Nameless King

"I give up..." Alas muttered as he pushed the plate away, "This is too much."

They went through several stages, and this time they got some raw meat. It might not have been a serious problem for some, but for Alas, it was nothing more difficult than this.

"Ern... Can you eat this for me?" Erza asked, "At this rate, I'm about to throw up. I can't take it anymore."

"Huh, wimps, okay, I'll do it. Give your pieces to me." Ern began to eat.

It was hard for Wain, too, but he wouldn't give up.

'Okay, let's go.' Wain said inwardly as he shoved a piece of meat into his mouth.

He was able to do it, albeit with difficulty. It wasn't a problem for Ern, but he was already full and was eating through effort. Every bite gave him a gag reflex, but he suppressed it.

"Shit! How much more is left? I hope the next portion is the finale!" Ern exclaimed as he swallowed the last bite.

"I agree." Wain nodded.

"Ahahahahaha, you're absolutely right." Suddenly came the voice of the Legendary Spirit, "You've done better than I expected, but it's time to put you to the test for real."

Whoooooooosh.

The portal shuddered, and the last dish appeared on the plates.

When Alas and Erza saw this, their eyes went wide, and they could hardly contain themselves from vomiting. Wain and Ern gulped.

"Well... I didn't think it would be this bad..." Wain muttered.

The plates were filled with rotting human hearts, already slowly being devoured by worms.

"I've never seen anything more disgusting than this!" Erza exclaimed, "I certainly can't eat that!"

"Neither can I... I didn't have the strength for raw meat, but this is... something out of bounds." Alas muttered.

Wain and Ern looked at each other. They were the only ones who could pass the test, so they nodded at each other and took hearts from Alas and Erza.

"Well... The worst dinner of my life had to happen sometime. Today is definitely that day." Wain slowly picked up one heart.

Its sight frightened him, but he had no choice. Wain closed his eyes and bit off as much as he could. He decided it was better to finish in a few bites, though nasty.

Wain quickly chewed and swallowed the piece, but he was no longer confident in his abilities. When he looked at the remaining half, his hands trembled. He didn't want to experience that disgusting feeling again.

"Wain, go ahead. We're going to have to do it anyway. These two..." Ern looked at Alas and Erza, "They won't help us anyway. So, just eat."

Ern sighed and opened his mouth wide. He swallowed a whole heart at once. Demons liked meat, but not like that at all. With great difficulty, Ern was able to chew and swallow it.

"You're right." Wain nodded as he finished the first heart.

That was the hardest part since they ate the second heart relatively easily.

Whoooooah.

The portal shuddered, and the Legendary Spirit appeared.

"You made it. Great, maybe someone will actually get the Royal Spirit today. Here's your key and your reward. You've earned it." The Spirit spoke as it disappeared.

In the center of the table appeared two objects, an unusual, creepy key with teeth and a mask of a demon with a wide-open mouth.

[Gluttony Key (Unique)

This key was given to those who could pass a special test. It is the road to the most powerful Spirit in history.]

[Mask of Gluttony (Third Chronicle, Legendary Rating)

This mask once belonged to one of the strongest Demons in history. Like its master, this mask exudes a terrible aura, great and cruel. Only a Demon can unleash its full potential.

*Can block a quarter of incoming damage.

If used by a Demon:

*Can absorb a third of incoming damage and use it to strengthen its attacks].

"Not bad rewards." Wain muttered, "So every challenge is a key and some Legendary Item, so that's pretty good."

"Yeah..." Ern said, "We were able to complete this test, but what if we fail at one point? Then all our efforts will mean nothing."

"The spirit said we had to pass seven tests to get inside the Great Tree, but don't you think that's quite true?" Erza asked.

"What do you mean?"

"We don't have to go through the other six trials. We can just take the keys away from those who pass them. Wouldn't that be easier?" Erza waved her hand.

"Huh, are you suggesting we just wait and then rob someone? I like that." Wain smiled, "But I suggest we pass at least one more test. This mask is very powerful. We can probably get the Royal Spirit if we get one more of these items."

"Agreed." Alas muttered, "I'm sorry I couldn't support you to the end. This ordeal was clearly too difficult for me."

"It doesn't matter. The important thing is that we made it through." Ern smirked, "How do we divide the rewards?"

"That's obvious." Wain shook his head, "You get the mask, and I get the key."

"Okay."

They took the rewards, and space shuddered. They found themselves near the root again.

"Look!" Alas exclaimed as he pointed to the massive root.

"Isn't that..."

"I see. We didn't even notice how we got to the trial area." Wain muttered.

There was a large jaw sign on the root. It was clearly visible, but they didn't notice it because of the sudden appearance of the Spirits.

"Hmm... Many roots come from this tree, but some are much larger than others. Are you thinking the same thing, right?" Wain asked.

"Yes." Ern nodded, "We need to find the other roots with unusual symbols. Though we don't know exactly what to look for, we have plenty of information."

Wain and the others nodded. They decided to head west. There was one of the biggest roots.

Boooooooooom!

Suddenly a pillar of flame appeared in the distance as a tremble went through the ground. It happened next to one root.

"Looks like we're not alone here anymore. Our dinner has gone on too long."