CHAPTER 86: ESCAPE THE SHADOW[1]

The figure’s head immediately split open, its body stumbling backwards.

But before it could even hit the ground—

Shlick!

Another slash—this one invisible—cut through the exact same spot with terrifying force.

The first attack was physical. But the second was a delayed effect from one of his newer skills.

[Ghost Slash]

The rest of the figure’s head cleaved clean off.

Its neck split into two symmetrical halves as the statue-like body crumbled backwards, rapidly fading into thin air before it could even hit the dirt.

Riley’s smirk widened.

’How interesting,’ he thought, twisting his wrist as he turned toward the others.

Unfortunately, it came with a ten-second cooldown—which meant he wouldn’t be using it again for a little while.

But that was fine.

There were plenty of other ways to kill.

The rest of the Test Figures had already responded to his presence. As one fell, a dozen more turned toward him, surging forward in a storm of steel and footsteps.

They didn’t scream.

They didn’t shout.

They just charged—silent, cold, relentless.

A heavy axe came flying toward him from the left.

Whoosh!

Riley’s body tilted slightly—then slipped out of the weapon’s path with liquid grace, like a shadow bending around a wall.

The axe flew past him harmlessly.

In the same instant, his arm snapped up—and his dagger flashed like lightning.

Swik!

A swift slash tore into the attacker’s neck, slicing deep through its stony skin.

Red lines pulsed across the dagger’s surface. The veins along its edge suddenly glowed a shade brighter—as if drinking something from the target.

Riley’s eyes widened slightly.

’So it can even absorb mana from them too...’ he thought in surprise, watching as the Test Figure staggered.

Then he grinned.

’Even better.’

He didn’t slow down.

If anything, he moved faster.

Riley darted forward again, vanishing into a streak of motion as he tore through the next cluster of Test Figures without hesitation.

Slash!

Cut!

Stab!

His twin daggers carved through the crowd like blades through paper, ripping into necks, chests, and skulls with ruthless efficiency.

Every movement was clean. Controlled. Precise.

He didn’t waste time dancing around his enemies or testing their limits. If they were in his way, they fell.

Simple as that.

To the outside eye, he would’ve looked like a shadowy blur, flickering through the chaos in a zigzagging path of death.

Figures collapsed wherever he went—each one fading into smoke just seconds after he passed.

And the ones who were lucky enough to survive his first strike?

He didn’t give them a second chance.

Swoosh!

Riley raised a finger and fired spiked shots at them, ending them once and for all.

Swoosh! Swoosh!

Two more shots fired in rapid succession, hitting two different Test Figures square in their foreheads.

They both dropped like rocks.

’Efficient,’ Riley thought, not even bothering to pause. ’[Spike Shot] doesn’t do as much damage as my physical attacks... but against these things, it’s more than enough to finish the job.’

His footsteps didn’t stop. His breathing didn’t break.

He kept moving, slicing and shooting, dashing and slashing—faster than the enemy could track, stronger than they could withstand.

Even if any of their attacks managed to touch him, the dark shroud around his body would simply repel them.

And every second that passed, more and more of them vanished beneath his storm of destruction.

Within seconds, it was over.

The last of the Test Figures crumbled into shadow behind him, vanishing into nothingness like smoke scattered by the wind.

Riley stood at the far end of the field now, his figure slowly reappearing from the blur he’d become. His cloak of darkness pulsed faintly around his form, swirling like mist as he turned to glance over his shoulder.

The battlefield behind him was empty.

Where dozens of enemies had stood moments ago, there was now only flattened grass and silence.

A few more figures faded away into the air, leaving behind no trace.

He exhaled.

Then—

Ding!

A new series of notifications blinked into view in front of him.

[All Test Figures have been taken down!]

[Time taken: 14.92 seconds]

[Damage received: None]

[Completion Rating: SSS-rank]

[Congratulations, Player! You have completed the first trial phase with an SSS-rank rating!]

[Proceeding to second trial phase...]

Riley’s eyes widened slightly in surprise.

An SSS-rank rating?

A grin slowly curled across his lips.

"Heh... I didn’t expect that," he murmured.

In his past life, things had been very different.

He had barely made it through the first phase back then, scraping through with a C-rank rating at best.

The second trial hadn’t gone any better—another C—and in the end, he’d been awarded a C-rank class: Resilient Swordsman.

Compared to now... it was almost laughable.

His eyes narrowed as he looked forward, the grin still lingering on his face.

"I wonder what the second trial will be," he muttered, voice low.

As if the system had heard his thoughts—

Ding!

Another notification lit up in front of him.

[Profession Trial Phase 2]

[Task: Escape the shadow. Note: Failure to escape the shadow would result in you losing all your levels and finally... death.]

[Chances Remaining: 1]

Riley’s eyes widened.

"Escape... the shadow?" he muttered, confused.

His body tensed.

And then—

Fwump!

Everything around him darkened.

The soft grey sky above turned almost completely dark in an instant, like a veil had been thrown over the clouds.

Shadows twisted unnaturally along the ground. The green field where he stood—just moments ago full of swaying grass and scattered remnants of battle—began to change.

The blades of grass curled in on themselves.

Their color drained rapidly, fading from dull green to a lifeless, sickly grey. In mere seconds, they began to rot—wilting and drying up right under his feet with a sound like crumbling paper.

Riley’s face slowly twisted into a frown.

He took a step back, gaze darting across the now-ruined landscape.

The field was withering before his very eyes.

And then—

It began.

From the base of the dried grasses, tendrils of thick, purplish-black aura started to seep into the air.