Dawn inside the trial dungeon did not come with sunlight.
It arrived as a thinning of the fog, a gradual retreat of the heavy mana mist that pressed low against the forest floor. The artificial sky above shifted from deep violet to a pale silver hue, and a low chime echoed through the entire domain.
Day Two.
Zael stood on a broken ridge of stone overlooking a shallow ravine. The night's fighting had left faint scratches on his armor and dust in his hair, but his breathing was even. He did not look tired.
He lifted his hand and checked the panel again.
Points: 120
Not high.
Not low.
Perfect.
Below him, large beasts trudged between boulders and mineral outcrops, their hides layered with stone-like growths.
Gravelback Grazers — Levels 25–30
Slow. Durable. Predictable.
Zael descended the slope without sound. The nearest Grazer raised its head, snorted once, and lowered it again—too late.
Zael's blade slid into the joint beneath its neck plating.
The beast collapsed with a heavy groan.
[Target Eliminated]
[+15 Points]
[Current Total: 135]
No warmth spread through his body.
No surge of power.
No item remained.
The corpse dissolved into pale motes of light.
"…Still nothing," Zael muttered.
He killed two more in the same manner.
[+15 Points]
[+15 Points]
[Current Total: 165]
That made it certain.
No experience.
No drops.
Only points.
So this dungeon really is sealed off from progression…
Zael wiped his blade on his sleeve and climbed back up the ravine wall, eyes scanning the terrain.
That was when he felt it.
A shift in mana.
Not violent.
Not hostile.
But… folded. As if space itself had been bent slightly out of shape.
Zael turned sharply.
A girl stood on the opposite ridge.
She balanced lightly on a fallen stone pillar half-swallowed by vines. Silver-white hair was tied loosely behind her head, and her pale eyes reflected the mist like glass. Her cloak bore no academy insignia—only a faint spatial sigil pulsing once before fading.
Zael froze.
"…You?"
She blinked when she saw him. "Oh. It's you again."
Zael stared.
This wasn't the first time he'd seen her.
She was the same girl he'd met after the provincial arrival. The strange, clingy one who had pestered him with idle conversation before disappearing without explanation.
"You're… a contestant?" Zael asked slowly.
"Obviously." She tilted her head. "Why wouldn't I be?"
Zael's brow creased.
"You weren't wearing an academy crest yesterday."
"Didn't feel like it."
She hopped down from the pillar and landed without a sound.
"You're not running," she observed. "Most people are."
Zael didn't answer immediately. His gaze slid to the faint projection high above the forest canopy—the ranking display that only flickered into clarity from time to time.
A list of names.
Zane was still at the top.
Below him…
A new name had climbed dramatically overnight.
Lily — Rank 2
Zael's eyes narrowed.
"…Lily."
She smiled faintly. "Yes?"
A memory surfaced—whispers from the transport station, half-heard rumors.
Only two Mythical awakeners in the province.
Zane… and a Spatial Walker from the western academies.
Zael's gaze sharpened.
"You're the other one."
She blinked once.
Then laughed.
"So you figured it out."
Zael let out a slow breath. "Spatial Walker. Mythical grade."
"Profession, not talent," she corrected lightly. "But yes."
So that's why she felt wrong.
Not powerful.
Not heavy.
But… distant. As if space itself leaned around her.
"And you were just… walking around yesterday?" Zael asked.
"I was bored."
He stared at her.
She shrugged. "Everyone treats me weird when they know. You didn't. That was refreshing."
Zael shook his head faintly. "You could've told me."
"Would you have acted the same?" she asked.
Zael paused.
"…No."
She smiled. "Exactly."
They stood in silence for a moment.
Two Mythical awakeners in the same ravine.
And neither drew a weapon.
Points for killing another contestant were worth half their current total.
At most… eighty.
Not worth it.
Not now.
Lily paced in a small circle, studying him openly. "You don't fight like the others."
Zael raised an eyebrow. "And you do?"
She smirked. "I don't fight unless I have to."
That matched what he'd seen.
Neither of them rushed into conflict.
Neither chased beasts recklessly.
They moved like people who understood patience.
They reached the edge of a broken stone bridge spanning a narrow canyon. On the far side, several crystal-skinned beasts prowled around a glowing mineral outcrop.
Crystalmaw Hyenas — Levels 30–34
Crystalmaw Alpha — Level 45 (Rare Elite)
Another contestant had arrived from the opposite side.
A muscular man with burning sigils tattooed across his arms. His eyes gleamed with excitement.
"Mine!" he shouted.
A battle maniac.
He leapt across the canyon in a burst of flame.
The Alpha roared.
Lily leaned casually on her staff. "Should we interfere?"
Zael shook his head. "Not worth the points. Not worth the attention."
They watched.
Fire and crystal collided violently. The man laughed even as the Alpha slammed him into a boulder. He burned through its face and shattered its skull with a final blast.
[+20 Points]
[+20 Points]
[+150 Points]
The man stood panting among dissolving corpses and glanced toward them.
Zael lifted a hand in a lazy wave.
Lily waved too.
The man snorted and turned away.
"See?" Lily said. "There are people who only want to fight."
"And people who don't need to," Zael replied.
They walked together for a time.
Not as allies.
Not as enemies.
Just… side by side.
"You're hiding," Lily said suddenly.
Zael looked at her.
"Your rank doesn't match how you move," she continued. "You're careful. Calculated. You don't rush elites. You don't chase players."
Zael didn't deny it. "And you're pretending to be normal."
She laughed softly. "Fair."
They eventually parted at a fork in the terrain.
"Lets move together," Lily said, stepping forward—and vanishing as space folded around her.
Zael stared at her.
"…No teams allowed."
"This is not teaming up, just two contestants who happens to be going in the same direction..".
He turned north, climbing toward higher ground.
More Needleclaw Stalkers prowled among the rocks.
One leapt.
Zael skewered it mid-air.
[+20 Points]
[Current Total: 185]
Two more followed.
[+20 Points]
[+20 Points]
[Current Total: 225]
Still no exp.
Still no drops.
Only the slow crawl of numbers.
Above the canopy, the rankings flickered again.
Zane remained first.
Lily remained second.
Selvig hovered in the top ten behind them.
Zael's name climbed… carefully.
From somewhere distant, a heavy shockwave rolled through the forest—two contestants clashing violently.
Zael didn't look back.
Now he understood.
This dungeon wasn't about killing.
It was about positioning.
And now he knew exactly who else in this field was dangerous.
Not because they fought.
But because they didn't have to.
-----
Dusk came like a held breath finally released.
The artificial sky dimmed into muted bronze, and the forest's mana mist thickened again, crawling between roots and stones. A low chime echoed through the dungeon, signaling the closing phase of Day Two.
Zael stood at the edge of a broken terrace, wiping his blade clean.
Points: 310
Not enough.
Not yet.
Beside him, Lily sat on a fallen pillar, legs swinging idly over the drop. "You're calculating again," she said.
"Habit," Zael replied. His gaze lingered on the flickering ranking projection high above the canopy. Zane still dominated the list. Lily remained second. Selvig had climbed fast—too fast.
Which meant—
Zael felt it before he saw it.
Multiple mana signatures.
Disciplined.
Moving in formation.
"Don't move," Lily murmured, her voice suddenly flat.
Zael stiffened. "You sensed them too?"
"They've been tailing us for a while."
The mist parted.
Figures stepped out from between the trees.
Six of them.
All wearing noble crests. Polished armor. High-grade weapons. At their center stood a tall man in black-and-gold combat gear, his presence heavier than the others—dense and controlled.
And behind him…
Selvig.
His hammer rested on his shoulder, lips curved into a thin smile.
"So this is where you ran off to," Selvig said. "I thought you'd be hiding in the lowlands."
Zael's eyes flicked to the man in front.
He'd never seen him before.
But Lily had.
She leaned closer and whispered, barely moving her lips,
"Legendary grade. Profession: Warbound Herald."
Zael's breath slowed.
Legendary.
So this was their blade.
The man's gaze shifted between Zael and Lily. "You two have been inconvenient," he said calmly. "Top ranks attract attention. And attention draws competition."
Selvig laughed. "And competition gets eliminated."
Zael's hand tightened on his sword.
Contestants could fight.
They could cripple.
But they couldn't kill.
Which meant this was a calculated attack.
To drag them down the rankings.
Lily stood, brushing dust from her cloak. "You brought a lot of people for two targets."
The Legendary awakener smiled faintly. "Two targets worth a great deal of points."
Zael's mind moved fast.
If they lost here…
If they were forced to withdraw…
They'd drop out of the top tier.
And only the top hundred advanced to the national selection.
No university placement without it.
No academy sponsorship.
Only guild halls.
Consortium contracts.
Second-tier futures.
Zael inhaled.
"…Lily."
She glanced at him.
"For once," he said quietly, "don't hold back."
Her eyes widened a fraction.
Then curved into a slow smile.
"Was hoping you'd say that."
The Legendary awakener raised his hand.
"Break them."
The nobles rushed forward.
Blades flashed.
Spells ignited.
Zael moved.
Not cautiously.
Not efficiently.
But fully.
His perception snapped open.
The world sharpened into layers of motion and weakness.
He slid past the first noble, driving his blade into the gap beneath their arm and flipping them over his shoulder.
A second came in low.
Zael kicked off a tree trunk and brought his heel down on the man's shoulder, sending him crashing into stone.
Lily vanished.
Space folded, and she reappeared behind two attackers, striking them with blunt force and hurling them apart like discarded dolls.
Selvig charged.
His hammer came down in a blazing arc.
Zael caught it—not with his sword, but with his enhanced gauntlet, redirecting the blow into the ground. Stone exploded upward.
"You're still the same," Selvig snarled. "Still pretending you're cleverer than everyone!"
Zael didn't answer.
He pivoted and struck Selvig's knee joint with surgical precision.
Selvig stumbled back with a curse.
The Legendary awakener stepped in.
His presence pressed outward like a banner unfurled.
A golden aura spread around him.
Zael felt it hit.
A weight.
A command.
Fight. Obey. Fall.
He forced his will through it.
Steel rang against steel.
The man's weapon—a long spear etched with sigils—drove Zael back step by step. Each strike carried layered force, not just physical, but reinforced by mana law.
Lily reappeared beside Zael and thrust her staff forward.
Space warped.
The spear's path bent sideways.
Zael used the opening.
He surged forward, blade flashing along the man's side.
The Legendary awakener skidded back, boots carving lines in stone.
"…Interesting," he said softly.
Points notifications flickered.
[+80 Points]
[+60 Points]
[+50 Points]
Nobles fell back, dragged away by the dungeon's safety extraction light.
Selvig remained.
Breathing hard.
Eyes burning.
Zael faced him.
Not cold.
Not angry.
Focused.
Selvig raised his hammer—
—and Lily's staff slammed into his ribs from the side.
He flew backward and vanished in white light.
Silence fell.
Only the Legendary awakener remained.
He studied them for a long moment.
Then inclined his head.
"You two will be problems," he said.
And stepped back into the mist.
With his retreat, the forest exhaled.
Zael leaned on his sword for a second.
Then straightened.
Lily looked at him differently now.
"So… you were hiding."
Zael let out a tired breath. "I can't afford not to anymore."
The ranking projection shimmered above the canopy.
Zael's name climbed sharply.
Not to the top.
But into the upper band.
High enough to breathe.
High enough to qualify.
Night descended fully.
Somewhere far away, another clash shook the forest.
Zael looked up at the artificial sky.
Top hundred… or nothing.
For the first time since entering the trial…
He was no longer just surviving.
He was competing.