The woman couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
All this ti, it had been a tiny skeleton—with glowing pink flas in its eye sockets—that had been caring for her.
Realizing this, she felt embarrassed for having harbored such suspicious thoughts earlier. Still, a mont later, her expression grew serious again.
She remained still, letting the little skeleton continue its work. She wanted to be absolutely sure it was truly the one tending to her—and not soone else.
She should’ve been resting to speed up her recovery, but instead, she stayed awake the entire night, determined to satisfy her curiosity.
...
Morning
Loud noises interrupted Clayton’s sleep. At first, he tried to ignore them, but they grew louder and more insistent. Eventually, he sat up groggily.
Looking toward the source, he was startled to see a group of people making a ruckus as they searched the area near his resting spot.
One of them approached directly.
"Hey, you. Have you seen a suspicious outsider around here?"
Clayton froze. Then, snapping out of it, he quickly shook his head.
The man didn’t seem to care about the answer. Without hesitation, the group pushed past him and headed straight into the cave—like it belonged to them.
Clayton’s mood soured. These people clearly didn’t care what he had to say. They acted like he was invisible.
It made him furious—but for now, there was nothing he could do. He could only pray they wouldn’t find the woman.
They were different from the group he’d encountered after leaving the previous trial room, but their arrogant attitudes were the sa.
Clayton couldn’t help but wonder: Are all people from noble families like this?
As he brooded, one of them pointed toward a certain room and asked,"What’s that room for?"
Clayton’s heart skipped a beat. That was where the woman had been recovering.
"That’s the recovery room, sir. Best not go in—it’s full of filth and uncleaned dicine," Clayton said quickly, trying to steer them away.
He was preparing to distract them, but they ignored him and barged right in—as if they owned the place.
The more he tried to stop them, the more suspicious they beca. Now, they were even more determined to search the room.
It felt like the sky was falling. Clayton braced himself, ready to cast a spell if needed.
But after a long mont... nothing happened.
No shouts. No discovery.
Curious, Clayton rushed to the room.
Inside, the group was poking around—but the woman was gone.
He stood there, stunned.
Where did she go?
Still, a wave of relief washed over him. She had escaped. Sohow, she’d slipped away before they could find her.
An unnecessary conflict had been avoided.
Clayton let out a silent sigh. No matter how hard they searched now, they wouldn’t find anything.
Sure enough, after a few minutes, the group gave up and left—without apology or even a proper goodbye.
In fact, they looked rushed, like they were running out of ti.
Clayton seethed. But again, he could do nothing except grit his teeth and silently clean up the ss they’d left behind.
While tidying up, a mini skeleton with pink flas in its eyes approached him.
Clayton blinked.
"What is it, Lust?" he asked.
Lust didn’t respond. It simply handed sothing to him.
Clayton took it—and froze.
"Where did you get this?" he asked, stunned.
With a few simple gestures, Lust explained that it had co from the woman he’d been caring for.
"I see... All right, you can go back to your duties."
Lust nodded and returned to work.
Clayton looked down at the booklet in his hands. It detailed various sword techniques—so fluid and elegant, others fierce and explosive.
At the top, the title read: "Sword Technique of the Sun and Moon."
Clayton wasn’t well-versed in swordplay, but even he could tell this was a high-level technique.
Did this co from the sword she pulled during those chaotic trials? he wondered.
But he quickly shook his head. There’s no way soone would just hand over sothing this valuable.
So he assud either it wasn’t from the trial—or if it was, it had been heavily diluted.
Even so, he treated the booklet with reverence, as if it were a sacred text.
In that mont, he felt certain: he had helped the right person.
After a brief mont of reflection, he returned to his chores.
...
After finishing his al and packing his belongings, Clayton set off again.
He moved with renewed energy but remained cautious. The environnt had changed—it was no longer as extre as the oceans or volcanoes before. It felt more like a mystical, enchanted world.
That eased so of his tension, but not all. He suspected the woman had possessed so earth-elent mutation—perhaps a quake-based ability. Wherever she is, the woman is extrely dangerous because of her powers.
As he traveled, he noted that the land was filled with flora and fauna brimming with elental attributes: water, fire, light, and dark.
And yet... he hadn’t found anything of significant value.
The place was strangely quiet. Aside from that noble group earlier, he hadn’t seen a single soul.
Is this place just massive, with people too spread out? Or... did a lot of them die in the last trial?
But he shook off the thought. Most contestants ca in teams or ford groups early on. It wasn’t that deadly.
"Then... what’s really going on here?"
Still without answers, he kept walking.
...
Eventually, Clayton stumbled upon a large crowd. Curious, he moved closer.
Everyone was staring ahead—at what looked like empty space.
But there was sothing there: an invisible barrier do blocking the way forward.
Beyond the do lay a wide field filled with rare and valuable dicinal herbs.
Clayton reached out and confird it: a powerful magical barrier. A massive protective array.
He studied it, then gave the do a firm punch.
Bang!
The loud impact drew everyone’s attention.
Embarrassed, Clayton awkwardly backed into the crowd.
But now, curiosity had spread.
One by one, people began attacking the do.
It started slowly, but soon turned into a cascade. Magical light and elental energy filled the air.
Clayton feigned innocence—but deep down, he hoped they’d break through.
After half an hour, the do still stood firm.
Growing impatient, the noble families stepped in. They ordered all the rogue mages—including Clayton—to combine their efforts.
No one liked it, but they had no choice.
"All right! Everyone—on the count of three!"
They gathered their magic, then—
Boom! Bang!
A rainbow of spells slamd into the do. Dust and sparks flew. The barrier trembled.
Excitent surged through the crowd.
Cracks began to form.
"Yes! We’re breaking through!"
"Those herbs are mine!"
"Co on, break already! I’m gonna be rich!"
The atmosphere turned electric with hope—and greed.
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