"The trial continues... for him," the announcementdy said, pointing at us. The room fell silent. Everyone knew that once the 200 candidates had been selected after the fifth wave, the trial was supposed to end. So why was us being allowed to continue?


    A young man, confused, asked, "Ma''am, the 200 people have already been selected after the fifth wave. Why is he allowed to continue?"


    "I don''t know. I just received an order from the higher-ups to let him continue. Also, make the footage live for the public," the announcementdy responded.


    The room buzzed with murmurs. Everyone, except the war goddess, looked astonished.


    "It''s an order," the announcementdy said firmly. "There''s no need to ask any further. Get to it."


    Just as the staff was about to carry out the orders, the war goddess spoke up. "Don''t pull out the girl too."


    The announcerdy looked surprised. "War goddess, the order was only for us to stay in the trial."


    "If you don''t want to damage that youngdy''s self-esteem, then let her continue as well. The worst that can happen is she dies in the virtual world, but she will wake up fine in the real world," the war goddess replied indifferently.


    "But..." the young man started.


    "No buts," the war goddess interrupted. "That youngdy needs this. Don''t dy; go ahead and do it. I will take responsibility for this."


    The announcementdy hesitated but then nodded. "Understood. I''ll make the necessary arrangements."


    The room quieted down again as the staff began implementing the new orders.


    The war goddess watched the screens with a thoughtful expression. She had her reasons for wanting Anna to continue.


    While everyone was focused on Anna''s amazing control over the battlefield, she noticed something that made her decide to let Anna stay in the trial.


    Anna was putting in her best effort solely to impress us. The war goddess, who had earned her title through skill and experience, saw this and understood the significance. She knew that pulling Anna out would be a huge blow to her confidence, so she decided to let her continue.


    It wasn''t just Anna who was trying to impress us. Back in Felin City, Lily, who had emerged as the toppetitor in the trial, was also continuing. The war goddess had given the order to ensure that both women kept their confidence.


    Just like Anna, who showed remarkable skill during the fifth wave, Lily demonstrated her impressive swordsmanship, leaving everyone in awe. Both women were doing everything they could to impress us, who waspletely unaware of their motives.


    In reality, us had no idea what was happening, even if it was happening right in front of him. His rtionship with Lucy had worked out because of the circumstances they were in. When it came to picking up on signals, us was still quite inexperienced or more like too shameless to pick on genuine emotions.


    But that is where his handsomenesses in. With his good looks, he doesn''t have to do anything. Thedies will do all the work. All he had to do was keep showing how amazing he was, and that''s precisely what is going on now.


    -


    -


    -


    Inside the virtual world, us was transported to a different part of the battlefield, where he faced 300 Tier 5 Zombie Generals. From Zombie Captains to Generals, that is an upgrade.


    He had expected this, knowing that no trial would require an Ascended to fight monsters four realms above them. But this is a special case and is was more than happy to get things done. Just like that, he started another massacre with heads flying into the air almost instantly.


    Although us''s speed stats might not be high, he possessed the strength and agility for quick reflexes. He could execute a series of movements effortlessly without worrying about being sneaked up on.


    It took us just three minutes to dispose of all 300 Zombie Generals. As he had anticipated, the next wave consisted of Tier 5 White Zombie Generals.


    At this point, screens worldwide began showing us''s trial. When us appeared on the screens, everyone knew a thrilling show was about to begin. Originally, the n was to release the videos after the trial, but due to us''s impressive performance, an order was given to broadcast it live.


    Nobody initially understood why, but it became clear almost immediately when viewers saw us in action against the zombies.


    Those who had failed and felt dejected realized their own shorings. Meanwhile, those who had learned from their mistakes began observing us''s techniques, nning to improve and ovee their failures rather than letting them overwhelm them.


    us''s performance was inspiring. The higher-ups had hoped for this effect: seeing an Ascended battle monster''s four realms above him motivated everyone to work harder to achieve simr feats.


    Anna managed to defeat the Tier 5 Zombie Generals, but when the White Zombies Gnerals arrived, she was exhausted and was ultimately defeated. Despite this, she earned some recognition. The same was true for Lily, Kay, Daniel, Danny, Kilian, and Mark, who all performed well.


    It was well-known that they were friends with us, so seeing their names at the top of the rankings was no surprise.


    ---


    In a luxurious room, five powerful individuals sat behind a screen, watching us effortlessly behead zombie after zombie without even breaking a sweat.


    "He''s a monster," one of them said.


    "Is he even human?" another person asked. "How can an Ascended be this strong? Even the Legacy''s heirs pale inparison."


    The others nodded in agreement, their expressions a mix of shock and admiration.


    The fifth person, who had been quiet until now, spoke up. "Do you think he could be a future threat? Or someone we should recruit?"


    The others exchanged nces. "He''s a wildcard," said the first person. "His potential is huge, but we don''t know his loyalties or intentions."


    Another person sighed. "We''ll have to keep a close eye on him. A talent like his could shift the bnce of power."


    "Well, we should be careful," the first person said. "I''ve heard that he''s caught the attention of that arrogant war goddess. I hope I don''t need to tell you how unreasonable she can be. We might get into trouble if she senses anything suspicious."


    "That would indeed be troublesome," another person agreed. "Her influence is vast, and her temper is well-known."


    The group exchanged concerned looks. The war goddess was not someone to be underestimated. Her reputation for being unpredictable and fierce was well-earned.


    "We need to tread carefully," the third person said. "If she gets involved, it couldplicate matters significantly."


    "Then what should we do?" the second person asked, frustration evident in their voice. "The Five Great ns can''t let someone like him wander around unchecked. Although he''s just a kid now, if we allow him to roam free, his arrogance will only grow. It will be a major headache."


    Another person nodded. "He''s already started targeting young heirs. We can only imagine what wille next if we don''t address this soon."


    The room fell silent as the weight of the situation sank in. us is like a wildcard, one they saw no way to control.


    "The Five Great ns have always maintained a bnce," the first person said. "If we let him continue unchecked, it could upset the entire order. We need to act before it esctes further."


    The third person sighed. "But directly intervening could make things worse. We need to be strategic about this."


    The fourth person agreed. "We should find a way to limit his impact without drawing too much attention. Perhaps we can influence his environment subtly."


    "You mean targeting his friends," one of them suggested. "They''re all from Great Families. Although we have some influence over them, antagonizing them might not be the best move in this situation."


    The room fell silent as they considered the idea. These five people were the leaders of the Five Great ns. When the world turned apocalyptic, and the old government dissolved and powerful individuals, carved out their own territories.


    The continent was unified by the Legacy Families, who led the current world order. The Great Families, on the other hand, had established their own cities within the continents.


    But beyond these two groups, there are five ns. These ns had been influential even before the apocalypse and had significant power. Their influence was so vast that even the Great Families and the Legacy Families would be cautious about provoking them.


    For these leaders to consider going after us in such a way was indeed a serious matter.


    "We need to approach this carefully," the first person said. "Targeting his friends could have far-reaching consequences. It might provoke a bacsh from the Great Families."


    Another person nodded. "True. But if we do nothing, we risk letting us''s arrogance grow unchecked. He''s already causing trouble by targeting young heirs."


    They continued to watch as us beheaded Zombie General after Zombie General. Deep down, they were wary of him. His explosive growth was too shocking; it made them feel threatened, and they had every reason to.


    us was a paragon, someone with limitless potential—except that the heavens seemed intent on eliminating him before he fully matured.


    But if he did manage to grow, their positions would be in serious jeopardy. They had to handle him carefully but discreetly.


    Little did they know, they weren''t the only ones looking to kill us. All around the world, powerful individuals were searching for ways to suppress him. If he was allowed to grow unchecked, his arrogance could be uncontroble.


    But their major mistake was letting us enter the Oracle. While everyone was plotting his downfall, us cleared the trials to the point where even a thousand Tier 5 Zombies weren''t enough to stop him.


    After about the 13th wave, Tier 6 Zombies appeared. Contrary to what anyone expected, us took them on and defeated them within 5 minutes, setting a record as the only Ascended to battle and kill multiple Tier 6 monsters.


    This scene exploded on the inte, shocking everyone, including the higher-ups at Celestial Mountain Academy, who quickly ordered the trial to end.