He stepped out of the testing center and into the open street. The air was cooler outside, but Kael barely noticed it. His feet moved slowly, almost dragging toward the train station, but his mind was far from the city around him.
Images flashed in his thoughts.
His mother, lying in bed with a thin blanket covering her fragile body. The way her hand used to gently brush his hair even when she was too weak to sit up.
His brother, coughing behind the counter of a repair shop. Dark circles under his eyes, still showing up to work every day despite the fever. Still smiling through the pain. Still pretending everything was fine, just so Kael wouldn't worry.
Kael stopped walking. His chest tightened, but not from sadness. It was something else. Something hot and wild beginning to grow inside him.
He clenched his fists and turned around.
A few minutes later, he stood again in front of the receptionist's desk.
She looked up, eyebrows slightly raised. "Can I help you?"
"What else can I do?" Kael asked. His voice was quiet, but steady. "I passed the awakening. I'm not ranked, but I'm not giving up. Is there anything left?"
The woman studied him for a moment, then gave a small nod.
"You can still go through the final phase. It's mostly for those who passed, but you have the right to try. Down that hallway. Last door on the right."
Kael nodded and walked toward the hall.
---
Meanwhile, back in the main hall, Brayk and Liora sat together reading the contract terms displayed on holographic panels.
Brayk leaned in, muttering, "Man, this Viremont deal is crazy. No money for five years?"
Liora tilted her head. "But look—full coverage. Food, training, their own house in the second layer. It's like military service, but they train you like an elite."
Brayk grinned and nodded. "Alright then. I'll take it. I'll fight for it. Five years of hard work? I can handle that."
He signed the contract with a thumbprint.
Liora scrolled through her own options. The Aevarin family. Scholars, researchers, and magic users.
The terms were different. She would get a monthly salary, but the house and other necessities were on loan. She would have to repay it all slowly. She bit her lip, thinking.
"If it means I get to grow stronger… if I can finally make a difference…" she whispered, then signed.
Time passed. The crowd thinned.
Brayk glanced around. "Still no sign of Kael."
"I hope he's okay," Liora said, her voice low. "He just… walked away."
"We should've chased after him," Brayk muttered.
Then, the door opened.
Kael stepped in.
They turned at once. Their eyes widened.
"You're back?" Liora asked.
"Where were you?" Brayk added.
Kael gave a small smile, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "I just took a walk. I'm here to take the final phase."
They both stared, stunned, then exchanged a quick glance.
Liora's face lit up with hope. "You're still fighting…"
Brayk let out a low chuckle. "Of course you are."
Kael nodded but said nothing more. His eyes were fixed on the center of the room where a new group of testers entered.
One of them, a man with a crisp voice, stepped forward and spoke clearly.
"All candidates, line up. Approach the front. State your name and place your fingerprint on the scanner. The system will register your identity and print your identification card."
Rows of candidates stepped forward. Each pressed their thumb to the glowing panel. A few seconds later, a card slid out of a slot beside it, etched with their name, rank, and attributes.
The tester continued explaining. "This card is your key. It will store your rank, your stats, your affiliation, and all progress in the dungeon system. Guard it well. Lose it, and you lose everything tied to your identity."
Kael's heart pounded as he took his place in line, the low hum of the machine calling him forward.
He didn't know what would happen. He didn't know what they would find.
But he had chosen to walk forward.
And that choice, he believed, still mattered.
Kael stepped forward and pressed his thumb onto the scanner.
A soft click. A quiet hum.
Then, a thin metal card slid out from the machine, glowing faintly with red light. It read:
Kael Arden
Rank: Bronze
Affiliation: None
He held it tightly in his hand. Cold and weightless, yet it felt heavier than anything he had carried before.
The final phase had begun.
All bronze-rank candidates were instructed to report to the Dungeon Training Hall.
The system explained it simply: enter the dungeon, kill monsters, earn points. Points could be converted into credits. Credits meant food, training, and survival.
Simple.
Except the monsters were real.
Brayk, Kael, and Liora naturally grouped together. Their bond wasn't something that needed words. But to enter the dungeon, squads of four were required—no overlapping classes allowed.
They searched the room. Some teams had already formed.
Others turned them down.
One group of duel-wielders laughed when Brayk approached.
"We're not teaming with a guy who failed the first test," one of them said, not even looking Kael in the eye.
Kael didn't flinch. He just nodded once and walked away.
Got it! Here's the revised version of that scene with the white-haired girl, Amelia, now changed. She is not the daughter of the Aevarin family, and instead, she is already part of a team with the three people at her back. I've adjusted her role so the story doesn't overlap with the Aevarin family heiress you mentioned.
They waited.
More candidates poured in, forming their own teams, but no one seemed interested in joining theirs. Time ticked on.
Then, she appeared.
A girl with long snow-white hair stepped into the hall, quiet and graceful, like a snowflake floating through chaos. Three others flanked her—one armored, one with a long cloak, and one tall with a crystal blade. She stayed at the center, not the back.
Kael glanced toward her. Their eyes met for the briefest second.
There was a flicker of surprise in hers. Recognition? Maybe not. She looked away quickly, speaking to one of her teammates.
Brayk blinked. "She looks powerful. Inner layer, probably. Maybe noble."
Liora nodded. "Definitely not looking for teammates. Those three behind her… they're already a unit."
Sure enough, a moment later, the system pinged. The team of four walked toward one of the dungeon gates without hesitation. The girl's staff glowed gently at her side as her party followed her in.
Kael let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.
"Guess we're still one short," he muttered.
Brayk clapped his hands together. "Alright, let's try again."
They turned back toward the room, scanning for anyone alone.
Then, a soft voice behind them spoke.
"Wait. Are you three still looking for one more?"
They turned.
A small girl stood near the wall, mostly unnoticed. Her brown hair was tied in a short ponytail, eyes wide and a little nervous. No fancy clothes. No glowing aura. Just a wooden staff in her grip and a badge that said "Support."
"I'm not strong," she added quickly. "But I have good buff spells. I passed the healing and defense assessments."
Brayk grinned. "That's exactly what we need!"
Liora nodded. "Support would round us out perfectly."
Kael stepped forward. "We'd be lucky to have you."
The girl's face lit up. "Rin. My name's Rin."
Kael gave her a small smile. "Welcome to the team, Rin."
And with that, their squad was complete.
Kael nodded. "Welcome to the team."
And with that, their squad was complete.
---
The system pulsed to life. Dungeons opened beneath the building, their entrances glowing with faint light. Screens showed real-time rankings.
The five great families were already dominating the early phase.
Aevarin Family: 10,000 points.
Halewyn: 9,800.
Callistra: 9,700.
Viremont: 9,500.
Drevahn: 9,400.
Their legacy spoke for itself. In the previous final test, Aevarin's top squad scored over 700,000 points. Halewyn reached 540,000. The others weren't far behind.
Kael's squad was starting from zero.
---
Inside the dungeon, the air was stale and heavy. Walls of dark stone stretched into tunnels filled with flickering torches. The moment they stepped in, each of them was scanned by the system. Artifacts given earlier limited their powers. This was the training phase.
They had to earn every bit of strength.
Kael gathered them into a huddle.
"Brayk in front," he said. "You're the spearhead. Take aggro and control the space."
Brayk grinned and cracked his knuckles. "On it."
"Liora, stay behind him. The artifact will auto-cast support spells. Use it to shield him or hit clusters when needed, but don't get close."
"Okay," Liora said. Her voice was soft but steady.
"Rin and I will cover the rear. If anything sneaks past, we stop it. I'll heal and defend. Rin, give buffs when you can."
Rin nodded, gripping her staff tighter.
The first battles were smooth. Slime-type monsters. Slow goblins. Their formation held well.
Until something broke through.
A tank-class beast—gray hide, horned jaw—slammed into their backline. It emerged from a shadowy tunnel without warning. Kael turned too late.
A massive fist hit him in the chest and threw him against the wall.
Rin screamed. The beast charged again. She raised her staff but was too slow. Just before it reached her, Kael stepped forward, blood leaking from his mouth, and caught the blow with his arm.
He barely held the monster back. Every bone in his body screamed.
Their artifacts dulled their powers. Even Rin's magic fizzled.
They had no choice. They retreated.
After a desperate fight, they escaped to a nearby resting chamber.
"Status?" Kael asked, breathing hard.
"Bruised, but alive," Brayk said, wiping his forehead.
Liora checked the artifact in her hands. "It's low on charges…"
"We made it to 2,000 points," Rin said. "But that thing almost wiped us out."
Outside, the top families had already advanced. Their scores were climbing fast.
55,000.
58,000.
60,000.
---
After a short rest, they went back in.
This time, they adapted. They stayed alert. Avoided blind corners. Communicated clearly.
Kael took every hit meant for them. He healed himself, even as he bled.
An hour later, they had reached 16,000 points.
Back at the center, they returned to the main hall.
Brayk received the point slip and laughed. "Look at that. Not bad for the underdogs."
He turned to the others. "We split this even. Four ways. Each of us gets 4,000."
"One thousand is enough for a full day of meals," Liora said with a small smile. "We can make this last."
They approached the front desk.
The receptionist looked up. "Rooms?"
Brayk nodded. "What can we get for four people?"
"1,200 points per day for a basic room—beds, no bath, no kitchen. 2,400 for full service. Hot shower, kitchen, private space."
They looked at each other.
Kael exhaled. "We'll be stuck together for a while. Might as well stay comfortable."
They chose the 2,400-point room.
It was clean. Four beds. A small kitchen. Hot water. Not luxury—but theirs.
They unpacked in silence. Kael sat by the window, staring at the distant lights of the city above.
His mind drifted.
To his mother. To his older brother. To that room in the third layer filled with medicine bottles and unpaid bills.
Could he send points back? Could he convert them into credits? Help them?
He clenched his jaw.
"Hey," Brayk said, nudging him. "You're thinking too hard again."
Liora leaned over. "You always look like that before something reckless."
Even Rin gave a soft laugh. "He's probably planning world domination."
Kael smiled faintly. "Maybe I am."
They sat together in the small room, the buzz of the dungeon far behind them.