For a moment after Cassian's watch landed in Zael's hand, the clearing was silent.
The massive corpse of the Alpha Predator still lay sprawled across the torn ground. Broken branches and shattered tree trunks surrounded the battlefield like the aftermath of a storm.
Cassian wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth and slowly stood.
His two teammates had already backed away from their fights with Zane and Lily.
No one spoke.
Everyone understood what had just happened.
Zael glanced down at the watch in his hand. The system processed the transfer almost immediately.
[Smart Watch Seized]
[Points Transferred: +18]
A new notification appeared on his screen.
Total Points: 38
Zane whistled.
"Well," he said, resting his spear over his shoulder, "that was profitable."
Lily stepped closer, the space around her faintly rippling as her spatial energy settled back into stillness.
"Are we done here?" she asked calmly.
Cassian let out a short laugh.
"…Yeah."
He flexed his fingers and picked his sword up from the ground.
"You win."
His gaze lingered on Zael.
"Enjoy the points."
Then he turned toward his teammates.
"Let's move."
The two legendary awakeners hesitated for a moment, glancing back toward Zael's group with obvious irritation.
But they followed.
Within seconds, the three of them disappeared into the forest.
Zane watched them go.
"…Think they'll come back?"
Zael shook his head.
"No."
Zane raised an eyebrow.
"Why not?"
Zael glanced briefly at the watch.
Then at the distant direction of the checkpoint.
"Because the timer is still running."
Lily looked at her own watch.
The glowing display flickered.
Time Remaining: 3:12:47
Zane grimaced.
"…Right."
They had spent almost three hours fighting monsters and other students already.
And they still had to reach the checkpoint.
He stretched his shoulders.
"Alright then."
He pointed north.
"Let's move before someone else decides they want our watches."
---
Deep in the Forest
The wilderness grew thicker the further they traveled.
The trees were older here.
Larger.
The sunlight barely reached the ground through the dense canopy above.
Zael ran ahead quietly, his perception spreading through the forest like invisible waves.
Life signatures flickered constantly around them.
Animals.
Monsters.
Students.
Lots of students.
Some were far away.
Others…
Not so much.
Zane slowed slightly beside him.
"You feel that?"
Zael nodded.
"Two groups fighting."
Lily spoke from behind them.
"Different universities?"
Zael focused for a moment.
Then nodded again.
"Yes."
The distant clash of steel echoed faintly through the trees.
Zane grinned.
"Sounds like points to me."
But Lily shook her head.
"We're not detouring."
Zane frowned.
"Why not?"
She tapped her watch.
"Three hours left."
"We don't know how far the checkpoint really is."
Zael spoke quietly.
"Thirty-two kilometers."
Zane blinked.
"…You memorized the map?"
Zael didn't answer.
But Lily nodded approvingly.
"Then we stay on course."
Zane sighed.
"Fine."
But as they continued forward, something unexpected happened.
Zael's watch suddenly vibrated.
Then Lily's.
Then Zane's.
All three of them stopped.
A new screen appeared on the watch.
A list began forming.
Names.
Universities.
Numbers.
Zane leaned closer.
"…What is this?"
Zael read the header.
Training Camp Entrance Trial — Preliminary Rankings
Zane's eyes widened.
"Oh."
Lily crossed her arms.
"So they finally revealed it."
The rankings updated rapidly.
Students across the forest were accumulating points.
Some names had only 5 or 6.
Others had 15.
Then Zane suddenly pointed.
"Wait."
"Look at number three."
Zael looked.
3. Zael — AEGIS PRIME — 38 Points
Zane burst out laughing.
"No way!"
He slapped Zael on the shoulder.
"You're already top three!"
Lily frowned slightly.
"That's not good."
Zane blinked.
"What do you mean?"
Lily pointed at the ranking list.
"If everyone can see this…"
Zane's grin slowly faded.
"…Then everyone knows who has the points."
Zael's gaze remained calm.
But his perception had already spread through the forest again.
And this time—
He felt it.
Multiple presences.
Changing direction.
Moving toward them.
Fast.
Zane noticed the shift in Zael's expression.
"…Tell me that's not what I think it is."
Zael answered calmly.
"Four groups."
Lily exhaled slowly.
"Of course."
Zane groaned.
"So now we're the prize."
Zael looked toward the dark forest ahead.
Then back at the ranking screen.
3. Zael — 38 Points
His eyes narrowed slightly.
The trial had just changed.
Before, everyone had been running for the checkpoint.
Now—
Some of them were hunting.
And Zael had just become the biggest target in the forest.
Zane rolled his shoulders again.
"…Alright."
He lifted his spear.
"If they want points…"
Lily's fingers flickered as space around her distorted faintly.
"They'll have to take them."
Zael turned north again.
His voice was calm.
"Run."
And the three of them disappeared into the forest once more.
But now—
They were no longer just participants in the trial.
They were prey with the highest bounty.
And somewhere deeper in the wilderness…
Other elite awakeners had already started moving toward them.
----
The forest had become a blur.
Branches whipped past as Zael, Zane, and Lily sprinted through the dense terrain. The sun had begun lowering, casting long shadows between the trees, but none of them slowed.
Behind them, distant sounds of fighting echoed.
Other students.
Other teams.
The run phase had become far more chaotic now that rankings were visible.
Zane glanced at his watch while running.
"Two hours left," he said between breaths. "If we keep this pace, we'll reach the checkpoint with time to spare."
Zael nodded but didn't respond.
His attention was on the ground ahead.
The terrain here felt… strange.
Too quiet.
Even the mana in the air felt heavier.
Lily felt it too.
"There's a density spike here," she said. "Mana concentration is higher than normal."
Zane groaned.
"Great. That usually means monsters."
Zael slowed slightly.
"Or something else."
The forest floor ahead dipped into a shallow clearing filled with tangled roots and moss-covered stones.
Nothing looked unusual.
At least—
At first glance.
Then Zael's foot touched the center of the clearing.
The ground cracked.
Lily's eyes widened.
"Wait—!"
The entire surface beneath them collapsed.
Stone shattered.
Roots tore free.
Before any of them could react, the earth beneath the clearing gave way completely.
They fell.
Zane shouted as they dropped through darkness.
"Oh COME ON—!"
For several seconds, there was nothing but falling.
Then—
BOOM.
Zael hit stone first and rolled across a cold floor.
Zane slammed down a moment later with a groan.
Lily appeared in a flicker of warped space and landed more lightly beside them.
Dust filled the air.
Small stones continued raining down from the hole above.
For a moment, none of them spoke.
Then Zane slowly sat up.
"…Okay."
"That wasn't normal."
Zael stood first.
The space around them was enormous.
A massive underground chamber stretched outward in every direction, supported by ancient pillars covered in faded carvings.
Faint runes glowed along the walls.
Old.
Very old.
Lily looked upward.
The hole they had fallen through was far above now—almost invisible in the darkness.
Then her watch suddenly vibrated.
Zane's did the same.
Zael looked down at his wrist.
The screens flickered violently.
Then—
They all went black.
Zane tapped his watch.
Nothing happened.
"…Uh."
He pressed the screen again.
Still nothing.
"My watch just died."
Lily checked hers.
"Same here."
Zael tried activating his.
No signal.
No display.
No response.
Which meant something important.
They were completely offline.
No monitoring.
No tracking.
No communication.
Zane stared at his dead screen.
"…The officials can't see us anymore, can they?"
Lily shook her head slowly.
"No signal means no data transmission."
Which meant the outside authorities had just lost three participants completely.
Zael looked around the chamber again.
The stone pillars.
The runes.
The unnatural mana pressure filling the space.
This place wasn't just an underground cavern.
It was something constructed.
Something ancient.
Then the floor beneath them trembled.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
Runes across the chamber walls suddenly ignited with pale blue light.
Zane immediately grabbed his spear.
"Okay."
"That definitely means something."
A deep rumbling sound echoed through the chamber.
Stone shifted.
From the center of the room, a massive platform began rising from the ground.
Ancient symbols glowed across its surface.
Lily stepped closer, studying the runes.
Her eyes widened slightly.
"…These are formation scripts."
Zael looked at the platform.
"Meaning?"
Lily took a slow breath.
"This place wasn't built randomly."
The final rune ignited.
A massive magic circle flared to life across the chamber floor.
Then a deep voice echoed through the underground hall.
Ancient.
Cold.
Emotionless.
"Intruders detected."
Zane froze.
"…Yeah, that's not ominous at all."
The voice continued.
"Multiple candidates present."
The runes glowed brighter.
Mana surged through the chamber.
Lily's eyes widened as realization hit her.
"…Wait."
She turned toward the others.
"This isn't just a ruin."
The voice finished its announcement.
"Inheritance ground activated."
"Trial sequence beginning."
For a moment, the words hung in the air.
Zane blinked.
Then slowly turned toward Lily.
"…Did it just say inheritance ground?"
Lily nodded slowly.
Zael's eyes sharpened.
Inheritance grounds were extremely rare.
They were left behind by powerful awakeners of the past—places designed to pass on their knowledge, power, or artifacts.
But they were also dangerous.
Very dangerous.
Because they always came with trials.
Stone began grinding against stone again.
Around the chamber, massive statues started rising from the ground.
Armored warriors carved from black stone.
Each holding ancient weapons.
Their eyes suddenly ignited with golden light.
Zane counted quickly.
"…One… two… three…"
He stopped at ten.
"…Yeah. That's a lot."
The ancient voice echoed again.
"First Trial."
"Defeat the guardians."
The statues began stepping forward.
The chamber floor shook with each heavy step.
Zane exhaled slowly and spun his spear once.
"Well."
He grinned.
"Guess we accidentally found a side quest."
Zael raised his blade.
Lily's space mana began gathering around her fingertips.
Outside the forest…
The authorities had no idea where they were.
And inside the ancient inheritance ground—
Their first trial had just begun.