As the silent waiting continued within the darkness, white letters suddenly began to appear before Kael. The cold light of the screen shone like a lantern in the darkness:
"Your first trial test has been determined."
"The Dark Castle!"
"Objective: Kill all entities you see."
Kael examined these words carefully. The words echoed in his mind; "The Dark Castle"… The name sounded strange to him. "Dark castle," he murmured to himself, with a faint smile mixed in.
Gradually, the darkness around him began to take shape. First, tall and thick stone walls appeared; as if transitioning from a misty dream to reality. On the walls, old, elegant patterns and yellowed torches slowly emerged. The pale light emitted from the torches flickered softly on the cold surfaces of the stones.
Kael carefully inspected this emerging place around him. He was standing in a wide courtyard; in the middle of an open, spacious garden. The air was still dark, cold, and heavy fog surrounded the area. On the courtyard's ground was a lawn; among the pale shades of green, there were transition gates and mysterious paths extending in every direction.
When he turned around, on the pillar of an old, hollow fountain in the middle of the courtyard, a shining sword stood. The sword, like a weapon once wielded by mighty warriors, still preserved its grandeur.
Kael walked carefully toward the fountain. He quickly scanned the surroundings; searching for any sign of danger in the silence. There was no movement nearby. He leaned toward the sword and slowly took it in his hand.
The sword carried the hardness of cold iron, but its weight was just right. Kael received information about the sword from the window before him:
"Sturdy Iron Sword"
"Quality: C"
"Not very good or flashy, but a sufficient weapon for a start."
After taking the sword, he swung it lightly. "Not bad," he said to himself, not in a disdainful way but with a tone of satisfaction in terms of functionality. Then he began performing some acrobatic moves. He swung the sword quickly and controlled from side to side, stepped forward and back agilely, spun in the air for a moment as if testing the sword's sharpness.
The weight of the sword was good in his hand; control was difficult but it fit his hand skillfully. He warmed up for about five minutes, preparing himself and his weapon. However, during that time, no monster or enemy had yet appeared around him. Darkness and silence prevailed.
Finally, Kael looked at the castle; a structure surrounded by massive doors, dim lights, and dark shadows. "I need to go here," he thought. There was no sign; no enemy or mark.
But the task was clear, and he had to move forward. He took a deep breath, gripped the sword tightly, and started to advance toward the dark doors of the castle with heavy but determined steps.
Kael was taking steps silently but carefully. Every muscle, every nerve was alert; his eyes scanned every shadow shining in the dim light of the garden. He held the sword firmly with both hands. The coldness of the steel combined with the sweat in his palm; this feeling reminded him to be both alert and calm. With instincts gained from years, he even controlled the weight of his steps, making almost no sound when he touched the ground.
Under the pale light of the torches, he moved forward, leaving the stone garden and entering a narrow corridor. The atmosphere in the corridor was heavy, as if this place hadn't breathed for a long time. On both walls hung old paintings. However, most of these paintings had faces erased, scratched off, or vanished over time. There were human figures but no expression remained; only empty faces, chaotic brush strokes… As if someone wanted to erase the past here. On the lower parts of the walls were broken stone pieces, worn decorations, and partly torn wooden frames. This place was not only neglected but seemed deliberately destroyed.
As Kael progressed through the narrow corridor, a deep and muffled sound came from inside. At first, it was unclear, but after a few steps it became clear: it was a barking sound. But much thicker and more ominous than a normal wolf's bark. The tone of the sound carried hunger mixed with anger. Kael slightly parted his lips and instinctively controlled his breath. "This is not an ordinary wolf…" he thought.
When he reached the end of the corridor, an open area appeared before him again. Here was a pale garden-like section lit by moonlight. The ground was covered with fallen flower petals and reflective waters. The flowers were remnants of an old garden; long lost their beauty but still telling a story. The moonlight shimmering on the surface of the puddles added an eerie beauty to the place.
At that moment, Kael's gaze caught a shadow across from him. There, in the very center of the garden, a creature emerging from the shadows was standing. Although he couldn't fully see its face, he could feel its gaze down to his bones. The creature had its head slightly bowed, inspecting Kael with red eyes. Its fur was pitch black, merged with the night. The moonlight created a metallic shine on its fur. Its height was almost twice that of a normal wolf; more muscular, more wild, and more deadly in appearance.
Kael's throat involuntarily dried up. He felt a momentary shock; encountering a creature of this size and posture was not easy. But he quickly suppressed that hesitation. Narrowing his eyes, he adjusted his footing and gripped the sword's hilt tighter. With the cold bloodedness of an experienced warrior, he slowly began to step forward. Every step was measured like a predator approaching its prey.
At that moment, writings that appeared before him caught Kael's attention:
"First threat detected: Shadow Wolf."
"They have red glowing eyes and are dangerous with their speed and sharp teeth."
Kael etched the words into his mind. Shadow Wolf… So this creature was not only physically but also inherently a deadly enemy. The red glow in its eyes shone like rubies in the darkness of the garden; a sign of a predator ready to strike at any moment.
The wolf crouched slightly; the hissing sound made by its claws scraping the stone ground struck Kael's ears like a threat. The air between them tensed; a single wrong move would turn this silence into the sound of blood and steel.
Kael advanced toward the wolf with heavy but controlled steps. Every move was calculated, every muscle alert. His eyes were locked on the red-glowing creature, maintaining calm by controlling his breath. The air tightened, time seemed to slow.
Suddenly, the wolf launched at Kael with hard steps pounding the ground. It opened its claws and started a wild attack. Kael activated all his reflexes, bending his body backward with a flexibility as if he had no ribs. The wolf's teeth missed him by a narrow margin; he dodged the attack.
The moment the wolf hit the ground, it quickly turned, claws swinging in the air, and immediately launched a new attack. Kael quickly changed direction, swung his sword sharply and decisively, parrying the claws. The steel sound of the sword mixed with the hard strikes of the wolf's nails.
This attack and defense repeated several times. The wolf's strikes were both strong and fast; Kael's skin endured the blows harshly, almost impossible to cut. But Kael began to feel the first signs of fatigue; his heart raced, his breath grew heavy. Yet, he noticed something else: examining the wolf more closely, he thought there might be a weak spot of a lighter color on its belly.
This was the wolf's weak spot, he repeated in his mind.
Kael made an immediate decision. Targeting that spot, he took a deep breath and rushed toward the wolf. The wolf responded at the same speed; the sudden rise in speed between them would determine the fate of the fight.
Kael slid on the ground, stabbing his blade into the wolf's pale weak spot. After plunging it there, he quickly pulled back. He pierced the wolf several times like a sharp tool; every move was skillfully planned, every strike deadly.
The wolf, as if doing this every day, was a death machine both spiritually and physically. However, it began to become helpless against Kael's determination and skill. In its last moments, the wolf let out a loud, howling sound. Its eyes slowly closed, echoing like a death sentence in Kael's mind.
At the end of the fight, Kael lay on the ground, covered in blood. His body bore many torn and bleeding wounds, but he felt neither guilt nor trembling. He was calm and determined. He looked at his hands covered in blood.