Chapter: The Trial Before the Storm
The corrupted forest no longer resembled the battlefield it had once been.
What was once a chaotic war front had transformed into a living dominion of monsters, an expanding empire growing quietly beneath layers of shadow and corruption.
A cold wind moved through the trees.
The leaves were no longer green.
They were black-veined crimson, whispering as if the forest itself was breathing.
At the center of this vast domain stood the training ground arena.
Above it, a translucent system panel flickered into existence.
System Timer
Seclusion Period Remaining: 1 Month 5 Days
Annual Ceremony: 9 Days
Diplomatic Relations Visit: 17 Days
Inside the arena, battle raged.
Weapons clashed.
Explosions of mana echoed through the massive circular battlefield.
Draven stood in the center.
Across from him stood another Draven.
Not an illusion.
A training puppet.
But this puppet was terrifying.
The arena had analyzed Draven's combat data and created an advanced copy of him.
It was twice as strong.
Twice as fast.
Twice as lethal.
The puppet's wings of dark energy flared as it attacked.
Draven's eyes glowed red.
"Instant Teleportation."
In a flash of black lightning he vanished.
The puppet's sword cleaved through empty air.
Draven appeared behind it.
His abyssal blade formed from liquid darkness in his hand.
"Shadow Sever."
The blade tore through the puppet's back.
But the puppet reacted instantly.
Its hand twisted backward unnaturally and grabbed Draven's throat.
It slammed him into the ground.
The impact shattered the arena floor.
Draven laughed.
A deep, almost delighted laugh.
"Good."
Nearby, his generals were fighting their own battles.
Samuel clashed against the gargoyle general's puppet.
Black flames roared from Samuel's armor.
His opponent descended like a meteor.
"METEOR DIVE!"
The puppet crashed into Samuel with catastrophic force.
Samuel responded instantly.
"Necrotic Explosion!"
Dark energy erupted outward.
Both combatants were blown apart.
Elsewhere—
A1 fought the Dullahan puppet.
The headless rider's nightmare steed galloped through shadows.
Chains of death burst from the ground.
A1 sliced them apart with perfect precision.
Across the arena—
B2 fired arrows faster than the eye could follow.
Her opponent—the dark elf puppet—moved through shadows like a ghost.
Prince Varuk clashed against the Morlock King's puppet.
Water dragons erupted from the ground as tidal magic collided with brutal spear strikes.
The entire arena had become a war zone.
And then—
Everything stopped.
Mid strike.
Mid spell.
Mid movement.
Every puppet froze.
Their eyes turned crimson.
A deep mechanical voice echoed across the arena.
SPECIAL EVENT TRIGGERED
Training Ground Arena Trial Initiated.
All combat data collected.
Puppets upgraded to Advanced Mastery State.
Puppets may now:
• Share combat data
• Strategize collectively
• Set ambushes
• Evolve during battle
Trial Boss: Created
Rewards: Unknown
Draven's smile widened.
"Finally."
Suddenly—
The arena shattered.
Reality cracked like glass.
Darkness swallowed everything.
Then—
The nightmare realm appeared.
A world of endless crimson skies.
Floating islands.
Rivers of black fire.
Draven stood at the center of a massive battlefield.
His generals appeared beside him one by one.
Samuel.
A1.
B2.
C3.
Gargoyle General.
Prince Varuk.
The Dark Elf.
Dullahan.
Their weapons materialized instantly.
Their auras flared.
The generals glanced around.
Even the usually calm C3 spoke.
"This… is different."
Draven cracked his neck slowly.
"Oh it definitely is."
A rumbling shook the world.
Across the battlefield—
Dozens of portals opened.
The advanced puppets stepped out.
Not one.
Not ten.
Hundreds.
Every puppet had evolved.
Every puppet carried advanced mastery of the generals' abilities.
And they were already forming battle formations.
Draven chuckled.
"Oh this is going to be fun."
The sky split open.
A gigantic silhouette descended.
The Trial Boss.
A towering creature formed from fragments of every fighter's power.
Wings of shadow.
A body of living stone.
Lightning veins.
Chains of death wrapped around its limbs.
Its eyes burned like collapsing stars.
A system window appeared.
Trial Boss
"Arena Sovereign – Prototype Alpha"
Abilities:
• All combat skills recorded from participants
• Adaptive evolution
• Shared intelligence with puppet army
Objective: Survive and defeat the trial boss.
The monster roared.
The puppet army charged.
Draven slowly raised his sword.
"Formation."
His generals instantly moved.
Samuel stepped forward.
Black flames exploded around him.
"Nether Flame Domain!"
A1 vanished into motion.
B2's arrows rained like meteor showers.
The gargoyle general launched into the sky.
Prince Varuk summoned tidal spears.
C3 raised a massive spirit barrier.
The Dullahan galloped forward through shadows.
Draven's wings unfolded.
A storm of dark mana erupted.
He laughed.
A loud manic laugh.
"COME THEN!"
The battlefield exploded into chaos.
Meanwhile…
Far away.
Beyond the corrupted forest.
Beyond the eastern empire.
Mana airships filled the skies.
Massive floating vessels powered by glowing crystals sailed through clouds.
Spirit beast carriages moved across the land.
Kings.
Clan leaders.
Envoys.
Warriors.
All were heading toward the eastern empire.
The annual ceremony was approaching.
One of the largest political gatherings on the continent.
None of them knew.
That a demon lord had already conquered the empire's war front.
Western Province
Night had fallen.
Rain soaked the land.
Lightning flashed across the sky.
An ancient graveyard stretched across the hills.
Broken tombstones.
Rotting statues.
Dead trees twisted like skeletal fingers.
Above it all—
A massive castle stood on the cliff.
Black.
Silent.
Watching.
And approaching the graveyard—
A lone rider.
His horse was unnatural.
A demonic creature with burning red eyes.
Its hooves left trails of black smoke.
The man riding it wore a dark coat.
A black scarf covered his face.
A tricorn hat shadowed his eyes.
A massive weapon rested across his back.
A magical shotgun.
His boots were stained with blood.
He stopped at the entrance of the graveyard.
Rain dripped from his hat.
He looked up toward the castle.
His eyes were calm.
Cold.
Calculating.
From the darkness—
A whisper echoed.
"You came alone."
Dozens of figures appeared among the graves.
Vampires.
Pale.
Elegant.
Deadly.
At their center—
A tall figure stepped forward.
The Vampire Count.
His crimson eyes glowed.
"You must be the hunter."
The rider slowly dismounted.
His voice was quiet.
"Yes."
The vampire smiled.
"You should know… many hunters have tried."
The man reached behind his back.
He grabbed the shotgun.
A massive rune ignited along the barrel.
His aura erupted.
The graveyard trembled.
"Good."
The vampire's smile faded.
Because suddenly—
He understood.
The man in front of him…
Was not prey.
He was a disaster.
The hunter tilted his head slightly.
Rain dripping from his hat.
His hand rested calmly on the weapon.
And his voice echoed through the graveyard.
"Let's begin."
Far away.
Inside the nightmare realm.
Draven's blade collided with the trial boss.
The shockwave split the sky.
Two storms were beginning.
One inside the corrupted forest.
One in the western province.
And neither side understood yet.
That these events…
Were already connected.
The game is set.
Let the hunt begin.