šŖļø Chapter 54 āĀ
The sun rose over Sinjai Academy, casting golden light over the stone towers and training fields. But the air felt heavy, as if destiny itself had curled its fingers around the school.
The academy grounds buzzed with tension.
"Today, we begin the First-Year Ranking Trials!" announced Head Instructor Veynos, his voice amplified across the fields by a floating sigil.
Every first-year student gathered in formation, grouped by class levels. Excitement and fear churned together.
But Aerenā¦ stood silent in the crowd.
His memory of the dungeon incident was fogged, pieces missing like torn pages from a book. He only remembered shadowsā¦ the whisper of monstersā¦ the feeling of time breaking in his hands.
And Anshi's terrified face.
š§ The Rules of the Trials
Veynos explained:
The trial would be divided into three rounds.
Round 1: A solo forest survival testāpoints earned by defeating monsters and solving rune-based puzzles.
Round 2: Team battles.
Round 3: Arena duelātop 10 face off.
Those who score top 15 overall will qualify to attempt rank advancement.
Failure? You stay where you areā¦ or drop down.
"And remember," Veynos added, "this is not only about strength. It's about instinct, decision-making, strategy, and spirit."
š§āāļø Aeren's Pretrial Dilemma
Back at his room, Aeren stared into the mirror.
His reflection feltā¦ off.Sometimes his eyes glowed faint silver when he blinked.Sometimes, he heard thoughts that weren't his.
He didn't tell Anshi. He didn't know how.
But deep inside, something inside him had changed.
"What am I?" he whispered. "And why does it feel like the world is waiting for me to fall or riseā¦"
A knock came.
It was Anshi.
"We're being assigned our zones. Let's go."
She looked at him for a momentāsearching his face.
"You're not the same since the dungeonā¦ But whatever you are now, I still believe in you, Aeren."
He managed a small smile.
"Then I'll try not to disappoint you."
š² Trial Begins ā Forest of Echoes
Round 1 began in the Forest of Echoes, a vast, ancient region wrapped in illusion runes and inhabited by mid to high-level monsters.
All students were teleported to random zones.
Aeren landed deep in the woods. No gear. No help.
Justā¦ a whisper in the wind.
"Find the sealā¦"
His eyes twitched. Againā¦ a hallucination? Or someone talking?
Suddenly, a Level 4 Phantom Wolf lunged from the mist.
Most students would panic.
Aerenā¦ moved on instinct.
He didn't even thinkāhis mind broke the attack down in fragments.Speed. Angle. Weakness. Predicted second move.
With one dodge and a broken branch, he counteredāstriking the wolf's weak point and knocking it out cold.
"Howā¦ did I know it would jump right then?"
He breathed heavily. "This is not normalā¦"
š§ An Unseen Eye
From a hovering platform hidden by cloaking magic, a Diamond-tier Seeker named Solis Valdar watched the screens showing all trial participants.
His eyes narrowed on Aeren's feed.
"Interestingā¦"
Another instructor frowned.
"He's the weakest-ranked student. Wood-tier. Why focus on him?"
"Because," Solis said, zooming in, "he just downed a Level 4 phantom with no gearā¦ and no skills. Only observation."
And far offā¦ Nyx Covenant was watching too.
"He's blooming faster than expected," said the Seer. "We must test him. Before he awakens fully."
āCliffhanger Ending
As Aeren walked deeper into the forest, he came across a giant rune etched into the earth, pulsing softly.
His eyes went wide.
"Thisā¦ this is the same rune from the dream."
Suddenly, black smoke coiled out of the rune, forming into a beast with six red eyes and sharp bone-like armor.
A Level 7 monster.Impossible for any first-year to face.
Aeren's hands trembled.
"Iā¦ can't do this. Not aloneā¦"
But the sigil on his back faintly glowed.
His body moved. Eyes sharpened.His true self stirred once again.
š End of Chapter 54