The Academy's Grand Arena was a floating structure high above Ardenthollow. Hexagonal platforms hovered in the sky, connected by transparent force bridges. The sky around them buzzed with floating drones, instructors, and surveillance constructs that fed every second of the initiation into the city's entertainment network. This was not just training—it was spectacle.
Kael stood on Platform Alpha, his cloak shifting slightly in the wind. Beside him, Selene adjusted the strap of her rifle and scanned the other Initiates warily.
"Everyone's watching," she whispered. "They want to see if we're freaks… or monsters."
Kael smirked, cracking his knuckles. "Let's give them the truth."
A holographic interface flared to life above the arena.
INITIATION TRIAL – TRIAL OF THORNS
Objective: Survive the Wild Bloom for 20 minutes. Bonus rewards for enemy kills and objective captures.
Environment: Rotting Forest Simulation – Tier II Threat Level.
Restrictions: No lethal attacks against other Initiates. Skills permitted.
Special Rule: Top 10 performers gain bonus experience and custom loot rewards.
Commencing in: 10… 9… 8…
"Wild Bloom," Selene muttered. "That's a corrupted forest dungeon. Mid-level threat. Looks like they're pushing us early."
The countdown hit zero.
A burst of magic surged, and the platform beneath them shimmered—replaced instantly by a rotting forest filled with thorned vines, crimson moss, and thick black mist. Screams echoed in the distance. Something growled nearby.
Kael flexed his fingers. The System blinked softly in the corner of his eye.
Quest Activated: Survive the Bloom
+100 EXP / Kill
+500 EXP for survival
Bonus Objectives Unlocked
Selene vanished from his side in a blur, taking to the trees with long-range precision. Her voice echoed softly in his comm implant.
"Ten o'clock. Three students. Two male, one female. Already engaged by corrupted beasts."
Kael leapt forward, landing silently on a moss-covered stone. His footfalls were weightless—his body already adjusting to the combat scenario with supernatural instinct.
A massive Root Howler burst from the shadows ahead, covered in bark-like armor and thorned tendrils.
Kael's crimson eye flared.
[Bloodforged Strike – Activated]
He ducked beneath the tendrils, twisted, and slammed his fist into the beast's skull. Blood surged from his palm, forming a crimson gauntlet that cracked the creature's skull with a single blow. It howled once—then collapsed.
+100 EXP
+2 Blood Essence absorbed
+Passive: Blood Saturation (1%)
He licked the blood from his knuckles. "Too easy."
Three more beasts surged out from the trees. Kael's form blurred. Half-transformation flickered over his body—his canines sharpened, claws extended, and his aura rippled like liquid flame.
From the canopy, Selene rained down crimson-tinted bullets that exploded mid-air into sharp, rotating shards. Two beasts fell mid-charge. The third turned toward her, only for Kael to grab it by the throat and twist its head completely around.
+300 EXP
Current Kill Streak: 4
Bonus Multiplier Unlocked: x1.5
"Kael," Selene's voice warned, "we've got incoming. Real players this time."
Three Initiates burst into the clearing, their weapons raised. One of them, a tall boy with pale blue hair and a jagged saber, pointed it at Kael.
"You. You're the freak from earlier."
Kael tilted his head. "Is that your way of saying hello?"
"Listen up, Umbros. You and your sister might've broken the Obelisk, but this trial? This is where real warriors shine. Let's see how well that corrupted system of yours holds up."
Kael's smile vanished.
"You think I'm corrupted?" He stepped forward, his aura darkening, shadow coiling around him like serpents. "Let me show you what purity looks like."
The fight was over in seconds.
Selene's bullets pinned one opponent's blade to a tree. Kael moved like smoke and flame, his claws raking across armor, disarming and dislocating limbs with brutal efficiency.
They didn't kill. But they made sure the message was clear.
Bonus Achievement: Dominance
—10% Experience Boost
—Loot Drop Acquired: Rare Bloodcore Fragment
—Top 10 Ranking Secured
Selene walked over, calmly reloading her rifle. "That was subtle."
Kael wiped blood from his jaw. "I was holding back."
A soft pulse echoed in the sky. A final boss spawn was emerging at the center of the map—a monstrous Thornbeast, mutated beyond reason, surrounded by a corrupted aura.
Selene's eyes narrowed. "We going for it?"
Kael cracked his neck.
"Let's make them remember why they fear us."
To be continued in Chapter 3 – The Thornbeast and the Broken Crown