Koga lay unconscious on Yelena's strong, muscular—yet strangely soft—back as she carried him with surprising ease.
His breathing was shallow, his face pale, but even in this broken state he somehow managed to look annoyingly smug, like a warrior who had just pulled off something legendary and now left the world to deal with it.
From deeper in the forest, a peaceful flute echoed, weaving through the trees. Its melody was so divine it felt as though God Himself was acknowledging the complete gathering of these Dreamers. The sound settled over them like a blessing—soft, unshakable, eternal.
On the way, Einar began explaining every single word Enji had told him to Yelena. His tone was steady, like a teacher, while Yelena listened with quiet patience—still as the forest trees, flowing as gently as a river.
Meanwhile, Rose had her nose buried in the great tome, walking steadily while Xitij leaned his jaw against her shoulder, reading along with her.
The Narrator sighed in bliss: The walk feels like HEAVEN… so quiet, so patient, so elegant. Then the Narrator screeched: WELL, mind you, they're still in the TRIAL LANDS! Every single non-human creature here is a BEAST THAT WANTS BLOOD! And then, with a shrug: But ehh, who cares… If anyone dares to interrupt Rose while she's reading, she could probably put a MAMMOTH TO SLEEP. Forever.
When Einar's explanation finally came to a stop, Rose cleared her throat—"Mmhm." A dangerous sign that Liberation Mode was about to activate.
Xitij, who knew the signs all too well, slowly pulled his face off her shoulder, stepped back with hands clasped behind him, and walked casually a little apart, as though preparing for a storm.
Rose spoke with the authority of a LIBRARIAN WARGENERAL:
**"The Trial Lands spread over FIVE MILLION square kilometers of land—that's about five percent of the total landmass of the Old Refrain. They stretch across thirty percent of Ardovale and sixteen percent of Rōwhenua. The Trial Lands host all three of the Great Tests: The Trial, The Tournament, and The Challenge.
Each year, between FOURTEEN TO EIGHTEEN MILLION candidates appear for The Trial. Out of them, only 60% to 70% move on to Stage Two. Out of those, barely half survive the 2nd Phase. That means, overall, the passing rate is a thin slice of 30% to 35%."
Xitij whistled low. Einar raised his brows. Even Yelena tilted her head with a sharp breath.
Rose adjusted her glasses—wait, she didn't even wear glasses, but her aura just summoned an imaginary pair—before continuing:
"Groups of five are formed. Each group requires at least FIVE THOUSAND POINTS to qualify, with each candidate holding at least EIGHT HUNDRED individually. However, if a candidate reaches FIFTEEN HUNDRED POINTS, they automatically qualify, regardless of the group's status."
The Narrator whispered: Ah yes… the good old CARRY-ME-TO-VICTORY strategy. Every gamer knows this pain.
"ELEVEN MILLION beasts spawn daily at six in the morning, and the remainder replenish at ten at night. This cycle continues for NINETY DAYS. ONE HUNDRED mini-bosses exist, one for each district. To register entry into the Phoenix District, a group must gather the LIFE ENERGY of every level of mini-boss beforehand."
Xitij's hands slipped into his pockets, his expression calm but his mind screaming: FIFTEEN MILLION KIDS… and we're supposed to RACE them?!
But Rose wasn't done. Oh no.
**"There are TEN ACHIEVEMENTS, each granting special bonus points and unrivaled glory:
The Ray of Dawn – First to defeat a monster.
The Earliest Slay – First to defeat a mini-boss (already achieved by Koga).
The Demolisher – First to reach 800 points.
The Berserker – First to hit 1500 points.
The Sturdy Five – First group to qualify.
The Hattrick – First to defeat at least three mini-bosses.
The Joker – First to discover the hidden rule.
The Berserkers Five – First group to obtain 10,000 points.
The Esteemed Qualifiers – First to qualify for the Phoenix District.
The Headhunter – Defeating the Phoenix itself.**
"More than the points, it's the GLORY that matters. Any group with an achievement is ALWAYS chosen by one of the Five Great Silver Halls."**
The group fell silent at that last line, the weight of the words hanging over them like storm clouds.
The Narrator leaned in, whispering to the reader: With the mini-bosses and achievements included, the subtotal of points is enough to pass NINETY-FIVE PERCENT of students—if spread smartly. But most students? Oh no. They don't care about survival. They want the FIFTEEN HUNDRED POINTS, THE GLORY, THE FAME. Because at the end of the day… no one dreams of just scraping by.
At the Restoration Center, the group received news: even with the elite doctors' instant regeneration techniques, Koga's recovery would take at least a full day. The human body could not summon nutrition and stamina in a blink, no matter how advanced the Dream World's medicine.
And when the doctors noticed the dark pits under Koga's eyes, they prescribed him FIFTEEN HOURS of immediate sleep. Turns out, the idiot hadn't slept a wink before the Trial—too excited, buzzing like a child before a field trip.
Einar calculated aloud: "With Koga's 400, Yelena's 15, my 23… and nothing yet from Rose and me… that's 438 POINTS total. Honestly, not bad for the first day. A decent start for a group."
Xitij leaned back smugly: "Yeah, but individually you and Rose haven't done JACK besides steamrolling each other at the glade."
Yelena's tone sharpened: "We should at least set a GOAL."
Rose nodded, eyes narrowing: "Yeah… how about—"
But before she could finish, Koga rose dramatically from his bed like some divine being returning to the world. His eyes half-shut, his aura radiating pure EMO DEITY MODE.
With his raspy voice, he declared: "Well then… FIFTEEN HUNDRED points for each of us… TEN THOUSAND total… and the head of the PHOENIX ITSELF…"
And those, ladies and gentlemen, were his final words—before Rose smacked him across the head with her wand.
The Narrator deadpanned: Next time, don't you DARE interrupt Rose.
Xitij grinned, clapping once: "Well then, the GOAL is set!"
Yelena glanced at the clock: "It's only TEN A.M. You three should go hunt. I'll keep watch on Koga."
From the bed, a rasp echoed once again—like a ghost refusing to pass on: "Hunt… yes… yes… I will go too…"
The Narrator snickered: And there he goes again, back to the hunt—the HUNT FOR DREAMS, in his sleep.
The audience BURST into laughter: "HA, HA, HA!"
That same girl from the audience shouted: "Well, there he goes, making those LAME jokes again!"
The Writer panicked: "Wait—WAIT. The same girl from the audience? But I didn't SPECIFY her gender before!"
The same girl turned red, stammering: "Shut up, you DWEEB! Why wouldn't you mention my gender?! I'm only reading this because you asked me to, alright?! It's not like I LIKE it or anything…"
The Writer muttered under his breath: "…Yeah, right. That's why you NAG me every other day to write the next chapter."
The Narrator and Writer stuck out their tongues: "BUUUU."
The same girl screamed, flustered: "Whaaaaat?! NOOOOO!!"
And that's the end of the chapter.
The curtain fell.