The trial timer blinked ruthlessly in the corner of Xarl's vision.
[ 01:00:00 Remaining ]
Only one hour left.
Seven more beasts. Four more herbs.The numbers etched themselves across his consciousness like chains—tightening, pressing.
Their group had split to cover ground quickly. Kor and Vally had gone west, disappearing into the gnarled groves. That left Xarl and Naeva to scour the eastern ridge, where mist curled through the trees like restless spirits, thick with damp silence.
Xarl knelt beside a moss-covered stone, breath shallow, fingers trembling as they plucked a spiraled vine from the underbrush. The leaves shimmered faintly, iridescent with dew and tinged with the scent of petrichor and crushed mint.
[ Ethereal Sageleaf Acquired: 1/1 ]
The system's calm chime was the only sound grounding him.
"One more down," Xarl murmured, his voice barely above a whisper.
Naeva stood nearby, not speaking, not moving much, but listening. Her blade rested at her hip, yet her amber eyes remained razor-focused—tracking every rustling branch, every shift of mist.
"You've gotten faster at picking," she said quietly. "But your awareness still lags. Something's… wrong."
He frowned. "Wrong?"
She didn't answer immediately.
Then she said, "The wind stopped."
Xarl blinked. And then he noticed it too.
The breeze that had been whispering through the leaves just moments ago—gone. Not even a rustle. The entire forest held its breath, unnaturally still.
Then, the ground trembled.
Leaves burst from the trees, falling like scattered warnings. A deep vibration echoed beneath their feet—and then, his system erupted in a scarlet haze:
[ Alert! High-Ranking Beast Detected! ][ Estimated Combat Rating: Tier 5 ][ Survival Odds: 13% — Retreat Strongly Advised ]
Vally and Kor were out of range.The dragon shapeshifter had vanished, chasing another anomaly moments ago.
And now—
CRACK—BOOM!
The trees exploded outward with terrifying force.A massive creature emerged from the splintered canopy—ten feet of muscle, bramble-thick fur, and a venomous mouth stretched into a feral snarl. Its tusks glinted green with poison; its breath fogged the air with rot. Its red eyes locked onto them, pupils dilated with bloodlust.
Xarl stepped forward on instinct.
"Back off," Naeva said firmly, sliding twin green-glowing blades from her back. "I'll stall it. You signal the others."
"But—"
"No arguing. Trust me, I'm an elf. The forest still listens to me, even if it's scared."
She launched herself at the creature in a blur of speed, blades slicing a clean arc across its muzzle. Black ichor sprayed. Vines erupted from beneath the beast, tangling its ankles, dragging at its bulk.
But it wasn't enough.
The beast roared and snapped the vines like twine. It retaliated with a violent swipe—sending Naeva crashing into a tree trunk with a sickening thud.
"Naeva!"
Xarl ran to her side. Her breaths came in ragged gasps.
"Go…" she croaked. "Get the others…"
"I'm not leaving you behind."
"You don't have a—"
The beast charged.
Xarl stood between her and death.
And something inside him shattered.
He felt it first in his chest—a tightness that burst like a dam. The system glitched, red sparks flickering across his vision before recalibrating.
[ Hidden Chakra Node Detected. Unlocking Permission… ][ System Override Approved. ][ Wind Chakra (Tier 1) — Unlocked! ][ First-Time Use Bonus Activated: Amplified Control (Duration: 5 Minutes) ]
Wind exploded from him.
Not air. Not breeze.
But a roaring spiral of elemental force.
It howled through the clearing, swirling leaves, kicking up stones, flattening grass in a circle around him. His hair whipped in the vortex. His eyes burned with a foreign sharpness.
The beast lunged.
And Xarl moved.
One step.
He was gone.
The next heartbeat—he was beneath the beast's tusks, a razor-thin blade of wind curving at his palm. He slashed upward in a spiraling arc—slice—and black blood rained from its shoulder.
It screamed.
He dashed sideways. Another cut. Another deep strike across the flank. His movements blurred, soundless, lethal.
The beast lashed out in fury. He barely evaded—a claw grazed his ribs, tearing cloth and skin. Pain seared.
[ System Alert: Light Wound — Rib Damage: 23% ][ Fatigue Rising: 65% ]
But he didn't stop.
The wind obeyed him.
It was him.
Xarl jumped high—higher than a human should. Above the beast, wind coalesced at his palm in a rotating spiral of blades.
He dove.
"Gale Implosion!"
The makeshift skill struck the beast's chest dead center.Impact. Roar. Silence.
Then the beast dropped.
Dead.
Xarl's body staggered forward. His knees hit the forest floor beside Naeva. His vision spun. The world tipped sideways.
[ Power Surge Exceeded System Limitations. Overload Detected. Initiating Temporary Shutdown… ]
"...Just a bit longer," he mumbled.
He crawled beside her, checked her pulse—still beating.
Then, with a ragged breath, he collapsed beside her and stilled .
[ Reward Issued: +1 Stat Point, +Skill Unlock (Wind Type) ]
Minutes passed. Then:
CRUNCH.
Footsteps. Rapid. Branches breaking.
Kor and Vally burst into the clearing. They skidded to a halt.
"By the spirits—what happened here?!" Kor stared at the ruined earth, the massive corpse, the two collapsed bodies.
"They fought this thing alone?" Vally muttered, kneeling beside Naeva. "She's injured but alive. He's breathing too."
"I don't get it. Neither of them should've had the firepower to down that thing…"
And then she stepped out of the shadows.
Red-haired. Silver-eyed. The "dragon girl." Silent, regal, and still dressed in illusionary glamours that disguised the truth of her form.
But her real senses were sharper than any human's.
She didn't speak immediately. Just stood, arms folded, eyes narrowed at the battlefield.
Then she sniffed once. The air reeked of blood—and something else.
Power. Ancient, pure.Unknown.
"...This isn't normal," she said finally, eyes lingering on Xarl. "That wasn't a regular trial beast."
No one answered. No one could.
Because just then, the trial timer beeped.
[ Time's Up. Trial Collection Submitted. ][ Team Rank: B — Beast Eliminated (Bonus) / Herb Count: 93% ]
A blue light engulfed them all.
They landed back in the arena.
Whole. Healed. But not unchanged.
And far above, in the VIP platform of the academy's trial observers, a man in dragon-scale robes leaned forward, red eyes glinting.
"Interesting," he said."The wind moves again."