The battlefield laid in ruins beneath the moonless sky with thunder cracking violently as if the heavens themselves had felt his presence.Thaddeus Lynwood stood alone amid the carnage, breathing heavily as blood dripped from his fingers, each drop hissing as it struck the cracked stone below.All around him lay scattered bodies of attackers and exceptionally skilled bandits who had ambushed him.He let out a gentle cough, forcing his trembling body upright.His cultivation churned violently, unstable as his energy kept depleting by the seconds.He let out a sigh of relief.Even though he was badly injured and weak, he was grateful his men were safe His legs trembled in pain which made him collapse on one knee. Blood dripped from every part of his body, soaking into the ground beneath his feet. His men had brought him here in secrecy, claiming there was something he alone needed to see. He coughed again, blood spilling from his lips as he observed the cuts carved across his body. E

Just as Thaddeus took a step forward to greet it, a translucent panel of light suddenly appeared before him.In that instant, time stood still.Even the beast, with claws outstretched, remained suspended in the air.Thaddeus’sl gaze narrowed as lines of words began to unfold across the panel, one after another.[TRIAL INITIATED][OBJECTIVE: SURVIVE THE SOUL-DEVOURING BEAST][FAILURE CONDITION: DEATH OF HOST/COMPLETE SOUL ERASURE][OUTCOME IF SUCCESSFUL: REBIRTH COMPATIBILITY AND ACCESS TO SYSTEM]Thaddeus’ hardened expression remained unchanged but a faint tension settled in his chest.He stared as more words slowly appeared on the panel.[RULES OF THE TRIAL][Each wound inflicted upon the host will strengthen the Beast’s hunger. The longer the fight continues, the more aggressive and adaptive the beast becomes.]Even with time frozen around it, the creature managed to let out a quiet growl, as if agreeing to what was displayed.The instructions continued.[All abilities have been res

Thaddeus raised his hand and shadow energy followed his movement and slowly twisted into a spiraling shield of dark energy that met the descending horn mid-impact. Thaddeus gritted his teeth as pressure flooded through his arm. The shadows held but barely. The beast growled loudly as it used its claws to ram the shield repeatedly, causing the shadow around Thaddeus's hand to flicker. Seeing this, Thaddeus changed the form, using the dark energy to wrap around the beast’s horns like binding chains. The beast reacted immediately, trying to pull away with brute force. Instead of resisting, Thaddeus followed the motion, using its own strength against it and released his grip. The beast was thrown off balance and crashed into the darkness. For the first time, the creature’s four eyes widened slightly as it gathered itself up and growled at Thaddeus and charged at him again. Thaddeus clenched his hand, waiting as shadow energy condensed around his arm, compressing till it formed

The next time Thaddeus opened his eyes, he was welcomed with an excruciating pain from his left leg." Ahh.." He cried out from his sleep. “Hey, Rael. Still alive?” A servant passing by the shed entrance paused when he noticed Rael was awake. Thaddeus groaned and slowly opened his eyes. The sunlight filtering through the holes in the ceiling hit his eyes, forcing them briefly as it illuminated the cramped space.The servant laughed mockingly.“You’re tougher than I thought,” he sneered. “Most servants drew their last breath after offending Young Master Lucien but you.... You surprised me.”Thaddeus said nothing and coughed loudly.The servant clicked his tongue in disappointment before walking away.“ Anyway, try not to end up dead before tonight,” he called out lazily as he left.Thaddeus coughed again and tried to get up.He shrieked in agony from the effort as the pain sent tremors through his body.He paused and stared down.One of his legs was badly swollen, probably due to