The Devil Of Probability-Chapter 44: Stalemate

Simon rolled into the cave, hitting nooks and crannies on his trip in. Eventually, he was stopped by a stone pillar, which punched into his stomach.

The blow caused the air in his lungs to disperse as he desperately tried to replace it.

(Damn it!)

Gasp!

(Who created this entrance?! It’s entirely unethical!)

His gasps for air filled the cave, echoing as he tried to deal with the pain and scratches that were all over his body.

If he had known the entrance was changed this drastically, he would’ve taken a different approach. Simon stood up, clearing his throat and ruffling his platinum blond hair.

If he didn’t know any better, he would kick this stone pillar to dust. However, doing this would only expose that he was here for a second time. After all, he was almost certain this cave was meant for Elliot.

The question was, what did the others want Elliot to see? With this information, he could deduce what Elliot had been doing the entire time — and possibly how to kill him.

But Simon could not get anywhere without exploring. He went deeper inside the cave, and to his surprise, not much had changed besides the entrance. The main issue was that there was no longer any dirt, and it was all replaced by stone.

For every good deed, there must be a bad, and for every bad deed, there must be a good. Like Yin and Yang, and equivalent exchange. Although still dim, there were now shards inside these stone walls that gave off light.

They were like stars lit across a grey sky, fixing the problem of sight. With this, Simon no longer had to keep his hands on these walls. However, he did still inspect them closely, pointing out a few things.

(It doesn’t seem like this area is properly ventilated, so I shouldn’t run unless necessary.)

Still, Simon knew eventually this could not be avoided. Although he would be able to deal with the Earth Scale Eels now, there was no doubt in his mind that some would still try to retaliate.

It didn’t take long before the Earth Scale Eels heads popped out. One by one, they hesitated when they met with him. The deeper he went, the bolder the Earth Scale Eels became.

Some retreated to the entrance, while others stared and followed. Their eyes did not bother Simon; he needed to figure out what was in this cave.

Then, he saw another marker.

(Hmmm. Left this time.)

Just as he thought that, he heard the sound of an eel slamming against the ground with a wet sound.

Plop!

(Huh?)

Simon hadn’t even noticed it, the blackened silver dagger in his left hand, the Earth Scale Eel bleeding as death consumed it.

When did he do that?

(Did I... do that?)

Simon tilted his head, trying to understand this. His refinement had made him stronger, but these eels were now incredibly slow compared to last time. Did his body move on its own?

Then, the next moment, it happened a second time.

Then a third.

Then a fourth.

The process continued for about three minutes before the eels stopped. There were eels that Simon hadn’t seen before, their bodies resembling metal instead of stone.

With the hundreds of Earth Scale Eels covering the ground, Simon stomped on them, walking towards the next path. On this path, he noticed the walls around him were becoming a different, bolder shade of grey.

It only got more confusing as he went on, as the grey stone turned into tan slabs. The crystal stars became sparse, but they were replaced with another light source.

Above Simon, there was a river glowing, reflecting the flow of the waves onto his skin. The crystal lights eventually disappeared, replaced by this new light source.

(So the Earth Scale Eels were just the first challenge? Then what is the second?)

Simon’s eyes narrowed as he cautiously inspected his surroundings. The path in front of him soon came to a close, replaced by a circular stage. In the middle of the stage stood a singular monkey.

He knew better than to suspect nothing from this. He readied himself before stepping onto the platform. The monkey soon transformed into the size of a human, its hair becoming golden and thicker.

"So I’ve been lied to?"

"Lied to?"

"You’re not Elliot, are you?"

(So this cave was meant for Elliot? Wait, scrap that... How is a monkey talking?!)

"And if I am?—"

The next moment, the monkey was face-to-face with Simon. A staff extended from one of its hairs, ripping apart the air as it flew towards Simon’s face. Simon’s body reacted instinctively, preparing to block the attack.

The next moment, the staff stilled just a few centimeters away from his head, just to slam into his ribs.

The force of the attack sent Simon flying into the wall, cracking a few ribs in the process.

As he hit the wall, Simon gripped his stomach for a few moments. He knew he had to move, and quickly.

Dashing to his right, he just narrowly managed to avoid another blow.

At the same time, he pulled out his daggers and created the illusion of him throwing the jagged one toward the monkey.

The monkey did not react to this trivial feint, preparing for another strike.

There was no fear in either of their eyes, as Simon was prepared this time.

As the staff swept down towards his legs, Simon stepped over it before preparing for the feint.

When the staff came crashing up to his jaw, he deflected it down before slashing the monkey’s eye. However, the monkey was still insistent.

With a turn of its wrists, the staff was already pulling the air away, its destination the tip of Simon’s head.

Simon, of course, retreated, staring at the monkey for a few seconds as he noticed its eye was healed.

No matter how the monkey managed to heal, the rate at which it did so was well beyond normal.

The monkey’s eyes narrowed for a moment, a silence, maybe even understanding flickering between the two.

Without another word, Simon activated the protection ritual and ran the other way.

He did not understand the monkey yet, and he most definitely wasn’t going to kill it tonight.

He put all of his effort into his legs, not bothering to check if the monkey was chasing.

Still, he was not frightened; his face remained calm, controlled. 𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

(There is nothing I can do as of right now; it’ll just be a repeated stalemate. I’ll come back once I have more information.)

At the entrance of the cave, Simon found a lever to open the door.

(Much easier.)

He left the cave without a second thought. As he stepped out, he heard an explosion from the replica world.

BOOM!

He didn’t have time to deal with this; he needed his wounds treated.