🌑 Chapter 23
The sky above Sinjai Academy dimmed unnaturally.
A thick layer of clouds spun in slow motion, forming a dome over the tournament ground as the intercom blared once again:
🎙️ "Welcome, finalists. The next trial is unlike any before: The Eclipse Battlefield."
The students murmured in confusion.
Anshi, sitting on the sidelines, tightened her grip on her blade.
"This is bad," she whispered. "Even I've only read about this field in ancient training scrolls..."
⚔️ Eclipse Battlefield Rules
The rules were brutal:
All 15 remaining teams would enter a shifting, multi-biome arena.Each team would be placed randomly in one of five zones: lava ruins, icy cliffs, storm marshes, forest maze, and dead deserts.At random intervals, teams could be teleported or terrain-shifted without warning.The goal: Survive, defeat others, and collect Victory Cores by defeating teams.
The first 5 teams to collect 5 Victory Cores would proceed to the Final Round.
🧬 Team 48's Challenge Begins
Aeren, Mersha, Kaith, and Rengo materialized in the forest maze.
But something was… wrong.
"Guys… my head," Rengo winced, clutching his temple.
The entire team felt a strange pressure in the air. It wasn't monster energy. It wasn't magic.
It was something deeper. Something was watching them.
Even Aeren's mind-reading wasn't working properly. The thoughts around him were clouded, as if static had invaded the atmosphere.
"What is this?" Aeren wondered. "Why can't I hear their thoughts clearly anymore?"
His calm mind was the first to realize:
"The Eclipse Field… it doesn't just shift terrain. It messes with perception."
👁️ Aeren's Limits Are Tested
Suddenly, the forest shifted.
The trees twisted into stone pillars. The sky blinked to blood-red. And before them appeared Team 7—one of the strongest silver-ranked teams.
"Looks like we get a warm-up," the silver seeker grinned, flexing a lightning-charged spear.
"Team 48, huh? The famous wood-rank miracle…"
Kaith stepped back. "That guy's spear can cut through steel!"
Aeren quickly analyzed:
4 enemies.2 long-range, 2 melee.All at least Iron level. The leader is early Silver.
And he had no working tech gear. Only his instincts.
"Okay. No more passive moves. It's time to adapt… faster than I ever have."
⚡ The First True Fight
The battle exploded.
Sparks flew.
Mersha was locked in aerial combat with a wind mage, Kaith dodging fire blasts, Rengo holding the line with his barrier, and Aeren—
—vanished.
He moved silently, using natural terrain, memory, and deduction.
When one of the enemies blinked, Aeren was behind him.
"You rely on long-range. Your defense is low."
CRACK.
He struck a nerve point. The enemy collapsed instantly.
The other team was shocked.
"That… wasn't power," the silver-seeker said. "That was skill…"
But then it happened.
🌌 A Glitch in Reality
The world twitched.
Like a broken mirror, the entire forest shattered into space fragments.
For a moment, Aeren stood alone in blackness—stars, echoes, and gears spinning in all directions.
"Again... this feeling..."
And there, again, stood the clocked man on the cliff.
Behind him, monsters of every rank kneeled. Even ancient dragons. Even the darkened 11th rank Titan from stories.
The man turned halfway to Aeren and spoke for the first time:
"Your mind is awake... now learn to see the flow of time."
Suddenly—Aeren blinked—and he was back in the forest maze.
🌀 Return to Battle
The enemy team was stunned.
Their leader shouted, "WHERE DID YOU GO?!"
Aeren didn't answer.
He just moved.
Faster. Sharper. Deadlier.
In less than 30 seconds, Team 48 claimed their first Victory Core.
Kaith was stunned.
"Bro... you moved like you saw the fight before it happened... like you danced through their moves."
Mersha muttered, "I couldn't even track him..."
Aeren didn't reply. He was too busy hearing a ticking sound in his head.
🧠 Power Awakening: Observation Limit Broken
✅ Mind Reading – Enhanced
✅ Combat Reflex Sync
✅ Chrono Instinct (Locked) – Aeren has unknowingly tapped into micro-moments of time perception.
He could now:
Predict enemy movements before they made them.Copy skills after witnessing them once.See through illusions and weak camouflage.
But it wasn't stable.
And each time he used it, a mysterious symbol glowed on the back of his neck… burning like fire.
🔚 End of Chapter 23