The arena was hungry.
It wasn't just the crowd that buzzed with bloodlust. Even the stone beneath Lucien's feet felt eager — as if it had tasted enough death over the centuries to crave more. It remembered screams. It remembered broken bodies.
And now, it would remember him.
Dozens of candidates stood inside the Blood Circle, a vast ring surrounded by towering black walls. Above, nobles, instructors, and masked judges watched from shaded balconies, their expressions blank behind enchanted veils.
A large horn bellowed through the air.
The Blood Feast had begun.
Lucien stood tall, still wearing the cracked iron collar around his neck, his eyes calm, almost bored. Elira watched from a distance, already paired with another candidate.
The Warden's voice thundered from the balcony above.
"Fight not to survive… but to earn your place. Fight with everything — your body, your shadow, your soul. Kill if you must. Impress us or be forgotten!"
[System Alert: Opportunity Detected]Special Event – Ranking Trial: Blood FeastTop 5 Survivors will unlock access to Tier-2 Training Grounds.Special Reward for Top 1: Shadow Mutation Orb (Rare)
Lucien's smile widened.
Perfect.
The gong rang again.
The air exploded into chaos.
Screams. Clashes. Magic bursts. Shadows roared. Wooden weapons cracked skulls. Some candidates dropped within seconds — too slow, too soft, too afraid.
Lucien didn't rush.
He walked forward slowly, a wooden spear in hand, surveying.
"Come on," he muttered. "One of you must be worth the effort."
Two boys approached — both larger, both aggressive, both confident.
Lucien let them come.
One swung low. The other high.
Lucien spun sideways, slammed the spear into the first one's stomach, then used the momentum to flip the second over his shoulder.
Both were unconscious before they hit the ground.
[+1 Battle Efficiency Point][+1 Confidence Ranking: #42 → #29]
He kept moving, cutting through the chaos with clinical precision.
He wasn't the fastest.He wasn't the strongest.
But he was the smartest, and that was more dangerous.
Meanwhile, Elira fought with precision and grace.
Her bound shadow — the Feather Serpent — darted through the air, binding enemies in ghostly coils before she finished them with precise strikes. She didn't kill, but she made sure no one could stand against her again.
From his position, Lucien watched her with a small nod.
Sharp. Ruthless. Cold. Just like me.
As the trial progressed, only a dozen remained.
Then, from the edge of the arena, a new threat emerged.
A massive boy with runic tattoos carved into his arms and red eyes stepped forward. He carried an iron mace and radiated raw physical power.
"That one's new," Lucien murmured.
The crowd above stirred. Even the Warden leaned forward.
"Eligor, the Branded Berserker," someone whispered. "Failed last year's trial. Survived in the pit for a full season."
Lucien licked his lips. "Now this might be fun."
Eligor smashed through two remaining fighters like twigs, then pointed his mace directly at Lucien.
"You. I remember your dragon."
Lucien tilted his head. "Do you now?"
"You think you're strong. I'll crush your spine."
Lucien's smile never faded. "Try it."
The clash was thunderous.
Eligor swung with terrifying force. The ground cracked where his mace landed.
Lucien dodged narrowly, his spear deflecting just enough to avoid the full impact.
[System Suggestion: Release 10% Shadow Veil][Warning: Judges may detect fluctuation]Proceed anyway?Yes ✅
Lucien's body blurred. His speed increased. His eyes glowed faintly purple.
He moved like smoke, dodging, weaving, slipping under strikes, and countering with punishing precision.
A cut to the thigh. A jab to the ribs. A brutal thrust to the neck.
Eligor roared and charged blindly.
Lucien waited.
At the last moment, he stepped aside — and elbowed the berserker in the back of the head, sending him crashing into the wall.
The crowd gasped.
[Top 5 Achieved: Rank 2][Bonus Reward: Shadow Qi Fragment][Rank Fluctuation: Elira now Rank 3]
Lucien approached the fallen boy and whispered:
"You're strong. But not smart. That's why you'll always lose to me."
When the dust settled, only five stood.
Lucien.Elira.A one-armed fire caster.A silent twin with dual knives.And a pale girl with black webbed veins on her neck.
The Warden stood and raised his hand.
"Five have risen. The rest… are dismissed."
Dead bodies were dragged out. Survivors sobbed quietly.
Lucien glanced around.
This was only the beginning.
That evening, as the five were moved to new chambers, Lucien sat beside Elira under a shattered archway overlooking the moonlit spires.
"You held back," she said.
"So did you."
"We can't keep hiding forever."
Lucien turned to her, eyes gleaming. "We won't. But first… I need that Orb."
[Reward Claimed: Shadow Mutation Orb][Choose Mutation Path:]① Phantom Scale — Invisibility & Speed② Abyss Maw — Bite Damage & Devour③ Draco Vein — Enhanced Control & Breath Expansion
Lucien chose without hesitation.
③ Draco Vein.
[Mutation Confirmed: Draco Umbra – Phase II Begins][Skill Evolved: Abyssal Breath ➤ Astral Corruption Flame][Passive Added: Dragon Heartbeat – Mana Recovery Doubled in Combat]
He clutched his chest as heat exploded through his veins.His shadow deepened. His dragon stirred.
Elira stepped back. "You're changing…"
Lucien exhaled a thin line of black-purple flame.
He looked at his palm and whispered:
"This world will burn beautifully."