The morning sun blazed high in the sky, casting golden hues across the earth as birds sang their cheerful melodies. Riding on the back of Gravilis, the twin brothers made their way to the entrance of Ashwood Forest.
Today marked the beginning of the final trial and both brothers were in high spirits.
"Davi, what do you think the Trial of Survival will be like?" Russell asked, eyes gleaming with excitement.
"I honestly don't know," Davi replied, shaking his head.
"But I do know it's meant to awaken ability users. And it has something to do with the 'Devil's Lair'... which is opening soon."
"I'm actually getting excited for this exam," Russell chuckled.
"That's true… I wonder what thrills await us today. But whatever comes, we face it together," Davi said with a grin.
"Always." Russell nodded.
They both laughed, sharing a rare, lighthearted moment.
Before long, the tall, towering trees of Ashwood Forest came into view.
A large crowd had already gathered near the entrance. The area had been cleaned, no trace of the corpses from the previous trial remained.
"Davi, we've arrived," Russell said as they dismounted from Gravilis.
***
The Night Before…
After the Illusion Maze trial ended the previous day, Davi had spent hours cultivating.
Following the system's mission to retrieve the Rune Key from the Bone Cradle Range, Davi knew one thing clearly he was too weak.
The very land that once nurtured his Duskwisp Drake's power now brought her only agony, as the decaying Nen energy reduced her from a proud peak Rank C to a weakened low-class Rank E although the gains was that Gravilis acquired a new sub-element which is Decay!
He needed strength and fast.
Within the Hell Initiate / Body Refinement Realm, there were five stages of body tempering:
Skin, muscles, bones, blood, and finally, meridians… in that order.
He had already tempered his skin to its peak using the Hell of Torment cultivation technique. Currently, he was halfway through tempering his muscles… yet he hadn't advanced.
Why?
That question plagued his mind until he glanced at the Asura Panel.
[EXP Gained: 250/100 ]
[Soul Strength: 830/1000 ]
[Physical Strength: 125/1000 ]
Seeing how much his soul strength had grown, he made a mental note: once he had enough Asura Points, he would purchase a soul technique.
Still… what troubled him was the pace.
"Was there no way to speed up my cultivation?" he thought.
He needed power… now more than ever.
"Rune Key… I will find you," Davi muttered to himself.
"My brother's life is too precious for me to risk over something I don't even understand yet."
As he dismounted from Gravilis, a distant chuckle echoed through the void.
Unbeknownst to Davi, the entity behind the Asura System had been listening... and it was amused and of course it sent an annoying message to Davi.
[Ding!]
[Host is too weak to command the asura!]
As davi saw the notification, his eyes narrowed… he knew his thought had been pried upon again by the system!
***
At the Mage Platform…
High above the gathering, on the mage platform, the top brass of the magical world had convened.
Archon Drairth, Archon Alzareth, Lady Stacy, Old Man Frank, and other Grandmasters stood together as Archon Alzareth finalized the plan for the Trial of Survival.
"Isn't three days a bit too much?" asked Grandmaster Cael Von Meritu, arms crossed with visible concern.
"Archon Alzareth," began Lady Clare of Glacier Hollow Academy, "We've already lost a large number out of the initial 50,000 participants. Is it truly wise to send the remaining ones to their deaths?"
"Indeed," Cael continued.
"We currently have 23,614 candidates left. Your test could reduce that number to 15,000 or less… Is that smart… especially with that place about to open?"
Lady Stacy nodded. "I agree. With war looming and our numbers this low, it would be more logical to preserve what we have instead of thinning the numbers even further."
Archon Drairth remained silent, watching with calm detachment. As she hadn't been sent by the ICM as a coordinator, it wasn't her place to intervene.
"These people don't understand the bigger picture, she thought. What was revealed at the last council meeting concerns the fate of our world. Whether ten or ten thousand die... it won't change the outcome" She thought.
Archon Alzareth finally raised his hand—and silence fell.
"You speak of numbers," he said slowly. "But tell me… do you think numbers will change anything in the Death Lair?"
He scanned the faces around him. "No!! What matters there is talent, strength, and luck. Only those who survive this trial have a chance of reaping any benefits from that place."
He paused…
"But that's not all. This final test is meant to instill camaraderie and teamwork. It's time this world learns the importance of unity. We cannot afford disjointed power in the times ahead."
"And," he continued, "you're forgetting the most critical point, the fruit they are meant to obtain only reveals itself on the nights of the full moon."
Gasps of realization rippled through the grandmasters… Since they where not sent by the ICM; how then could they know this?
"If I'm not mistaken," Alzareth continued
"The next full moon rises on the second night of the exam. Therefore, it makes sense that the trial lasts three days. If they can't even survive that, then forget about them becoming mages!"
He straightened his cloak, eyes hard.
"The times are changing. We need mages with strong will."
A beat passed.
Then Archon Drairth chuckled. "Well said, Azy. For a moment, I thought I felt my heart boil. Were you born with some special talent for motivation?"
The sharp glare she received in response could have frozen lava.
Archon Alzareth ignored her and turned to the rest.
"Just what could their relationship be?" thought Old Man Frank
"Let's not keep them waiting."
With that, he and the others descended from the mage platform.
***
The mages and students gathered in a massive circular clearing just outside Ashwood Forest.
The atmosphere was tense with anticipation.
Everyone knew the final trial was about to begin, but not how it would unfold.
Then came a wave of silence… as Archon Alzareth descended slowly from the mage platform, landing on an elevated stone podium conjured just for this moment.
His robes flared as if caught in a phantom wind. The sun framed him from behind, casting a long shadow across the ground.
"Candidates," his voice boomed like thunder across the clearing, enhanced by a sound spell, "you've made it this far.. through illusion, through beasts, through fear and fire. But now… the true test begins."
Every student fell quiet.
Even the wind seemed to hold its breath.
"This is the Trial of Survival, the final trial of the Mage Ascension Exam," Alzareth continued. "Your task is simple… however brutal!"
He raised his hand, and a magical sigil lit up in the sky behind him. A detailed map of Ashwood Forest expanded across the heavens.
"Deep within the forest lies a rare magical fruit: the Lunar Purity Fruit. This fruit only blossoms during the spring season of each year on the night of a full moon. That night is tomorrow!"
Murmurs began rippling through the crowd.
"Full moon?"
"Tomorrow?"
"What were they meant to do till then?"
"There are only 15,000 of these fruits," Alzareth said.
"And they will only reveal themselves under the light of the full moon. But beware… the scent of these fruits draws magical beasts. You won't just have to find them… you'll have to fight for them!"
Now the candidates faces showed true fear.
"But wait…" Alzareth's eyes glinted.
"There is no rule stating you must find the fruit alone…"
He raised one finger.
"All rules are off… Fight; Flee; Steal; Form alliances, tear them apart, it doesn't matter Only one rule remains…"
He let the moment stretch like a drawn blade.
"Do Not Abandon Your teammates!"
Gasps erupted.
Confused glances shot across the clearing.
Alzareth smirked.
"Yes… Some of you thought the goal was only to obtain the fruit."
"But this is a trial of survival, not a scavenger hunt. Any team that abandons a member, regardless of reason, is disqualified." He said.
"So that's the catch"… thought Russell grimly.
"Interesting…" Davi's fingers curled unconsciously.
He couldn't see, but he could feel the tension building like lightning before a storm.
Alzareth turned now to the mage platform. "Lady Clare. If you will…"
***
Lady Clare of Glacier Hollow stepped forward in a flowing ice-blue robe, her voice melodic yet sharp.
"Let me show you the prize you'll be fighting for."
With a graceful wave of her hand, she conjured a massive illusion in the sky a spinning, rotating projection of a silver-blue fruit with crystalline petals. Its core pulsed like a heartbeat, emitting a gentle light.
"This is the Lunar Purity Bloom. It grows in sacred areas of intense magical saturation. Consuming it refines your internal mana pathways and awakens latent potential. Some say it even sharpens one's soul."
The projection gleamed as light shimmered off its translucent flesh.
Gasps of awe followed.
Except from Davi, who stood still, his eyes unseeing… but his mind racing.
He leaned toward Russell. "What does it look like?"
Russell whispered the details quietly, and Davi smiled faintly.
"Sounds powerful!"
Then Clare clapped her hands.
A second burst of light surged into the sky.
"Now, to ensure fair chances, I will assign each of you into groups of three. These groups will remain unchanged throughout the trial."
All around the clearing, glowing runes appeared above students' heads, shifting and reshaping them into groups.
"Team assignments are non-negotiable," she declared.
Russell looked up. A rune locked in over him…then over Davi…and then…
A girl stepped forward, wrapped in a sleek black cloak, her long, wavy silver hair trailing behind her. Her expression was calm but cold.
Her eyes glowed faintly blue.
"Priscilla?" Russell muttered. "Wait… that's the girl who awakened an ability just like nimue in the Illusion Maze! I didn't even see her during the last trial!"
Davi tilted his head.
He couldn't see her, but he felt the air shift.
"She's strong," Davi thought.
Old Man Frank, still up on the platform, let out a low chuckle as an eerily smile formed as he saw the team form.
"Hoh… Looks like everything is going according to plan."
***
With teams assembled, the crowd began to buzz again introductions, tension, uncertainty.
Some candidates shook hands.
Others stared daggers at each other.
Russell extended a hand toward Priscilla. "I'm Russell. This is Davi, my twin."
She glanced at the hand, then took it slowly. "Priscilla. I won't slow you down."
"You better not," Russell grinned. "Because neither will we"
She glanced at Davi. "He's blind."
Russell opened his mouth to snap back… but Davi stepped forward calmly.
"Yes. But I can still hear a butterfly land from across a field. I won't slow you down either."
Priscilla gave him a curious look… then nodded once.
A horn blew from the mage platform…
Archon Alzareth's voice echoed one last time.
"You have three days! At the end, only those who possess a fruit, and their teammates, will pass. But remember…"
He paused.
"Those who betray their team… will fail!!!"
Then, without another word he raised his hand.
A massive seal shattered.
The forest behind him roared to life.
The gates of the Trial were now open.
"BEGIN!"
And like lightning…
The candidates surged forward into Ashwood Forest…The real battle was just beginning!