The forest was no longer silent.
The fog that had enveloped them was now living, curling and uncurling like the face of the ocean in a hurricane. Red eyes glowed everywhere, their numbers indeterminate. The air vibrated with the slow, thrumming hum—like the pulse of the forest. Kai could sense it through the ground, resonating through his boots and into his bones.
Joren drew in gasping air to his side, sword up, the sword shaking but hardly. "You're kidding me," he growled. "That was a warm-up?"
Page's eyes glowed with lingering mana from her previous spell in the mist. "No," she whispered. "That was an omen. The real test is beginning now."
Kai's system came back online again, the blue, frozen faceplate inches in front of his eyes.
[Trial Stage II – The Hunt Never Ends]
[Mission: Last as long as the Mist Lasts]
[Time Left: 08:00]
Eight minutes. That's all? Kai's fists were bunched together. Too brief—until you were dead.
A half-human scream cut through the mist, and another. And then, in a rush when the dam had burst, the beasts surged out.
Shapes exploded off the white wall—narrower than the Mistfang Predator, but quicker, their strikes swift and blinding. They were smoldering, transparent, with mana-light-emitting claws. They were specter beasts—specters of predators, brought forth by leftover mana of those who had perished in trials in the past.
"Left!" Kai yelled involuntarily, pushing Joren aside just in time for one to emerge from the fog. His fist struck the monster's jaw as it was in mid-air. It exploded into glittering dust, its substance flying off in sparks only to reform in the fog.
"They're returning!" Joren screamed. "That isn't fair!"
Page's tone cut through the confusion, smooth and unflustered. "They're not physical—projections! Can't hurt them. You have to disperse their mana form!"
"English, Page!" Joren snarled, dodging out of the way of a blow.
"use mana attacks," Kai translated hastily. "Normal hits won't keep them on the ground!"
Joren scowled. "Guess you're the translator now, eh?"
Kai did not even blink—he was already in motion. His Elara training seared in his muscles as he forced mana into fists, the sheen radiating out to a shocked silver. The second ghostly monster thundered into him, and Kai slammed into it headfirst, his mana-garbed fist striking the monster's forehead. This one went off entirely, burning away into a cloud of blue smoke.
Behind him, Page's entourage buzzed with light. She shoved its bottom into the ground, and a blue sphere of soft light spread out, impeding the movement of the mist-beasts within its boundary. Their bodies writhed, drunkenly off course under her magic.
"Move!" she roared.
Kai waited not at all. He charged forward, Joren right behind him. The two launched themselves in unison—Joren's sword slicing through the broken bodies and Kai's fists flashing like twin fireflies, punching what was left of them. As each fell to the ground, blue light flashed into the air like a firefly bursting out of the mist;.
The minutes blended into seconds. Drops of sweat from Kai ran down his neck; his lungs burned. Each thicker than the last. But his focus never wavered. Amidst all the disorientation, something strange struck him—his energy was not depleting as much as it ought to.
[Stamina: 2100 / 3000]
It didn't add up. He had been battling nonstop. Even Joren, sturdy and spry, was already gasping hard.
Iris… is she doing this? he thought in the quiet.
There was a moment of silence. Then, softly, her voice caressed his mind."Not this time, Kai. That's all you."
All me? How?
But before he could even consider it, Page screamed—a fresh, raw scream of agony. Kai turned in time to see the ghostly figure crashing through her shield and cutting across the top of her shoulder. She flinched back in terror, blood spouting up her arm. Her light went out immediately.
Kai didn't hesitate. He leaped ahead, fist full of mana exploding in a blast that slammed the creature in the chest before any attack could be launched. It exploded, but others already had her.
"Joren! Cover Page!" Kai shouted, his voice hoarse but unshakeable.
"You're ordering me again?" Joren growled—but did so.
He ran back to Page's side, his blade flashing as he sliced down a beast springing in.
Kai covered the others by himself.
The mist wrapped around him like a living thing. Blanks exploded on all sides, slashing claws, snapping teeth. He dodged, parried, counter-striking—each step a little easier now. He was lightening his body, accelerating his weight, as if the rest of the world was holding him back. For the first time, he wasn't responding—he was dictating the pace of the battle.
Each punch let rivers of light fall. Each breath trembled with strength. It was as if something bottled up in him had exploded.
The system flared once more.
[Hidden Attribute Activated – Resonant Instinct]
[Effect: Adapts to hostile mana fields, enhances focus and resistance]
His eyes opened. "What—?"
Another monster, and Kai spared none of that one, either. He extended a hand and plucked it from the air, his palm glowing brighter than ever before, and slammed it into neat light.
The chime note once more—soft, neat, and lovely in the commotion.
[Objective Completed – Phase II: Survive Until Fog Clears]
The forest was quiet.
The fog crept back slowly, curling up into the trees like the smoke of an upside-down wind. The red eyes disappeared one by one until nothing was left but the gentle hum of mana. The sun filtered through the leaves in threads of gold yarn, bathed the battlefi eld in a peaceful quiet.
Kai kneeled, wheezing. Joren loomed over him, sword stuck in the earth for leverage. Page was already wrapping her shoulder with a strip of cloth, her face ashen but calm.
"Everyone all right?" Kai whispered but resolutely.
"Barely," Joren growled. "But fine. I'm not complaining."
Page glanced at Kai, her face expressionless. "That was. something," she said quietly. "You'd done that a million times before."
Kai gazed at her with no clue what to tell her. Because she was right—something in him had known precisely how to respond. Instincts he wasn't aware he had directed every strike.
A new message flashed before him before he could move:
[Trial Stage II Cleared]
[Participants Survived: 3]
[Proceeding on to Stage III in 12 hours]
The words dissipated, leaving a soft afterglow that wafted upwards. The forest started re-coalescing around them—trees coming to rest, the mist dissipating, and at a distance, soft lights appearing like lanterns calling to them still.
Joren groaned, reclining. "Twelve hours, then. Guess we sleep as we can."
Page nodded but never took her eyes from Kai. "You knew what that monster was. You knew where to strike it. And that. gift of yours at the end—" She stopped. "You're not a regular first-year, are you?"
Kai paused, the truth welling up on his lips. Then he just said, "I just learned fast."
Page didn't believe him, but she let it slide—at least for now.
As the trees around them sank into troubled stillness, Kai gazed at his hands. They still glowed palely with mana in rhythm with his own heartbeat. Whatever was taking place within him. it wasn't finished.
Above them. hidden in the darkness of the canopy. a soft whisper blew on the wind—"The Resonant One has opened the way."
Kai did not see. But a strained distance out across the woods, in the halls of the Academy's venerable observatory, a lone crystal sphere began to glow.