Chapter 31: Encounter It was now the week following Kael’s grueling sessions in the dungeon, three full days of focus, trial, and meticulous experimentation with mana control. The progress he had made was tangible, satisfying in a way that pressed against the edges of obsession. The fist-sized blob of colorless mana that had once devoured twenty percent of his total reserves now only consumed ten. Half the cost, double the efficiency, and a small thrill sparked within him. It was a modest victory, but a victory nonetheless. Yet, despite this improvement, Kael knew it remained only theoretical. The battlefield—the place where theory collided with reality—was a cruel teacher, and he had yet to test this newfound control against anything alive. Claire had been astonished when he mentioned Physical Enhancement, her eyes wide with disbelief. No one expected such rapid mastery, least of all her. Mana Projection, on the other hand, she treated like a secret grimoire, guarding her kno

Chapter 33: Temple The forest stretched endlessly, an unbroken expanse of towering trees whose canopies wove together into a patchwork of shadow and sun, so massive that Kael could not spot a single one of his classmates, let alone any trace of the bandits he had been tracking. Even the usual predators of the dungeon were conspicuously absent, leaving the woods unnervingly silent, a pressure in the air that made each footstep feel hollow. Did I get lost? Kael muttered, the thought gnawing at him with the persistence of an uninvited guest. Hours had slipped past, three solid ones of wandering, twisting through the labyrinthine paths, yet nothing presented itself: no footprints, no broken branches, no faint whispers of movement, nothing at all. Just as the creeping hopelessness threatened to clutch his resolve, something faint shimmered in the far distance, a silhouette caught between the trees. Its lines were deliberate,

Chapter 35: The First Trial The instant Kael pressed the cold, unyielding button embedded into the floor, the world around him dissolved like a mirage under a noon sun, and reality fractured into an explosion of sensation. One moment he was grounded, familiar, tethered to the memory of his last absurd adventure, and the next he was hurled into a new space, a cityscape that thrummed with a strange, otherworldly life. Limbs stretched and twisted with fluid ease as he tested his movement, relief washing over him in a cool, intoxicating wave. Unlike the last trial, where invisible hands had tried to manipulate him, his autonomy was intact, his body obedient to his own intent, and for a moment, he savored the intoxicating rush of unimpeded motion. The city gradually sharpened around him, buildings twisting into existence like dreams solidifying under scrutiny. Streets paved with irregular cobblestones, walls of brick and woo

Chapter 37: The First Trial (3)Phase two. Kael’s expression hardened, a sculpted mask of focus and restrained dread, as the world around him shifted once more. Dust rose from the scorched earth in faint swirls, carried by a restless wind that whispered through the broken remnants of walls and shattered terrain. The air itself seemed to pulse, vibrating with the tension of anticipation, a pressure pressing against Kael’s chest that was almost physical.Adventurer, stop dozing off and get in formation! A sharp voice cut through the haze, slicing like a blade against the chaos of his thoughts. The man who barked the command had the bearing of authority, armor glinting faintly as sunlight reflected off the polished metal, the motion of his hands precise and unforgiving. Kael’s eyes flicked toward him, noting the way he barked orders with military exactitude, each command rolling off his tongue like percussion: guards, adventurers, all aligned in an orchestrated cadenc

Chapter 39: The First Trial (5)Kael’s hands trembled slightly, not from fear, but from the sheer tension vibrating through the battlefield, the acrid stench of blood and rot filling the air like a chorus of warning bells. He had cast yet another spell at the advancing goblins, expecting it to shred through their hideous forms like it had before, yet the result was infuriatingly familiar: the magical attack was cut cleanly in half, the mana severed and deflected as if by some invisible, malignant shears.What the fuck do I do now? the thought erupted in his mind, sharp, jagged, electric. And then, a spark of remembrance ignited, a memory of something he had not touched in a long while. It was a gambit he had learned to avoid, a weapon of precision and consequence, and if luck was on his side, it would save him now.With deft motions, Kael reached into his pocket and drew the sniper, its sleek, dark metal gleaming with latent potential. He unfolded it with