> Time Remaining: 0:51:07
The ridge trembled beneath their boots as Squad One emerged into the final cavern of the simulation.
A jagged valley spread out before them, lit by flickering artificial moonlight and scattered embers of energy. Boulders littered the terrain, the walls rising like broken cliffs on either side. At the far end, a massive Wyrm-Class Riftspawn stood chained in a crater of pulsing Rift energy — thick-scaled, twitching with breath, its spined back rising and falling.
It wasn't active yet. But that would change soon.
Elise Fontaine took point, her glowing Arc Thread already laced along the notches of her bowstring like coiled silk. "Wide terrain. No vertical cover. We'll need to force it to commit early."
David Ruiz adjusted his gauntlets. "I'll draw the first charge. Split its attention."
Enzo Rhavoz knelt beside a boulder, scanning the terrain with his lens tablet. "Two blind arcs on the right. That's where it'll come from. It'll fake a frontal assault—"
The ground exploded before he could finish.
With a roar, the Wyrm snapped its bindings and surged forward, tearing through the air like a living avalanche.
David slammed his shield into the earth, absorbing the blow with a sharp grunt. Elise's threads ignited mid-flight, slicing into the Wyrm's limbs like laser filaments. Enzo barked out position shifts with precise hand signs, his Mind Lock Core already active—his emotions suppressed, his calculations cold and flawless.
It was beautiful. Controlled chaos.
The three B-Rank Ascenders observing from the cliffs above watched in disbelief.
"She's syncing the threads mid-draw," one of them whispered. "That's not just Arc Thread she's layering them into the shot itself."
"And Ruiz," another muttered. "That kid's soaking direct blows. He's B-rank material already."
The third squinted at Enzo. "What about him? He's not even fighting directly."
"No," the first one murmured. "He's commanding. He's orchestrating the fight like a tactician. Look at their rotations. That's not instinct. That's planned."
For several long minutes, Squad One held the upper hand.
Until everything changed.
The Wyrm roared — but this time, not out of pain. Its skin darkened. Veins of crimson cracked along its frame as Rift energy surged unnaturally. Something in the simulation glitched, or maybe it had been designed this way.
Either way, the monster evolved.
It blitzed toward Enzo, faster than before. He pivoted back to evade—
Too slow.
Its claw slashed through his shoulder, sending him sprawling across the stone. Blood splattered on the dirt. His lens tablet shattered beside him.
"Enzo!" Elise's voice cracked mid-breath.
David leapt forward, intercepting the next blow, but the Wyrm didn't stop. It lunged again.
Then—
A streak of silver crashed into the Wyrm's side.
One of the B-Rank Ascenders had jumped in.
She drove her blade into its rib, shielding Enzo as she shouted over the comms.
"Instructor, we're stepping in. The students are in danger!"
A cold voice replied instantly through the wireless feed in her ear — calm, clipped.
"Stand down. Not yet."
She froze. "What?"
"Repeat: Do not interfere. This trial is designed to test them under pressure. They can handle it."
"They're bleeding down there!"
The Ascender's knuckles whitened around her hilt. "With all due respect, this isn't a test anymore. Are you defying your own principles now?"
The voice didn't waver.
"Are you defying WAA orders?"
For a moment, silence.
Then Elise moved.
She launched high into the air, Arc Threads blooming like spider silk in every direction. Her next arrow glowed white-hot, laced with dozens of razor threads. She loosed it — and it split midair into five tracking lines, slicing through the Wyrm's limbs.
David slammed forward like a moving fortress, his barrier-enhanced gauntlet cracking into the Wyrm's exposed core.
With a guttural shriek, the monster collapsed — fading into static.
Time Remaining: 0:46:29 Boss Eliminated. Core Destroyed. Trial Cleared.
Elise stood over the wreckage, breathing hard. David helped Enzo to his feet, steady but bleeding.
From the viewing deck, Squad Two and Squad Three sat in stunned silence.
"...That was a simulation?" Levi muttered. "It looked real."
Min-ji leaned forward, eyes wide. "Enzo nearly died."
Charlotte's hands were folded tight. "If that was the first group…"
Kael said nothing. His eyes weren't on the battlefield. They were locked on the three senior Ascenders — still standing quietly on the ridge.
And on the shadowed figure behind the glass above them all.
A Veil Division observer. Watching. Judging.