The next morning, Hyun-Jae was stirred awake, not by the usual alarms or sunlight, but by a booming voice that echoed through the facility, vibrating against the walls and even seeming to pulse through the air itself.
"All competitors, report immediately to the training facility!"
He sat up on his bed, blinking against the sudden urgency of the announcement. Already, he was moving, stepping onto the teleporter pad at the edge of his room. The interface appeared instantly, only visible to him, the system shimmering faintly around him like a living hologram. He selected the training facility destination and vanished in a wash of blue light.
When he arrived, the massive arena before him was bustling, but noticeably less crowded than he remembered. Many of the weaker competitors had clearly already been culled, leaving only a fraction of the participants behind. Hyun-Jae's eyes scanned the crowd, the numbers having been seriously reduced since his return from the Abyss.
He let his gaze wander over the gathering, noting the alien competitors again, some humanoid, others far more exotic in form, yet all sentient and recognized as supposed allies of humanity in the tournament. His plan was simple: he would use whatever trial this was to absorb more Etherea, testing his abilities and maybe even gaining a few levels before facing stronger foes.
As he moved deeper into the arena, some couldn't help but turn to stare. His neatly trimmed hair, the lean yet solid build, the confident posture, it drew attention. A few whispered, their faces tinged with pink, while others muttered under their breath.
"What a shame he's an E-rank…""I wonder which faction he's under…"
Hyun-Jae, oblivious to the blushes and murmurs, let them pass. His attention was fixed on the massive screen hovering above the arena, waiting for the familiar figure to appear. Aureon the Celestial, whose announcements had always drawn every eye in the tournament, was about to speak, and Hyun-Jae intended to listen carefully.
Meanwhile, the questions about factions lingered in the back of his mind. The attendants had asked before, but he still had no idea what those factions truly meant, something he intended to figure out, cautiously, in his own time. For now, his focus remained clear: the trial, the Etherea, and testing just how far his newfound strength could take him in the real world.
The massive screen brightened, and Aureon the Celestial appeared, his presence immediately commanding the arena. Every eye turned to him, yet his gaze swept across the competitors with an unmistakable air of superiority.
"You should know the rules by now," Aureon said, his voice low, cold, and precise. "This will be the final culling trial."
A shiver ran through the crowd, but Hyun-Jae simply stood straight, expression neutral, letting the words register without panic. This wasn't the first life-or-death situation he'd faced, and he had no intention of being intimidated.
Aureon's stern gaze cut across the arena. "There is a twist." His tone carried no amusement, only authority, finality, and quiet disdain for those who seemed unprepared.
"This time, all teams will be teleported to the same world. You all will have exactly one day to locate a Keystone. It may be obtained in multiple ways, through combat, exploration, or negotiation, but it must be returned to the extraction point to count."
He paused briefly, letting the rules sink in. "In previous trials, you could select as many teammates as you wished. This time, teams are limited to four members. Failure to retrieve the Keystone for your team will result in the elimination of one of your teammates, regardless of your own survival."
The holographic projection of the target world appeared above the arena: a vast, mist-laden forest with floating islands, ruins scattered across the terrain, and faint glimmers of light flickering like distant stars. The world looked dangerous, alive with threats both obvious and hidden.
Hyun-Jae's eyes scanned it briefly. A day. Four teammates max. One failure, one casualty. He frowned slightly, mostly in thought about potential ways to gather Etherea and test his Absorb skill in the process. Beyond that, he wasn't particularly concerned.
He leaned back subtly, noting the other competitors whispering, pointing, and judging each other, and him.
Aureon's voice cut across the arena again, calm but edged with disdain. "Prepare yourselves. Failure is expected for most of you. Do not waste my time."
Hyun-Jae didn't flinch. His focus remained on the large screen and the world ahead. This wasn't a threat to him, it was simply another opportunity to gather Etherea and measure how far he had grown since his time in the Abyss.
Let them worry about survival, he thought. I've got other things to gain here.
Aureon's words echoed across the arena one last time. "You have ten minutes to finalize your teams. Report your selections to the nearby attendants. Failure to comply will be treated as a forfeiture." His stern gaze swept over the competitors before the screen went dark, leaving the crowd buzzing with tension.
Hyun-Jae watched quietly, leaning back slightly as others scrambled to organize themselves. Arguments broke out immediately, voices clashing over who would join whose team, who would lead, and who would be left behind.
From his vantage point, he could see the pattern clearly: the E-ranks were being cut first, tossed aside like expendable pieces, followed by some of the lower D-ranks. Teams were forming in clusters, some cooperating, others openly fighting for dominance.
Hyun-Jae let it play out, not in a rush. He had made his decision already, he would go alone. There was no advantage in rushing into a group where alliances were unstable and trust was scarce.
He was just about to approach the registration point to declare his team of one when something caught his eye, a small figure huddled in a corner, shoulders shaking. A soft, muffled sob carried through the noise of the arena.
Curious, and for a reason he couldn't immediately place, Hyun-Jae's gaze shifted toward her. The girl was slight, delicate even, and looked utterly lost amid the chaos. He crouched slightly to glance at her wrist, her insignia glowed C-rank. That meant she should have been able to find a team easily, yet here she was, crying in the middle of the arena.
For a moment, he hesitated. He didn't know why he felt the pull to approach her, sympathy, maybe, or perhaps just a quiet sense of responsibility. Whatever it was, he stepped forward.
"Hey," he said, voice calm and low so as not to draw unnecessary attention, "are you okay?"
The girl looked up abruptly, startled. Her eyes were red, streaked with tears, and she blinked rapidly as if trying to erase the evidence of her panic.
"I… I can't find a team," she admitted in a small, shaky voice. "Everyone… everyone else already picked their members."
Hyun-Jae nodded once, simply, his expression neutral but unreadable. He didn't offer empty reassurances, he had no idea what her skills or potential were, but there was a quiet steadiness in his presence that seemed to ground her just slightly.
C-rank, huh? he thought, noting her insignia. She should be fine… but maybe she just got unlucky.
He extended a hand slightly, not as an offer to team up yet, but as a small gesture of acknowledgment.
"You're not alone," he said simply, the words carrying more weight than they seemed.
The girl hesitated for a moment, then slowly reached out and took Hyun-Jae's hand. She wobbled slightly as she stood, and he adjusted his grip just enough to steady her without speaking.
As they rose together, he glanced down at her features. Subtle, pointed ears peeked out from her hair, her facial structure delicate yet striking. She wasn't human but close enough that the difference was only noticeable if you looked carefully.
"Wait… what are you?" Hyun-Jae asked, curiosity tinged with genuine interest.
The girl blinked, a little shy, then answered softly, "I'm a Sylvani Elf."
Hyun-Jae blinked, momentarily caught off guard. "Huh… an elf?" He let out a small chuckle. "I thought those weren't real. I've only ever heard of them in stories."
The girl's eyes widened slightly. "Really?" she said, sounding a little surprised, as if she had expected him to know.
Hyun-Jae tilted his head slightly, his gaze calm. "So… why can't you find a team, then? You're a C-rank, right?"
Her face immediately tightened, a flicker of discomfort passing over her features. Hyun-Jae sighed quietly and raised a hand in a placating gesture. "You don't have to share if you don't want to."
She relaxed slightly, though she still avoided his gaze.
Hyun-Jae glanced down at his own wrist and lightly tapped it, causing his E-rank insignia to glow faintly. "Look, I'm an E-rank," he said simply. "If you want to team up with me, I wouldn't mind, but it's your choice. No pressure."
The girl hesitated, biting her lip as she weighed the offer. His calm, unassuming confidence was unlike the other competitors, who were all rushing and arguing and trying to dominate each other. Something about him felt… steady, safe even.
Finally, after a brief pause, she looked up at him and said softly, "Okay… fine. I'll join you."
Hyun-Jae gave a small nod, showing no outward sign of pride or triumph. "Good," he said simply. "Let's see how this goes."
Even as she followed him, there was a faint sense of relief in her posture, and Hyun-Jae noted it silently. Allies were rare in the tournament, and even small trust could be worth more than strength.
Hyun-Jae let the girl steady herself, observing her hesitance with quiet patience. He didn't particularly feel the need to make allies, he could handle the trial on his own, but something about her, small and nervous in the crowded arena, stirred a trace of sympathy.
"I'm Hyun-Jae," he said simply, offering her a calm, steady smile. "What's your name?"
She hesitated for a fraction of a second before replying softly, "I'm Lyrelle."
"Lyrelle," he repeated, letting the name roll off his tongue. "Got it."
She glanced up at him, eyes flicking from his calm expression to the faint glow of his E-rank insignia. Her voice wavered slightly as she asked, "So… it's just going to be you and me?"
Hyun-Jae shrugged nonchalantly, as if the idea were trivial. "Yeah. It should be enough," he said. There was no boast, no need for reassurance, just a quiet confidence that seemed to hang in the air.
Lyrelle blinked, confusion crossing her delicate features. She didn't understand where such confidence could come from, he was an E-rank, after all, but somehow, it grounded her. Even in the chaos of the arena, in the face of a trial that could mean death, he seemed… steady, unshakable.
Hyun-Jae guided her to the nearby attendant station. Without ceremony, he signed their names. Hyun-Jae, Lyrelle, a team of two. The attendant nodded, making the official record, clearly used to seeing last-minute or unusual team formations but offering no comment.
Meanwhile, across the arena, murmurs began to ripple through the remaining competitors.
"Wait… they're going in as a pair? Just two of them?""A C-rank and an E? That's… reckless.""That's… insane. They don't even have four members, what are they thinking?"
Whispers, skeptical glances, and soft scoffs spread quickly, the other teams clearly judging the odd pairing. Yet Hyun-Jae didn't care. He wasn't here to impress anyone; he was here to survive, and to use whatever opportunities the trial might offer.
Lyrelle glanced at him, still hesitant but feeling reassured by his calmness. For now, she would follow, even if she didn't fully understand the source of his quiet confidence.
Hyun-Jae's eyes, however, were already drifting toward the large arena screen, waiting for the teleportation to the trial world and the chance to see just how much Etherea he could gain.