Maximilian read through the information until he stumbled upon Wildwalker's Wildland Knowledge and Wildwalker's Bestiary Knowledge.
These two abilities screamed trouble when it came to a trial by combat because, judging from the Trial Master's skills and abilities, there was nothing else that could give the Trial Master a real chance to win against him except for those two.
Maximilian had learned from the first trial that the Trial Master had the power to choose a battlefield that gave them an advantage. If that was the case here, the Wildwalker's knowledge could become his weakness, something the trial master could use against him.
He decided to prepare himself for the worst.
"System, will the system storage work in the trial?" Maximilian inquired.
[No. The trial is a battle between souls in a neutral space with clearly defined rules set by the trial master. Since the system storage is connected to the real world, it cannot be utilized during the trial because the trial does not take place in real space,] the system explained.
"I see… then why were my clothes and the items I was carrying at the time manifested in the trial?" he asked further.
[That's because the trial projects your soul in the state that you recognize yourself in. The state you were in just before entering the trial is the easiest for the system to replicate,] the system explained further.
Maximilian sank into thought after hearing the explanation. "Does this mean that if I were to recognize myself as a super powerful being, I would manifest as a super powerful being?"
[Yes and no. Your soul can only manifest within the limits of a human soul's strength, combined with your mental resilience. It's… complicated to explain, but…] the system paused.
[Imagine this: your soul is a vessel, holding a liquid. The liquid represents the changes you can make within the confines of that vessel. Whether it's fresh water, sea water, or flaming oil. As long as it's within the vessel's limits, you can recognize yourself as whatever you want.]
Hearing the explanation, Maximilian nodded in understanding. This information was worth pondering over, and perhaps he could even find more knowledge regarding souls in this world... if such knowledge existed.
"I see… thank you for the explanation," Maximilian said with a nod.
[You're welcome! (^o^)]
Maximilian glanced at the clock on the wall. It was already past half past six in the evening. He had already asked Ricardo where to look for Blood Mongoose's daughter. He planned to check the IHB Data Center first. Since information like this wasn't accessible to the public, he would need to infiltrate the facility, download everything he needed from the server, and get out.
As for the Fringe, that place was still new territory for him. Other than the basic facts he knew, that the area was like a fortress combining a military district, mercenary hubs, black and gray markets, smuggling warehouses, and various other shady businesses. The place was pretty much an uncharted area for him.
He would leave that place alone for now. If he didn't find what he was looking for at the IHB, then he'd search for information there.
But before he entered the IHB local branch, Maximilian wanted to gain skills and abilities from Shadow Thief. It would boost his confidence in breaking in and extracting the data.
He took out his weapons from the system storage and geared up. He wore the black power suit he had found in Blood Mongoose's vault. An anti-tank rocket launcher was holstered on his back alongside an anti-materiel rifle. Large duffle bags filled with ammunition and high explosives were strapped across his body, and he held a standard rifle in his hands.
Once everything was ready, he tapped the 'Enter the Trial' button that appeared on the system UI.
His vision faded to white before he reappeared in an abandoned city overrun by jungle growth. Vines curled up buildings, and time-worn wreckage littered the streets, giving the place an eerie, unsettling atmosphere.
Although his visor displayed environmental data, Maximilian trusted the battlefield instincts he inherited from Blood Mongoose's years of experience.
He quickly raised his hand and pointed at a nearby rooftop. The grappling shooter mounted on his wrist launched a hook, anchoring it to the building. A powerful motor activated and pulled his body upward, giving him a high vantage point.
While the sling shooter was dragging him up, Maximilian tossed small landmines around the area. As they landed, the mines were automatically registered in his visor's map, marking their positions to prevent him from stepping on them later.
The moment he reached the rooftop and retracted the grappling hook, he felt the ground tremble—like a stampede.
A large horde of mutated beasts thundered down the street, their massive bodies crashing through buildings. Concrete and brick walls shattered as if made of paper. Many structures began to collapse. Though some beasts were injured by falling debris, they didn't slow down.
The stampede charged toward the building Maximilian was on, and just as they hit the mines—
Boom!! Boom!! Boom!! Boom!!!!
Explosions erupted, shaking the entire block. The beasts cried out in agony and panic. The lead creatures fell, trampled underfoot by the ones behind. More explosions rang out, killing and maiming others, slowing the stampede.
Maximilian didn't wait for the building beneath him to collapse. He fired his grappling hook at a nearby structure and swung across, aiming for its rooftop.
Rooftop by rooftop, he made his way toward the source of the stampede. That had to be where the trial master was waiting.
Maximilian arrived at the border of the abandoned town, where he had traced the source of the stampede. Beyond the town's boundary stretched a vast forest filled with mutated plant life—trees towering higher than the skyscrapers within the city.
The sight of this gigantic forest gave Maximilian the surreal feeling that he had been transported to an alien world. Strange-looking plants and colossal trees filled the landscape, each leaf as large as an adult human. The surreal nature of the scenery made Maximilian pause for a moment, taking it all in before quickly calming himself.
He didn't know if the real Wildland looked like this, but that didn't matter right now, he still had a Trial Master to hunt. He needed to defeat the Trial Master before he could confirm whether this surreal vision mirrored the real-world Wildland.
Fortunately, the power suit he manifested in this trial retained all the functions of its real-world counterpart, especially the visor's capabilities. It could detect bioelectric signatures and even identify whether they belonged to a human or a mutated beast.
{System,} Maximilian called out.
[Huh? I can't help you during the trial, you know,] the System replied.
{Asking for information about how the trial works shouldn't count as help, right?} Maximilian clarified.
The system was silent before saying. [I should tell you first. I can only answer questions related to the rules or mechanics of the trial. I can't tell you things like where the Trial Master is hiding,] the System explained.
{I figured as much. Don't worry, I won't ask those kinds of questions.}
[Okay, what do you want to know?] the System asked.
{In this trial, can the Trial Master create helpers other than themselves?}
[Usually, they can't. But they can bend the rules slightly by using their right as the Trial Master to request rule adjustments in their favor. However, these requests must be reasonable. For example, they could ask for a single helper to assist in hunting you down, but they can't summon an army to do their bidding.]
{I saw a horde of mutated beasts stampeding toward me. Was that still within the rules?} Maximilian inquired.
[Yes. The Trial Master used their own skills to direct the mutated beast horde against you. Since those beasts are part of the trial ground environment the Trial Master requested, it's within the rules,] the System answered.
{One more question… Can a humanoid mutant with intelligence be considered part of the trial environment?} Maximilian asked.
[No. Since such mutants are considered to possess intelligence, the Trial Master cannot manifest them without bending the rules using their special rights.]
{I see…}
Looking through his visor, Maximilian spotted a highlighted humanoid-shaped bioelectric signal near the edge of the forest in front of him. Based on what the System had told him, since the Trial Master hadn't used his right to bend the rules in this round, any humanoid silhouette could only mean one thing: it was the Trial Master himself.
Too bad… according to the visor's readout, the Trial Master was hiding deep inside an earthen mound, resembling a small bunker. It wasn't particularly deep, just enough to provide cover from bullets and projectiles.
Seeing the Trial Master's position, Maximilian wasn't willing to risk entering the forest to hunt him down. He expected that the area around the Trial Master was likely filled with traps and poisonous plants. That's why… he decided to take an alternative approach…