Blanche and G?kb?rü moved forward, positioning themselves at the bottleneck once more. Blanche’s lightning bolt crackled through the air, striking the crab-like beast with precise, ruthless efficiency. The creature let out a guttural roar, its massive form convulsing under the surge of electricity. G?kb?rü, ever agile, used the opportunity to scale the creature’s back with lightning speed. His fangs sank into its exposed throat, ripping out flesh in a blur of motion. Blood sprayed into the air as the beast collapsed, and G?kb?rü leaped down gracefully, already preparing for the next. Despite his small size, he was like a razor-covered cannonball that aimed at the most painful areas.
I felt the familiar weight of Shadowchaser''s Eclipsebow materialize in my hands, the cool sensation of the bowstring thrumming with the flow of my mana. The arrows I summoned gleamed darkly, humming with ethereal energy as I released them one after another. They flew true, piercing the thick hides of the approaching beasts with deadly precision.
Artemeni fought with her characteristic brutality, her spear a whirlwind of death as she hurled it into the horde. It tore through the front lines, skewering beasts before she summoned it back into her hands, the weapon returning with a satisfying thud. She didn’t waste a second before sending it out again, the cycle of destruction relentless.
I looked at her with a hint of jealousy. According to Artemeni, it was a skill that allowed her to do that. While I could also summon my sacred sword to my hand like that, I couldn’t do it with other weapons.
The fourth wave was far more coordinated than the previous ones, the monsters attacking with greater speed and ferocity. Even as we cut them down, more surged from the swirling mists beyond. The terrain shifted beneath our feet, craters forming and jagged rocks jutting out, making movement treacherous.
(50 down. 50 remaining.)
“Good.”
I muttered to myself. It haven’t been 3 minutes and we managed to get to half of the fourth wave. The sooner we finish it sooner we can get to trickier trials.
(75 down. 25 remaining.)
Thalia stood nearby, channeling her divine energy to provide support when needed. Her soft mutterings filled the air, sending waves of divine power that bolstered our resolve and healed minor wounds. Even with the trial’s limitations, her buffs were life savers, ensuring none of us would fall to exhaustion just yet.
(100 down. Wave Complete. The Fifth Wave will begin in 60 seconds.)
I took a deep breath as the system notification rang in my mind. The short reprieve was welcome, but the relentless pace of these trials left no room for complacency. We had one minute. Sixty seconds to gather ourselves before whatever horrors awaited in the next wave emerged from the abyss. I glanced at the others—Blanche was recharging, her fingers still crackling faintly with residual lightning; G?kb?rü prowled in a wide circle, his predatory instincts sharp and ever-watchful. Artemeni was stoic as always, gripping her spear with an almost casual intensity as if this endless battle was nothing more than routine.
My gaze shifted to Thalia, her divine glow flickering as she whispered prayers to restore our strength. Even though her abilities were limited by the trial’s restrictions, she’d kept us going through sheer will and timely intervention. Aurora on the other hand looked somehow gloomy.
“Something matter, Aurora?”
Aurora''s gaze flickered toward me, her expression unreadable for a moment. She seemed deep in thought, her usual confidence shadowed by something heavier.
"It''s nothing," she responded, but the tightness in her voice betrayed her words. Her eyes remained fixed on the ground, the glow of her own magic dimming slightly.
I frowned, unconvinced. While I hadn’t known her for long, I had still been together with her enough to see that she was troubled by something.
(30 seconds remaining.)
I looked at the barrier she had created. It was translucent and I could feel that it operated at full power. Why would she… Wait. She has been focusing on this barrier since we started. Even though she was a mage, she was also an Amazon Warrior. Could it be that she saw this as me not trusting her to battle?
“Blanche, G?kb?rü. Fall back and rest. Aurora, let’s go.”
Aurora blinked, surprise flashing in her eyes as she straightened up. "You want me on the front line?”
She asked, her voice cautious but with a flicker of something—hope, maybe?
"Yes," I nodded, meeting her gaze steadily. “I haven’t seen your full capabilities as a mage. I really don’t know much about magic so show me what you can do.”
Her hesitation wavered for only a second before she nodded, determination hardening her features. The gloomy weight that had clung to her seemed to lift, replaced by the fierce Amazonian pride.
(The Fifth Wave has started.)
The mists churned before us as the fifth wave began, a new, darker menace emerging from the abyss. The ground quaked under the weight of something massive, its shape still obscured by the roiling fog. The creatures that followed, however, were disturbingly clear: armored beasts with spiked shells, their pincers glinting like blades and hulking, bipedal monsters with molten cracks running along their skin. Their glowing eyes pierced the gloom, locking to us in with unsettling intelligence.
One with legs similar to a grasshopper jumped, clearing the ice walls I conjured before hitting the barrier of Aurora like a fly hitting the glass. Aurora waved her hand and a blue pulse of mana smashed into the chest of the monster. Aurora''s mana pulse hit the beast with a resounding force, causing it to shudder mid-air before it was violently flung backward. The sound of its exoskeleton cracking echoed as it slammed into the rocky terrain. She took a deep breath, her fingers glowing with power as if she’d just unlocked something she’d been holding back.
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A hulking bipedal monster lunged at us, its molten veins glowing an angry orange, but Artemeni was faster. Her spear flashed, cleaving through the air and embedding itself into its chest. As she yanked the weapon back, the creature staggered, molten blood oozing from the wound. Without hesitation, she followed up with a brutal, overhead strike that shattered its skull. Even as it crumpled to the ground, she was already moving to the next target, her relentless efficiency never faltering.
I didn’t join her. My focus was on flying monsters. Until now there were no flying monsters so they had to play with our rules by trying to get to us by the opening I left but now it was different. I pulled back the bowstring of Shadowchaser''s Eclipsebow, the ethereal arrows thrumming with darkness. I targeted the flying ones.
I exhaled slowly, steadying myself as I took aim at the flying creatures. The mists around us made it difficult to discern their exact numbers, but their shapes flickered in and out like phantoms, their wings cutting through the air with sharp, eerie sounds.
The first arrow left my bow in a flash, streaking toward the nearest flyer—a bird-like creature with leathery wings and a maw filled with razor-sharp teeth. My arrow struck it in the chest, and the moment it hit, the ethereal energy of the Soulreaver Strike activated. Its body seized mid-flight, and the creature plummeted to the ground, dead before it could even cry out.
I didn’t stop. Another arrow materialized, the dark hum of mana flowing through it, and I released it toward a second target. The creatures seemed to notice me now, their glowing eyes narrowing as they turned their attention from the ground battle to the archer picking them off from a distance. I could almost hear their silent communication, as several of them suddenly broke formation, swooping toward me with alarming speed.
Aurora, noticing the shift, stepped up beside me. Her hands danced through the air, conjuring glyphs that crackled with energy. “Let’s see how they handle this,” she muttered, her voice low but charged with anticipation.
A sphere of pure mana shot upward from her glyph, exploding into smaller orbs that homed in on the flying creatures. The impact was immediate, several of the beasts screeching as they were engulfed in blue flames that ate through their wings, sending them spiraling to the ground in smoking heaps.
Aurora shot me a look, a hint of a smile playing on her lips. I gave her an approving nod before returning my attention back to the monsters.
(100 down. Wave Complete. The Sixth wave will begin in 60 seconds.)
(100 down. Wave Complete. The Seventh wave will begin in 60 seconds.)
(100 down. Wave Complete. The Eighth wave will begin in 60 seconds.)
(100 down. Wave Complete. The Ninth wave will begin in 60 seconds.)
(100 down. Wave Complete. The Tenth wave will begin in 90 seconds.)
90 seconds. Damn. They really don’t give us any time to take a breath, are they? I clapped my hands together.
“Alright. Everyone! Take deep breaths and get into your positions. This will be hard.”
We either had to survive against the strongest monsters in 30 minutes or kill them in less. I looked around. The ice walls I have created were all destroyed and we were in knee-deep mud as the terrain shifted.
“Will we try to kill them?”
Artemeni asked, looking eager to battle against strong enemies.
“If possible, yeah.”
I answered with not so much confidence. I had no doubts that we would be able to kill all of them if we tried but would it be worth it? We could have fought defensively and not risked being wounded. This was the first trial out of five after all. But a part of me wanted to destroy them. Surviving or killing them sounded like a challenge and what small amounts of warrior pride I had wanted to take it head on. Plus, the rewards would also be better, right?
(10 seconds remaining.)
The ground trembled as the monsters stirred within the mist. A heavy presence loomed, different from the previous waves. This was no mindless horde. Something far more dangerous was coming.
"Brace yourselves," I called out, drawing back the string of Shadowchaser’s Eclipsebow once more. The arrows hummed with power, almost eager to be unleashed. Aurora''s glyphs lit up around us, creating layers of magical wards that would absorb the first hits.
(The Tenth Wave has begun.)
The air turned thick as the fog parted, revealing the largest creature we’d seen so far. A gargantuan, centipede-like monstrosity with obsidian-black chitin slithered into view, its body coiling as it raised itself high, towering over us. Its many eyes gleamed like crimson jewels, and its mandibles clicked together, sending vibrations through the ground.
Both G?kb?rü and I made a noise similar to a cry. Not a bug monster again!
The monstrosity, as if to feel our frustration, let out an ear-splitting screech that rattled the air and echoed through the trial grounds. Around it, smaller creatures—though still massive—crawled out of the ground, their hardened shells and jagged limbs ready to tear through anything in their path.
"Focus on the big one," I ordered. "But don’t let the others swarm us."
Blanche nodded, her lightning gathering in her palms. "I''ll keep the smaller ones off you," she said, already aiming her bolts toward the approaching horde.
I loosed my first arrow, aiming directly for one of the centipede''s glowing eyes. The arrow flew true, but just before impact, the creature''s head twisted unnaturally, avoiding the strike by a hair’s breadth. Its intelligence was unmistakable—this wasn’t just some mindless beast.
Artemeni dashed forward, her spear spinning in a deadly arc. "I''ll break through its defense!" she shouted, leaping high and driving her spear toward its exposed underbelly.
But the centipede was fast—faster than any of us anticipated. Its segmented body coiled, and with a fluid motion, it slammed one of its massive legs into Artemeni mid-air. She twisted, deflecting the blow with her spear, but the force sent her crashing back toward the ground, a crater forming beneath her as she landed.
“Oh, shit.”