It had been a day since the banquet and Alden was finally back in his dorm.

Amyra hadn't contacted him since their conversation last night. And honestly, he hadn't reached out either.

Something was up with her. He could feel it.

Ever since the dance, Amyra had been distant. Not cold but... dimmed. As if something inside her had cracked.

What the hell happened during that missing time?

He had racked his brain, trying everything to piece together the gap in his memory. No matter how much he pushed himself, it was blank. A clean cut.

Even Amyra said he had gone to the balcony on his own. He found it strange.

That's what made it worse.

Why the hell can't I remember it then?

Did I suddenly develop amnesia? A split personality?

No. That couldn't be it.

He was sure—someone or something, had messed with his head.

His thoughts spiraled.

What if Amyra was the one who erased my memories?

But… why would she do that?

And even if she tried—he wouldn't have let it happen quietly. There would've been resistance, a scene, some kind of chaos.

But there wasn't. Only Zarien's little dramatic entrance.

Damn it.

No point overthinking it.

Whoever could erase memories that cleanly without even a trace wasn't someone he could deal with right now.

He hated it. And the fact that he couldn't even tell how?

That made him feel like a damn fool.

So, he focused on something else… to distract his mind.

He opened his status window.

__

[▒▒▒▒▒ Trial]

You may challenge the trial voluntarily. Each success increases cooldown before the next attempt. Death in the trial means death in reality.

[Next Trial – 4 days remaining]

__

He didn't even bother checking his status as nothing had changed.

It had been only a few days since he broke through Advanced Adept rank after all.

He just stared at the trial description.

Four days before the next trial would trigger on its own.

Four days before the system would drag him in whether he was ready or not.

No thanks.

If he was going to die, he'd rather walk in than be dragged screaming.

And he had inter-academy tryouts next week. So, he just decided to be done with trial already.

He exhaled slowly.

"Alright," he muttered. "Let's get this over with."

He had already informed Kyun about it. Just in case. But honestly, he didn't think it would take that long.

Time inside the trial was usually distorted. So in real-world time, he'd be back within a few hours at most.

Alden focused on the trial prompt as he accepted the trial invitation in his mind.

I accept.

As soon as he thought that, his mind started spinning. His vision started distorting...

His body stretched endlessly in his vision.

[TRIAL OF ▒▒▒▒▒ COMMENCED]

That was the last word he heard before everything turned dark.

__

When his vision cleared up.

He was no longer in his room. He looked around himself.

He was in—

A desert?

Alden looked around puzzled.

Endless golden sand stretched in every direction under a merciless sun.

No shadows. No wind. Just heat and silence.

Alden squinted upward. The sky was pale—too bright and empty.

He frowned.

What kind of trial was this?

The first thing he checked was his body.

Huh? I can use my mana.

That was the first thing he noticed. In his first trial, his mana had been completely blocked. But now, he could feel it pulsing normally through his veins.

Even more, his Sword of Chaos was there, nestled within his core.

Wait a minute—

Did I get teleported?

In the last trial, only his soul had been sent. That's why he hadn't been able to use mana or summon his weapon.

But this time… he could do both.

Which meant he wasn't just mentally here.

He was physically here.

Damn it.

Still he didn't have any time to whine… as his sharp senses picked up a moment.

Something was moving around him. But he couldn't pinpoint where.

He didn't know what it was… But it definitely wasn't weak. And it sure as hell wasn't friendly.

He activated his [Spirit Domain] and [Eyes of Supreme]

All his senses expanded in a flash. Suddenly, he could feel everything—every shift of wind and every grain of sand trembling in the air.

Then—he felt it.

What the fuck...?

Something was moving. Fast. And from below

It was a worm.

A massive, underground worm—charging straight toward him.

Alden barely managed to leap to the side—

—just as its gaping maw erupted from the ground, swallowing the spot where he'd stood a moment ago.

Sand exploded into the air. The shockwave sent him tumbling back.

Fucking hell is that?

Alden saw it with his own eyes now.

The creature towered out of the sand like a grotesque pillar of muscle. Its segmented body was armored in black plates.

Its mouth—an enormous, circular maw lined with rows of needle-like teeth—opened and closed, chewing through sand as if it were nothing.

And it was already turning back toward him.

Alden narrowed his eyes.

Do I have to defeat it to complete the trial?

He had no idea whatsoever. The system hadn't given him a single damn instruction.

With a sigh, he raised his hand and the air around him twisted as his [Sword of Chaos] appeared.

He summoned his sword with so much confidence but truthfully, he had no idea how to pull it off.

He had never fought anything this massive before. Not even close.

Moreover this wasn't some rogue beast or low-tier monster. This was a walking natural disaster and he was just one guy with a sword.

As if that wasn't bad enough—the worm suddenly released a crushing pressure. The kind that only a monster at least at the Expert-rank could emit.

But then… something didn't add up.

Despite the overwhelming pressure, he couldn't sense a single trace of mana coming from it.

What the hell?

Wasn't mana supposed to exist in every living creature?

It felt wrong and unnatural.

Alden exhaled.

Whatever this worm was, it wasn't ordinary.

But neither was he.

He tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword, shadows curling around it.

"Alright then," he muttered, gripping the hilt. "Time to hunt an overgrown worm, I guess."

The ground trembled as the worm went underground again.

Alden's eyes snapped down. A thin line of shifting sand split the desert floor—headed straight for him.

Shit!

He jumped back just as the worm erupted from below in a violent spray of sand and stone.

It slammed back into the ground with a deafening boom, burrowing once again.

Alden gritted his teeth, scanning the area.

It doesn't stay above ground for long… It's using hit-and-run tactics.

His [Spirit Domain] stretched his awareness into the sand.

There—

To the left.

He swung his sword as a small arc of chaotic energy flew into the sand.

[Ruin Arc]

The arc of energy detonated on contact but the worm barely flinched, its armored body shielding it from the blast.

Of course it's tanky. Tsk.

Another tremor. This time from behind.

He spun around a bit too slow.

The worm burst out again and its body whipped sideways, smashing into him directly.

Alden flew, skidding across the sand as pain exploded through his ribs.

He coughed, forcing himself up, vision swimming.

Okay. Brute force wouldn't work.

He raised his sword, watching carefully.

"I need a plan…"

He tried to recall everything he had learned about worms.

Not just from training but from years of obsessively reading webnovels on Earth.

Worms don't have eyes. So, how the fuck is it finding me exactly?

The answer came almost immediately.

Vibrations.

Of course.

It's tracking me through the ground. I'm practically ringing a dinner bell with every step.

Alden froze in place, crouching low as he steadied his breathing. He even coated his feet in his shadow muffling even slightest bit of noise.

The sand settled. The vibrations dulled.

And just like that—the worm paused.

It shot out from the ground a few meters away, its massive upper body thrashing as if confused.

It seemed angry that it lost an easy prey.

Then it let out a screech, preparing to go underground again after not finding its prey.

Immediately Alden used [Shadow Steps], locking onto the only other shadow within this desert except his.

His body vanished before reappearing from the shadow of the worm.

One shot. I have just one shot.

He focused all his mind.

His [Sword of Chaos] shifted in his grip, reacting to his intent.

The second effect of the sword—the one which could ignore any kind of defence—activated.

A subtle energy spread through the blade as it phased slightly.

He channeled his mana into it in bursts of energy, activating the [Ruinous Severance] and [Ruin Arc] at the same time.

The world around him slowed as he held his katana in a quick draw position.

As soon as the body of worm started sinking down.

He unleashed his attack.

With a swish sound, his katana moved, slicing through the air.

The blade sliced through flesh and armored scale like paper, ignoring every layer of natural defense.

At the same time, a crescent-shaped arc erupted.

This time, the arc was laced with the same chaos energy that ignored defense as it sliced clean through the part his sword couldn't physically reach.

BOOM.

A geyser of blackened blood and sand erupted skyward.

And a system window appeared in front of him.

[THE TRIAL ELIGIBILITY IS MET.]

[INITIATING THE TRUE TRIAL]

His eyes widened.

"…That wasn't the real one?"

___

Author's Note:

For those who might've forgotten or are catching up after a break—

Sword of Chaos – Effect (2/3): Can ignore any physical or magical defence of the opponent to deal damage.

First Step – Ruinous Severance: A strike that slices through all physical matter, ignoring resistance.

Second Step – Ruin Arc: A projected arc of ruinous energy that cleaves through space in a wide crescent. It channels the user's peak destructive power.

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