CHAPTER 25: FINAL DAY TRIAL (3)

Chapter 25 – Final Day Trial (3)

The river boiled with unrest.

Foam, bubbles, and the sound of thrashing water echoed across the valley like the roar of a waking beast. Michael stood on the jagged bank, his blade drawn, his reflection distorted by the darkened surface.

The poison he had brewed—Shadow Wolf nails, Loltical flower, Venous Viper skin—was already at work. The current shimmered faintly, green mist rising off the surface before dispersing in the breeze.

But it wouldn’t last. Ten minutes. No more.

Michael clenched his jaw, knuckles whitening against the hilt of his sword.

"Ten minutes to hunt apex predators. Ten minutes to decide if I stay at the top... or drown."

---

The water exploded. A massive fin cut through the air like a spear, droplets raining down in glittering arcs. A Swallow Shark burst forth, its maw yawning wide enough to swallow him whole. Rows upon rows of serrated teeth caught the sunlight, dripping river water and venomous saliva.

Michael’s body moved before thought—his feet planted deep into the soil, sword drawn in a rising arc.

Clang!

The blade met the beast’s lower jaw, sparks hissing as steel clashed against bone. Michael twisted his stance, sliding under its shadow.

—Slash!

The sword cleaved upward, severing muscle along the gills. Blood sprayed, warm against his cheek. The shark writhed, crashing back into the river with a thunderous splash.

[ +1000 pts ]

A holographic chime echoed faintly in his vision.

Michael didn’t celebrate. He only muttered, "One down."

---

Countdown: 9 Minutes Left

The water churned again. More fins—three this time—sliced through the surface, circling like wolves around a wounded stag.

Michael exhaled through his nose. "Good. Come together."

He thrust his palm outward. Ice mana surged, freezing mist swirling.

[ Ice Spears! ]

Three jagged lances of frost shot forward, piercing into the river’s surface. The water erupted as two sharks thrashed up in pain, their fins shredded by crystal shards.

But the third avoided the strike, bursting straight at him.

"—Tch!"

Michael raised his sword just as the monster crashed onto the bank, earth shaking beneath its weight. The impact hurled dirt and stone into the air. Its teeth lunged for his torso.

Michael twisted, rolling across the mud, blade dragging sparks as it met the creature’s teeth. His boots dug deep as he pushed, muscles burning.

"Die!"

He shoved the sword up its throat and ripped forward. Flesh split. The shark convulsed, blood drenching his gloves.

[ +1000 pts ]

His lungs heaved. Eight minutes left.

---

Not far from the riverbank, two figures watched from the treeline. Their breaths were steady, their auras carefully concealed.

Selena Veylan’s violet eyes narrowed, her lips parted slightly in disbelief. Beside her, Leon Lionheart’s crimson gaze burned like coals, but his posture was still.

Neither spoke. Neither moved.

They simply watched Michael carve through monsters that most cadets would never dare to approach.

---

The river writhed violently. Five fins at once. The weakened sharks, driven mad by poison and hunger, rushed together. Their bodies collided, fighting for the chance to devour prey.

Michael cursed under his breath. "Five...? This is insane."

But he couldn’t run. Not now. Not with the timer bleeding away.

He dropped low, palm slamming against the ground.

[ Ice Domain! ]

The riverbank froze outward, jagged spikes of frost rising like teeth from the earth. Steam hissed as poisoned water met sudden cold.

The sharks lunged regardless.

One vaulted over the ice, maw descending. Michael met it mid-air, his sword gleaming with frost. He carved straight through its skull, momentum carrying him to the ground in a roll.

[ +1000 pts ]

Another burst from the side—he spun, releasing a Fire Burst point-blank.

BOOOOM!

Flames engulfed its face, blinding it. Michael leapt, driving his blade deep into its eye. Blood boiled, and the beast collapsed in flames.

[ +1000 pts ]

Three remained.

Countdown: 6 Minutes Left

Michael’s breath came ragged now, his mana veins aching with every cast. Switching between frost and flame was like tearing his body apart. But he had no choice—this battlefield demanded both.

The remaining sharks circled. Their movements were sluggish but coordinated, weaving in a deadly triangle around him.

Michael spat blood onto the ice. "Come, then."

The first lunged he side-stepped, cleaving its fin clean off. The second came from behind. He spun, releasing a crescent arc of water magic.

[ Water Cutter! ]

The blade of water sliced through its exposed gills, spilling crimson across the snow-white ice.

[ +1000 pts ]

The last one hesitated, thrashing violently, jaws snapping at empty air.

Michael’s eyes sharpened. Fear? Even poisoned beasts feel it...

He surged forward, every muscle screaming. With a roar, he leapt onto its back, blade plunging down again and again until it stilled.

[ +1000 pts ]

The water fell silent for a brief moment, only the sound of Michael’s ragged breath filling the clearing.

Countdown: 4 Minutes Left

The surface stirred again.

Two more fins. Larger. Faster.

Michael’s eyes widened. "Alpha pair..."

These weren’t just weakened. Even poisoned, they radiated killing intent far sharper than the rest.

"Four minutes left," he muttered, wiping blood from his brow. "No retreat."

The first alpha shark erupted from the river like a cannonball. Michael barely dove aside, the force of its crash splintering ice like glass.

The second surged behind, water erupting in a deadly geyser. Michael formed an Ice Shield—

SSSSHHHH!

Venom sprayed, hissing as it ate into the ice, cracking it apart.

Michael rolled, frost smoke burning his lungs. His sword arm trembled, but his eyes were alive with sharp focus.

"This is it. Push everything."

The first shark lunged again. Michael’s mind flared—Quantum Analysis activated. Probability lines danced across his vision, every twitch of the beast’s muscle highlighted.

He dodged by a hair’s breadth, sliding across wet stone, sword flashing upward—

CRACK!

The blade sliced its underbelly, blood raining like a storm.

[ +1000 pts ]

"Three minutes left."

The last alpha thrashed wildly, enraged at its fallen kin. It lunged low, body whipping like a battering ram. Michael’s body was hurled into the river.

Cold swallowed him.

He gasped, eyes burning, struggling as the shark’s silhouette swam straight toward him like a living torpedo.

"Not... yet!"

He thrust his palm forward, mana spiraling—

[ Ice Coffin! ]

The water froze instantly around the shark, trapping it mid-lunge. Its body writhed against the prison, cracks splintering across the ice.

Michael swam forward, lungs screaming. He drew his sword, frost gathering along its edge.

With a final surge of strength, he slashed down, the ice shattering in an explosion of blood and crystal.

The beast went still.

[ +1000 pts ]

---

Countdown: 40 Seconds Left

Michael dragged himself back onto the riverbank, coughing violently, blood and water dripping down his chin. His vision blurred, body trembling.

The river stilled. No more fins.

He collapsed to one knee, blade buried into the mud to keep himself upright.

"...All of them..."

~ Ding!

[ Points Updated. ]

The board flashed before his eyes:

#1. Michael Willson – 26,330 pts

#2. Leon Lionheart – 17,560 pts

#3. Edric William – 16,930 pts

#4. Selena Veylan – 16.540 pts

#5. Lyra Braveheart – 15,810 pts

#6. Aiden Stromfang –. 15,220 pts

#7. Chris Blackthorn – 14,870 pts

#8. Aurelia Miller – 14,480 pts

#9. Maria Frostheart –. 14,340 pts

#10. Zack Sunwood – 14,270 pts

Michael exhaled, bitter laughter escaping his lips. "Still first... by a mountain."

His head drooped, exhaustion finally catching him.

---

From the shadows of the trees, Leon and Selena stood frozen in silence.

Selena’s lips trembled, her pride shaken. "...He... alone, against all that..."

Leon’s crimson gaze never left Michael’s battered figure, his fist tightening.

"He’s not just strong. He’s... terrifying."

Selena swallowed hard, the words bitter in her throat.

"And he’s ahead of all of us. By more than double."

Leon finally turned, his cloak swaying as he stepped back into the shadows.

"Then we have no choice. Before this trial ends... we’ll have to face him."

Selena’s eyes lingered on Michael’s collapsed form one last time, her heart conflicted. Then she followed Leon, vanishing into the forest.

Michael never knew he wasn’t alone.

The river carried silence once more.