[Location: The Grand Corridor Leading to the Throne Room]
Click. Clack. Click. Clack.
The sound of Primoriel's boots echoed against the marble floor. It was a steady, rhythmic beat—like the ticking of a clock counting down to an explosion.
He walked alone.
Behind him, the two Royal Guards followed at a distance; they were sweating and exchanged nervous glances. The Prince walking in front of them wasn't the trembling coward they knew. His stride was long. His back was straight. He walked like he owned the tiles beneath his feet.
Rex, inside Primoriel's body, was busy.
[Analysing the environment... ]
[ Threat Level: High. ]
[ Mana Density: Increasing. ]
"Jarvis," Rex thought, his face a mask of calm. "Give me the layout of the Throne Room."
[Definitely, Sir. The Throne Room is ahead. Current occupants: The Emperor, the First Prince (Kaelen), the Second Prince (Darius), and twelve High Council members. The full house is present. ]
"A public execution, then. They want witnesses."
He reached the massive double doors. They were twenty feet high, made of dark ironwood and reinforced with gold. Usually, a servant would open these. Today, there were no servants.
It's another test.
If he couldn't open the door, he was too weak to enter.
Rex didn't hesitate. He placed his pale, slender hand against the cold wood.
'Strength is 3. Pathetic. But physics is universal.'
He didn't push with his arms. He planted his feet, locked his shoulder, and used his entire body weight as a lever.
CREAAAK...
The heavy doors groaned in protest. Slowly, agonisingly, they parted to give way for him.
Light—blinding, golden light—spilt out from the gap.
Rex stepped through the light and into the lion's den.
[Location: The Imperial Throne Room]
The room was massive. It was designed to make anyone standing in it feel like an ant.
Pillars the size of redwood trees held up a ceiling lost in shadows. Red carpets stretched like rivers of blood toward the far end. And there, sitting on a throne of spiked black steel, was the Emperor.
Emperor Valerius Valtherion.
He didn't look like a father. He looked like a mountain. His presence was so heavy that the air around him seemed to shimmer/distort.
To his right stood First Prince Kaelen—a warrior in golden armour, looking bored.
To his left was Second Prince Darius—a mage in blue robes, smirking cruelly.
The entire court fell silent.
Hundreds of eyes fixed on Rex. They waited for him to cringe. They waited for him to kneel and beg for forgiveness for being late.
Rex didn't kneel.
He walked to the centre of the room. He stopped exactly ten paces from the throne. He looked up, his crimson eyes locking onto the Emperor's golden ones.
Silence stretched. The tension was thick enough to choke on.
"You are late," the Emperor's voice boomed. It wasn't a shout. It was a deep rumble that vibrated in Rex's chest. "And you are filthy."
Rex glanced down at his shirt. It was stained and dirty with dust from the dungeon floor.
"I apologise, Your Majesty," Rex said. His voice was smooth, polite, and completely devoid of fear. "I was delayed."
"Delayed?" Prince Darius scoffed, stepping forward. "Delayed by what? Crying in your room? Too scared to face your judgment, trash?"
The nobles snickered.
Rex turned his head slowly. He looked at Darius like one would look at a noisy insect.
[ Target: Darius Valtherion ]
[ Level: 25 ]
[ Threat: Moderate ]
[ Personality: Arrogant, Insecure. ]
"Delayed by poison," Rex said simply.
The laughter in the room died instantly.
"Arsenic, specifically," Rex continued, his voice clinical. "Mixed into my morning wine. The dosage was lethal. It seems the palace security is... lacking."
He turned back to the Emperor.
"If an assassin can reach a Prince so easily, Father, perhaps you should worry less about my worth and more about your own guards."
GASP...
The entire court froze, hearing the words. The nobles' faces turned pale. No one spoke to the Emperor like that. No one ever till now.
The Emperor's eyes narrowed. The pressure in the room spiked.
WHOOOOOM!
An invisible wave of force—Killing Intent—crashed down on Rex.
It was a mental attack. A high-level suppression technique designed to force weaker beings to their knees. For a normal level 1 human, this would induce terror, vomiting, and unconsciousness.
But Rex heard a sound in his head.
[ Ding! ]
[ Passive Skill 'Gamer's Mind' Activated. ]
[ Mental Status Effect 'Fear' Nullified. ]
Rex didn't bend. He didn't sweat. He didn't even blink.
He stood perfectly straight in the hurricane of the Emperor's aura, looking bored.
'huff...Is that it?' Rex thought. 'I've faced Raid Bosses with scarier intro animations; this much won't pose a threat to me.'
The Emperor leaned forward, his interest piqued. The pressure vanished.
"You accuse someone of poisoning you?" the Emperor asked. "Do you have any proof?"
"Yes...My survival is the proof," Rex replied calmly. "And the corpse of the servant is likely being disposed of as we speak. Check the West Gardens incinerator."
It was a guess. A gamer's logic. Where do NPCs hide quest items? The trash.
Second Prince Darius looked visibly shaken. His eyes darted to the side.
'Got him,' Rex noted.
"Enough," the Emperor commanded. "We are not here for rumours. We are here for the Trial."
He stood up. The steel of his armour clanked.
"Primoriel. You are nineteen. You have awakened no mana core. You have mastered no weapon. You contribute nothing to this Empire."
The Emperor pointed a gauntleted finger at the door.
"By the laws of Valtherion, the weak are removed. You are stripped of your title. You are stripped of your name. You will leave this city by sunset, or you will be executed."
It was final. The sentence of death.
Prince Kaelen smirked. Darius laughed softly. The nobles nodded in agreement. The Trash Prince was finally gone.
Rex looked at the notification floating in front of his face.
[ Quest Update: Survive the Trial. ]
[ Difficulty: Impossible. ]
[ Options: ]
[ A. Beg for mercy. ]
[ B. Accept exile. ]
[ C. ??? ]
Rex smiled. That cold, unsettling smile.
"I refuse," Rex said.
The silence that followed was deafening.
"You... refuse?" The Emperor's voice dropped to a dangerous whisper.
"The Law states that a Prince may only be exiled if he fails the Awakening Ceremony," Rex recounted. "I haven't failed it yet. Because I haven't taken it."
"You have no mana!" Darius shouted. "We tested you ten times! You are empty! A defect!"
"Things change," Rex said softly.
He looked at the Emperor.
"Give me one week. One week to prepare for the Grand Awakening. If I fail, you can execute me yourself. I won't even run."
The Emperor stared at his son. He saw the crimson eyes. He saw the unnatural calmness. This wasn't the boy who cried over dead birds. This was a stranger.
"And why should I waste a week on you?" the Emperor asked.
Rex took a step forward.
"Because," Rex said, his voice echoing in the vast hall. "If you exile me now, you lose a failure. But if you wait a week... You might gain a Monster, and it all depends on your next decision."
The Emperor held his gaze for a long, agonising minute. Then, slowly, he sat back down.
"One week," the Emperor declared. "But if you fail, Primoriel... I will not just exile you. I will have your head on a spike at the gates."
"Deal," Rex said.
He turned his back on the Emperor—a massive breach of protocol—and walked toward the doors.
As he passed Prince Darius, Rex stopped. He didn't look at his brother. He leaned in and whispered, just loud enough for Darius to hear.
"Next time, if you try to poison me... use a higher dosage."
Rex walked out of the heavy doors.
Boom.
The doors slammed shut behind him.
Rex let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. His hands were trembling slightly—not from fear, but from an adrenaline rush.
[ Quest Completed: Survive the Trial. ]
[ Performance: S-Rank (Dominance Displayed). ]
[ Reward: Primordial Starter Pack. ]
"System," Rex said, walking into the shadows of the hallway. "Open it."
[ Opening Starter Pack... ]
A black box appeared in the air, wrapped in chains of red light. The chains shattered.
[ Acquired: Vial of Draconic Marrow Cleansing (Grade S) ]
[ Acquired: The Monarch's Fang (Growth Weapon) ]
[ Acquired: Skill 'Eyes of the Arbiter' ]
Rex grabbed the small vial of dark, swirling liquid from the air. It looked like liquid fire.
"One week," Rex whispered, clutching the vial. "Time to level up."