Miriel carefully examined the new skill.
A status window appeared before her.
[ Mana Shield ]
Level: 10 - MAX
Description: Creates a protective barrier made from condensed mana around the user.
The shield can absorb physical and magical attacks before breaking.
At maximum level, the shield automatically adjusts its strength according to the user’s mana capacity.
Mana Cost: 10% of maximum mana
Duration: 10 minutes
Cooldown: 5 minutes
Miriel looked at the description with surprise.
"This is much stronger than I expected."
Liam nodded.
"With your current mana, it should be able to block quite a few attacks."
"It also means you don’t have to rely entirely on dodging."
Miriel nodded as she familiarized herself with the skill.
She then looked at Liam.
"Are we going to start the Advancement Trial now?"
"Yes."
Liam closed the skill window.
"You’re already Level 30, and your mana has recovered."
"There shouldn’t be any reason to wait."
Miriel took a deep breath and nodded.
"Then let’s begin."
A notification appeared before her.
[ Requirements for Tier Advancement have been fulfilled. ]
[ Tier 1 Advancement Trial is now available. ]
[ Would you like to begin the Tier Advancement Trial? ]
Miriel selected Yes.
The moment she confirmed her choice, the surrounding forest suddenly became quiet.
A translucent screen appeared before her.
[ Please select the difficulty of your Tier Advancement Trial. ]
[ Hard difficulty and above include an opportunity to evolve your Dream Race. ]
[ The higher the difficulty selected, the greater the rewards upon completion. ]
Available Difficulties:
Easy
Normal
Medium
Hard
Nightmare
"Choose Nightmare," Liam said.
Miriel hesitated for a moment.
Just trust me and choose that one," Liam said.
Miriel nodded.
"Okay."
She selected Nightmare.
The system immediately asked for confirmation.
[ You have selected Nightmare Difficulty. ]
[ Are you sure you want to proceed? ]
Miriel pressed Yes.
In an instant, both Miriel and Liam vanished from the forest.
Outside the trial area, an elderly woman responsible for monitoring the students noticed Miriel’s disappearance.
She looked toward the location where Miriel had been standing.
"That lass is advancing."
She paused when she noticed Liam had disappeared with her.
"Hmm, she didn’t seem particularly talented until she encountered that Cursed Eye King."
The woman smiled with interest.
"It seems that Cursed Eye King is a mutated species. Interesting."
She laughed softly.
"We even have an unusual pair this time."
She then turned her attention toward the other students.
"Tsk. This batch is truly terrible."
Meanwhile, on the other side, Miriel and Liam appeared inside what looked like an enormous colosseum.
The arena stretched for hundreds of meters in every direction.
Tall stone walls surrounded the battlefield, while countless people stood across the arena.
Some carried swords.
Others held spears, staffs, or other weapons.
Miriel looked around nervously.
A notification appeared before her.
[ Tier 1 Advancement Trial ]
[ Trial Objective: Survive the Battle Royale of the Ancient Dreadspire Empire. ]
[ Condition: Win the Battle Royale. ]
Miriel’s expression changed when she read the name.
"Dreadspire Empire?"
"Isn’t that the famous cruel empire that forces its citizens to participate in deadly matches called Battle Royales?"
She looked around the massive arena.
There were hundreds of participants surrounding them.
Many of them were already Tier 1.
Miriel swallowed nervously.
"There are so many people here."
Liam calmly looked around.
"Don’t worry."
"Most of them won’t be your opponents for long."
Miriel glanced at him.
"You sound very confident."
Liam nodded.
"I am."
He looked across the arena at the countless participants.
"After all, you’re not fighting alone."
Miriel tightened her grip on her sword.
"Then I’ll trust you."
A loud announcement suddenly echoed throughout the colosseum.
[ The Battle Royale will begin in ten seconds. ]
The participants immediately prepared their weapons.
Miriel activated Mana Shield.
A transparent layer of mana formed around her body.
Liam flew beside her and looked toward the center of the arena.
"Stay close to me at the beginning."
"Once the battle starts, we’ll see what kind of opponents we’re dealing with."
Miriel nodded.
"Understood."
The countdown continued.
[ Three... ]
Miriel took a deep breath.
[ Two... ]
She tightened her grip on her sword.
[ One... ]
[ Battle Royale begins. ]
The moment the battle began, chaos spread across the entire arena.
Hundreds of participants rushed toward each other.
Weapons clashed from every direction.
Spells exploded across the battlefield.
Many people also noticed Miriel.
She looked young and weak compared to many of the participants.
Several fighters immediately rushed toward her, thinking she would be an easy target.
That was their mistake.
Liam flew beside her.
Without showing much movement, he activated Dark Cutter.
Black crescent blades shot through the air.
One fighter after another fell before they could even get close.
Liam did not hold back.
Anyone who targeted Miriel or attacked him was eliminated instantly.
Miriel watched in surprise.
Even though she already knew Liam was strong, seeing him fight against humans was different.
His attacks were precise and fast.
After eliminating the nearby enemies, Liam flew back toward Miriel.
"You fight too," Liam said.
"Here."
He took out the Totem of Elevation and activated it.
A small black totem appeared beside Miriel.
A faint light spread from it.
Miriel immediately felt stronger.
All of her attributes increased.
She nodded.
"Okay."
Miriel drew her sword and joined the battle.
This time, she was no longer nervous.
She moved through the battlefield while using Triple Strike, Piercing Strike, and Fireball.
Several opponents were defeated one after another.
Meanwhile, Liam remained in the air above her.
He no longer attacked everyone around them.
Instead, he observed the battlefield.
Whenever Miriel was injured, he used High Heal.
Whenever she became tired, he used Sacred Divine Spring.
If someone was too strong or tried to attack Liam directly, they died almost instantly from Dark Cutter or Cursed Gaze.
The battle continued.
One by one, participants were eliminated.
The number of people inside the arena gradually decreased.
Miriel also became more experienced with each battle.
She was no longer fighting like an academy student.
She was beginning to fight like a real warrior.
Liam quietly watched from above.
"This trial is actually quite good for her."
"She’s gaining real combat experience."
Time slowly passed.
From hundreds of participants, only a few dozen remained inside the arena.