The Ascension Plaza was less a testing ground and more a monument to arrogance.
Located in the center of Arcanvale's Golden District, the coliseum was a massive ring of white marble and reinforced mana-glass, capable of seating fifty thousand spectators. Giant holographic banners streamed from the spires, displaying the faces of current S-Rank heroes—the idols of the new world.
Below them, standing in the dust and heat of the arena floor, were the ants hoping to join them.
Kael adjusted the strap of his satchel, his eyes scanning the crowd. There were easily two thousand applicants. Most wore gleaming armor purchased from high-end smithies, their weapons humming with enchantments. They stood in cliques, laughing, confident.
Then there was Kael and Eren.
Kael wore his scavenged leather chest piece, scorched black from his own fire. Eren clutched his worn wooden staff like a lifeline. They looked like stains on a silk sheet.
"There are so many..." Eren whispered, shrinking back as a group of hulking warriors walked past. "Kael, look at their gear. That guy has a D-Rank Frostblade. That one has Mythril plating. We're brought knives to a nuke fight."
Kael didn't look impressed. He looked hungry.
"Gear breaks, Eren," Kael said calmly. "Skill doesn't."
He tapped his temple. Inside the Sanctum of Ash, he had spent what felt like weeks dissecting combat scenarios. To the world, he was an F-Rank recovering from a coma. In his mind, he was a veteran of a thousand simulations.
[ Scan Active. ] The Codex overlaid data on the crowd, highlighting potential threats in red.
"Out of the way, gutter trash."
A shoulder slammed into Kael—hard. It wasn't an accident. Kael didn't stumble, but he stepped back, his eyes narrowing.
Standing there was a young man who looked like he had been sculpted from gold. His armor was polished silver with blue trim—the colors of House Thorne, one of the wealthy Founder Families. He held a longsword that crackled with faint electricity.
[ Threat Detected: Vane Thorne ] [ Class: Stormblade (E-Rank Elite) ] [ Note: High mana capacity. Ego exceeds intelligence. ]
Vane dusted off his pristine pauldron where he had bumped Kael, looking at him with undisguised disgust.
"They really let anyone in these days, don't they?" Vane sneered, looking at his entourage—two heavy shield-bearers who laughed on cue. "The smell of the Outer District is clinging to you. Do everyone a favor and forfeit before you bleed on my boots."
Eren opened his mouth to defend them, but Kael cut him off with a hand.
Kael didn't get angry. He didn't shout. He just smiled—a cold, dead smile that didn't reach his eyes.
"Nice sword," Kael said softly. "Must have cost daddy a fortune. Hope you know which end to hold."
The laughter in Vane's group died instantly. Vane stepped forward, sparks dancing along his blade. "You got a death wish, beggar?"
"Enough."
The voice boomed across the arena, amplified by magic.
Vane glared at Kael one last time. "Pray you don't end up in my block. I'll make it slow." He turned and marched toward the front.
Kael watched him go, his smile fading into calculation. Vane Thorne. Lightning affinity. fast, aggressive. Weakness: Pride.
"He's going to be a problem," Eren murmured.
"He's going to be prey," Kael corrected.
"Interesting confidence."
Kael turned to his left. Leaning against a pillar, arms crossed, was a girl who looked bored by the entire spectacle. She wore lightweight, blackened leather armor—no insignias, no flash. Two curved daggers hung at her hips. Her hair was cut short, and her eyes were sharp, tracking everything like a hawk.
[ Analysis: Lyra Vance ] [ Class: Shadow Dancer (Rank ???) ] [ Threat Level: High. ]
"Most F-Ranks shake when Vane talks," she said, her voice monotone. "You looked like you were dissecting him."
"Panic wastes energy," Kael replied.
Lyra studied him for a second, then pushed off the pillar. "Don't die in the first round. You might actually be interesting."
Before Kael could answer, the arena lights shifted. The massive mana-glass dome above them darkened, signaling the start.
A figure descended from the central spire—Overseer Ironwood. He was a mountain of a man, a retired A-Rank tank known for holding a dungeon gate solo for three days.
"Two thousand of you stand here!" Ironwood bellowed. "The Protector Vanguard needs elite soldiers. We do not need fodder. We do not need cowards."
He pointed to the ground. The arena floor began to rumble.
"Phase One is simple. We call it The Culling."
Massive stone pillars shot up from the ground, shifting the flat arena into a jagged, maze-like ruin. Holographic projectors flickered to life, spawning simulated beasts—wolves, goblins, and serpents—amidst the crowd.
"The objective is not to kill monsters," Ironwood shouted. "It is to hold a Token."
From the sky, hundreds of glowing golden orbs rained down, scattering into the maze.
"There are 2,000 applicants. There are 200 Tokens. If you do not have a Token when the timer hits zero, you are eliminated. You may fight beasts to survive. You may fight each other to take Tokens. The only rule: No killing blows."
Ironwood grinned, a cruel expression. "Begin."
Chaos exploded instantly.
The sound of steel clashing and magic detonation filled the air. People scrambled for the falling orbs. Those who caught them were immediately swarmed by desperate rivals.
"Kael!" Eren shouted, raising his staff as a holographic wolf lunged at them.
"Move!" Kael didn't hesitate.
He didn't run for the nearest Token. He ran away from the crowd.
"Where are we going?" Eren panted, struggling to keep up as Kael vaulted over a rising stone wall.
"The center," Kael said, eyes scanning the layout. "The amateurs are fighting for the scraps on the edge. The real hoard is in the middle."
A group of three D-Rank applicants blocked their path. They were big, armored, and grinning.
"Look, easy points," the leader sneered, raising a mace. "Hand over your gear, and we might let you walk out."
Kael stopped. He felt the Sanctum's training hum in his muscles. In the simulation, he had fought ten men at once. Three thugs were a warm-up.
[ System Quest: Survive Phase One. ] [ Optional Objective: Secure 2 Tokens. ] [ Reward: 50 System Points. ]
Kael looked at Eren. "Shield me."
Eren nodded, slamming his staff down. [ Skill: Barrier Ward ]. A translucent green dome shimmered around them just as the mace slammed down. The barrier cracked, but held.
Kael moved.
He didn't use his sword. He used the Fire.
[ Skill: Smoke Veil ]
Thick, black smoke erupted from Kael's body, blinding the three attackers instantly. They coughed, swinging wildly.
"I can't see! Where is he?"
Kael slid through the smoke—Ash Phase. He dissolved into the grey haze, reforming directly behind the leader.
He didn't use the Eternal Ashfire. That was too dangerous to reveal yet. He used simple, brutal efficiency. He kicked the back of the leader's knee, shattering his stance, and drove his elbow into the man's temple.
The leader dropped like a stone.
The other two spun around, but Kael was already moving. He ducked under a sword swing, grabbed the attacker's wrist, and blasted a Fire Spark point-blank into the armor joint. The heat made the man shriek and drop his weapon.
Kael swept his legs, knocking the second man down, and pointed his blade at the third.
"Walk away," Kael said coldly.
The third man looked at his fallen leader, then at the smoke swirling around Kael like a living thing. He dropped his weapon and ran.
Eren lowered the barrier, staring at Kael. "You... you didn't even use your sword."
"Save the edge for the real fight," Kael said, reaching down to the fallen leader's belt. He yanked a golden Token free. "One down. We need one more."
Sudden applause echoed from above.
Standing on a high pillar overlooking the maze was Vane Thorne. He held three Tokens in one hand, juggling them carelessly. Arcs of blue lightning crackled around him, keeping a pack of wolves at bay.
"Not bad for a rat," Vane called down, his voice amplified by the acoustics. "But let's see how you handle real pressure."
Vane pointed his sword at the sky. A bolt of lightning shot up, shattering a nearby holographic generator. The malfunction caused the simulated beasts in Kael's sector to glitch—and then double in size.
A massive, glitching Ogre materialized in front of Kael and Eren.
"Oops," Vane laughed, turning to walk away. "My hand slipped."
The Ogre roared, a sound that shook the ground.
Eren paled. "Kael... that thing is huge."
Kael looked up at Vane's retreating back, then at the Ogre. His eyes burned with a dark, familiar hunger.
"Eren," Kael said, his voice low. "Buff me. Everything you have."
"What? You're going to fight it?"
"No," Kael smirked, smoke curling off his shoulders. "I'm going to use it."
"We're getting that second Token. And then..." Kael looked toward the pillar where Vane stood. "I'm going to introduce pretty boy to the gutter."