After claiming the life of a practitioner from the Gorathim side, the cloud chose its next target from the Lunari.

"This is not normal." Thalira’s expression shifted as she saw it descend on one of her teammates.

From the pattern she had already grasped, it should have gone for the weakest, and those were clearly among the mixed-race group, who still numbered 7. Yet the cloud avoided them entirely, striking the Lunari instead.

That thought grew clearer with each moment, for the cloud now drifted between the Lunari and Gorathim lines, disqualifying them one by one while ignoring the mixed-race survivors.

"What kind of skill is this?" Thalira blurted, curiosity breaking through as she pulled one of her people free from dissolution.

To her—and to everyone else—Adyr was an Astra Path practitioner. None of them knew of any Astra skill with the power to bend the cloud’s will in such a way.

Brakhtar looked even more shaken. Even with his Aether Path, he had no skill capable of forcing the cloud to avoid its prey.

"Who knows?" Adyr only shrugged, offering nothing more.

Slowly but surely, the number of the top races dwindled until only a handful remained.

At last, the cloud turned back toward the mixed-race line. Yet the moment it materialized before one of their practitioners, something astonishing happened once again.

Adyr moved to intercept, his sword rising, but before he even struck, the cloud shuddered. It vanished the instant it appeared, abandoning its target and turning back on the Lunari.

"Fuck me. It just retreated like that?" Loudbark muttered in disbelief from the sidelines, wagging the stump of his missing tail as he watched.

To outside eyes, it looked as if the cloud had recoiled from Adyr in fear, as if it had turned its back on him and fled.

Of course, no one could sense or see the Malice so thinly woven into the black matte of Adyr’s blades—too subtle for any eye to detect, yet enough to remind the cloud of the fear it had felt when those same swords had cut into it moments before. That memory alone was enough to drive it into retreat.

Not long after, when the last of the Gorathim and Lunari practitioners were finally disqualified—and with the cloud never once turning back to the mixed-race group—it came to a halt and vanished from the arena.

[The Second Trial has Concluded.]

Performance scores: Calculating... Displaying...

The system message appeared, making everyone hold their breath as they waited for the results.

The final 10 stood in plain sight for all to see: one from the Lunari—Thalira Luna; one from the Gorathim—Brakhtar Gorat; and, miraculously, 7 from the mixed-race group, their survival owed entirely to Adyr’s intervention.

All of them knew these 10 would receive rewards, with the highest share reserved for the one who ranked first. What none of them knew was how the system would measure their performance, and the anticipation tightened in their chests as they waited for the ranking to unfold.

And then, the messages flickered into view.

Adyr Hellcraft—Performance 100% → 80 Free Stat Points awarded

Thalira Luna—Performance 90% → 40 Free Stat Points awarded

Brakhtar Gorat—Performance 75% → 30 Free Stat Points awarded

Maruun Aqua—Performance 56% → 10 Free Stat Points awarded

Rhadak Obsidren—Performance 50% → 9 Free Stat Points awarded

...

..

.

Adyr topped the list with 80 free stat points, as expected, twice the runner-up’s reward.

This trial favors the best, good. He felt a quiet satisfaction as he saw the gaps between the ranks.

With his total [Free Stat Points] now at 125, he was ready for whatever came next.

He planned to invest them in [Sense]

and [Resilience] to better leverage his Gaze–Presence combo, but for now, he kept them in reserve, ready to allocate to other stats if the situation demanded.

[The Third Trial is called.]

When the system message finally arrived, the crowd, especially those who had lost limbs and no longer wished to continue, fell into patient silence and waited once more.

The mixed-race group, who had been waiting at the edge of the arena after their disqualification, began to move again. They formed up beside and behind Adyr, making him the pillar of their formation.

The Lunari and the Gorathim also took their places. Their morale was higher than the mixed-race group’s, since every gain drawn from the Tower fed their leader and, indirectly, their entire race, so they were not disheartened by the lack of personal rewards.

Loudbark edged in sideways, guard raised, eyes sweeping the perimeter in tight arcs. "Brother Adyr, I have a beautiful sister. I swear she has the finest fur among all Houndkin. I promise I will introduce her to you once we are out of here."

At his words, several heads flicked toward him with quick, sidelong looks. Adyr let a quiet chuckle slip, more breath than sound, while he weighed the calculation under the bravado.

Everyone understood the offer. He was pledging his sister in exchange for protection.

Within Houndkin culture, no one found it shameful. They revered strength and followed it; entrusting a sister to a powerful man was not a disgrace but a practical bond, a way of fastening one life to another in the name of survival.

Adyr had no objection to the custom as well. If he intended to build an empire, he would need alliances across kingdoms and tribes, and some would be sealed through marriage. Yet he would only consider such ties with kingdoms that possessed real strength. Anything less had no value to him, neither politically nor personally.

Goal: Find the Treasure.

Reward: Rank 3 Spark

Payout: Only 1 chance. Only 1 reward.

As the system prompt flashed before the Practitioners, the spectators in the stands fell silent in a single breath. Sounds died row by row until a tight, heavy hush pressed over the arena.

"I don’t like this," Maruun muttered, feeling the pressure coiling beneath the silence.

Soon, the golden sand underfoot began to tremble, vibrations running up their legs. Moments later, the dunes stirred and split. From beneath, 98 wooden barrels rose to the surface, each about the height of an average person. They lifted free of the sand and settled into a broad ring around the remaining 98 Practitioners.

"1 chance, 1 reward," Maruun breathed. "Looks like we each pick one."

No one moved. Eyes tracked along the barrels, searching for tells in the wood grain, counting iron hoops, and weighing distances. It felt like everyone was waiting for someone else to make the first move; no one was willing to go in blind.

The reward tempted everyone. A Rank 3 Spark from the Tower would not be ordinary; it should be unique. But the memory of the previous trial hung close; many had died, and more had been crippled, losing limbs. They knew that choosing the wrong barrel would most likely cost them their lives.

Only one among them was truly calm: Adyr. To everyone else, he seemed to simply stand there, his gaze moving from barrel to barrel in a measured sweep as if inspecting each detail, yet none of them knew what was truly unfolding before his eyes.

***

A/N: I’m aware the update schedule has been a bit messy these days, but I’ll try to make it stable. Thanks for all the Golden Tickets and your kind support as well.