Morning fog rested lightly over the academy's outer training field. The Trial Grounds lay beyond the usual practice arena, a massive enclosed forest zone surrounded by reinforced stone walls. Tall observation towers overlooked the area, allowing instructors to watch every movement inside.
Students gathered near the entrance gate, speaking quietly while waiting for instructions.
Kai stood among them, calm as always.
The air felt different here.
More serious.
These trials weren't simple drills. They were designed to test how students reacted in real hunting situations.
Instructor Halvern stood at the front of the assembled group.
"Today's evaluation will measure three things," he said, his voice steady.
"Observation. Adaptation. Combat judgment."
Behind him the heavy iron gate slowly lifted.
Beyond it stretched a dense training forest filled with artificial obstacles, narrow ravines, and scattered stone formations.
Halvern continued.
"You will enter in groups of four. Your objective is not simply to defeat beasts. Your objective is to handle whatever you encounter correctly."
Several instructors stood along the walls, watching silently.
One of them added, "Reckless behavior will lower your evaluation score."
Halvern pointed toward a board beside the gate.
Names had been written into small groups.
Kai glanced at the list.
His group consisted of:
Kai
Marcus
Victor
Aiden
A strong team.
But not necessarily the most cooperative one.
The gate creaked open fully.
Halvern raised his hand.
"First group, move."
Students stepped forward one by one, disappearing into the forest.
When Kai's group was called, the four of them walked through the gate together.
The metal doors shut behind them with a heavy clang.
The forest inside the trial zone was quieter than the normal academy woods.
Almost unnaturally quiet.
Tall trees blocked much of the sunlight while scattered boulders created natural choke points throughout the terrain.
Aiden walked at the front of the group.
His expression was relaxed, but his eyes were alert.
Victor scanned the surroundings calmly.
Marcus rolled his shoulders slightly, ready for anything.
Kai activated Hybrid Vision Eyes.
As always, the ability remained invisible to everyone else.
Faint movement lines appeared across the terrain.
Energy signatures pulsed faintly between the trees.
The system appeared briefly.
Trial Evaluation Active
Current Objectives:
• Navigate forest sector
• Respond to beast encounter
• Maintain team survival
Performance Rating: Pending
A rustling sound came from the brush ahead.
Marcus raised a hand slightly.
The group stopped.
A moment later something emerged from the undergrowth.
A creature roughly the size of a wolf stepped into the open.
But it wasn't a wolf.
Its body was covered in dark green plates resembling bark, and two curved horns rose from its head.
Victor studied it carefully.
"Thornback Stalker," he said quietly.
The creature crouched low.
Camouflaged plates along its body shifted color slightly, blending with the forest floor.
Kai's Hybrid Vision Eyes revealed glowing tension lines along the creature's legs.
It was preparing to leap.
Aiden spoke calmly.
"Marcus, keep it from circling. Victor, watch the flank."
Marcus moved slightly to the side.
Victor stepped back toward a rock formation.
Kai adjusted his stance.
The beast lunged.
Fast.
Marcus intercepted it immediately.
The creature twisted mid-air, claws scraping across Marcus's forearm guard.
Marcus pushed forward with brute strength, forcing the creature back.
The Thornback Stalker darted sideways.
Victor stepped in smoothly.
His blade slashed across one of the creature's legs, disrupting its balance.
Kai moved next.
Hybrid Vision Eyes highlighted a gap beneath the creature's armored plates.
Kai's sword struck precisely between two plates along the shoulder.
The creature snarled violently.
But it wasn't finished.
It spun with surprising speed and slashed toward Kai's ribs.
Kai stepped back just in time.
Aiden moved.
His sword flashed once.
A single precise strike cut across the creature's exposed neck.
The Thornback Stalker collapsed immediately.
Silence returned.
Marcus exhaled.
"That thing was quick."
Victor crouched beside the body, studying it briefly.
"Camouflage predator," he said. "They usually attack from behind."
Aiden wiped his blade clean calmly.
"Good coordination."
No boasting.
No unnecessary talk.
Just a quick acknowledgment of the team's performance.
Kai watched quietly.
Aiden's strike had been extremely precise.
No wasted motion.
Now it made sense why he held Rank #1.
The system appeared again.
Trial Progress Update
Encounter Resolved: Thornback Stalker
Evaluation Notes:
• Team coordination effective
• Efficient strike timing recorded
Reward Pending
The group continued deeper into the forest.
The terrain became more uneven as they approached a rocky ridge cutting through the trial zone.
Victor paused near the base of the slope.
"Tracks," he said.
Marcus knelt beside them.
"These aren't from the same creature."
Kai looked as well.
Hybrid Vision Eyes highlighted two separate sets of movement patterns.
One belonged to a heavy ground predator.
The other—
Something airborne.
A sudden screech echoed overhead.
Victor looked up instantly.
"Razorwing."
A large birdlike predator dove from the treetops.
Its wings were lined with blade-like feathers that shimmered in the light.
A second Razorwing dropped behind them moments later.
Two predators.
Marcus stepped forward immediately.
"Take the one on the right."
The first Razorwing slashed downward with its wing blades.
Marcus blocked the strike with his sword, sparks flying from the impact.
Victor moved toward the second creature.
It swooped low, claws reaching for his shoulders.
Victor ducked beneath the attack and slashed upward.
The Razorwing twisted away mid-flight.
Kai watched the first creature closely.
Hybrid Vision Eyes traced the rhythm of its wingbeats.
It prepared another dive.
Kai stepped forward just as it descended.
His blade cut across the creature's wing joint.
The Razorwing shrieked and crashed to the ground.
Marcus finished it with a heavy strike.
Meanwhile Aiden faced the second Razorwing.
The creature circled him carefully.
Testing.
Aiden waited.
Completely still.
The Razorwing dove.
At the exact moment it reached striking range—
Aiden moved.
One clean upward strike severed the creature's wing tendon.
The predator crashed hard into the dirt.
Victor stepped in and ended the fight quickly.
The forest fell silent again.
Marcus cracked his neck slightly.
"That one had good speed."
Victor nodded.
"They hunt in pairs."
Kai sheathed his sword briefly.
The system appeared once more.
Trial Progress Update
Encounter Resolved: Razorwing Pair
Performance Rating: High
New Task Generated:
Combat Efficiency Review
Objective:
Analyze personal movement during last engagement.
Reward:
+18 XP
+6 Reward Points
Minor Combat Adaptation
Kai accepted the task silently.
He replayed the fight in his mind.
Footwork.
Timing.
Blade angle.
Where he could have moved faster.
The system confirmed completion seconds later.
The group reached the end of the ridge shortly afterward.
Beyond it lay a wide clearing.
But something was wrong.
The ground ahead was covered in deep gouges.
Large claw marks carved through the soil.
Victor frowned.
"These weren't here before."
Marcus stepped closer to inspect them.
"These are bigger than the Thornback."
Kai's eyes narrowed slightly.
Hybrid Vision Eyes highlighted faint energy traces.
Very similar to the disturbance he had seen in the outer forest days earlier.
The same massive footprint pattern.
Aiden studied the clearing quietly.
Then he spoke.
"This wasn't part of the trial."
Marcus looked up.
"You think something got inside?"
Victor nodded slowly.
"Possible."
Kai remained silent.
But he already knew the answer.
The unknown predator from the real forest had crossed into the trial grounds.
And it had passed through here recently.
The system appeared one more time.
Hidden Objective Detected
Forest Intrusion
Status: Active
Further Investigation Required
Reward: Unknown
Kai looked toward the far treeline.
Somewhere beyond those trees—
Something very large was moving.
And sooner or later—
They were going to find it.