The battlefield finally fell silent.
What had once been a roaring storm of claws, wings, webs, and blood… was now a graveyard.
Bodies lay everywhere.
Creatures.
Humans.
Broken arrows.
Shattered bone.
Frozen blood.
The air itself smelled heavy—thick with death.
---
Jade stood at the center of it all.
His Ice Vine slowly retracted into his body, the crystalline tendrils losing their glow as the battle came to an end. His breathing was steady, controlled, as if what had just happened was nothing more than routine.
But it wasn't.
Not for anyone else.
Around him—
Survivors staggered.
Some dropped to their knees.
Some cried.
Some simply stared into nothing.
---
Aaron walked out of the shadows nearby, his movements silent as always. There was no blood on him—or at least none that could be seen. His expression remained calm, unreadable.
Ella descended from above.
Her wings folded behind her as she landed lightly.
All three of them—
Jade.
Aaron.
Ella.
Stood in the same space.
And yet—
None of them spoke.
---
They had just led a massacre.
A massive one.
From Jade's rough estimate…
"…Over a hundred thousand."
His voice was low.
Almost absent.
The number didn't excite him.
Didn't shock him.
It simply… was.
Aaron glanced at the battlefield once.
"…Sounds about right."
Ella said nothing.
Her gaze lingered on the fallen survivors instead.
---
The monsters had retreated.
Whatever intelligence guided them had decided—
This wasn't a fight they could win.
Not today.
---
"Set up camp," Jade said calmly.
His voice cut through the silence.
Instantly—
The survivors began to move.
Orders spread quickly.
Ella took charge of the camp formation.
Her voice was sharp, precise.
"Tents here."
"Watch rotations there."
"Archers—high ground."
Within minutes—
Structure returned.
Even in the middle of death.
---
Jade moved differently.
While others worked—
He walked through the battlefield.
Alone.
Picking up shards.
One by one.
Then more.
Then dozens.
Then hundreds.
---
He grouped them.
Carefully.
Precisely.
By element.
By type.
By rank.
It wasn't random.
It was methodical.
Calculated.
---
Shadow shards.
Beast shards.
Blood shards.
Bone shards.
Wind fragments.
Even rare ones.
He separated everything.
---
Nearby—
Aaron was doing something equally important.
But quieter.
He sat beside a pile of creature corpses.
Cutting.
Separating.
Preserving.
---
His movements were exact.
Efficient.
No wasted motion.
He removed usable meat.
Discarded the rotten.
Sorted everything with surgical precision.
---
"We need this to last," he muttered.
"Minimum… one week."
Then after a pause—
"…Preferably a month."
---
Meanwhile—
Jade shifted his focus.
"Injured—bring them forward."
His voice carried across the camp.
Survivors responded immediately.
Those who could still walk helped those who couldn't.
---
Blake stepped forward.
"I'll take them."
Jade nodded.
"Once they're healed, bring them back."
Blake gave a firm nod.
Then led the injured away.
---
The dead…
Were handled next.
---
They were buried.
Carefully.
Respectfully.
Even in this brutal trial—
Some humanity remained.
---
Some survivors cried.
Some shouted.
Some stayed silent.
Grief took many forms.
---
But Jade—
Didn't cry.
Aaron—
Didn't react.
Ella—
Remained composed.
---
It wasn't that they didn't understand.
It was that—
They had already accepted it.
---
Jade returned to the shard piles.
He crouched down and began distributing them.
"To those who need it."
His voice was calm.
No favoritism.
No hesitation.
---
Weak survivors received support.
Those close to breakthroughs were prioritized.
He didn't waste resources.
He optimized them.
---
Then—
He selected for himself.
Only what he needed.
Nothing more.
---
He absorbed them.
One by one.
---
"Shadow Fragments… complete."
"Beast Fragments… complete."
"Blood Fragments… already maxed."
---
Jade closed his eyes briefly.
Feeling the changes.
The subtle growth.
The quiet power.
---
Then—
He reviewed his newly obtained data.
---
Data Name: Shadow Halo
Type: Halo
Rank: Initiate
Class: Mutated
Data Name: Blood Wings
Type: Wings
Rank: Initiate
Class: Berserk Mutated
Data Name: Bone Shield
Type: Shield
Rank: Initiate
Class: Berserk Mutated
---
There were more.
Many more.
Same names.
Different variations.
Different ranks.
---
Jade stared at them for a moment.
"…Too many."
He didn't need all of them.
So—
He gave some away.
To weaker survivors.
To those who could grow.
---
It wasn't kindness.
It was strategy.
Stronger people—
Meant a stronger army.
---
Days passed.
---
The injured returned.
Healed.
Stronger.
More determined.
---
Camp life stabilized.
Routine formed.
---
Jade and Aaron…
Were forced to share a camp.
At first—
They barely spoke.
---
But gradually—
That changed.
---
At night—
They talked.
Not about the trial.
But about the real world.
---
Jade spoke of food.
Cooking.
His dream of a restaurant.
---
Aaron spoke less.
But when he did—
It was about survival.
Strength.
And the strange life he had lived.
---
Neither of them noticed—
But something was changing.
---
They were no longer just allies.
Not yet friends.
But…
Closer.
---
Each day—
They trained.
---
Jade refined his Ice Vine.
Made it faster.
Sharper.
More precise.
---
Aaron improved his shadow techniques.
Faster transitions.
Cleaner kills.
---
The survivors also grew.
---
Some gained wings.
Some gained armor.
Some gained weapons.
---
Jade watched them.
Quietly.
---
"…Lucky."
He muttered once.
---
He had never received a weapon-type data.
No sword.
No echo.
---
Only his vines.
His fists.
His mind.
---
But he didn't complain.
Instead—
He adapted.
---
He also gave away weaker data.
No point keeping what he didn't need.
---
Then—
One day—
Everything shifted again.
---
They were moving.
Advancing.
Closer to their destination.
---
Ella suddenly stopped.
Her eyes narrowed.
"…I see it."
Jade and Aaron immediately looked forward.
"…What?" Aaron asked.
Ella pointed ahead.
"In the distance."
"…The ancient ruin."
---
Jade focused.
Far away—
Barely visible—
A massive structure stood.
Ancient.
Broken.
Mysterious.
---
"…We're close."
Aaron said quietly.
---
Ella continued.
"It's not that simple."
Her voice turned serious.
"There are hordes ahead."
"And…"
She paused.
"There's a river boundary."
---
Jade nodded slowly.
That made sense.
Important places always had layers of protection.
---
Aaron crossed his arms.
"…If it was just us, we'd already be there."
Jade nodded.
"But we're not alone."
---
Behind them—
Thousands of survivors marched.
Tired.
But determined.
---
Jade looked forward again.
"…We move together."
---
Aaron smirked slightly.
"Then we fight together."
---
Ella spread her wings slightly.
"…Get ready."
---
Because ahead—
The next battle awaited.
---
And this one…
Would be worse.
---
Far worse.
---
The convoy advanced.
Toward the horde.
Toward the ruin.
Toward destiny.
---
And none of them—
Knew what truly awaited them there.