"She's not even using her full strength," he muttered. "She's like... a blizzard in human form."
"Elysia, do you need help?!" another teammate yelled from the side.
"I'm fine," Elysia called back, her voice as cold as the frost surrounding her. "Focus on the minions. I'll handle the wyverns."
The wyvern she had frozen earlier tried to take flight again.
Elysia narrowed her eyes. With a flick of her wrist, she hurled one of her ice blades. It pierced the wyvern's chest—then exploded.
Shards of frost spread outward, freezing the beast entirely.
She stood still for a moment, ice particles swirling in the wind around her, then turned toward the second wyvern that was slowly recovering.
(Just fifteen minutes have passed) Elysia thought, her eyes looking a the wyverns.
(And Arcadia's already releasing such powerful beasts? If it's like this now... Kael might already be hurt—or worse.)
She clenched her fist.
(I'll wait exactly one hour. Then I'll move silently. Because by that time, he must be exhausted and it will be my great opportunity)
She made an evil smile.
Meanwhile, not far from the northern wall of the arena—
Jin and his team stood in front of a huge sealed gate to the west side of the forest. The gate was covered with strange symbols and glowing patterns that hovered in the air.
It looked like a complicated magical lock, something that only someone very smart could figure out.
Jin crouched down close to the gate, focusing hard. "Give me five more minutes," he told his teammates, his voice calm but serious.
(Why did we even come all the way here? Am I even useful?) Jin thought to himself, feeling a little frustrated.
His eyes moved quickly, scanning the floating runes. With a pencil, he scribbled new patterns into his notebook, carefully rewriting the magical sequences to try and unlock the gate.
Behind him, his teammates stood alert, weapons ready. A swarm of shadow bugs—small, creepy creatures with clicking legs—buzzed closer, crawling over the stones.
Their constant clicking made the air tense and a bit creepy.
Even though the bugs were small, their numbers were enough to be dangerous. Jin's team had to stay focused and ready to fight while he worked on solving the puzzle.
"Shield wall, now!" one of his teammates shouted.
The front-line warrior blocked with a glowing shield as fireballs exploded around them. Two mages fought back-to-back, throwing spells to keep the bugs at bay.
Jin muttered under his breath, "These runes... They're based on Eastern symbology... It's a sequence lock based on the five elements—wood, fire, earth, metal, water..."
He clapped his hands together and traced the final symbol into the air.
CLICK.
The ancient stone gate slowly groaned open with a heavy hiss of magic.
"It's open!" Jin called. "Get inside!"
"Everyone, hurry..."
At the southern part of the forest—
Cecelia stood firmly in the middle of her group. Her hands glowed with a warm, soft light that felt
comforting even in the tense battle around them.
Her teammates, some injured and kneeling on the ground, took deep breaths as the healing magic spread over their wounds, easing their pain and renewing their strength.
But Cecelia wasn't just healing. She was fighting too.
Around them, ghostly shapes began to rise from broken graves—spectral beasts that looked like long-dead gladiators.
Their armor was old and faded, their empty eye sockets glowing with a strange blue fire. These spirits swung invisible weapons with deadly intent, trying to strike Cecelia's group.
With a swift turn, Cecelia blocked a ghostly spear with her own hands.
"Hyaah!" she shouted, gathering her magic. Suddenly, a wave of golden flames burst forward from her hand, sweeping through the area and banishing a dozen ghostly enemies all at once.
One of her teammates gasped, watching in surprise, "I thought she was just a healer..."
But Cecelia's fierce defense showed she was much more than that.
"She's amazing..." another whispered.
"No wonder she is rank Fourth"
Cecelia smiled gently, even while sweat dripped from her brow. "Stay close. I'll heal you—and protect you."
Though she was trained as a support, her combat ability was level with that of her friend, Jin Halden.
And across the ruins... the trials continued.
Each team faced different beasts.
But the clock had only just started ticking.
And somewhere deep in the arena...
Kael was walking deep.
"Good," Kael whispered quietly to himself, his voice barely audible over the soft rustling of leaves.
"Now, I need to head to the ridge near the stream. That's where the mutated horned boar is supposed to appear at sunset."
He kept moving carefully through the underbrush, his steps light and deliberate. His mind was focused, clear, going over every detail he had memorized from the story. Everything had to be perfect.
But then... something caught his eye.
Suddenly, a dangerous beast appeared before him.
It was a Dread rank monster — one of the rare and terrifying kinds that even seasoned fighters feared.
The beast had a shining silver mark on its forehead, glinting faintly in the fading light.
It was about the size of a human, but its shape was slim and sinister. It was a shadow leech—a creature that wasn't supposed to be here, at least not yet.
Kael froze, his heart pounding in his chest.
(Wait... how is this even possible?)
(This beast should never have appeared here.)
(And it's a Dread rank—one of the strongest kinds of monsters.)
(Only an S-rank warrior would be able to take this down. But I'm nowhere near that level...)
His mind raced, caught between fear and confusion.
Kael's heart pounded fiercely in his chest, Its sleek, dark body shifted with unnatural speed, scales shimmering like ink in the dim light.
(Is this the work of a devil contractor?) he thought grimly, tightening his grip on the sword.
The beast lunged forward with terrifying speed, jaws snapping wide, aiming for Kael's throat.
With barely a moment's hesitation, Kael drew his single sword in a flash of steel, holding it steady to parry the crushing bite.
The clash sent a jarring shock through his arm.
"Steel yourself," Kael muttered, feeling the beast's raw strength press against his blade.
He moved back, but the shadow leech was relentless. It whipped its long, barbed tail, slashing viciously.
Kael barely dodged, feeling the whip-like strike graze his side, tearing his shirt and drawing blood.
Determined, Kael steadied his breathing and whispered the name of his technique: Astral Severance.