Kaelen and Amanda moved quietly along the narrow path. The road twisted deeper into the volcano, and the dark rock walls loomed threateningly in the dim light. Both sides of the path were lined with jagged stones formed from long-cooled lava. The air still carried the scent of sulfur, and the occasional rising steam pillars reminded them that the volcano was still alive deep within.
"From here on, take the 'Kai' form. We need to draw as little attention as possible."
After explaining, Kaelen started walking ahead.
Amanda frowned at Kaelen's back. "So… what are we going to do now?" she asked, her voice echoing through the narrow passage.
Kaelen paused. His eyes focused on a faint beam of light at the far end of the dark tunnel. He placed his hand on the rough stone surface and took a deep breath. "We fight," he said plainly, then added:
"There are only five people left besides us. If we beat them, that's enough."
"Huh? Did you even look at their point scores? And that girl named Estelle got 590 points. Can you fight her?"
"Actually, I fought her once. That little mage will definitely kill me next time. Hehe."
"Then why are you talking about beating all of them one by one?"
"Not exactly. What I really want is for them to fight each other first, and then I show up and take all the rewards."
The blonde girl listening to Kaelen's explanation halted.
"Ahh, that does sound more like something you'd do."
Amanda had said the last part a bit more quietly.
"What did you just say?"
"Nothing... I was just thinking it's a very logical plan."
Amanda looked around, avoiding Kaelen's stare.
The narrow passage grew tighter, the walls narrowing until they nearly brushed their shoulders. A faint breeze slipped between the rocks, whispering like echoes. Stones crumbled under their feet, creating a soft crunch with every step. The ceiling lowered gradually, turning the space into a cramped corridor. Moving here felt like crawling between rocks that could collapse at any moment.
After a few minutes, the path widened and opened into a massive cavern. Before them stretched an enormous space, breathtaking in size. The air inside the cave was heavy and humid, carrying the scent of ancient ages embedded in the stone. A faint blue glow rose from deep within, giving the cavern a mystical atmosphere. Gigantic stalactites hung from the ceiling like spears, some merging with the stalagmites below after centuries of dripping minerals.
A thin layer of mist blanketed the ground. It swirled around their feet, shifting with their every move. If one looked closely at the walls, ancient inscriptions and carved symbols could be seen etched into the stone.
But what truly captured both of their attention was the colossal door across the cavern. Nearly twenty meters tall, it consisted of massive golden-engraved yellow panels. Ancient letters glowed on its surface, and in the center lay an enormous sun symbol. It looked as though it had stood here for thousands of years.
The floor before the door was smoother than the rest, almost polished. This proved that the place was far more than just a randomly formed cavern. It felt like a ritual chamber, or a sacred temple left behind by a forgotten civilization. There was a barely noticeable but strange energy in the air. Mana waves hovered with a faint vibration, and Kaelen felt them through his whole body.
Kaelen and Amanda held their breath for a moment in awe. They had finally reached it.
They approached the massive golden door. The cavern was eerily silent. The ceiling stretched so high into darkness it resembled a night sky. Stalactites clung to the rock walls, which seemed to whisper that something had once happened here. Thin lines of golden patterns ran along the rocks, spreading like a network all the way to the door—remnants of some glowing system.
Amanda lifted her head to the weak light leaking from cracks in the ceiling. "Don't you think this place is a bit… too much?" she whispered.
Kaelen didn't answer, his eyes fixed on the door. The golden engravings remained impressive despite their age. The runes and symbols looked meaningful, though Kaelen hadn't deciphered them yet.
He placed his hand on the door. The cold metal stirred something inside him. He pushed gently. Nothing happened. Kaelen frowned and pushed harder—still nothing.
"It won't open?" Amanda asked, stepping closer.
Kaelen gritted his teeth and shoved harder. The door stood still like a mountain.
"Ahhh…"
Amanda crossed her arms and tilted her head. "Why would they make a door that doesn't open?" she asked, unable to hide her disappointment.
Kaelen turned his gaze to the symbols. He studied the runes. "Pheniyet wouldn't put something meaningless here," he muttered. "This door isn't something you open with physical strength."
He raised his hand and summoned his mana. Blue-yellow light radiated from his fingertips, glowing like a small sun in the darkness. Kaelen carefully placed his hand on the door and slowly channeled mana into it.
At first, nothing happened. Then the runes began to tremble. They flickered like tiny sparks before the golden letters covering the door glowed as if alive.
Suddenly, the entire cavern filled with golden light. The faded, ancient look of the door disappeared and was replaced by a glowing, living screen.
Kaelen blinked and stepped back. "What is this?"
An image began to form on the door's surface. First, the entire island appeared from an overhead view. Every detail was clear: the shoreline, the forests, the rocky areas, and the volcanic mountain they were in. But the scene quickly shifted.
Kaelen noticed the display changing. Underwater volcanoes erupted beneath the sea. Lava shot upward, breaking through the ocean and sending massive smoke plumes into the sky. The sea foamed violently. Watching the events, Kaelen felt a chill crawl down his spine.
The beaches vanished under the destruction. White sands turned to rock and ash. The scene shifted to the forest. A green mist consumed the trees and drove out all life. Massive trees toppled one after another. Creatures fled. Nature's balance collapsed.
Then came the rocky region. A colossal tsunami swallowed the entire island. Kaelen felt his throat dry. These events were carved into the door's motifs. This was the last time he underestimated Pheniyet's creativity.
Finally, the sun rose again, revealing the volcanic mountain's peak—but not as it was now…
Kaelen watched his own mountain's future destruction. The mountain reddened from within. Deep cracks split open and lava burst forth. Within seconds, the entire peak exploded upward. The mountain became a cloud of ash and fire.
When the sun rose for the fifth time, the island no longer existed.
Kaelen pulled his gaze away. The lights faded from his face, but that strange feeling inside him remained.
Amanda stared at him, stunned. "What… what was that? Hey, did the master mage just give us a spoiler? Are we all gonna die?!"
Kaelen inhaled deeply. Amanda's random comments always surprised him.
"Didn't you know? The purpose of this exam is to kill you. It's literally an impossible-to-clear test."
The light faded from the door, returning to its old golden form. But the runes were now fully awakened.
Kaelen thought for a moment. "Looks like this door won't open until tomorrow. And tomorrow at sunrise, the island will be gone."
"So… what's the point then? If we die now or tomorrow, does anything change?"
Amanda asked curiously.
"Technically, no. We're already among the last survivors. We've earned high scores. The exam is basically already over for us."
"So all we have to do now is die. Right?"
Kaelen spoke uneasily.
"Eh, something like that. If you want, I can kill you painlessly. Don't worry, I'm pretty good at it."
Kaelen smiled, causing the blonde mage to swallow nervously.
"Ah, no thanks. I'll pass."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes… please don't ask that again."
After a few seconds of silence, Amanda spoke again.
"So Kaelen, what will you do?"
Her gaze shifted to the black-haired, red-eyed mage beside her.
Kaelen's eyes glowed faintly crimson. He stared into the distance, sighed deeply, and continued:
"I think I want to go all the way to the end."
"I see."
Amanda found this side of him interesting.
"So… will you include me in your plan—"
Amanda stopped mid-sentence as Kaelen raised his hand.
He brought his finger to his lips, motioning for her to be quiet.
Then he stood up. He cracked his fingers. When he spoke, his voice had returned to its old playful tone:
"Hey… how much longer do you plan to hide, kids?"
Kaelen's gaze locked onto a point at the far side of the cavern. Figures emerged from two different passages, and Kaelen's smile widened.
From the right side came a tall woman with red hair and gray armor. Her icy green eyes gleamed sharply—like a predator locking onto its prey. Her cold, merciless gaze fixed on Kaelen.
From the left passage stepped a tall, broad-shouldered boy. His short blond hair was stained with blood. A massive axe hung over his back. Behind him followed a skinnier girl with brown hair and honey-gold eyes burning with anger.
The mages emerging from both sides ignored each other. All eyes were on one person.
Amanda tensed under all the staring. She froze, her mouth opening and closing like a puffed-up fish, unable to find words.
"Well, well, look who we have here."
Kaelen took a few steps forward and stopped. Estelle, Arnold, and Sofia did the same.
"I told you we wanted a rematch," Arnold said coldly.
"Hey, three people attacking me? Isn't that a bit cruel? I'm just one person, you know."
"I see another annoying mage behind you," Sofia muttered, shifting her gaze to Amanda.
"Sofia is injured and can barely move," Kaelen said dismissively. He shot a quick glance behind him and locked onto Amanda.
From behind came Amanda's dramatic voice echoing through the cavern:
"Ahhh I'm terribly injured and can't move! I definitely can't fight you, please show mercy! Ahhh please!"
Kaelen stared at her theatrics in disbelief, clutching his chest dramatically and joining in the act. He ran to the blonde mage and scooped her into his arms.
"Oh no, my dear Amanda, what happened to you? Somebody get a healer, please! Why—WHY must good people suffer?! WHYYY!"
"You idiot, Amanda is a healer!"
"Oh. That's right."
Kaelen dropped her onto the ground.
Thunk
"Ah! My head!"
Amanda's small cry echoed through the cavern. Sofia massaged her twitching eyebrow angrily. The mage in front of them remained calm despite all this.
"Unbelievable…"
Sofia cursed internally.
"Okay, okay, sorry. Just one question before we start. What exactly made you team up? Did you say something like 'Let's beat up Kaelen!' or what?"
Kaelen mimicked Sofia's voice while speaking the last part. The brown-haired girl shrugged.
Kaelen's face grew serious again. His red eyes glimmered with curiosity. Estelle answered:
The red-haired girl had been silently observing from the start.
"The prophet told us you'd be here. She said if we fought each other, you'd show up and kill all three of us. So we formed a temporary alliance. To get rid of you. You were our common enemy."
"That damn rat… Olivia betrayed me, huh? I would never do that. I'm honorable. You won't find anyone more honorable than me in either world, sweetheart."
Estelle rolled her eyes.
"Oh come on, Estelle. Are you really going to follow that prophet girl's words?"
"She said this was the only way to fight you."
Kaelen slapped a hand over his face.
"Sounds exactly like something you'd fall for. Ugh. So where is this prophet now? Probably hiding in a hole somewhere waiting for us to kill each other."
Someone answered Kaelen's question as another figure stepped out from the far end of the cavern.
"Hello, Kaelen."
The black-haired mage spoke with innocent sincerity, seemingly without any malicious intent. Behind her, Liam appeared. The tall dark-skinned mage raised a hand in greeting.
"Hey Kaelen, how's it going? Everything was Olivia's idea, sorry man."
"Oh, I feel fantastic, Liam. Thanks for asking."
Kaelen smiled, but soon his face darkened. He focused his mana, and a long black sword materialized in his hand. Then he pointed it at the trio.
"Amanda, could you give me a little blessing?"
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