"Thereâs no need to be so tense, it was just a few pranks."
My lips couldnât help twitching when I heard this.
But I still looked up at the video that was playing above me.
It was the same kind looking old man, but the expression on his face was completely different from before. With the way that he was looking forward, it was almost as if he was looking directly at me even though this should be a recorded message.
"Is he talking to me directly?" I couldnât help muttering when I saw him like this.
But the next words from the kind old man threw that thought away.
"No, Iâm not directly talking to you. I can just guess what youâre thinking because Iâm that powerful."
The urge to punch him in the face surged deep inside of me from hearing this...
"Alright, I wonât fool around anymore." The kind looking old man said with a chuckle.
Then bringing his hand up, he pointed down as if he was pointing at the ground under me before saying, "Itâs simply because of the special sensor floor that weâre using. If you had taken a step forward, then a different message would be playing. Naturally weâve prepared for all the scenarios that could have happened."
Then in a lower voice, he seemed to mutter, "Though it certainly was a lot of recording and weâre still not done yet."
My lips twitched once more when I heard this, but I didnât say anything as I waited for the rest of the video message to play.
Taking a deep breath to gather himself, the kind looking old man said, "Iâm sure that youâre wondering about what youâve just gone through and youâre right, those werenât actually pranks that were set up by the kids. Those were pranks that were set up by me."
"Tch." Bad thoughts filled my mind once more.
"But there was a reason for that." The kind looking old man suddenly revealed a smile before continuing, "All of that was a test of your character."
My brow couldnât help rising when I heard this.
"Itâs simply because we wanted to test your character, to see if youâre worthy of being the chosen one. The fact that you passed through the barrier was already enough to show that you were the chosen one, but that doesnât mean that you were the one that our goddess was waiting for."
The camera suddenly zoomed out to reveal the kind looking old man sitting on the throne.
As I had expected, the kind looking old man was the leader of the angels and the one that had been sitting on the throne in the throne room.
Only I didnât know why he suddenly zoomed out like this.
"Our goddess gave us this Relic of Destruction to keep safe, but she also made sure that we knew that we should only give it to the one that passes the test. She recognized that she could make a mistake in oneâs character and one should always be careful with things like this Relic of Destruction."
The kind looking old man continued to explain all kinds of different things in this message.
I didnât really care at first, but then I couldnât help being more and more focused on what he was saying.
It seemed that the goddess that handed the Relic of Destruction to them had told them to come up with their own test.
At the same time, the other races seemed to have been told the same...
"The labyrinth in each of those ruins? Were those set up to be tests? But if so, why did they use tests that were so similar?"
The more that I heard, the more confused I was about the other three races that should have been protecting the other three Relics of Destruction.
Only, it wasnât as if there were any surviving members that could answer these questions for me.
Once the kind looking old man finished explaining everything, he said, "This test was a simple test of your patience. Though the fact that you went through five different trials without destroying a single thing is a bit too much. I really want to ask..."
The kind looking old man came closer to the camera before saying, "Are you some kind of masochist? Did you enjoy being harassed like that?"
And once more, my lips twitched again.
This damn old man, he really was talented at pissing people off with just his words alone. The more that he said, the more pissed off I felt.
But it wasnât as if I could do anything to him.
After he finished teasing me like this, the kind looking old man revealed a serious look before saying, "I know that as Iâm recording this, our angel race is facing a catastrope that will wipe us out soon. As such, I hope that I can leave a final record here as well for the chosen one so we are not forgotten."
After a pause, he said, "I am Gabriel of the Angel Race, the final of the Thirteen Seraphims and the one that guards the Relic of Destruction for our goddess. Please pass on our legacy to the rest of the world, do not let our Angel Raceâs sacrifice be in vain."
Before anything else happened, the video suddenly cut off.
A grim look appeared on my face when I saw this.
What kind of thing would be so dangerous that even the angels werenât able to deal with them?
After all, the angels were regarded as the vanguards of the gods. They were a powerful race that actually broke outside the balance of the game itself.
The disease that took them definitely wasnât something that had developed naturally...
Even though there was no one left, I took a deep breath and said, "Iâll remember you."
Then with a nod and a bow, I continued down the corridor.
As I went down this corridor, I finally sensed something.