"Alaric, where are you from?"
"From Sanos."
"I want to know the city."
"If I told you the city, what would be the point of using a disguise?"
Alaric sighed, trying to evade Kael's questions. Kael wanted to get to know him far more than he was comfortable with. Not knowing why Kael was so eager to be friends, Alaric preferred not to get too close—after all, they could die at any moment on this mission.
"Come on, I'm from—"
"Could you stop asking the master questions? You're making him uncomfortable."
Kael seemed discouraged and laid down in the carriage that was taking them to the dungeon. Thanking Lyssandra, he glanced at the others, who remained silent. If Kael was someone easy to approach, then these two were much harder. Should he try to talk to them to get information? No—he had just been refused by Alaric, so it would be rude to press further.
"Since he doesn't want to talk, what about you two? Can you say where you're from?"
"From the city of Sercar, located near Floravita."
"That's quite a dangerous place. Good job surviving until now."
"Yes, I did a good job."
Kael immediately tried to strike up a conversation with the other two. He seemed to be getting along with Arvanys, while Dorian looked like he wanted to hide somehow, but his gaze was caught by Enrico and Arvanys.
"I'm from Sanos, in the city of Greven."
"How lucky—you were born in a very peaceful place, isn't that right, Arvanys?"
"Yes, very lucky."
Alaric had to be thankful that Kael was so easy to talk to, since he was managing to get more information: Greven used chain magic, while Arvanys wielded glacial blade magic.
"We've arrived, boys."
Upon leaving the carriage, they saw a water portal guarded by several knights and mages. All of them seemed to be above the fifth circle. One approached and led them toward the portal, creating a path of earth. Everyone gathered around the portal, with the students of Astrong Academy standing to the left, chatting excitedly about what was to come—except for Elowyn, who stood further back.
"Let's complete this mission for Tianlong."
"Yes, leader."
On the other side were the students of Shengtian Celestial Academy. The one standing at the front seemed to be their leader: black hair with green streaks, his eyes the same shade. He was Liang Xuanwu, ranked third at Shengtian. Lyssandra swallowed hard.
"They look strong…"
"From my research, especially their leader."
Alaric had spent hours researching them earlier. He had to be the first to claim that core, and to achieve his goal, he would use every advantage at his disposal. He glanced at Kael, who was busy trying to create some new spell—holding a small sphere in his hand.
"What do you think of them, Kael? Do you think you can defeat them?"
"What?"
He looked at Alaric, then at the students from both academies. After analyzing for a second, he returned his attention to the water sphere in his hand, which had begun spinning and flattening. Speaking naturally, eyes smiling beneath the black mask covering his nose and mouth, he said:
"Of course. I'm the strongest one here."
"Your confidence surprises me—or is it just arrogance?"
"It's not arrogance if it's true."
The four of them looked at him with a certain respect. They hoped his words weren't empty. He had shown a glimpse of his power back at the tavern, but now they wanted to see everything. After the guard finished his conversation with the teachers and mercenaries, he gave them permission to enter. To everyone's surprise, the first to step inside—one from each side—were Kael, Kai, and Liang, without even glancing back.
"Let's move quickly."
As the rest jumped in, they felt themselves being pulled to the bottom of the sea. It was terrifying, especially since they couldn't breathe or see anything. Panic nearly set in, but before they could struggle, they fell out of the water above and landed on a platform. It branched off into several paths, though only one of the four cavern entrances was open—the rest were closed, with nothing but water around them.
"There's only one. Does that mean we have to work together?"
"Actually, I'd rather fight. Just out of curiosity, who's the strongest on your side?"
"I'm the leader of my side, so of course I'm the strongest. But why ask?"
"Just curious…"
Everyone had landed on the ground, and when they looked up, they saw the three who had entered first, calmly chatting. At first, Alaric thought they would start fighting as soon as they entered, but the three seemed far more relaxed than expected. Kael tilted his head from side to side.
"…Looks like the first attack is about to start."
Several whirlpool-like specters appeared in the air. They were Correnteiros, a rare aquatic Nartheis. Not too strong at the Faizes level, but truly dangerous if they reached level three.
"Water Magic: Rotating Blade!"
"Jade Dragon Magic: Green Dragon's Strike!"
"Crescent Slash!"
The sphere Kael had created spun, transforming into a blade. He hurled it, cutting through all the Correnteiros in front of him. From Liang's arm, a jade dragon coiled around him, devouring as many enemies as possible before exploding. Kai's sword unleashed a slash that split them in half. Not wanting to be outdone, Valença conjured a massive fireball that evaporated them, and then the others followed.
"Multiple Water Spears!"
Several water spears formed around Alaric and pierced the Correnteiros. But no matter how many were destroyed, more kept appearing endlessly. The group fought on until four voices spoke the same words at once:
"We should enter the open cave."
The voices belonged to Alaric, Kael, Liang, and Elowyn. The four glanced at each other, then sprinted into the cave, followed by the others. As they passed through, a door of condensed mana sealed shut, with glowing words above it "First Trial Begins."