guardian, but his defense will be much harder to break,” Himmel Soan murmured, analyzing the remaining two guardians.
The first three battles made him realize that the guardians were on the same level as him, if not better. To defeat them, he must use his advantages to attack his opponent’s disadvantages.
His physical strength had been improved, and so had his combat ability. He had a better chance of winning, but he still needed to make some plans in advance.
“I’ll find the earth guardian first. His attacks will be weaker than his defense. It’ll be easier for me.”
Himmel Soan decided to fight the earth guardian next.
“Where is he, though?” He was at a loss.
He was surrounded by soil. It was the ground he walked on and the riverbed beneath the water. However, he never saw any signs of the earth guardian.
Where was his opponent?
He had set his target but couldn’t find him.
I can’t dig a hole in the ground until I find the earth guardian, can I? Himmel Soan asked in his mind.
Wait.
In the ground!
The ground was where he could find the most earth element. Maybe that was where the earth guardian hid!
Himmel Soan punched the ground, opening it up.
“Damn it! You’re destroying the environment!” A bald, stalwart man appeared next to Himmel Soan. He scratched his head and complained.
Himmel Soan couldn’t help but chuckle. Despite his majestic appearance, the man’s face was covered with dust, which seemed rather funny.
“Are you the earth guardian?” Himmel Soan asked.
“Yes, that’s me. I’ve been listening to you for a long time.
“Why are you so stubborn? Can’t you move a bit further? There’s a mountain a few hundred kilometers away. That’s my territory. Why are you digging here?”
The earth guardian seemed like an approachable character. Himmel Soan wanted to smile when listening to him.
“If that’s the case, why are you here?”
“Your battle with Fire was so loud that I had to come here to watch. I was on my way back when you started digging. Do you want to fight me? I’m here,” the earth guardian mumbled.
Immediately, he sensed Himmel Soan’s ambition.
“Slow down. My trial isn’t combat-related. You like digging, don’t you? That’s great because my test has something to do with that. Come to my territory first. Wood is a stingy guy. He’ll be mad at me if we destroy his place.” The earth guardian walked away.
Himmel Soan was perplexed. The earth guardian gave him a delusional feeling. If he didn’t know better, he would have thought the earth guardian was an ordinary mild-tempered man.
He then heard the wood guardian behind him. “I’m stingy? Just you wait! I’ll cover your mountain with my trees!”
The earth guardian seemed to have heard that. He picked up his paces and sprinted off.
They arrived at the earth guardian’s territory in no time. The mountain was so tall that Himmel Soan couldn’t see its top.
“What’s the test?” Himmel Soan asked.
“Haven’t I told you? You’ll be digging. We’ll each choose a direction. The first person to dig through this mountain wins.” The earth guardian then took out two shovels. “One for you, one for me!”
“Are you sure this is a test?” Himmel Soan was dumbfounded. That sounded so ridiculous. Digging through a mountain?
However, the earth guardian seemed so serious that Himmel Soan didn’t know what to say.
“Young man, don’t underestimate this mountain!” The earth guardian found a spot and raised his shovel.
Seeing this, Himmel Soan grabbed the other shovel and started digging.
Clank!
The shovel made a crisp sound when it made contact with the mountain, surprising Himmel Soan.
It wasn’t an ordinary mountain. With Himmel Soan’s power, he should be able to cut into the mountain with an ordinary shovel. Yet he had used 10% of his maximum strength, but he couldn’t even make a dent.
“I told you. It’s not as easy as you think.” The earth guardian seemed to have anticipated this.
Only then did Himmel Soan realize what he meant.