Cassian stood not far from Ethan, his expression dark as he watched him pick at his ear as though the provocation just now wasn’t even worth listening to. Irino was still laughing, while Roamer only glanced over once before looking away.
In the end, Cassian let out a cold snort and didn’t waste any more time. He’d come here to claim the top spot. Ethan was merely a target the General wanted dealt with along the way. Compared to standing around bickering with someone who hadn’t even cleared the first round, the challenges ahead were clearly more important.
On the far side of the Measurement Sphere, a black corridor had appeared ever since Cassian passed the test. Its entrance looked like a patch of darkness carved straight into the wall, the inside completely devoid of any visible end.
Cassian turned and walked in. Before his figure vanished, he looked back at Ethan one last time, his thumb slowly dragging across his throat.
Ethan saw it but didn’t react.
Irino, standing nearby, raised an eyebrow slightly before also carrying her Crescent Wheel toward the corridor. As she passed Ethan, she watched him for a few more seconds, that curious smile still on her lips.
"I hope you don’t die in the first round."
Ethan tilted his head. "Thanks?"
Irino laughed and continued on. Roamer was the last to leave. The gray-haired young man said nothing, only glancing at Ethan briefly before taking his Blood Saber into the darkness.
The three highest-rated candidates had all departed, but everyone else remained standing in place.
Cassian’s result of over two million six hundred thousand, Irino’s three million plus, and Roamer’s nearly three million seven hundred thousand were indeed staggering, but the memory of the first person’s body being crushed into pulp still lingered in everyone’s minds. Fall short by just a few tens of thousands of units, and the result was death. No do-overs.
Some people stared at the Measurement Sphere, then looked down at their own weapons. They were calculating whether it was worth stepping up.
Ethan had also stopped paying attention to Cassian by now. He was watching the sphere.
Its bizarre eyes rolled across the crowd, its mouth still curving endlessly as if waiting for more people to die.
"Kekeke... Nobody coming? You all scared?"
Ethan ignored the taunting. His pupils shifted subtly as the Eye of Truth activated.
No information panel appeared.
Only the world before his eyes became different.
The sphere’s white shell gradually lost its sense of being completely sealed. Thin lines of energy became visible in Ethan’s sight, running across the entire surface before converging at multiple points inside. He saw the weak spot he’d noticed earlier, located at the back, in a very small area where the energy flow moved erratically.
But this time Ethan didn’t stop there.
His gaze penetrated deeper. Behind the thick shell, near the very center of the Measurement Sphere, was a green point of light slowly contracting and expanding.
Thump.
Thump.
It was like a heart.
Ethan narrowed his eyes slightly. Each time the light contracted, an extremely dense surge of vital energy poured out, traveling along the energy lines to every part of the sphere’s body. The reason the wounds left by Irino and Roamer had sealed so quickly was largely thanks to this energy source.
’Life energy?’
Ethan studied it intently for a few more seconds.
Under the Eye of Truth, the vital energy there was so dense it was nearly visible to the naked eye. If he could obtain this, it wouldn’t directly increase his combat power, but its value in a life-or-death moment would be greater than a powerful offensive skill.
Ethan immediately thought of the Void Flame in his left arm, thought of all the times his body had been pushed to its limits. As long as this could be absorbed or activated correctly, it would be no different from carrying a second life. Even if it couldn’t save him from a completely lethal blow, that massive reserve of vital energy would be enough to keep his body from collapsing for a period of time.
The corner of Ethan’s mouth curved slightly.
’Then I can’t just hit it and walk away.’
Laira, standing beside him, immediately noticed where his gaze was directed. She leaned in closer.
"What do you see?"
Ethan didn’t answer aloud but beckoned lightly with his finger. Laira understood at once and leaned all the way down. Because of their height difference, she had to lower her upper body considerably to bring her ear close to his mouth.
Ethan spoke very softly.
Laira’s eyes immediately lit up.
Ruo Yan saw this and stepped closer as well. Ethan leaned toward her ear, adding a few sentences about the weak spot’s location and what lay inside the Measurement Sphere.
Ruo Yan looked at the sphere, then back at Ethan.
"You want to take that too?"
"Yeah."
"Right in front of everyone?"
Ethan glanced at the observation screens set up around the arena. "That’s exactly why I need you."
Ruo Yan understood immediately. The corner of her mouth slowly curved upward.
"Got it."
Laira spoke up right away too: "I’ll shoot."
"I know."
"Just point me where."
"Wait for my signal."
The three finished their exchange quickly, then walked together toward the testing zone. Laira on Ethan’s right, Ruo Yan on his left. They’d barely taken a few steps before a voice rang out from behind.
"Hold on."
Ethan stopped.
A young man in blue armor was frowning at him. "This is a strength test. What are you bringing two Partners in for?"
Another person immediately chimed in: "The announcement said Partner assistance is allowed, but there should still be limits. Cassian, Irino, and Roamer all completed the test on their own. If you’ve got the skill, then go solo too."
"Exactly. If you let a Mythical Partner do the work for you, what’s the point of the score?"
A few voices murmured in agreement.
Laira slowly turned her head. Ruo Yan also frowned slightly, while Ethan stood still for a few seconds before looking toward the group behind him.
When the three geniuses had stepped up, nobody had opened their mouth to tell them what to do. The moment it was his turn, a whole crowd jumped out, using every kind of excuse to demand he cut away his own advantage.
Ethan tilted his head slightly.
’Think I’m a soft persimmon?’
The man in blue armor, seeing Ethan not respond, raised his voice even louder. "If you really have the guts, do the test yourself. Don’t rely on two wom..."
Ethan flicked his hand.
Just one very light motion.
Laira understood instantly.
She didn’t even need to step forward. Her right index finger merely lifted slightly, and a flash of crimson-violet Thunder Flame sparked to life.
Whoosh!
The young man who was still talking suddenly jerked violently. A hole appeared in the middle of his left arm. The Thunder Flame pierced straight through armor, skin, and flesh before flying out the other side, leaving behind a round wound with charred black edges.
"Ah!"
He clutched his arm and stumbled backward, his face instantly turning white.
Every voice around them vanished.
Laira calmly lowered her hand. From start to finish, she’d used only one finger, no charge-up, no preparatory movement of any kind. A high-tier Silver Awakened wearing combat gear hadn’t even had time to react.
Everyone who’d been about to speak up turned to look at her.
For the first time, genuine wariness appeared in their eyes.
"Just... a spark?"
"Doren’s armor is B-rank."
"Punched straight through?"
Someone swallowed involuntarily.
His gaze lingered on Laira’s red hair, then slowly traveled up to her face. Before entering the Trial Gate, everyone had heard that Ethan possessed a Mythical Partner. But hearing was one thing, and truly believing was another.
Mythical rank was far too rare.
In all of human history, the number of Mystery Boxes that had ever produced power reaching that level could be counted on one hand. An actual Mythical Partner practically only existed in records whose accuracy people questioned.
Many had still assumed the information about Laira was exaggerated.
Right now, nobody could laugh anymore.
The man whose arm had been pierced gritted his teeth, cold sweat running down his forehead, but still forced his head up. "You dare let your Partner attack someone from another zone? Aren’t you afraid of retaliation after you get out?"
Ethan looked at him, his expression barely changing.
"If I were afraid of retaliation, I wouldn’t have let her do it."
His voice wasn’t loud, but in the current silence, everyone heard it clearly.
Ethan glanced around the area, then smiled faintly. "You’ve barely been in here and you’ve already forgotten the rules?"
He pointed casually toward where the first young man had been crushed to death.
"Inside these ruins, people who die usually have only two reasons: too stupid, or too weak." Ethan’s gaze swept across each face. "Which would you all like to be?"
Nobody answered.
They were all geniuses selected from among countless young Awakened. None of them were too dull to understand a warning. Ethan looked at the silence before him, and inside he only felt calmer.
Before, if he’d encountered a similar scene, he might have had to explain, had to prove he wasn’t cheating, then argue over whether the rules permitted Partner assistance or not. Then this crowd would use numbers, honor, fairness, or every other excuse to pressure him into doing what they wanted.
Now all Laira needed was to raise one finger, and everyone knew how to shut up.
’As expected.’
Ethan suddenly understood more clearly something he’d once said back at Spring Village.
Strength wasn’t just for killing people.
It also decided whether others would even bother listening to you.
If he showed weakness, these people would immediately step forward and impose their rules on him. But if he was dangerous enough, they’d learn to keep their distance on their own.
Ethan withdrew his gaze.
"Let’s go."
Laira snorted, her contemptuous eyes sweeping over the crowd before following him. Ruo Yan said nothing, but as she walked past the young man clutching his arm, she didn’t spare him a glance either.
The three stepped into the testing zone.
The Measurement Sphere immediately swiveled toward them. Its two eyes looked at Laira, then Ruo Yan, and finally settled on Ethan.
"Kekeke... Three people?"
Ethan looked at it. "Problem?"
The sphere spun once, its misshapen eyes narrowing slightly. "The rules measure the participant’s strength."
"I know."
"Three participants entering together means the result is calculated collectively."
"I know that too."
The sphere fell silent for a moment, seemingly not expecting Ethan to answer so nonchalantly. Its mouth stretched into an even wider grin.
"Kekeke... Then come hit me. Show me the strength of your team."
Ethan smiled. "You just do your thing."
Ruo Yan had already slowly raised her hand.
A ring of dark energy opened behind her. The Necromancer stepped out from within, its heavy feet landing on the stone floor.
THUD!
A few people outside immediately frowned.
"Another golem?"
"What exactly is he planning?"
The sphere also looked at the Necromancer, its mouth curving with amusement.
"Kekeke... The more the merrier."
Ruo Yan didn’t reply. Her hands slowly spread apart, and necrotic energy began pouring from the Necromancer’s body. At first it was just a thin layer of smoke, but it quickly thickened.
WHOOSH!
Gray-black Necrotic Mist spread like water, blanketing the ground before rising higher than a person’s head. In just seconds, the entire testing zone had vanished from sight.
Those outside could only see an enormous mass of dark fog.
The overhead observation screens went black as well.
Nobody could see inside.
Ethan stood amid the smoke. The Eye of Truth still pierced through everything, keeping the Measurement Sphere perfectly visible before him.
The weak spot at the back.
And the green life-point within.
He turned to Laira.
A small red dot suddenly appeared in her field of vision. It wasn’t something Laira had spotted on her own, but a position Ethan shared through their bond.
Laira looked at the red dot drifting in the darkness, the corner of her mouth curving upward.
"Found it."
Ethan nodded.
"Shoot."
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