---
The stone door behind him sealed with a hiss of breath.
Ahead, a vast hall stretched out into shadow.
Unlike the previous trial, this place wasn't made of twisting fire-lit corridors or illusions. It was raw, rough-hewn rock, carved with runes glowing faintly in mossy green.
Kael stepped cautiously onto the platform. The air here was denser, colder—but alive. It felt like something ancient watched, though it neither moved nor breathed.
> [Trial Phase III: Initiated – Path of Unity]
Objective: Survive the Labyrinth of Unity. Locate and retrieve the Dual Core Fragment.
Sub-Objectives: Defeat the Guardian Golems.
Collect: 10 Beast Crystals (Minimum 1 Rare Grade)
Restrictions Lifted: Combat Tools Allowed.
Magic Usage: Limited. No System Boosts.
Finally, he could fight.
---
The First Arena – Stone Golems
As Kael ventured down the first stairwell, the floor widened into a round chamber. Towering in the center stood three golems, each nearly twice his height. They were made of jagged, obsidian-black rock, with emerald glyphs on their chests, glowing like slow-beating hearts.
They activated the moment he stepped on the engraved sigil.
Their heads snapped toward him, and the room began to tremble.
> [Golem Type: Obsidian Sentinel]
Weak Point: Core Node (center chest rune)
Movement: Slow, High Impact
Defense: Strong vs Blunt / Weak vs Piercing
Kael twirled his wooden spear once, narrowing his eyes. He couldn't rely on fancy techniques now—only instinct, muscle memory, and his growing mastery over his body.
The first golem lunged.
Kael rolled aside, barely dodging a stone fist that shattered the floor tiles. Using the momentum, he dashed in and slammed the blunt edge of his spear against the glowing rune—but it only cracked slightly.
"Too slow."
He darted back as the second golem stomped toward him, its arms raised like falling towers.
Kael narrowed his stance. He waited.
At the last second, he surged forward, kicked off the rubble, and vaulted onto its shoulder. With a powerful twist, he jammed his spear point-first into the core rune—
CRACK.
The glow dimmed. The golem staggered—then collapsed, crumbling into dust and gravel.
> [Golem Core Fragment Obtained]
[Combat Instinct +1]
The other two came at once.
Kael knew he couldn't overpower them directly. Instead, he led them into each other's path, using their momentum against them.
When they collided, Kael launched into the air from a shattered pillar, rotated mid-leap, and plunged the end of the spear through the second core.
He landed in a crouch.
Behind him, the second golem collapsed.
The last one lunged in rage, moving faster now.
Kael met it with a surge of adrenaline, dodging low, spinning behind, and finally slamming the blunt end of his spear into the already-cracked rune until it exploded with green light.
> [Trial Update: Guardian Golems Defeated – 3/3]
Path to Inner Labyrinth Unlocked.
Kael exhaled slowly, sweat dripping down his brow.
This time, the trial didn't fight his mind.
It wanted his instinct.
---
Beast Territory
The deeper tunnels smelled of iron and moss. Pale green light glimmered along the walls, illuminating enormous claw marks, bone piles, and trails of blackened blood.
The map engraved on the wall showed four branching paths.
Kael chose the path least marked—narrow, winding, and covered in half-dried beast tracks.
> [Area Entered: Sub-Realm – Grotto of the Forgotten Claw]
Enemies Present: Earth-Tier Predators
Estimated Power Rank: Mid-D Class
The first beast struck from above.
A Rift Lizard, covered in rock-scale armor and sharp dorsal spikes, pounced from the cavern ceiling. Its screech echoed through the tunnel.
Kael reacted purely on instinct—rolling forward, slashing his spear across its underside where the scales thinned.
Blood splattered.
The lizard whipped its tail around, sending Kael flying into the wall.
> [HP -17%]
He groaned and stood, wiping blood from his mouth.
Then he darted forward, drove the spear into the creature's jaw, and twisted—
SNAP.
The beast fell, twitching.
Kael knelt beside it and plunged his dagger into the neck to extract the crystal embedded deep in the throat.
A soft glow emerged—a dull green shard.
> [Beast Crystal (Common) Acquired – 1/10]
[Material Gained: Riftscale Fragments]
Note: Crafting potential unlocked.
---
Hunted and Hunter
He fought nine more beasts over the course of a day and a half. Each one different. All deadly.
Stonehide Brutes: Bison-sized creatures that charged in tight spaces. He lured them into a spiked ravine and let gravity finish the job.
Shardspike Serpents: Fast, burrowing enemies that hunted with echo-locating tongues. Kael used hollow bones to throw off their tracking, then killed with precision thrusts to the spine.
Ash-furred Fangs: Twin-pack predators with a hive mind. Kael defeated one, then used its scent glands to confuse the other before the killing blow.
Each battle left him wounded, panting, and bleeding. But also sharper.
> [Combat Stats Increased]
[Beast Crystals Acquired: 10/10]
Grade Distribution:
Common: 7
Uncommon: 2
Rare: 1 – [Moonvine Predator]
> [Material Harvest Complete]
Components Acquired: Bone Dust, Mana Fiber Sinew, Flamegland Cores, Echo Chitin.
Kael sat in the shadows of a dying campfire, checking the cracks in his training spear, his fingers sore and his shoulder dislocated.
He popped it back with a grunt.
Then he looked toward the glowing wall ahead—the Chamber of Unity, where the final piece of the weapon's will awaited.
He hadn't yet seen Vijay Dhanush or Vasavi Shakti, but the closer he got, the more he felt their presence.
Watching.
Judging.
Waiting for him to break—or prove himself.
---
System Whisper – Midnight
As he rested, a low hum entered his ears, not from outside, but inside.
A single line of golden text blinked across his darkened vision:
> "When the blood burns and the world breaks, who will you be?"
– Vasavi Dhanush Core Voice – Dormant
Kael didn't respond.
He just gripped the cracked shaft of his spear tighter.
"Not a spectator," he whispered.
---