Zael stepped onto the path—
And the world changed.
Not violently.
Not suddenly.
Just… completely.
The mist vanished.
The blood sea disappeared.
The ruined structure ahead—
Gone.
In their place—
A vast, empty expanse.
Gray.
Endless.
Featureless.
No sky.
No ground.
Just a flat plane stretching in every direction like existence itself had been reduced to a blank canvas.
Zael stopped.
"…Of course."
The voice came immediately.
No delay this time.
"Phase Five initiated."
A pause.
Then—
"Final Trial: Self Convergence."
Zael's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…That sounds annoying."
"Condition: Defeat or surpass your current limit."
No elaboration.
No explanation.
Zael exhaled slowly.
"…Right. That clears everything up."
Silence.
Then—
Something shifted.
In front of him—
A figure formed.
Slowly.
Piece by piece.
Familiar.
Too familiar.
Zael's gaze sharpened.
"…You've got to be kidding me."
It was him.
Same face.
Same build.
Same weapon.
Same presence.
But—
Different.
There was no hesitation in its stance.
No wasted movement.
No fluctuation.
It stood there—
Perfectly balanced.
Perfectly stable.
Perfectly… optimized.
"Target identified," the voice stated calmly.
"Begin."
The clone moved first.
No warning.
No buildup.
Void Step—
It vanished.
Zael reacted instantly.
Blade up—
Clang—
The impact rang out as steel met steel.
The force pushed him back a step.
His eyes sharpened.
"…Fast."
Not just fast.
Precise.
Cleaner than him.
Another strike came.
Then another.
Each one tighter.
Sharper.
No wasted energy.
Zael blocked.
Dodged.
Countered—
But each exchange told him the same thing.
"…It's better."
Not stronger.
Not faster by a large margin.
Just—
More efficient.
Every movement calculated.
Every strike optimized.
Like it was him—
Without flaws.
Zael clicked his tongue.
"…That's annoying."
The clone didn't respond.
Didn't taunt.
Didn't hesitate.
It pressed forward again.
Relentless.
Zael adjusted.
His stance lowered.
His breathing steadied.
He didn't rush.
Didn't panic.
Just observed.
Same skills.
Same stats.
Same base.
But—
Not the same thinking.
Another clash.
This time Zael shifted mid-swing.
Resonance Strike—
The distortion hit—
The clone adjusted instantly.
Partial dodge.
Minimal damage.
Zael's eyes flickered.
"…You adapt too?"
No answer.
Of course.
Another exchange.
Faster now.
Sharper.
Zael's movements began to tighten.
Less wasted motion.
More intent.
More precision.
He started closing the gap.
Not in power—
In execution.
The clone stepped back once.
Just once.
Then came again.
Stronger.
Zael met it head-on.
Clang—
Clang—
Clang—
The rhythm changed.
Not defensive anymore.
Not reactive.
Zael pushed forward.
Matching it.
Then—
Surpassing it.
Slightly.
A shift in timing.
A sharper angle.
A cleaner transition.
The clone's blade missed by a fraction—
Zael's didn't.
A shallow cut opened across its side.
First blood.
Zael exhaled.
"…Got you."
The clone didn't react.
But its movements changed.
Faster.
Sharper.
Adapting.
Zael smiled slightly.
"…Yeah. That's more like it."
The fight escalated.
Neither side holding back now.
Skill against skill.
Execution against execution.
Flaw against refinement.
Zael's mind sharpened with every exchange.
Not overwhelmed.
Not pressured.
Just—
Focused.
Completely.
At one point—
His hand twitched slightly.
Instinct.
Primordial Blessing.
End it instantly.
But he stopped.
"…No."
A quiet breath.
"…Not for this."
This wasn't about power.
Not entirely.
If he used it now—
He'd win.
But he wouldn't pass.
And even then he wasn't certain about what would upgrade as the description clearly said it was random.
So he held back.
And kept fighting.
The clone lunged again—
Zael stepped in instead of back.
Close range.
Faster.
More dangerous.
Blade twisted—
Phantom Split—
Two strikes—
One real—
The clone blocked the wrong one.
Zael's blade pierced through.
Clean.
Direct.
The clone froze.
Then—
Dissolved.
Gone.
Silence returned.
The gray expanse stilled.
Zael stood there.
Breathing steady.
Not exhausted.
Just… done.
"…That it?"
The voice answered.
"Condition met."
"Phase Five complete."
The space shattered.
—
Zael blinked.
And he was back.
The island.
The mist.
The blood sea.
The structure.
All of it returned.
Like nothing had changed.
But something had.
The voice spoke again.
"Reward granted."
A notification appeared.
> [Trait Acquired: Seer]
Allows the user to view the status panel of all entities.
Detail clarity varies based on power difference.
Base visibility guaranteed: Level, stats, skills, profession.
Limited visibility: Traits, talents, bloodlines (may appear as '???' if gap is too large).
Zael blinked.
"…That's… useful."
No exaggeration.
No confusion.
Just a clean, practical assessment.
Then—
Another notification.
> [Inheritance Trial: Completed]
Zael waited.
Eyes focused.
"…And?"
Nothing.
No evolution.
No surge.
No transformation.
His brows furrowed slightly.
"…That's it?"
He opened his panel again.
Checked his class.
His level.
Still the same.
Locked.
No change.
No awakening.
Zael frowned.
"…Seriously?"
After all that—
Nothing?
His gaze darkened slightly.
"…That doesn't make sense."
But there was no answer.
No explanation.
Just silence.
Zael exhaled slowly.
"…Fine."
He closed the panel.
"…I'll deal with that later."
Because right now—
Something else had changed.
The mist ahead—
Shifted.
Not like before.
Not parting.
Not reacting.
It opened.
And from within it—
A figure walked out.
Not imposing.
Not overwhelming.
Just…
There.
Slightly transparent.
Human.
Watching him.
Zael's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…So."
A small pause.
"…You finally show up."
The remnant stopped a few steps away.
Meeting his gaze.
For the first time—
Face to face.
And the silence between them—
Was anything but empty.