Chapter 231 — Lessons in Survival
Dervan released Aeris after slamming him into the ground.
The training field cracked under the impact.
A cloud of dust rose slowly.
Silence.
Aeris remained pinned to the ground, breathless, arms trembling.
Every inhale burned his lungs.
— …
— …
Nyss tilted her head from the edge of the field.
— "Well. He's alive. That's already a victory."
Seline frowned.
— "Dervan, you're going a bit too far."
Dervan looked at Aeris on the ground, expressionless, hands already back in his pockets.
— "I didn't even hit him seriously."
Aeris coughed violently.
— "…WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'NOT SERIOUSLY'?!"
Kae winced.
— "Ouch. That was educational."
Oris nodded.
— "Yeah. The kind of lesson you pay for with your bones."
Aeris clenched his teeth and tried to stand.
His legs gave out immediately.
— "Tch… I… I can't stay down…"
Dervan approached slowly.
— "That's the difference. You have power. Speed. A good core."
He stopped in front of him.
— "But you still think like someone who attacks. Not like someone who survives against someone stronger."
Aeris lifted his head, panting.
— "So what… I'm just… too weak?"
Dervan stared at him for a long moment.
— "No. You're impatient."
A brief silence.
Then Dervan extended his hand…
And helped Aeris to his feet.
Everyone blinked.
— "Ooooh," murmured Nyss.
— "He's being nice today."
— "Never repeat that," Dervan replied without looking at her.
Azevran crossed his arms, visibly satisfied.
— "You lasted longer than expected. And you forced Dervan to take one hand out of his pocket."
Kae's eyes widened.
— "Wait. That wasn't normal?!"
— "No," Seline answered.
— "Normally, he doesn't even get out of bed."
Aeris inhaled deeply.
— "So… I progressed?"
Dervan gave a slight nod.
— "Yes. But if you keep fighting like this…"
He placed a hand on Aeris's shoulder.
— "You'll die before reaching rank S."
Aeris clenched his fist.
— "Then teach me."
A heavy silence settled.
Then—
— "Oh."
Veyra, who had been watching without intervening, finally smiled and stepped forward calmly.
She floated slightly above the ground, arms crossed, perfectly relaxed.
— "Now it's getting interesting."
She passed in front of Aeris, eyes sparkling.
— "Dervan won't teach you how to win. I'll teach you how not to lose."
Dervan sighed.
— "Of course you're getting involved."
— "Shut up," she replied calmly.
— "You strike too straight. He needs to learn to avoid you."
Aeris looked at her, a little worried.
— "Uh… You're going to hit me too?"
Veyra smiled.
— "Of course. But differently."
Nyss burst out laughing.
— "Poor Aeris. He thought he was training. He signed up for collective survival."
Aeris suddenly forced himself up.
His core pulsed violently.
A wave of green energy exploded around him, lifting him off the ground.
— "HE'S GETTING UP?!" Oris shouted.
— "Bad idea," Kae replied.
Aeris screamed:
— "Tempesborne—"
— "Stop."
The voice cracked through the air.
Aeris's flow froze instantly.
Literally.
His body suddenly became… too heavy.
He collapsed to his knees.
Veyra now floated above the field.
— "Breathe," she said calmly.
— "I just lowered the gravity around you. And raised it a bit around Dervan. To balance."
Dervan slowly turned his head toward her.
— "You're interfering."
— "I'm regulating," she corrected.
— "It's pedagogical."
Nyss smiled.
— "Oh. I like this version."
Seline sighed.
— "You're all unmanageable."
Veyra descended gently and placed a finger on Aeris's forehead.
— "Listen closely, future rank S. You want to beat a monster like him…"
She pointed at Dervan.
— "…by playing his game. Bad idea."
Aeris panted.
— "But… he's too strong…"
— "Obviously," she replied.
— "He's rank S."
She smiled.
— "But you're not supposed to beat him. Just survive the training."
Dervan nodded.
— "Exactly. If I wanted to defeat you… you wouldn't still be conscious."
Aeris swallowed hard.
— "…Ah."
Oris burst out laughing.
— "I like this guy. He's honest."
— "A bit too much," added Kae.
Veyra snapped her fingers.
The ground around Aeris warped slightly… then returned to normal.
— "Last lesson of the day. Power is good. But the way you fight…"
She smiled.
— "…that's what separates rank A from rank S."
Azevran placed a hand on Aeris's shoulder.
— "You progressed. But most importantly, today you learned something essential."
— "What?" Aeris asked.
Dervan answered for him.
— "That even with an evolved form… you're still human."
He paused.
— "You master the Tempesborne Form. You control your abilities. Your power is real."
He fixed his gaze on him.
— "But you still don't know how to fight. You rush. You unleash your strength without thinking. And against someone stronger… it kills you."
Silence.
Then, from the entrance:
— "I'm human too. And I'm hungry."
Kronn yawned.
— "KRONN!" Lysandra shouted.
— "YOU JUST MISSED AN IMPORTANT MOMENT!"
— "Ah. Sorry. I blinked."
— "LUNCH BREAK BEFORE SOMEONE DIES!" she shouted.
Oris raised his fist.
— "MY TREAT!"
— …
— "IF NYSS GIVES ME BACK MY MONEY!"
Nyss smiled innocently.
— "We'll see."
Aeris lay down on his back, staring at the sky.
Exhausted.
Beaten.
But alive.
And for the first time…
He truly understood what it meant to aim for rank S.
Chapter 232 — The Canteen Was Alive
The canteen was lively.
Laughter, overlapping voices, clattering cutlery.
Aeris, however, ate slowly.
Not because he wasn't hungry.
But because every movement reminded him of the impact against the ground.
— "You look strange," Kae noted.
— "Are you hurt somewhere?"
Aeris shrugged.
— "Everywhere. But it's fine."
— "Then everything's fine," Kae concluded.
— "As long as you're not dying, I don't intervene."
Nyss burst out laughing.
— "The most reassuring healer in the world."
Seline observed Aeris more closely.
— "You got up too quickly earlier. Your core was unstable."
Aeris lowered his eyes slightly.
— "I forced it."
Dervan ate in silence, but his voice fell like a weight.
— "You didn't force it. You panicked."
A brief silence followed.
Aeris gripped his fork.
— "I just reacted."
— "Exactly," Azevran replied.
— "Your reaction has changed."
Nyss tilted her head.
— "Oh? Interesting."
Veyra, seated apart, finally turned her gaze on Aeris.
— "Before, when you were under pressure… you analyzed. You repositioned. You used the air, the terrain, the distance."
She paused.
— "Today, your first reflex was to call Tempesborne."
Aeris lifted his head.
— "Because it was logical. He was stronger."
— "Exactly," she answered calmly.
— "And that's why it's dangerous."
Kronn swallowed his plate in one gulp.
— "So basically? He found a quick‑solution button."
— "A button that draws the attention of monsters," Dervan added.
— "And drains you faster than you think."
Aeris stayed silent for a moment.
— "I can still fight without it," he said finally.
— "I haven't forgotten—"
— "We know," Veyra cut in.
— "What we're testing isn't your memory. It's your instinct."
Seline crossed her arms.
— "A rank S doesn't survive because he's strong. He survives because he chooses when to be."
Aeris inhaled deeply.
— "So what… You want me to ignore it?"
— "No," Dervan replied.
— "You're going to learn not to use it… even when everything in you tells you to."
Nyss smiled.
— "Ooh. That's going to sting."
Veyra stood.
— "Finish eating. Then, training."
— "What kind of training?" Aeris asked.
She looked him straight in the eyes.
— "The kind where your power won't save you. The kind where only your control will matter."
A few minutes later, they walked down a silent corridor.
Aeris moved calmly. His senses already picked up the flows of air. The variations. The vibrations.
*I can do it without,* he reminded himself.
They stopped before a massive door, covered in runes.
— "Ten minutes," Dervan declared.
— "Without Tempesborne. Without forcing. Without trying to win."
Veyra placed her hand on the door.
— "You have nothing to prove. Just something to understand."
The door opened slowly.
Aeris inhaled.
— "…Alright. Then I'll do it like before. And we'll see if that's enough."
He stepped inside.
The door closed behind him.
*Clack.*
— "Timer started," Veyra announced.
Aeris's core pulsed briefly…
Then fell silent.
And for the first time since he had obtained an evolved form,
Aeris understood that the true danger
was not lacking power…
but using it too soon.
Chapter 233 — The Room That Does Not Forgive
Silence.
A real one.
Thick.
Heavy.
Not the kind you hear…
The kind that watches.
Aeris remained still for a few seconds after the door closed.
There were no visible enemies.
No obvious traps.
Just a vast circular room, its walls covered in faded, almost erased runes.
— "…I hate this kind of place," he murmured.
His core stayed calm.
Silent.
As if it too was holding its breath.
No Tempesborne.
No forcing.
Like before.
Aeris slowly placed one foot forward.
Nothing.
A second step.
Still nothing.
— "Okay… either it's too quiet… or I'm already dead and don't know it yet."
Outside the room, behind the sealed door:
— "He's talking to himself," Nyss noted.
— "Bad sign," Kae replied.
— "On the contrary," said Veyra. "It means he's still thinking."
Dervan, arms crossed, eyes fixed on the control runes.
— "Three minutes have passed."
— "Already?" Seline asked, surprised.
— "He hasn't done anything yet."
— "Exactly."
Inside, Aeris felt something change.
Not a sound.
Not an attack.
A pressure.
The air grew denser.
Barely perceptible… but constant.
— "Variable gravity…" he whispered.
— "No. Localized."
He leaned slightly to the side.
His instinct screamed:
Tempesborne.
He clenched his teeth.
— "No."
Aeris rolled across the floor just in time.
The spot where he had stood a second earlier collapsed silently, as if sucked downward.
— "Okay. So the room attacks. Great."
Shapes began to emerge from the walls.
Not monsters.
Not really.
Blurred silhouettes.
Humanoid.
Unstable.
Imitations.
— "…Perfect. Fake me's."
One of the silhouettes lifted its head.
Same height.
Same posture.
Same gaze.
— "Oh no," Aeris muttered.
— "Even I already hate myself."
The copies attacked.
Aeris moved instantly.
Not fast.
Not strong.
Just… right.
He slipped between two strikes, used a pillar for cover, forced one silhouette to hit another.
— "Breathe… observe… conserve…"
His heart raced.
But his mind stayed clear.
Outside:
— "He's not forcing it," Azevran noted.
— "He's dancing," Veyra corrected.
— "Like before."
Nyss smiled.
— "He's learning."
Inside, Aeris suddenly stepped back.
A copy had anticipated his move.
— "Tch."
He stumbled.
Barely regained balance.
His core pulsed.
A call.
A reflex.
Tempesborne…
— "Not now!"
He slammed his palm against the floor.
Used the shockwave to propel himself sideways, slipped under an attack, and launched a precise gust of wind — weak, but perfectly placed.
One copy disintegrated.
Then another.
— "Okay… it works."
Time passed.
The pressure increased.
So did the fatigue.
But Aeris endured.
When the last silhouette collapsed, he remained standing, panting, drenched in sweat.
The room fell silent.
A click.
The door opened.
Aeris lifted his head.
— "…That was it?"
Veyra smiled.
— "Ten minutes."
— "Exactly."
Dervan nodded.
— "And you didn't activate your form once."
Kae whistled.
— "Not bad, kid."
Nyss applauded.
— "Honestly? I would've cracked at minute two."
Seline stepped forward and placed a hand on Aeris's shoulder.
— "Do you see the difference?"
Aeris inhaled deeply.
— "Yes. Before… I would've tried to win. Now… I just survived."
Dervan smiled faintly.
— "Welcome to real training."
From the end of the corridor:
— "WAS THAT THE ENTRANCE?" Kronn asked.
— "Because I would've smashed everything."
Lysandra immediately shouted:
— "YOU'RE NOT GOING IN ANYWHERE!"
Silence.
Then Kronn:
— "…Alright."
Aeris let out a small laugh.
Tired.
Sore.
But clearer than ever.
Rank S wasn't about power.
It was about choices.
And for the first time…
He had made the right one.
Chapter 234 — After the Trial
The corridor regained its calm.
Well… guild‑style calm.
The kind where everyone is too tired to cause damage.
Aeris leaned against the wall, then slowly slid down to the floor.
His legs were still trembling.
A little.
A lot.
— "…I thought I died at least six times," he murmured.
Nyss tilted her head, thoughtful.
— "Only six?"
— "I stopped counting after the fourth," he replied without looking at her.
— "After that, it got depressing."
Kae tossed him a bottle.
— "Drink."
— "If I throw up, it's on you."
— "Drink anyway."
— "…Thanks."
Aeris swallowed a gulp. Then another.
His core vibrated softly, like a pot forgotten on the stove.
Not dangerous.
Just sulking.
Azevran approached.
— "You felt it, didn't you?"
— "Yes…" Aeris answered.
— "Every second."
— "The call," murmured Veyra.
Dervan nodded.
— "That's always when it gets troublesome."
Seline crossed her arms.
— "Many hunters die because they use their best asset too early."
— "Or too often," added Veyra.
— "Or recklessly," Nyss completed.
— "Fond memory."
Aeris closed his eyes.
— "It's strange…"
— "What?" asked Kae.
He placed a hand on his chest.
— "When I don't use it… I feel like it's judging me."
Nyss smiled, delighted.
— "Oh, a passive‑aggressive power. Classic."
— "Mine sometimes tries to strangle me," she added calmly.
— "…Excuse me?"
— "Long story. Lots of screaming. Few witnesses."
Dervan looked away.
— "It's not your power that's dangerous. It's the addiction," he corrected.
— "Like coffee," Kronn murmured from who‑knows‑where.
— "No one asked you," Seline replied.
— "I needed to feel included."
A silence settled.
Then—
— "Well," said Oris, arriving with arms crossed.
— "Verdict?"
Veyra answered immediately.
— "He succeeded."
— "No cheating."
— "No forcing."
— "No dying."
Oris whistled.
— "Impressive. Three criteria met. Usually we lose at least one."
Aeris gave a tired smile.
— "And now?" he asked.
Azevran placed a hand on his shoulder.
— "Now, you relax."
— "You recover," added Dervan.
— "And you try not to think too hard," Nyss specified.
— "Why?"
— "Because it rarely leads to good ideas."
Kronn poked his head into the corridor.
— "Is it over?"
— "Yes," Lysandra answered immediately.
— "Nothing exploded. No one screamed 'HELP.' So yes."
— "Shame," Kronn sighed.
— "I was mentally prepared to intervene heroically."
— "You were sitting," Seline corrected.
— "Heroically sitting."
Aeris burst out laughing despite himself.
He stood up slowly, inhaled deeply.
His core calmed.
Stable.
Not silent.
But cooperative.
Reluctantly.
He looked at the group around him.
These monsters.
These lunatics.
These rank S who should have been outlawed.
— "…I think I understand," he said.
Azevran smiled.
— "Oh really?"
Aeris clenched his fist.
— "Rank S isn't about becoming stronger than everyone else.
It's about learning not to become unbearable when you can."
Dervan nodded.
— "Philosophically accurate."
Nyss grinned with all her teeth.
— "Progress."
— "Alright," Oris concluded.
— "Let's eat."
— "I REMIND YOU THE CANTEEN IS UNDER RENOVATION!" Lysandra shouted from the hall.
Silence.
Then Kronn:
— "…We eat the wall?"
— "NO."
Aeris sighed.
Then smiled.
The trial was over.
And against all odds,
he was still in one piece.