"What... the... hell?"
Rook was at a loss for words as he stared at his surroundings. Sir had told him he was going to be "evaluated" today, but he never expected it to be in this form.
He was currently in a caged pit with nothing but sand, and in front of him—at the other end of the pit—was a large metal door with growls coming from the other side.
Above the pit stood Sir and the two mysterious guards. Beside them was a young man dressed in dark armor, staring at Rook with intense seriousness.
"Rook, that was your name, right?" Sir called out.
Rook hid his fear and nodded.
"I’m sure you know the rules of the evaluation, so I won’t bother listing them. If you have any questions, you can ask Cain." He pointed to the man in black armor.
"He’ll be the one evaluating your training. So, I wish you good luck."
Sir turned around and walked away, with the two women following behind him until they disappeared from Rook’s view.
’Why even come here if you weren’t going to watch? Goddammit.’ "So... Trainee Rook." Cain called out calmly. "There are five different tests. Your first one is this... It’s called Survival."
He paused briefly.
"You spent last night testing what your Trait could do in an empty room. That isn’t the same as testing it against something that fights back. This is where that difference gets settled."
Rook’s eyes narrowed slightly. He hadn’t told anyone about that.
Cain’s eyes briefly moved toward Rook’s hands.
"You got yourself a boon. Your Trait. Whether you can actually use it under pressure is a different question."
Rook glanced at the metal door.
The growling from the other side had grown louder.
"What’s behind that door?"
Cain remained completely expressionless. "A Demon Beast. This particular one is called Fang. He’s lost count of how many trainees have stood where you’re standing."
"That’s comforting," Rook muttered.
"Don’t you know about Demons?" Cain asked with a frown.
Rook nodded. "I know."
Of course he knew, Demons came in five different forms and five different ranks.
’Great. Another mysterious bastard.’ Cain didn’t seem interested in explaining further. Instead, he glanced toward the massive clock hanging above the arena before continuing. "The moment that door opens, the first test will begin. Your objective is simple. You have to survive for ten minutes."
"Ten minutes?" Rook repeated, his eyes widening slightly.
"Yes. You won’t be given any weapons, and there will be no assistance from the outside. You can use your Trait however you want, but once the test begins, you are completely on your own."
Rook looked around the pit again. The walls were far too high to climb, and there was nothing in the arena that could be used as a weapon or even a proper hiding place. His only option was to fight or run until the ten minutes were over.
His eyes eventually settled on his hands.
He had his Trait now.
Elementalist.
And with it came four skills: Fireball, Water Manipulation, Wind Blade, and Earth Spike, each of them capable of evolving into something stronger, though every earlier rung of that ladder would still be sitting there waiting for him if his mana ran short.
His Upgrade Points were infinite, but his body still had limits. He was only F-Rank, and his Body Adaptation had already reached its current limit after raising his Spirit to thirty the night before. His current mana still sat at seventy out of a hundred and fifty — the reserves he’d spent testing Inferno hadn’t finished recovering by morning, and Sir had summoned him again before he’d gotten the chance to rest properly.
’At least I know Fireball and Wind Blade work, even if I’ve never had to use them on something that hits back.’ Cain crossed his arms. "Do you have any questions?"
"Yeah." Rook raised his head. "What happens if I fail?"
Cain’s expression didn’t change.
"You die."
Rook stared at him for a moment.
"That’s it?"
"That’s it."
’These people are insane.’ Cain walked closer to the edge of the platform and looked down at him. "Don’t misunderstand. Ashline doesn’t expect every trainee to pass this test. The purpose of the Survival Test is to determine whether you can remain calm when your life is genuinely at risk. Fear is normal, but allowing that fear to control your actions will get you killed."
Rook didn’t respond. He simply turned his attention back toward the metal door.
Another growl came from behind it.
This time, the sound was much louder.
The entire door shook.
Rook’s expression gradually became serious as he took a step backward. Whatever was behind that door was clearly much larger than an ordinary Demon Beast.
Cain noticed his reaction but said nothing. He simply raised one hand.
"One last piece of advice."
Rook glanced toward him.
"Don’t waste your mana. You don’t have much of it to spare this morning, and Fang knows it even if you don’t."
Cain lowered his hand.
"Begin."
A loud metallic clang echoed throughout the arena.
The locks on the door began to move one after another, each click sounding unusually loud in the otherwise silent pit.
Rook’s muscles tightened as he stared at the slowly opening door.
’Here it comes.’ The final lock released, and the heavy metal door began sliding upward.
A foul stench immediately poured into the arena.
Rook’s nose wrinkled as he instinctively took another step backward.
’What the hell is that smell?’ Something moved inside the darkness.
Four massive legs stepped onto the sand, followed by a hulking body covered in dark scales. Two long horns curved backward from its head, while thick saliva dripped from its mouth as a pair of crimson eyes locked onto Rook.
His body froze.
It was a wolf.
At least, it looked vaguely like one.
Calling it a wolf, however, would have been an insult to every normal wolf in existence.
The creature stood nearly three meters tall, with thick muscles covering its enormous body. A black mane ran from its head down its back, and every step it took caused its claws to sink deep into the sand.
Rook swallowed.
"That’s..." "Fang," Cain answered from above. "A Demon Beast."
The creature lowered its head, revealing rows of razor-sharp teeth as its lips pulled back into a vicious snarl.
Then it disappeared.
Rook’s eyes widened.
’Where did it—’ Something slammed into his side.
"UGH!"
His body was sent flying through the air before crashing heavily into the sand. Pain exploded through his ribs as he rolled several times before finally coming to a stop.
’What the hell?!’ Rook immediately pushed himself up, but the Demon Beast was already charging toward him again.
He raised his hand without thinking.
"Fireball!"
A ball of flame erupted from his palm and shot toward the approaching beast — the base F-rank version, cheap and instinctive, the only one his body reached for on reflex.
The Demon Beast twisted its massive body at the last moment, causing the fireball to pass beside its head before exploding against the ground behind it.
Rook’s eyes widened.
’It dodged?!’ The creature continued charging without slowing down.
Rook gritted his teeth before quickly changing his approach.
"Wind Blade!"
A thin blade of compressed wind formed in front of him before shooting toward the Demon Beast at incredible speed.
This time, the attack connected.
The blade tore through the creature’s shoulder, leaving behind a deep wound as blood sprayed across the sand.
The Demon Beast finally stopped.
Rook stared at it, his breathing slightly heavier than before.
’It worked.’ For the first time since the test began, a small amount of confidence returned to his eyes. His attacks could hurt it. That meant he wasn’t completely helpless.
Then the Demon Beast slowly turned its head toward him.
Its crimson eyes seemed to burn brighter.
Rook’s confidence immediately disappeared.
’Oh.’ The creature opened its mouth and released a deafening roar.
The sound shook the entire arena and forced Rook to cover his ears as his body instinctively stepped backward.
"Fuck!"
The Demon Beast charged again.
This time, Rook didn’t try to meet it head-on. He turned around and ran across the sand as quickly as his legs could carry him.
’Ten minutes.’ He glanced toward the clock above the arena.
Only twenty seconds had passed.
Rook’s face twitched.
’You’re telling me I have to survive this thing for another nine minutes and forty seconds?!’ A powerful gust of wind swept past his back as the Demon Beast lunged at him.
Rook immediately threw himself to the side.
The creature’s claws ripped through the sand where he had been standing only a moment earlier.
He rolled across the ground before forcing himself back onto his feet. His breathing had become heavier, and his heart was pounding inside his chest.
He looked toward the Demon Beast.
Then he looked at the status window hovering in front of him.
His eyes slowly narrowed.
’If I can’t beat this thing with my current abilities...’ His gaze shifted toward the number beside his Upgrade Points.
’Then I’ll just upgrade something.’