Adrian Peer came from a humble background. His parents were "Grounders"—those who never received the trial resonance and thus were denied the chance to enter the Trial World, to grow stronger and fight for humanity's future.
So, when Adrian awakened the resonance, it came as a shock to everyone. From obscurity, he was now a candidate to become a trial taker—something he had dreamed about for as long as he could remember.
What child didn't dream of becoming a trial taker? The Federation praised them as heroes, the future and the hope of humanity. For Adrian, that hope had once been unreachable.
But now that it was in front of him, he chased it with all he had. While others played, Adrian trained. He stayed up late studying and woke before dawn to condition his body.
His parents often urged him to rest, but he refused. He wasn't just trying to catch up—he was aiming to stand at the top.
And that effort bore fruit. Adrian earned a spot in the most prestigious class of the one-year training—a class dominated by nobles, many of whom had trained since birth in preparation for the resonance they were all but guaranteed to receive.
Adrian wasn't intimidated. He didn't complain. Instead, he took it as a challenge. To prove himself, he pushed harder, broke his limits, shattered his body and rebuilt it time and again.
His results showed. Second in physical training. Third in academics. Top three overall.
But for Adrian, it wasn't enough.
He wanted to be number one. And to do that, he needed to surpass one person: Leon Kael.
Day after day, Adrian worked relentlessly, driven by the image of the boy who stood above them all.
He had declared Leon his rival—even if Leon didn't know it. But no matter how much he pushed, Leon always remained just out of reach.
After the one year-training ended, Adrian pinned all his hopes on the Trial Summoning. He didn't care if he awakened a talent or not. He had gotten this far with nothing but sheer effort. All he hoped for was just to get a skill or weapon that would boost his strength significantly. But for the second time in his life, fate smiled on him.
He awakened an Extraordinary talent and cleared his first trial in under nine days.
After clearing his trial and appearing in the human stronghold of the Trial World, there was only one thing on his mind—had Leon returned?
But to Adrian's Suprise he hadn't.
Adrian didn't believe Leon was dead.
No, Adrian believed Leon was taking his time for some unkown reason.
So when Leon finally appeared Adrian approached him eager to hear the reason.
But Leon's question: "What was your name again?" Extinguished that curiosity.
Leon's question had been valid. Throughout the one-year training, he had barely interacted with Adrian. They were never friends, never even had a full conversation. From Leon's perspective, there had been no need to remember the names of people he didn't care to know.
His focus was on himself, on growing stronger—and besides, it wasn't as if Adrian had stood out to him. He was just another classmate. One of many.
Some might argue that he should at least remember the names of those in the elite class, but Leon simply couldn't be bothered. If someone didn't matter to him directly, their name wasn't worth storing in his head.
Adrian and the three boys behind him stood still, eyes narrowed and jaws clenched, glaring at Leon.
Leon noticed their stares. He met them without fear or concern, but didn't say a word. After all, this was the stronghold. No one could fight or cause trouble here, not without severe consequences and even if they could non of them would stand a chance against Leon.
Adrian exhaled sharply through his nose. "Adrian," he answered in a clipped voice, then turned around and walked off, no longer caring why Leon had taken so long to return.
The three boys hesitated, clearly itching to say something, but ended up trailing after Adrian in silence. Their glares lingered, but Leon paid them no mind.
He watched them go, an amused look playing on his face. "So dramatic," he muttered to himself.
With that, Leon continued on toward the center of the stronghold. It was time to register as an official Trial Taker.
The stronghold bustled with activity—new arrivals, flying combatants, teleporters flashing with people jumping in and out of the trial world—but Leon moved through it all like a shadow, barely noticed.
After all, most thought he was weak for appearing so late. Let them think that.
After confirming his identity and registering with the Trial World Authority, Leon was assigned housing.
Trial Takers were given private apartments within the stronghold based on their accomplishments and rank.
Leon's wasn't the best, but it was private, secure, and had a good view of the central plaza.
He entered the apartment, closed the door behind him, and stretched. For the first time in nearly a month, he could relax.
Still, he couldn't leave the Trial World yet.
Trial Takers needed 30 full days to "stabilize" before they were allowed to return to the real world through the teleporters.
It was a safeguard—the body had to fully adapt to the changes made during teleportation before it could teleport again.
Leon had only spent 28 and a half days inside so he couldn't go back yet.
If he had a Stabilizing Crystal, it would have accelerated the process.
But those were rare and mostly reserved for high-ranking elites or purchased through heavy Federation contribution points.
"No point worrying about it now," he said, dropping onto the couch. "Might as well see what I actually got."
With a thought, he opened his system menu and accessed his Inventory.
Rows of items shimmered into view—glowing, shifting, and humming with power.
"Let's see what all that pain was worth."
****
As Leon sat comfortably in his new apartment, the faint hum of the stronghold outside fading into the background, he opened his Inventory with a simple thought.
Rows of glowing items shimmered into view, their data and essence flickering with system-bound energy. His eyes immediately locked onto the four objects arranged neatly at the top—each radiating with the distinctive pulse of F-Rank Tier VII power.
[F-Rank Tier VII Weapon – Crimson Fang Blade]
[F-Rank Tier VII General Skill Orb – Mirror Split]
[F-Rank Tier VII Armor – Ironshade Warplate]
[F-Rank Tier VII Warrior Skill Orb – Phantom Edge]
A smirk tugged at the edge of his lips. "Not bad. Let's see what I actually got for busting my ass in a Tier VII trial."
He tapped the first icon.
---
Name: Crimson Fang Blade
Type: Weapon (Sword)
Rank: F-Rank
Tier: VII
Description: A blood-red sword forged from the fangs of high-tier trial beasts. It carries a vicious edge and thirsts for combat.
Effects:
Blood Echo (Passive): For every enemy slain, the blade stores a fragment of their vitality. After 5 kills, user can unleash a blood burst that temporarily increases his Strength and Speed for 10 seconds.
Rending Arc (Active): A wide-range slash that deals double damage and causes a minor bleeding effect over 5 seconds. (Cooldown: 1 minute)
---
...
...
...
A/N: Please send power stones and leave reviews.
...
...
...