“Of course you wouldn’t betray your beloved older brother, would you?” Marcus asked, his voice carrying an unsettling calm that made Maeve’s blood run cold. “You don’t want me to die… do you?”Fear spilled from Maeve’s eyes in silent tears.She knew struggling was pointless.Marcus was a Tier Five fighter.She was only Tier One.If he truly wanted to kill her, he could crush her skull with his bare hands before she even had a chance to react.Held tightly in his embrace, she couldn’t escape unless he chose to let her go.“Do you even realise how lucky you are?” Marcus asked, his voice becoming sharper. “Do you understand what it means to be chosen as Poseidon’s Champion?”His expression twisted with years of buried resentment.“That position should have been mine.”“I’m more capable than you.”“I’m smarter.”“I’m stronger.”“I’m more experienced.”“And yet…”He stared directly into her eyes.“You were chosen.”“Not me.”“Why?”“What do you have that I don’t?”His lips curled into a bit

"Firstly, you will need to make your way to the next promotion test site which will be a challenging task riddled with dangers And then you will need to attempt the promotion test itself, which can also end your life" Epita said, as Rhys felt his left eye flutter when he heard these words. The Origin Realm was already a nightmarish landscape with a ridiculously strong mana concentration and equally challenging tier promotion tests, however, as if that were not enough, one now also needed to make their way to the promotion test sites and could potentially be killed on their way there. "So for me to attempt the second tier promotion test, I first need to make my way to the test site?" Rhys asked, trying to confirm what he was supposed to do as Epita nodded her head. She was not obligated to explain all this to Rhys, however, since Rhys indulged her with an interesting conversation today and did not behave like a dick, she felt generous and decided to genuinely help him just this one

Rhys took a deep breath before stepping onto the hardest trail.His heart hammered against his chest.I’m scared.He admitted it to himself without trying to pretend otherwise.His hands were trembling despite his best efforts to steady them.Every instinct told him to turn around.Every logical thought in his mind insisted this was a terrible decision.But after receiving the emergency quest, turning back was no longer an option.He glanced over his shoulder one last time.Epita was still standing where he had left her.She watched him in silence, her expression caught somewhere between concern and acceptance.Rhys gave a small nod before facing forward again.The forest waiting for him was unlike any he had ever seen.Ancient trees stretched high into the sky, their thick branches twisting together until they almost blocked out the light above.The little sunlight that managed to slip through painted strange, shifting shadows across the ground.Everything around him felt unfamiliar.

Rhys sat beside the python’s lifeless body with his legs crossed, slowly steadying his breathing as the pounding in his chest finally began to settle.For the first time since the battle started, he allowed himself a moment to think.The forest was still unnaturally quiet, but the crushing tension from earlier had eased just enough for him to focus. Looking at the broken swords lying beside him and the massive python fangs in his hands, Rhys knew he couldn’t afford to waste any time.Those steel swords had already reached their limit.If another beast appeared now, they would be more of a liability than a weapon.He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to remember Principal Reeves’ survival lessons from the beginning of the semester.The old principal had always insisted that a true warrior should never depend entirely on manufactured equipment.“If your weapon breaks,” Reeves had said countless times, “then make another one. Nature always provides something for those who know where to

“A druid’s Source Tree always stands out. Look for the tree that’s flourishing unnaturally, and you’ll find the heart of the druid.”Professor Fae’s voice echoed clearly in Rhys’ mind as his perfect memory replayed the lesson word for word.Knowing how to identify the Source Tree and actually getting the chance to search for it were two completely different things.The druid had no intention of giving him that opportunity.The moment Rhys tried to move away, thick vines burst from the ground while twisted branches reached down from above, cutting off every possible escape route.Rhys quickly slashed through the nearest vines, his mind already working through every possible option.He couldn’t defeat the druid in a straight fight.That much was obvious.But he didn’t need to fight fairly.If the druid wanted to use the forest against him, then he would use the druid’s love for the forest against it.Every lesson he had learned about nature spirits pointed to the same weakness.They trea