The air in ChronoEdge Academy's central courtyard was thick with the scent of mana and anticipation. Students gathered in clusters, the usual clamor replaced by hushed whispers and glances toward the looming central spire. Their status screens flickered like restless ghosts, hovering above their wrists as they adjusted gear, tightened gloves, and shared nervous smiles. Today was no ordinary day.
Kairo Voss stood slightly apart from the others, as he often did—not by choice, but by habit. His eyes were fixed on the towering obsidian spire at the academy's center. Its polished surface reflected the midmorning sun, but it wasn't the gleam that unsettled him. It was the hum. A low, rhythmic pulse only he seemed to notice, one that vibrated subtly beneath the surface of his skin, syncing uncomfortably with his heartbeat. Ever since his duel with Lucas Drein the day before, the sound had intensified.
His [Spatial Awareness] buzzed faintly, detecting a mana signature too faint to lock onto but too persistent to dismiss. The spire was watching. Or reacting. Or both.
[Status Screen]
Name: Kairo Voss
Age: 16
Rank: E+
Class: None
Skills:
• [Vaultspace] (???)
• [Spatial Awareness] (D, Passive)
• [Combat Reflex] (D, Passive)
• [Blade Echo] (D+)
• [Mana Weave] (C)
• [Mana Surge] (D)
Attributes:
Strength: 6
Agility: 8
Intelligence: 7
Vitality: 3
Mana: 7
Dexterity: 4
Titles: Vaultborn, Ember's Bane
His recent bump to E+ after the duel with Lucas was a step forward, but the court of public opinion hadn't quite caught up. Most still saw him as the weakling—the fluke. The "lucky E-rank."
"You okay after yesterday?"
The voice, soft and sincere, came from behind him. Lira Hale stood with a calm grace, her long silver hair rippling like liquid moonlight. Her blue eyes scanned his face with concern, and her own status screen flickered beside her. C-rank. A healer with [Minor Healing] at C-grade. Quiet strength wrapped in poise.
"You looked rough when you left the arena," she added.
Kairo touched his nose, still remembering the blood that had flowed after overusing [Vaultspace]. "Just overdid it," he said with a lopsided grin. "I'll live."
Lira's eyes narrowed slightly. "That skill of yours—it's dangerous, isn't it?"
Before Kairo could respond, the air shimmered. A translucent blue prompt materialized above every student in the courtyard:
[TRIAL DUNGEON: Shadow Hollow]
Objective: Retrieve Shadow Core. Survive.
Time Limit: 3 hours.
Team Size: 4.
Warning: Shadow Sprites detected. Rank D threat.
Gasps rippled through the crowd. Shadow Hollow was infamous—a winding underground maze of illusions, shadows, and ethereal enemies known as Shadow Sprites. Unlike physical monsters, they couldn't simply be overpowered. They were fast, intangible, and deadly in swarms.
Kairo felt adrenaline surge. Another chance to rise. Another chance to prove he wasn't a fluke.
Professor Veyra's astral form blinked into existence above the courtyard, her crystalline eyes scanning the crowd. "Form your teams. You have ten minutes."
Kairo braced himself for rejection. As usual. But then—
"You're with me," Lira said without hesitation, tugging him toward the gathering teams.
Two others joined them: Taryn, a focused D-rank archer with [Wind Shot] (D), and Milo, a stout, D-rank tank with [Iron Skin] (D). Taryn offered a nod, but Milo gave Kairo a skeptical glance.
"This him?" Milo muttered. "The E-rank?"
Lira's glare was sharp. "You want to pass this trial, or not?"
That ended the debate.
They approached the dungeon gate—a swirling portal of shadow and violet light. As they neared, Kairo's [Spatial Awareness] screamed louder. That hum from the spire intensified, echoing up through the stones beneath their feet. His eyes flicked to the tower one last time.
The portal consumed them.
Inside Shadow Hollow
The dungeon greeted them with silence.
Shadow Hollow was unlike anything Kairo had seen. Narrow, jagged tunnels curved unpredictably, dripping with condensation and filled with ghostly light wisps that floated along the ceilings like dying fireflies. The air smelled of ozone and rot, and the walls pulsed faintly with mana—alive, almost sentient.
Taryn kept her bow raised, arrow nocked and eyes alert. Milo's tower shield was already up, [Iron Skin] hardening his stance. Lira's fingertips glowed with faint golden light, her healing magic ready.
"Sprites hit fast and vanish faster," Milo muttered.
"They don't just vanish," Kairo corrected quietly. "They phase. Like they slip into another layer of space."
The others glanced at him, surprised.
A whisper in the dark. Red eyes blinking into existence.
Then chaos.
Dozens of Shadow Sprites burst forth—thin, smoky silhouettes with clawed hands and eyes like coals. They moved erratically, darting from walls and floors, weaving between attacks.
"Now!" Taryn shouted, releasing a glowing green [Wind Shot]. The arrow struck one sprite in the head, dispersing it into mist.
But the others retaliated. Claws raked against Milo's shield, the force reverberating through his arms. A few sprites phased through the walls, slashing from impossible angles. Lira cast [Minor Healing], mending a gash across Taryn's arm.
"There's too many!" Lira cried.
Kairo's instincts screamed. He couldn't beat them conventionally.
"Cover me!" he barked, stepping back and tapping his interface.
[Activate Vaultspace? Y/N]
Y.
The world blinked away.
In Vaultspace, time slowed to a crawl. The white void was silent, peaceful, and vast. No pain. No distractions. Just time.
He conjured the image of a Shadow Sprite in his mind and began training.
[Blade Echo]—again. Again. Faster. Sharper.
[Spatial Awareness]—follow movement trails.
[Mana Surge]—burst movements, reaction speed.
[Simulating Ethereal Targets]
Hours passed. Then days. Then more.
He began fusing [Mana Weave] into his blade techniques, crafting a rhythm that could destabilize intangible forms. Sweat poured down his face. His head throbbed. Blood trickled from his nose, then his ears.
But he didn't stop.
[Elapsed Vault Time: 10,000 Hours]
[Skill Improved: Mana Weave (C → C+)]
[New Skill Acquired: Shadow Sense (D) – Passive: Enhances detection of phasing and ethereal enemies.]
[Agility +1, Mana +1]
He collapsed to one knee, panting.
Then blinked out.
Back in the Dungeon
Only sixty seconds had passed.
Milo was on one knee. Taryn's quiver was nearly empty. Lira's mana pool flickered dangerously low.
Kairo surged forward, [Shadow Sense] highlighting the sprites' trails like glowing threads. "Eyes! Aim for the red glow!" he shouted.
With precision honed through impossible time, he weaved between attacks, his blade dancing. [Blade Echo] sliced five sprites in a single flurry. [Mana Weave] shimmered along the edge, disrupting their phasing bodies.
One. Two. Five. Ten.
The tide began to turn.
Even Milo looked stunned. "What the hell happened to you?"
Kairo didn't answer.
A new danger appeared.
A tunnel yawned open behind them, and a massive figure emerged—twenty feet tall, shrouded in shadow. The Shadow Wraith. Its red eyes blazed with sentience.
[Enemy: Shadow Wraith]
Rank: D+
Skills: [Phase Strike] (D), [Dark Pulse] (D)
It moved like smoke—fluid and swift. A single blow sent Kairo flying into a stone wall.
Pain exploded across his back.
Activate [Vaultspace]—again.
This time, his training was brutal. He simulated the Wraith's shifting form, developing counters for [Phase Strike]. Practiced feinting, baiting, dodging. Enhanced [Blade Echo] to a five-strike sequence. Infused [Mana Weave] deeper. His body screamed. Blood pooled beneath him in Vaultspace.
[Elapsed Vault Time: 5,000 Hours]
[Skill Improved: Blade Echo (D+ → C-)]
[Strength +1, Mana +1]
Return.
Final Battle
He rolled away from another strike, eyes glowing with resolve. "I'll end this."
[Mana Surge] activated.
He dashed in, blade trailing with magic. Five strikes. All aimed at the Wraith's eyes.
Hit. Hit. Hit. The Wraith screeched, destabilizing. Its form unraveled.
Kairo leapt, snatching the Shadow Core.
[Shadow Core Retrieved]
[Trial Complete – MVP: Kairo Voss]
[Rank Up: D]
[New Title: Shadow's Bane]
The dungeon collapsed behind them. A portal opened.
They returned to the courtyard, battered but triumphant.
"You're insane," Lira whispered. "But amazing."
Kairo wiped fresh blood from his nose, smiling faintly. "Guess I just hate losing."
The hum from the spire returned. Louder now. Resonating.
In the crowd—a figure. Cloaked. Watching. S-rank mana radiated from them before they vanished like smoke.
A new prompt appeared:
[Quest Updated: Shadow of the Elite]
Objective: Investigate the S-rank observer's link to the spire.
Reward: Unknown
The spire glowed brighter. A low tremor shook the earth.
[New Quest: Spire's Awakening]
Objective: Uncover the spire's true nature.
Reward: Unknown