Darian watched the enemies closely. It was obvious their power was basically the same—only their numbers were growing.
Maybe he could still handle it, but now there really were too many, and Darian didn't have much room to move in the arena.
If he were as skilled as Niara, he'd be able to slip through any tiny opening. Unfortunately, he'd never had any training. He was learning as he fought, stumbling along the way.
A second later, he let out a frustrated huff.
Then the earth, water, wind, fire, and lightning element runes surged up around him.
He'd trust himself, trust the book, and trust his will to win.
*ROAR!*
The hundred and twenty‑five Beasts charged like a herd of elephants. Darian himself felt like a tiny ant about to be crushed.
*Whoosh!*
*BANG!!*
He used Tempest Blink, but as soon as he reappeared, an attack nailed him full‑on. He'd picked the wrong direction—but there was barely any space to choose.
He exploded into the ground…
Dust shot up…
And a small figure rose calmly.
Darian's body was coated in what looked like a layer of brown earth. But it wasn't dirt—it was countless high‑level earth runes.
The defensive power of earth was terrifying.
Because of that defense, his body felt like it weighed tons. His speed—running or attacking—was completely compromised. But he barely took any real damage.
Darian gave a quick wave. Instantly, the entire arena glowed with a bluish light.
It pulsed and turned into a thick mist.
It was water—the most versatile element of all. You could defend with it as ice, attack with it as liquid, or cloud senses and minds with it as fog, etc. It wasn't better than the other elements in defense or attack, nor was it superior to the mind and soul's power to shake an opponent—but it could do all of that at once in battle.
The whole arena filled with fog. The Beasts lost sight, but they could still sense the environment faintly.
*ROAR*
They located Darian within two seconds and focused on him.
But…
Everything had changed now.
*Whoosh!*
He slipped away, and the Beasts couldn't pinpoint him or strike immediately after he vanished. He bought himself a two‑second gap every time he ran.
*BOOM! BOOM! BOOOM!*
Darian kept fleeing.
But it was an army of giants against an insect. Eventually, he'd get hit hard.
His earth defenses held him up.
So he'd stagger to his feet and counterattack—only to be thrown aside again and again.
"FUCK!"
He roared and fought. He got nailed so many times that his ring's power was draining way too fast. It was a race against time. He needed to strike back and thin their numbers.
Darian had never felt such pain and drive to fight. Every minute, he picked up on the enemies' patterns.
Luckily, they were just illusions with preset movements. If these had been real Beasts, an Array beginner like him would've been dead long ago. And if they'd been anywhere outside this trial Array, he wouldn't have even made it this far.
But this place was meant to train… and he was developing at a terrifying speed, just as it should be.
An hour later.
*BANG!*
"THAT'S IT, DAMN IT!" he roared, his body dripping blood and steam, "I'm on Level Five."
He'd killed half the Beasts and, in doing so, leveled up in the Seven Elemental Stars Physique.
After so much slaughter, the pressure eased considerably. Plus, Darian was way sharper at dodging and countering now. So he decided to stop attacking and just dance between them, constantly evading.
Another hour passed…
He'd noticed something odd at the end of the previous floor, and now it was confirmed: by just fleeing with Tempest Blink and making simple moves, his energy was regenerating faster than he used it.
"As expected, there really is a trick. Otherwise, who could keep this up so long?" Darian had discovered the secret behind the trial.
It was totally irrational for the trial to be so brutal without giving challengers any breathing room.
Besides the seven high‑level elements in the environment, the Array helped the ring's power recover many times faster. Figuring that out alone could count as a test. A great warrior needed sharp observation and analytical skill, after all.
Basically, if you could run away without burning much power, you'd fully recover in a few hours—and then you'd have a real shot at beating the next floor.
But there was the reward trap, where going fast bumps your score. If you got greedy for rewards and rushed ahead, you'd get crushed on the next floor, because you'd have no energy left to keep fighting.
Darian had already used up two‑thirds of his ring's power just on the first floor. But… getting this far with almost no energy, and snagging the max reward twice, was just plain absurd.
Time passed.
Darian fought a "bitter battle" against the last Beasts for two hours before killing them all. By then, his ring was fully recharged.
"AAAH!"
He couldn't help but scream. The pain was intense… but maybe it was excitement.
"Level Six!"
His technique advanced again after he wiped out all 125 opponents.
A white screen appeared in front of him:
[Time Achieved: 220 minutes]
[Grade: F]
[Reward Acquired: Mithril Dagger]
[Next floor unlocked]
The stone door opened. Darian stepped forward, entering the next floor.
His heart pounded like a drum. He was heading to the fifth floor. But he was also more anxious than ever to advance his technique.
And, just like before, it was the same deal: only a bigger arena with more Beasts. This time… 625 of them!
Since he'd figured out the trick behind the trial, Darian wasn't worried—at first. He thought he'd handle it easily… but being cocky so early was like taking a punch to the gut.
Now there were flying Beasts.
He tried the fog trick again, but these winged beasts all flapped together in perfect sync and blew it away.
He'd have to pick some off with full force first.
*Whoosh!*
*BOOOM!!*
*Whoosh!*
The last floor was like a light show.
Darian used all five natural elements. He moved at insane speed. He attacked explosively. He defended while messing with the Beasts' senses—all at once.
He even tried using Yin and Yang—the two pure, absolute elements. All the other five were just mixes of those. But he found they were at least a thousand times harder to use than the rest.
Maybe if he could meditate and train here forever, he'd master it one day. But in the middle of a fight, for a beginner like him, it was impossible.
He made tons of mistakes, got hit, but learned fast. Now Darian already considered himself somewhat competent in combat…
Little did he know that if anyone found out he was using all five elements at once and still fighting, they'd call him an unmatched monster.
One hour.
Three hours.
Six hours.
Even with all his power, Darian was drenched in blood. There were just too many Beasts. If it weren't for his defenses and his ability to blink away for a few minutes to recharge, he'd be down—either dead or pure exhaustion.
He hadn't been an ordinary human since he came back from that universe. As long as his ring had energy, he didn't need to eat, sleep, or even feel physical tiredness.
Darian was in an incredibly bitter, grueling battle. He killed one Beast every few minutes, feeling a touch of despair each time.
That fight was way too exhausting. But without him noticing, his kill speed was picking up.
Until half of them were gone.
His body pulsed. His skin—already soaked in blood—turned completely red and blistering hot.
"Level Seven!"
The Seven Elemental Stars Physique advanced. His control and capacity over the elements skyrocketed.
From that point, the fight got a lot easier. Darian began overwhelming his enemies, looking like a blood‑soaked demon.
It took him another four hours.
Mid‑arena, everything was cloaked in hot steam. Suddenly, he opened his eyes with a slight smile. By then, he'd reached Level Eight.
'Wait, weren't there nine levels? If this is the last floor…'
[Congratulations, all five floors have been conquered.]
[The Earth Stage is complete!]
[You have earned the right to enter the Heaven Stage. There, you may receive the supreme technique of the God Chromaraic.]