Squad Z moved carefully through the dim corridor, their footsteps echoing faintly against the cold stone walls of the dungeon. The deeper they descended, the heavier the air felt, like the dungeon itself was pressing down on their chests.
Zalthor walked at the front, his shadow stretching unnaturally across the ground as if it were alive. Behind him, Lucien moved silently, his twin blades already in his hands. Zyra followed with flames faintly dancing around her fingers, while Elowyn stayed close behind them, her Aqua Aether glowing softly in case anyone needed healing.
They turned the corner of the corridor.
And immediately froze.
The passage opened into a massive cavern-like chamber, easily the largest space they had seen since entering the dungeon. But it wasn't the size that made them stop.
It was the chaos.
Bodies were scattered across the stone floor. Some were clearly monsters, their twisted forms lying in pools of dark blood. But others were human.
Contestants.
Broken weapons littered the ground. Torn cloaks and shattered armor were everywhere.
And in the center of the chamber, several glowing fragments floated in the air like tiny suns.
Artifacts of Light.
But the moment Squad Z stepped forward, another sound echoed across the chamber.
Steel clashing against steel.
A man screamed.
Another contestant fell to the ground, a blade buried deep in his chest.
Zyra's eyes widened. "What the hell…?"
Lucien didn't look surprised.
"They figured it out," he said calmly.
Zalthor's gaze locked onto the glowing fragments hovering above the battlefield. "There aren't enough for everyone."
Another explosion of Aether erupted across the chamber as two contestants slammed into each other with brutal force.
One of them knocked the other down and didn't hesitate for a second. His sword came down hard.
Blood splashed across the stone.
Elowyn covered her mouth slightly, her expression tightening. "…They're killing each other."
"Of course they are," Lucien replied.
Around them, the chaos only intensified. Contestants from different squads were already fighting over the fragments. Some worked together in groups, while others attacked anyone who got close.
And above it all, the fragments continued to float calmly, glowing with soft golden light.
Like bait.
Zyra cracked her neck, flames beginning to spread along her arms. "Great. So it's that kind of trial."
Zalthor didn't hesitate. "Stay together."
But the moment they stepped into the chamber, someone noticed them.
"There!" a voice shouted from across the battlefield. "Another squad!"
Three contestants immediately rushed toward them, their weapons glowing with Aether.
"Give up the fragments if you get them!" one of them yelled. "Or die with everyone else!"
Zyra rolled her shoulders slowly.
"…You people really picked the wrong squad."
The first attacker lunged forward with a spear aimed straight at Zalthor.
Before the weapon could reach him, Lucien moved.
A flash of steel.
The spear clattered to the ground.
The man stared down in shock at the thin line of blood appearing across his throat.
Then he collapsed.
The other two attackers froze for a split second.
Zyra took advantage of it.
"Flame Burst."
Fire erupted from her palm like a cannon blast, slamming into one of them and launching him across the chamber. His body skidded across the stone floor before going still.
The last attacker turned to run.
Zalthor's shadow stretched across the ground and wrapped around the man's legs.
The contestant hit the floor hard.
Zalthor raised his hand slightly.
The shadow tightened.
The man screamed once before going silent.
For a brief moment, Squad Z stood in the middle of the chaos.
More contestants were already fighting nearby. Blades clashed. Aether exploded. Someone was thrown across the battlefield by a massive spell.
But then something else caught Elowyn's attention.
Across the chamber, two contestants from the same squad were arguing.
"No! We were supposed to share it!" one of them shouted.
The other one held a glowing fragment of light tightly in his hand.
"You're slowing me down," he replied coldly.
Before the first man could react, the second drove his sword straight through his chest.
Elowyn's eyes widened in shock.
Zyra stared at the scene, disgust flickering across her face. "You just killed your own teammate!"
The man pulled his blade free, barely even looking at the body.
"Only one of us needed to survive."
Lucien's expression darkened slightly.
"…Pathetic."
The man turned toward Squad Z next.
And then he saw the flames around Zyra's hands, the shadows twisting around Zalthor's feet, and Lucien's blades already raised.
His confidence faltered.
"On second thought—"
He didn't finish the sentence.
Lucien was already moving.
The man dropped seconds later.
The chamber continued to erupt with violence around them.
But in the middle of it all, one of the fragments slowly drifted downward nearby.
Zalthor's eyes flicked toward it.
"There."
Lucien nodded once.
Zyra stepped forward.
And Squad Z moved together.
The fragment was almost within reach—
When the entire chamber suddenly shook.
A deep roar echoed through the dungeon.
The ground cracked.
Several contestants froze, looking around in confusion.
"What was that…?"
Then the stone floor in the center of the chamber split open.
Something massive began to rise from the darkness below.
A colossal armored creature pulled itself out of the pit, its body covered in jagged stone plates, its glowing eyes scanning the battlefield.
The dungeon had awakened its guardian.
And suddenly, every contestant in the chamber realized something terrifying.
The real trial had just begun.