As Sam saw the whole process happening, he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine and he immediately diverted his attention towards the statue's face.
In place of the stone eyes which are previously there are replaced by a pair of electric blue eyes with dark blue pupils.
Those eyes are looking straight at him. He felt a huge pressure on him as the eyes bore down on him as if they want to see through his soul.
For the first time, Sam felt a sense of inferiority in a long time.
He didn't expect that he would feel that after so many years. He felt the same sense of inferiority when he was a kid in his previous life. Half of his life has gone by just to overcome that, and now in this new life, he is feeling the same thing again.
His mind suddenly felt clouded. The darkest parts of his past started resurfacing again.
Suddenly, Sam clenched his fists hard and gritted his teeth. He straightened his buckled knees and rose his head in defiance.
He looked straight at those large blue eyes.
He doesn't want to go through the same feeling again and he wouldn't let a being no matter how superior make him go through that again.
When the eyes looked at Sam's actions, the pressure increased and Sam felt as if he was carrying the whole mountain.
But Sam didn't budge, he doesn't want to kneel or fall for this being. The eyes that are filled with contempt are only making him more and more determined.
Sam continued for another five minutes and by this time there are already cracks on the floor, but he didn't let his knees buckle and suddenly there are cracking sounds that are coming from his bones.
Sam clenched his jaw to bear the pain and then suddenly the pressure was off.
Sam sweated bullets, he started panting.
His eyes became cold and gloomy. A voice was heard in his head.
"No wonder you are the wimp that Gambler go himself, you are just like him a stubborn pest that refuses to budge."
When Sam heard this even though he was shocked by the sudden statement and the details that are mentioned in that statement, the anger is still clouding his mind and he let the statement slide for a second.
He looked at the statue with that icy cold gaze and when he saw the contempt deep in those eyes, he couldn't hold back anymore.
He took out the Executioner sword.
The Katana is releasing an extremely fierce aura and this is the result of absorption of the Hydra's blood. The sword has completely absorbed the blood essence and is now on the verge of being becoming a fifth rank weapon.
He took out a huge energy cell which is in size of a foot ball and dropped it on the floor.
Sam placed his left leg on the energy cell which is filled with the wind elemental energy and started directing all of it to the sword.
He looked at the blue eyes which suddenly seemed to become curious.
With in two minutes, the energy cell was devoid of energy and executioner sword was full of fierce and sharp energy.
Sam crushed the empty cell under his foot and leapt in to the air leaving a floor of cracked tiles.
The blue eyes showed a different expression than the contempt and curiosity for the first time.
This time, they showed surprise.
Sam leapt towards those big eyes and with a slash, the executioner sword met with the statue right at the forehead.
With a huge vertical slash, the statue was split into two vertically.
The light in the eyes faded and the they turned back to normal stone eyes.
Sam landed on the rubble that fell on the ground.
By this time, all the candidates woke up from their meditative state and already moved backward.
They are looking at Sam with confusion and a little dread at the same time, they all felt that fearsome aura from before.
When they observed they could see that there was blood dripping from Sam's right hand. His hand wasn't even able to take that hit.
Some of them are clearly annoyed by the sudden interruption, but they don't dare to confront Sam about it when they felt that fearsome aura and the killing intent Sam was emitting.
Sam looked at the statue and said.
"I don't know who you are and if you are a god or a demon, I don't know who that gambler is and I don't even know how powerful you all are and most importantly I don't even know if you can hear me.
If you are, then remember my words, if there is a way for me to find you and reach you, you better kill me before that day comes, or else you would wish you never even saw me on this day."
With those words, Sam stepped back and found a clean spot before sitting there.
He took off the coat which revealed a disfigured arm with all the bones broken and protruding outside of the skin.
The candidates saw the most gruesome scene they ever did.
Sam took out a small dagger and started cutting his own arm and made a large vertical slit and started arranging his bone fragments as he healed them after that.
The bones joined slowly and then Sam started healing his flesh.
Within ten minutes his arm is as good as before.
But the most important thing is that Sam doesn't even have a single change of expression when he did all this.
It is as if the arm he was cutting is not even his.
Sam closed his eyes as he calmed himself down.
Nicholas approached him and sat beside him before asking.
"Are you okay?"
"I am good, don't worry."
At this moment Sam saw Arman who is also looking at him, there was an invisible tension as their gazes locked.
Sam knew why is that.
That person whoever it was is somehow related to Arman and with what Sam did, both of them now became rivals if not Arch-enemies.
But Sam didn't bother and closed his eyes again.
Everyone in the room including Arthur are walking on eggshells for the remaining time and they felt like dancing as the time for the next floor came and the door opened.
Now there is only sixth floor left and from thunder god temple's side only Sam, Arthur and Arman are qualified to come. The first batch of the participants.
Three of them entered the sixth floor and Sam once again looked at the symbol on top of the ceiling.
The same image he saw at the beginning of this whole palace journey was still there, but this time, Sam is not looking at it with curiosity but rather with enmity.
He doesn't like that feeling of being inferior. Many of his buttons are pushed and there is no way he could let this go. He should at least beat the crap out of that person before he could feel any better.
But there is a long time for that it is not possible anytime soon.
Sam shook his head to shift his focus and walked towards the door. He didn't wait for the other two and entered the room.
The other candidates also started coming inside one by one and there are three candidates from each area.
A total of eighteen people.
The familiar holographic screen came and displayed strings of letters.
"Congratulations on making this far. This is the final room and the most precious treasures of this palace are going to be here.
Now, the final test is about to begin.
There are three treasures which are rewards for this and you can take them without any tests. The only thing you have to do is refine the treasures with your spiritual imprint and that will be yours.
All the candidates should try and make an imprint on the treasure and the person with the strongest will and mental strength along with the higher purity of the spiritual energy wins.
There are three treasures and a person can try to refine all three at a time or one at a time, there are only seven days till the end of the one month and these seven days are the only time that you have.
The three treasures will appear before you in a moment.
Best of luck."
The words on the screen are followed by a mechanical voice and after it was done, three different platforms came out.
Each Platform came out with a transparent sphere on it and there was an object inside the sphere.
There are names on the Platform indicating the identity of the object.
In the centre of the Platform there is a Sabre with a silver handle and the blade made of a metal in electric blue colour.
There was a tag with words. "Lightning Storm Sabre."
The one on the left is a scroll with name. "Transference Scroll."
The one on the right is a small cage in the shape of bird cage and named, "Thunder Prison."
Sam looked at three things and his eyes settled on the Transference Scroll.
He doesn't really need other two because he is confident and satisfied with the weapons he had, but if he can he will still take the Thunder Prison which might be a defensive item and if by the time he took the two treasures the sabre was still there, he could make himself comfortable by taking it and he can sell it for an astronomical price.
