The summons flared violently the moment Eryndor stepped from the Academic Tower.
[Mandatory Trial Event: Combat Simulation - Trial Grounds.]
[Failure results in immediate expulsion.]
[Observation Protocol: Active.]
[Teleportation commencing.]
The ground beneath The Lost Ones fractured into blinding light.
They vanished.
When sensation returned, Eryndor stood on jagged obsidian stone under a sky drenched in blood-red clouds. Towering ruined pillars circled a vast arena. Floating platforms twisted lazily across bottomless chasms. Crumbled statues stared down with empty sockets.
The Trial Grounds.
Dozens of student teams had already formed tight ranks across the battlefield. Each House bore bold colors and polished armor. Caldris gleamed crimson. Halwen flashed silver and cobalt. Merilith waited in cold silence, their silver-haired leader watching from the highest ledge.
The Lost Ones stood apart.
No banners.
No House.
No allies.
The Flickering Aura Boy shifted uncomfortably, grip tightening on his battered sword. The Mana-Cursed Girl struggled to steady the wild arcs of unstable energy crackling around her hands. The Unborn stood motionless, chains resting against the stone, silent as ever.
Eryndor narrowed his eyes. No pattern. No safety. Survival would depend on speed.
Instructor Ilyen materialized without sound atop a floating platform overhead. The constellations woven into his robes glinted under the shifting crimson light.
"Survive until the timer expires or eliminate every enemy team," he declared. "Casualties… will not be investigated."
The System chimed coldly.
[Simulation Begins.]
The first barrage hit before Eryndor could draw breath.
Explosions of flame, slicing winds, and crackling bolts of mana hammered their position. The ground erupted beneath The Lost Ones, flinging them apart.
The Unborn reeled, chains flailing wildly to regain balance. The Mana-Cursed Girl collapsed, barely keeping her aura from detonating uncontrolled. The Flickering Aura Boy staggered backward, barely blocking two successive strikes.
Eryndor skidded hard across the fractured stone. Pain lanced through his ribs. No immunity. No resets. This was real.
Two opposing factions closed in from opposite flanks, blades and spells ready.
They expected him to fall with the first wave. They were wrong.
Eryndor exhaled slowly, rising with measured cold focus.
Adapt. Or die.
The enemy factions charged.
Eryndor calculated instantly. The Lost Ones had seconds before collapse.
The Unborn stumbled beneath overlapping gravity hexes and mana coils flung from both sides. The Mana-Cursed Girl's unstable aura spiraled violently, threatening to rupture at any moment. The Flickering Aura Boy barely deflected a twin blade strike, sweat streaking his face.
Eryndor clenched his jaw as pain surged along his side. No time. No strategy left. Survive.
"Unborn! Center! Lock them down."
"Cursed Girl, left only. Do not flare."
"Flicker, backline guard. Hold."
They obeyed out of reflex, not understanding, but trusting.
The Unborn roared, dragging two enemies bodily across the ground with his snapping chains. The Mana-Cursed Girl crushed her panic, forcing her wild energy into a focused blast that shredded the left flank's shields and sent two attackers flying. The Flickering Aura Boy shifted quick and low, intercepting a blade aimed straight for the girl's exposed ribs.
Eryndor moved last.
Silent. Efficient. He stepped into the chaos like a blade through cloth, piercing soft joints, severing runes, twisting enemy momentum against itself. Every strike calculated, every target selected with cruel precision.
The assault fell apart.
Scattered enemy students gasped for breath on the broken stone, weapons shattered, armor cracked, mana drained into the air.
The System voice cut in coldly.
[Simulation Round 1: Completed.]
[Observation ongoing.]
[Prepare for next wave.]
Eryndor straightened slowly, breath sharp through clenched teeth as blood slid down his side.
Far above, the silver-haired girl of House Merilith leaned lazily against a twisted spire, watching. Her pale emerald eyes narrowed faintly in interest.
She whispered.
"So he lives up to the rumors after all."
The Lost Ones regrouped around Eryndor. No victory cheers. No relief. Only battered readiness for what came next.
High above, the countdown timer ignited again in cold blue flame.
They would send stronger foes next. Eryndor welcomed it.
Keep testing me, he thought coldly. I will not break.