The day after the Combat Trials, Kaelen sat alone on a bench near the training grounds, examining the scroll he'd been handed by the instructors.
It wasn't a simple assignment like most students got — helping guilds, hunting weak monsters, guard duty.
No.
His scroll was marked with a dark red seal — a personal mission.
Mission:
Target: "Lurker Wyrm" — juvenile variant.
Location: Twilight Ravine, north of Valewind Institute.
Objective: Eliminate threat or confirm monster presence.
Bonus Objective: Survive alone for 48 hours.
Reward: Advancement to Intermediate Class Roster.
Kaelen stared at the parchment, feeling a tight knot of anticipation twist in his gut.
A wyrm, he thought. Even a juvenile… that's no beginner monster.
Most students his age got goblins, slime packs, or wild beasts — not scaled predators capable of snapping a man in half.
This was no mistake.
Commander Ardyn was testing him.
And Kaelen welcomed it.
Later, while preparing supplies, Kaelen ran into Eren Voss, the broad-shouldered warrior who had cheered his first victory.
Eren grinned when he saw Kaelen's packed rations and sharpened sword.
"Off to prove you're tougher than you look?"
Kaelen smirked faintly. "Something like that."
Eren swung his practice axe lazily over one shoulder.
"How about a warm-up first?" he said, eyes gleaming. "A little friendly spar. You and me."
Kaelen hesitated.
Friendly, he thought. Or a real test?
The System chimed in:
[Optional Challenge Available: Defeat a Fellow Talent Holder.]
[Reward: Unlock Fusion Talent - Warrior/Mage Hybrid Skill.]
Kaelen's eyes sharpened.
Challenge accepted.
The spar began on a dusty practice field, no audience — just the whisper of wind through the grass and the steady beating of two determined hearts.
Eren moved first — big, fast for his size, swinging heavy blows designed to crush and break.
Kaelen didn't block.
He slipped, dodged, countered, reading the flow like a dance.
His sword moved lightly — slashing, feinting, shifting angles.
Mana whispered along the blade's edge.
Mana-Infused Slash.
When Eren committed too hard, Kaelen struck.
A shallow cut opened on Eren's gauntlet — not deep enough to hurt, but clear enough to mark a clean hit.
The big warrior laughed.
"You're better than you let on, Amateur."
He raised his axe in salute.
"I like that."
For the first time, Kaelen felt real respect from a peer — not mockery, not pity, but honest admiration.
It felt… good.
But there was no time to bask in it.
He had a wyrm to face.
Twilight Ravine loomed before him by nightfall — a jagged scar in the earth, mist curling from its depths.
The sun dipped low, shadows creeping long and cold across the broken rocks.
Kaelen tightened the straps on his gear, double-checked his blade, and descended into the darkness.
Alone.
Ready.
Meanwhile — Somewhere Else
High atop Astralis Academy's shining towers, noble guildmasters gathered around a glowing scrying orb.
Within the misty glass, scenes of students training, fighting, growing stronger flickered.
An old, robed man tapped his cane against the floor.
"The Grand Awakener Tournament draws near," he rasped. "We must ensure only the worthy rise."
Another figure — cloaked in black with a silver eye insignia — watched silently.
And far beneath them, hidden in the shadows of the city, a darker force stirred — a masked figure whispering to his brethren:
"Find the hidden talents. Kill them before they bloom."