No one stood up right away.
Some sat on rocks, others leaned on spears, and a few lay flat on their backs, staring at the sky like gravity had personally betrayed them. The mountain air was cool, but sweat still clung stubbornly to skin and clothes. Every breath felt loud. Every movement felt unnecessary.
Someone finally spoke.
"…It's only fifty more."
The sentence hovered for half a second.
Then someone groaned. "Why would you say it like that."
"That's still fifty things trying to kill us," another said. "Please don't downplay it."
A third added, "Delete that sentence. Immediately."
Tired laughter rippled through the group. People tried to stretch, hissed, and gave up.
Lin Yuan watched quietly. He didn't interrupt. He let the noise fade on its own. This wasn't a moment for authority. It was a moment for clarity.
When he spoke, his voice was calm.
"Listen."
Everyone did.
"No more spreading poison everywhere," he said. "We finish this clean. Formations stay tight. No hero plays on the last stretch."
Someone muttered, "Final dungeon rules."
Another replied, "This is where runs usually get thrown."
A third said quickly, "No throw. Please."
Lin Yuan nodded. "Good. Then don't make me carry anyone off the field today."
That earned a few weak laughs.
Warbound moved immediately after, assigning squads and rotating people who were visibly shaking. His voice stayed steady and practical.
"Frontline swaps every three fights. If you feel dizzy, you're out."
"I'm not dizzy," someone protested. "I'm just—"
"You almost walked into a Warhog ten minutes ago," Warbound said. "You're out."
"…Fair."
Ironroot moved around the area, testing footing, tapping rocks, marking stable kill zones with bits of stone and broken branches.
Someone watched him work and said, "We're min-maxing terrain now."
Ironroot replied without looking up, "You enjoy staying alive."
Poison was still used, but carefully. No one treated it like a miracle anymore. It was just another tool—useful, but not something to rely on blindly.
STRWH4T stepped into the next frontline rotation without saying anything.
No announcement. No drama.
Someone noticed anyway. "Why does he look so calm?"
Another squinted. "That's not calm. That's someone who's already decided."
STRWH4T rolled his shoulders once and moved into position. He was exhausted. Everyone could see it. Sweat ran down his face, but his eyes were clear.
In his mind, the thought was simple.
A pirate doesn't stop at the last step.
The fights resumed.
Slow. Heavy. Relentless.
The counter climbed.
STRWH4T blocked a charge head-on. His arm darkened as Armament Haki flared. The impact hurt. His feet slid back across the dirt.
"You good?" someone shouted.
He nodded and kept moving.
Another Warhog charged. STRWH4T met it again. This time the black sheen on his arm flickered.
"Yo, your arm—" someone started.
"I know," STRWH4T said, breath short. "I know."
Everything burned. His lungs screamed. His legs begged him to stop.
He didn't.
The pressure kept building.
Another hit. Another block. His knees nearly buckled.
Unbroken watched from the side, eyes sharp. He recognized it instantly. This wasn't recklessness.
This was refusal.
STRWH4T's breathing changed.
Not faster. Steadier.
The pain didn't disappear, but it organized itself. His stance adjusted without thought. Wasted movement vanished. The Armament Haki stopped flickering and held.
A Warhog slammed into him and bounced back harder than expected.
"What the hell," someone whispered.
Unbroken murmured, "There it is."
STRWH4T didn't realize what had happened until the fight ended. He looked down at his hands.
"Huh," he said. "That feels… different."
Someone checked the system and froze.
"…Guys."
No one answered.
"He's Body Tempering."
Silence.
Then chaos.
"Just now?!"
"Mid-fight?!"
"That's illegal."
STRWH4T blinked. "It is?"
"That's not the point!"
Lin Yuan felt the shift too. His own state stabilized smoothly, syncing without resistance. He looked at STRWH4T, then nodded once. No praise. No interruption.
They still had work to do.
The final Warhog appeared soon after.
Bigger. Meaner. Still Rank 1, but clearly the strongest left.
"Final boss energy," someone muttered.
STRWH4T stepped forward immediately.
"Of course he does," someone sighed.
Lin Yuan watched closely.
The fight was clean. Tight. Everyone moved exactly where they were supposed to. No wasted steps. No panic.
When the Warhog finally fell, the notification appeared quietly.
Settlement Trial Complete.
500 / 500.
No one cheered.
Weapons dropped to the ground. Someone sat down hard. Another lay back and stared at the sky again.
"So," someone said after a long pause, "we actually did it."
Another replied, "I don't feel real."
STRWH4T took two steps back and nearly fell before someone caught him.
"Easy," they said. "Pirate King."
He grinned, legs shaking. "Still early."
Lin Yuan looked over the group, then at the mountain.
"We rest," he said.
No one argued.