Eternal Thief

Ace was startled when he heard this stoic voice, and he couldn't help but think about the system's voice for a moment. But he knew it wasn't the system since this voice was far more majestic.

"System, what the hell is going on?" Ace asked as he was slightly panicked, especially about that strange riddle and the 90-second deadline.

"[This is the Door of Riddles. As long as you answer the riddle, you'll be able to unlock the Door of Ascension! But if you fail, then you'll be teleported into the Heavenly Void Prison, which is akin to falling into the Heavenly Will's clutches!]" System replied.

Ace wasn't expecting the system to really answer, but now that the system did, he at least got to know what was going on, and he didn't like it in the least bit.

But since he could bypass this door of riddles as long as he answered the riddle, this means he wasn't totally screwed, and he had a fair chance.

Ace calmed his nerves and quickly asked the system for assistance, "Can you solve this riddle?"

"[Each riddle will cost you 100 Million TP!]"

Ace frowned. He thought this was quite expensive and tried to come up with his own answer, but he didn't have time to think about it since he had already wasted about ten seconds.

"Alright, just give me the damn answer!" Ace stated that he couldn't be stingy with this mission.

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[Riddle: I have no form, yet I can bind, A weightless burden on the mind. I yearn for open skies and light, But fear can keep me locked in the night. I cannot be bought, nor can I be sold, Earned with courage, stories untold. Though whispers may tempt with gilded cage, My truest voice sings on a boundless stage.]

[What am I?]

[Answer: I am Freedom!]

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"The answer is Freedom!" Ace quickly transmitted his voice to the door.

The luminous door suddenly pulsed in starlight, and a gray flame lit up on top of it. But it was far from over, as that same static voice rang again.

"[I am a hunger that can never be sated, A shadow that grows with every conquest awaited. I whisper promises of dominion and might, But the more you consume, the darker your night]

"[I can bring empires to their knees and crowns to fall, But offer no comfort, no solace at all. The more you crave me, the less you will see, A gilded cage, a prisoner you'll be.]"

"[What am I?]

"[You have 60 seconds to answer before you'll be deported to Heavenly Void Prison!]"

'The time decreased by 1/3!' Ace was surprised and was glad that the system was here to help him with this damn Door of Riddles.

"What about this one?" Ace quickly inquired, and the system faithfully replied while deducting another 100 million TP.

Answer repeated the answer, "I am Power!"

Another flame suddenly lit up on the door of riddles, but this time it was a blue flame, and that same voice rang again.

"[We are two dancers in a timeless waltz, One a graceful bloom, the other a chilling halt.]

"[I, the first, weave a tapestry of days, Filled with laughter's echo and the sun's warm rays. I paint the world with vibrant hues so bright, From whispered dreams to the stars' eternal light.]

"[The other, cloaked in silence, a hush descends, A curtain falls, the melody that ends. Though some may fear my touch, a cold embrace, I offer rest, a quiet, peaceful space.]

"[We share the stage, a constant ebb and flow, One giving rise, the other letting go. For a start without its end, a story untold, And an end without its start, a rose left to unfold.]

"[What are we?] "[You have 30 seconds to answer before you'll be deported to Heavenly Void Prison!]"

'The difficulty increased even more!' Ace didn't even waste a second asking the system again and then answering, "We are Life and Death!"

This time, two flames lit up beside the gray and blue flames, and they were red and green. Thus, another riddle was given.

"[I offer two faces, a coin yet to be tossed, One a haven of bliss, the other forever lost.]

"[One brims with delight, a garden ever fair, Where worries dissolve and joy fills the air. Laughter echoes freely, a symphony of light, No pain can intrude, bathed in eternal white.]

"[The other, a prison, where shadows hold sway, Tormented by memories of a brighter day. Despair hangs heavy, a suffocating shroud, No escape from the flames, forever burning loud.]

[The choice lies within, a path yet to tread, One fueled by virtue, the other by dread.]

"[What are we?]

"[You have 9 seconds to answer before you'll be deported to Heavenly Void Prison!]"

"Heaven and Hell!"

deported to Heavenly Void Prison!]"

Two more flames of golden and silver color lit up the next moment, but the riddles were still not over yet.

"[We are two sides of the same coin, forever entwined, One brings forth vision, the other leaves you blind.]

"[I, the first, dance with the sun, a radiant display, Chasing away shadows, guiding you on your way. Flowers reach for me, bathed in my golden glow, Life thrives in my presence, where seeds begin to grow.]

"[The second, I lurk, where the sun cannot reach, A canvas for nightmares, a realm beyond speech. But within my depths, stars ignite and gleam, A silent beauty, a celestial dream.]

"[Though we seem in conflict, a constant push and pull, We are a necessary balance, for both transparent and opaque are full Of mysteries waiting to be unraveled and known, Two parts of a whole, where existence is sown.]

"[What are we?]

"[You have 3 seconds to answer before you'll be Ace almost cursed when he saw the given time, and the system answered quickly, and he repeated it almost at the same time, "The answer is Light and Darkness!"

Two more white and black flames were ignited above the Door of the Riddles, for a total of eight flames.

Ace was now dreading this Door of Riddles since it kept lowering the time to a dangerous degree. He still found those riddles quite intriguing, but it was a pity he didn't have time to mull over them in peace.

At this moment, those eight flames suddenly started to move, and soon, they were rearranged in a trigram before the Door of Riddles suddenly started to fade away under Ace's astounded expression.

Just when he was sighing in relief that those damn riddles were finally gone, that emotionless voice rang again.

"[You are the sixth person to complete the Riddles of Paradox Ancient and the First Person to complete them since the Era of Beginning and End!]

"[You are rewarded with the sixth riddle of Paradox Ancient and the incomplete Poem of Paradoxical Tale!]"

Ace was flabbergasted, and the next moment, he felt something trying to drill into his mind. It was the same sensation he felt whenever he received knowledge from the system!