The moment Eternia Sinclair stepped into the labyrinth, the outside world seemed to vanish behind her.
The massive stone gate slowly closed with a deep rumbling sound, sealing the children within the towering maze. Sunlight barely reached the ground through the high walls, leaving the pathways bathed in a cool dimness that made every corner feel mysterious and dangerous.
For a brief moment, Eternia simply stood still.
Her silver eyes closed gently as she allowed her senses to expand.
Mana flowed smoothly through her magic circuits as she released a faint pulse of detection magic.
A simple spell.
One of the most basic techniques used by beginner mages.
But in the hands of someone with refined control, even a basic spell could reveal far more information than most people realized.
Ripples of mana spread quietly outward from her body, touching the surrounding walls, ground, and air like invisible waves.
Eternia frowned slightly.
"…This maze is more complicated than it looks."
The labyrinth was not simply a structure of stone walls designed to confuse directions.
Magic permeated every part of it.
Subtle enchantments interfered with normal detection spells, bending the flow of mana so that readings became distorted and unreliable. Many of the corridors twisted in unnatural patterns that would confuse anyone relying purely on instinct.
But even more interesting…
There were objects hidden throughout the maze.
Dozens of them.
Each radiating faint magical signatures.
Eternia slowly opened her eyes.
"…Weapons."
Magical weapons.
Staffs.
Wands.
Possibly other items as well.
They were scattered across the maze like hidden rewards.
Her lips curved slightly.
"So that's how they plan to test us."
The arena examination was clearly not a simple race to find the golden mana stones.
The hidden weapons were likely advantages meant for later stages of the trial.
Children who discovered them early would gain a significant edge.
Eternia turned slowly, scanning the nearby corridors.
"In my previous life…"
Her fingers moved subconsciously.
"…I always preferred staffs."
Staff-type magical weapons were ideal for mages who relied on mana channeling and precise spell casting. Unlike wands, which were designed for quick spell activation, staffs acted as amplifiers and stabilizers for large amounts of mana.
In other words…
Perfect for someone planning to use advanced magic.
Eternia began walking deeper into the maze.
Her movements were calm and unhurried.
While other children had rushed forward the moment the gate opened, Eternia had already realized that reckless movement would only waste time and energy.
Instead, she quietly expanded her mana sensing ability.
Small pulses of mana radiated outward repeatedly, scanning the labyrinth step by step.
Occasionally she could feel faint magical signatures hidden within nearby corridors.
Some were weak.
Likely low-quality wands meant for beginner mages.
Others were stronger.
But Eternia was searching for something specific.
"A staff… preferably mid-tier or higher."
Finding such an item would make a massive difference in future battles.
Especially for what she planned to do later.
Meanwhile—
Elsewhere inside the maze—
Chaos had already begun.
A loud crash echoed through one of the corridors as a stone creature burst through a wall.
Children screamed.
"Golem!"
A massive construct made of enchanted stone stepped forward, its glowing core shining faintly within its chest.
The maze was not empty.
Guardians had been placed throughout its corridors.
Basic defense constructs designed to attack intruders.
For young children barely capable of using magic, they were terrifying opponents.
Several branch family children ran desperately down the corridor, panic filling their faces.
"I can't cast a spell!"
"Run!"
One of them tried forming a basic magic circle with trembling hands, but the structure collapsed before completion.
Without the ability to cast even the most basic spell—Zero Circle Magic—they stood no chance against the golem.
The creature swung its massive arm.
BOOM.
Stone shattered against the ground as the children scattered in terror.
In another part of the maze, a group of pure-blooded Sinclair children attempted to fight.
Three of them stood together, nervously forming basic spell circles.
"Zero Circle Spell—Mana Bolt!"
Small bursts of condensed mana shot forward.
The spells struck the golem's body with dull impacts.
Cracks appeared across its stone armor.
But the creature kept moving.
One of the children shouted in panic.
"It's not stopping!"
Their spells were too weak.
The golem's defensive enchantments absorbed most of the damage.
The children retreated quickly as the construct advanced.
However—
Not everyone struggled.
In one wide corridor, Etherius Sinclair stood calmly facing another stone golem.
The creature raised its arm to strike.
Etherius didn't move.
He simply lifted his hand.
A small magic circle appeared instantly.
"Zero Circle Spell."
His voice was quiet.
"Mana Pierce."
A thin spear of condensed mana shot forward with incredible speed.
CRACK.
The golem's glowing core shattered instantly.
The entire construct collapsed into lifeless rubble.
Etherius lowered his hand calmly.
Not far away—
Another golem lay broken on the ground.
Fragments of stone scattered across the corridor.
Standing before the remains was Eternia Sinclair.
Her silver hair fluttered slightly as she lowered her small hand.
"Zero Circle Spell… Mana Shatter."
The simple spell had been carefully aimed at the weak point in the construct's chest.
One precise attack.
One clean destruction.
Eternia glanced briefly at the broken pieces before continuing her search.
Compared to the children struggling desperately against these constructs, defeating them required almost no effort.
Four years of mana control training had given her an enormous advantage.
But Eternia wasn't interested in fighting weak enemies.
She was still searching.
Her mana sensing ability continued scanning the maze.
Slowly.
Patiently.
Until—
She stopped.
A powerful magical signature pulsed faintly somewhere nearby.
Stronger than anything she had sensed so far.
Eternia followed the signal through several twisting corridors.
Eventually she arrived at what appeared to be a dead end.
A solid stone wall blocked the path.
Eternia stared at it quietly.
"…Interesting."
Her mana sensing ability clearly detected a powerful magical object behind that wall.
Which meant this wasn't a normal dead end.
She stepped closer.
As soon as she approached the wall—
The stone surface shimmered.
The illusion faded.
Revealing a hidden chamber.
Inside the chamber stood a pedestal.
Resting upon it was a beautiful staff.
Dark silver metal formed its long shaft, engraved with ancient runic patterns that faintly glowed with magical energy. At the top floated a small crystal radiating steady mana.
Eternia's eyes widened slightly.
"A mid-high tier staff."
For a child participating in this trial…
That was an extraordinary reward.
But the chamber wasn't unguarded.
The moment Eternia stepped forward, the ground trembled.
From the shadows behind the pedestal, a creature slowly emerged.
It resembled a golem—but far different from the stone constructs roaming the maze.
Its body was composed of thick vines twisted together into humanoid form.
Long tendrils moved like whips around its body.
A glowing core pulsed faintly within its chest.
The vine golem moved with unsettling agility.
Eternia's expression became serious.
"…So this is the trial."
The staff wasn't free.
To claim it, she would have to defeat the guardian.
The vine golem suddenly lunged forward.
Its tendrils lashed toward her like striking snakes.
Eternia jumped back quickly.
The vines smashed into the ground where she had stood moments earlier.
CRACK.
Stone shattered.
"That's faster than the stone constructs."
She analyzed the creature instantly.
Agile.
Fast.
Likely resistant to simple mana attacks.
Using basic magic alone would take too long.
Eternia narrowed her eyes.
"…Then I'll have to use something else."
Something she had not intended to reveal this early.
Ancient Magic.
A forbidden branch of magic long forgotten by most modern mages.
Unlike normal spells, ancient magic did not rely solely on the caster's internal mana.
Instead…
It drew power from the mana present in the surrounding world itself.
The atmosphere.
The land.
The invisible currents of magical energy flowing through reality.
The power of such spells could range from simple body enhancement…
To catastrophic phenomena capable of devouring entire battlefields.
But ancient magic came with terrifying costs.
The incantations were extremely long.
The mental strain was enormous.
And most importantly—
A magical conduit of equal tier was required to channel the spell.
Without one, the mana backlash could destroy the caster's mind.
Many mages who attempted ancient magic without proper mental strength had gone insane.
Which was why almost no one used it anymore.
Not to mention…
Most ancient spells were secrets guarded by powerful organizations and noble families.
Ordinary people never even learned they existed.
Eternia closed her eyes briefly.
A faint memory surfaced.
Her previous life.
Long nights searching through forbidden ruins.
Stealing ancient scrolls from hidden libraries.
Learning the dangerous chants alone in abandoned forests.
Ancient magic had been the only reason Shatter survived as long as he did.
Without it…
He would have died long before reaching the Fifth Circle.
But the memory also brought anger.
A bitter image flashed through her mind.
Her former noble family.
The assassins they sent after him.
The years spent running from their hunters.
Her fists tightened slightly.
"…Those bastards."
For a moment, her emotions flared dangerously.
But Eternia quickly exhaled slowly.
Calm returned.
"That was my previous life."
She opened her eyes again.
Her gaze became sharp.
"In this life…"
"…I'll become stronger than anyone."
Stronger than nobles.
Stronger than monsters.
Stronger than any race that had ever existed.
Her eyes lifted toward the distant horizon beyond the maze walls.
There was a place in this world feared by all living beings.
A forbidden region known as the Continent of Death.
The Blight.
A land consumed by corruption and monstrous entities where no kingdom had ever established control.
Even powerful archmages avoided entering it.
But Eternia smiled faintly.
"One day…"
"…I'll conquer it."
She returned her attention to the present battle.
The vine golem attacked again.
Tendrils shot forward violently.
Eternia began moving.
Dodging.
Jumping.
Sliding between the strikes while forming complex hand motions.
Ancient magic required perfect focus.
She began chanting quietly.
A long, ancient language flowing from her lips.
The spell would strengthen her body temporarily.
Just enough to defeat the guardian.
But the process took time.
And concentration.
The vine golem attacked relentlessly.
One tendril lashed toward her head.
Another aimed for her legs.
Eternia continued chanting while dodging.
Her mind strained under the immense mental pressure of controlling the spell.
Mana gathered from the surrounding environment.
The air vibrated faintly.
The spell was almost complete—
Suddenly—
A massive vine attack descended from above.
Its shadow swallowed her entirely.
Eternia's eyes widened slightly.
The attack was too fast to avoid.
The spell wasn't finished.
And ancient magic could not be interrupted once started.
The enormous vine crashed down toward her.