The royal decree thundered through the academy like a storm—five heroes would be chosen to stand against the Demon King's return.
Three had already been selected—noble-born prodigies from the capital, heirs of ancient bloodlines and legendary might.
Only two spots remained.
To claim them, one student from each class—C, B, A, and S—would enter the Verdant Demon Forest. After five days of survival and monster slaying, the two highest scorers would earn the title of hero.
A chance for glory. A battlefield of blood. And for Rael... a reckoning.
---
The Four Chosen
Class S chose Eris von Valemont, the Ice Witch of the North. Already a three–circle mage, daughter of a duke, and as cold as her magic.
Class A sent Elaria Laziel, apprentice-level but no less dangerous. The Marquis's heir wielded a crimson blade and an ego to match.
Class B nominated Liana Vale, apprentice-level and a shadow dancer whose twin daggers whispered death—young, arrogant, and full of ambition.
And Class C... Rael Elowen, an expert swordsman born in the humble village of Elowen. A commoner walking among legends.
---
The Gate to the Trial
As dawn broke, the sky bled orange and red. The four chosen stood before the Verdant Demon Forest's towering gates.
Rael. Elaria. Liana. Eris.
Three blades. One mage. Four contenders.
The gates creaked open, revealing a forest bathed in shadow and ancient malice. No light reached the floor. Only whispers. Only blood.
The trial had begun.
And somewhere deep within... the monsters were waiting.
The gates slammed shut behind them with a resounding clang.
Silence fell.
A heavy, unnatural silence that pressed against their chests and made even breathing feel like a crime.
Rael stepped forward first, his boots crunching over twisted roots and blackened leaves. The air inside the forest was thick—like wet velvet—soaked with mana that clung to skin and soul.
Above, the trees formed a skeletal canopy, their branches like claws reaching toward the heavens. No birds. No wind. Only the scent of rot and old blood.
"Don't fall behind," Eris said coldly, her breath misting with unnatural frost. She disappeared into the mist without looking back.
Elaria scoffed. "Typical noble."
Liana vanished into the shadows, not a word spoken.
Rael remained still for a moment, closing his eyes.
This place… it's alive.
He felt it in his bones—the hunger of the forest. Not just from the monsters that stalked the dark, but something deeper. Ancient. Watching.
He touched the hilt of his sword and walked in.
---
Day 1 – Hour 2
Screams echoed through the woods.
Elaria had already encountered a pack of mana-hounds. Their corpses lay in smoking piles, sliced cleanly by his crimson blade. He grinned and walked on, unaware of the two shadow wolves trailing just behind.
Liana danced between trees, silent and fluid. Her daggers sang in the air, their poison eating through the armored hides of the insectoids that ambushed her.
And Rael…
He stood in a shallow clearing, facing six monsters at once—twisted beasts with serpent heads, bloated arms, and tongues like spears.
They lunged.
Rael drew his blade with a calm breath.
"Echo of the Afterlife. First Form."
The blade whispered.
The first strike was almost invisible—so fast it left a shockwave that blew apart leaves and limbs.
The monsters fell, their bodies sliced in half without understanding they'd been struck.
Blood sprayed the ground. Silence returned.
Rael exhaled slowly, eyes half-closed.
These strikes… they're coming easier. Too easy.
---
Day 1 – Hour 20 – Nightfall
The forest grew colder.
Eris stood on a cliff, her hands raised. A storm of icy needles tore through a horde of flame imps below. She watched, unblinking, as they froze mid-scream.
Below her, Rael moved without hesitation—never wasting a single strike, his blade carving through darkness like light.
She narrowed her eyes.
He's not just strong. He's… too calm. Too precise.
The other nobles were skilled. But Rael? He didn't fight like someone trained.
He fought like someone who had already killed a hundred men and lived to tell the tale.
What are you, Rael Elowen? No commoner should fight like that.
---
Day 2 – Monster Leader Appears
The ground trembled.
All four students converged in the same area—drawn by the quake.
A massive creature emerged from the swamp—a corrupted wyvern with vines instead of wings, its jaw unhinged and leaking purple smoke.
Elaria struck first—his blade burst into flame.
Liana circled behind, waiting for an opening.
Eris began to chant.
But the wyvern was fast.
Faster than expected.
Its tail slammed the ground, sending all three flying.
Only Rael remained standing.
He stepped forward, slowly.
"No formations. No openings. Just one strike."
He exhaled.
"Echo of the Afterlife. Second Form."
The sword didn't move.
But the air split.
A ripple of spiritual pressure burst forth—cutting through the wyvern's wings, spine, and heart in an instant.
The beast let out a hollow scream and collapsed in a thunder of flesh.
The forest fell silent once more.
The others stared at him, speechless.
Even Eris.
A cold sweat ran down Elaria's back.
Liana stepped away without a word.
And Eris's gaze lingered, thoughtful and cautious.
Somewhere far away, within a blackened throne room at the heart of a cursed land, the Demon King stirred.
He felt it.
A familiar pulse.
An aura he hadn't sensed in centuries.
The aura of my wife.