48: Trials of the Gods, Cerberus?

"Adventurer, I have been waiting for you for a long time."

The moment the bronze door opened, an aged voice echoed through the empty circular hall.

Once the light returned to normal, Lin Yue saw that the one speaking to him was not a human, but a Three-Headed Hellhound.

Lin Yue was unsurprised by this situation, and the Four-Legged Gold-Swallowing Beast felt the same.

Eye of Insight!

He tossed out an inspection to see what he was dealing with first.

Three-Headed Hellhound: Rank 20 Lord-class Boss.

health: ???

Attack Power: ???

Skills: ???

The opponent's Rank wasn't high, yet he couldn't see anything except its name.

"You, very good!"

While Lin Yue was sizing up the opponent, the Three-Headed Hellhound bared its teeth and sized up Lin Yue in return.

"What happened outside the door just now? Why did you enter so late?"

"A black mist came in, and I killed the two guards outside the door."

Lin Yue's expression remained calm. Since the Three-Headed Hellhound hadn't attacked from the start, it might be a story NPC; it was better to probe its intentions first.

"Black mist? You mean the Demon God's servants have infiltrated?"

Hearing Lin Yue's words, the Three-Headed Hellhound seemed to show a human-like expression as it fell into thought.

"Yes, you could say that."

"Any creature touched by the black mist will undergo demonization. Since you could kill two demonized guards, it seems your strength is much greater than I imagined."

"However, you needn't worry. The Demon God's servants cannot enter the bronze door; the power of the gods exists here."

"What do I need to do now?"

Ignoring the Three-Headed Hellhound's words, Lin Yue asked directly.

The Three-Headed Hellhound froze for a moment, not expecting Lin Yue to ignore its chatter completely.

"Very well, I haven't spoken to an Adventurer in a long time. Since you are ready, then come over."

Energy surged around the Three-Headed Hellhound, and a faint blue portal appeared on its left.

"I am your Evaluator. To obtain the final treasure of the gods, you must pass my trial. If your final score meets the standard, I will give you the last treasure chest."

As the Three-Headed Hellhound introduced the quest rules, a System prompt followed in the next second.

"Ding! You have received a quest: Trial of the Gods."

"quest Requirement: Pass the Trial of the Gods."

"quest Penalty: Unknown."

"quest Reward: treasure of the gods!"

Seeing the quest information, Lin Yue became interested. He wasn't in a hurry to accept; he still had things to ask the Three-Headed Hellhound.

"What is inside this trial?"

"Unknown."

"What is the scoring criteria?"

"I cannot tell you that."

"Then one last question: is the treasure of the gods on you?"

Lin Yue revealed an incredibly confident smile, staring straight at the Three-Headed Hellhound.

"It's... not on me. Adventurer, stop asking and enter the trial quickly."

Under Lin Yue's repeated questioning, the Three-Headed Hellhound showed a hint of anxiety, urging Lin Yue to enter the portal and begin the Trial of the Gods.

Lin Yue remained unmoved. This portal was likely not as simple as it seemed.

"In that case, I give up on the Trial of the Gods."

After thinking quickly for a few seconds, Lin Yue rejected the quest.

"What! Adventurer, think carefully. This is the final treasure of the gods. If you don't undergo the trial, you won't be able to collect all nine treasures."

The Three-Headed Hellhound's mouth hung wide open upon hearing Lin Yue's answer, completely unable to fathom his reason for refusing.

"It's fine even if I don't collect them all."

Lin Yue smiled broadly, remaining unswayed.

???

The Three-Headed Hellhound's face was full of question marks. No, you've already come inside, and now you won't do the trial? Are you messing with me?

"Because from the very beginning, you never intended to let me have the final treasure. Am I right?"

Lin Yue's next sentence caused the Three-Headed Hellhound to bristle. Its three heads stared fixedly at Lin Yue, eyes gleaming with a fierce light.

"Adventurer, you're overthinking it. You saw the quest I gave you; with the protection of the rules, I will certainly give you the treasure of the gods."

"Is that so?"

Lin Yue narrowed his eyes, and the staff in his hand began to accumulate power, as if it were about to erupt in the next instant.

"Hehehe, Adventurer, since you won't do the trial quest, then die."

Seeing Lin Yue was about to strike, the Three-Headed Hellhound stopped pretending and assumed an attacking posture. Two of its heads began to gather energy: frost in the left head and fire in the right.

Massive energy gathered in its mouths, and a terrifying aura covered the entire circular area.

The middle head warned, "Adventurer, I'll give you one last chance. Pass the trial, and I will still give you the treasure of the gods."

"No need."

Lin Yue didn't even spare the Three-Headed Hellhound a glance. The energy in his staff suddenly vanished as he looked calmly at the beast, completely unafraid of its attack.

The Three-Headed Hellhound let out a mocking expression. "Adventurer, you've given up resisting because you know you can't defeat me. However, it's too late now."

Lin Yue shook his head. "On the contrary, you don't dare to attack me at all."

"Bastard!"

Lin Yue's attitude seemed to infuriate the Three-Headed Hellhound. The energy in the left and right heads had reached an extreme level, ready to drop at any moment.

However, after a few seconds of silence, the Three-Headed Hellhound burst into laughter instead, and the previously gathered energy dissipated completely.

"Good, good, good! You are very good!"

After saying this, a hazy light shimmered around the Three-Headed Hellhound. In the blink of an eye, the ugly beast transformed into a White-Bearded Old Man.

"Did you know from the start?"

The White-Bearded Old Man asked curiously.

"That's right. The moment I saw the Three-Headed Hellhound, I knew it was fake."

"You said it yourself: I must pass your trial and meet the score to get the treasure of the gods. But clearly, by what right does a mere Three-Headed Hellhound represent the gods to test me?"

As Lin Yue finished speaking, the White-Bearded Old Man began to clap!

"Keen insight. Truly an Adventurer capable of collecting eight treasures. You have passed my trial."

After the White-Bearded Old Man spoke, a bronze door opened behind him.

"You may pass through here to the next stage."

Lin Yue remained unmoved, silently watching the White-Bearded Old Man.

"You're far too cautious. It's real this time."

The White-Bearded Old Man glared, looking displeased.

"The quest."

In the next second, Lin Yue received a new quest notification.

"Ding! You have received the Trial of the Gods quest."

"quest Requirement: Pass the Trial of the Seven Gods."

"quest Penalty: None."

"quest Reward: treasure of the gods."

Seven Gods?

That meant this quest had seven stages.

Lin Yue looked at the White-Bearded Old Man and asked with a smile, "What god are you?"

The White-Bearded Old Man stroked his chin. "This old man is the God of Cunning."