I had only a few seconds before one of the two groups reached the room.

So I had to think fast.

Staying in that room was not an option. I had no idea where the staircase would lead me, and Kaduna needed my help. No matter what, I had to go back to the ladder and climb back to the garden.

In a hurry, I bought four more increments for Swords. Then, I closed my eyes for three seconds. Only three.

And listened.

I could not tell how many there were on each side, yet there were two things I was able to tell by the sounds they made. The first was that the ones coming from the corridor were in a smaller group.

The second was that they would arrive first. But only by a couple of seconds.

Without wasting more time, I stood against the open door, one of my hands grasping the knob tightly while the other held the Primal Sword. I could not be a second late, otherwise it would not work. Actually, I had no idea if what I was thinking would work, regardless of the synchronization.

I kept listening to the approaching steps, and when they were less than two seconds from crossing the doorstep I appeared in front of them, the sword in position to stab whoever was in the front.

Though my Wands was not incredibly high, it was enough to give me speed and strength to strike the first one right in the chest while I closed the door behind me swiftly, making sure to leave it open only by half an inch.

Immediately I observed the situation in front of me. Like the servants from the garden, they were humanoid shapes wearing light armor, with bodies that seemed to be made out of flames and shadows. Yet bodies that could still be stabbed, nonetheless.

There were four of them, and I had to take advantage of their surprise and panic—before they could alert the others. As my sword sank into the first in line, I forced the blade upward, slashing the creature’s head in half as the sword cut its way.

I was surprised to notice how little resistance the sword had as I jumped to the others, swinging the weapon in an arc and getting two of them at the same time. It felt as if I was cutting warm butter.

I took care of the last one before it could take out its weapon, sinking my sword into its throat. There was no blood as their bodies collapsed, the entire fight lasting less than four seconds.

The moment the last body dropped to the ground, the other group arrived at the room behind me. I crouched, stealing a glance through the small window.

There were at least ten creatures inside, one of them a bit taller and wearing a fancier armor—likely the leader. Whatever they were saying, I couldn’t understand.

I took my chance.

I rushed back to the ladder, quickening my pace the farther I got from the room. The moment I began to climb back, I sent a message to Kaduna.

[On my way.]

I could only hope I wasn’t too late, although she did not strike me as someone weak.

Thankfully, the trap door was not locked. When I finally stepped into the garden, I had only a few seconds to relish the breath of fresh air. A few meters ahead I could see smoke, followed by a burnt scent. With sword in hand, I rushed to the location.

And what I saw almost made me drop the sword.

At least fifteen bodies laid on the ground, the same type of creatures I had killed a few moments before. Tall bushes surrounded the space, a couple of statues, benches, and flowers decorating the small plaza. And right in the middle stood Kaduna, black flames and golden dust running up her arms with grace as she gave a finishing blow to the last creature, slashing its throat with her elongated nails.

When she saw me, her eyes glowed for a brief second before a smile flourished on her lips.

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“Good, you are here. You came faster than I thought.”

I blinked a few times, still trying to find my voice. The sword in my hands suddenly felt like a toy.

“Yes, you…you told me to hurry.”

Kaduna raised her eyebrow, amusement flooding her eyes. “Oh, you thought I was in danger.”

I didn’t reply, blood rushing to my face.

When she laughed, the sound made a chill run down my spine, a sound that was as lovely and warm as it was eerie and cold.

“How cute. Unfortunately, I had no need for your combat skills this time. I need help with the corpses, you see. We don’t wish to cause any distress to the Groom when he comes here.”

The fact she had thought so far ahead surprised me for a moment. More and more, Kaduna’s existence intrigued me. Even more, I wished to know who the Benefactor behind her overwhelming aura and black flames was.

I put away my sword. “Where did they come from?”

She guided me to the exact spot, another trap door hidden by vines and dirt, although now more visible. I opened it, confirming it had the same layout as the one she had found out before.

The difference was, this time I could see the end of the ladder and a similar corridor, the torches still lit on the walls.

Which meant there was probably an underground system, with its paths and rooms connecting in some way.

“I can go down and check if there are any rooms we can hide them in.”

Kaduna glanced down, thinking it over. “Hm, judging by their appearances they must be a mercenary group of some kind. If this Trial is to be challenging, they might be quite high in numbers, especially if they can afford to send so many members simply to survey the area.”

“So, it would be in our best interest to alarm them as little as possible, is what you mean?”

Her smile got wider. “You are quite bright, Park Eun-Woo. Indeed, I believe it would be best if we could conceal them without letting their comrades know they were eliminated.”

She had a point, one I strongly agreed with. That Trial not only had its own risks—it was way too detailed. To the Groom and Bride’s schedules, to how the squads and teams were organized. It was too complex, far more than any other Trial we had done so far—not that there had been that many.

Instead of raising the group’s attention and forcing them to make drastic—and more aggressive—changes to their already established plans…

It was best to silently drive them into a corner.

I kept staring at those corpses, thinking. Wishing any of us had a skill to make them simply disappear.

Then I had an idea.

A stupid and silly idea.

“Help me with a body,” I asked her, trying to raise one of the corpses. Although she seemed curious, Kaduna said nothing, aiding me with the body until it was standing.

I opened my inventory, the screen appearing in front of me and showing all its tabs and items.

Then I pushed the body toward the inventory screen.

And it went right in.

When I met Kaduna’s golden eyes, I was grinning.

“Apparently, our inventories can be more useful than we previously thought.”

And Kaduna smiled back.

----------------------------------------

We had a couple more encounters with the mercenaries.

To see Kaduna’s skills from the start…it was almost frightening. I had been impressed by Kurosawa and Aída’s skills in the First Trial. Abilities that made me feel small and weak, skills that made me wonder exactly what the extent of the Benefactors’ powers was.

Yet with Kaduna…

It was not only a matter of skill. It was her entire being.

Most mercenaries would fall on their knees the moment she glared at them, their humanoid shapes trembling and losing their form before Kaduna’s black flames consumed them. And as I watched her, it was as if using the flames was easier than breathing. Simpler than blinking.

Which made me think of what would happen when she got serious. Or what other skills she had.

Per the schedule, the Groom entered the garden at the exact time it said he would. His clothes were dashing, shades of red, black, and gold. I wouldn’t be surprised if he was a king or an emperor.

Like the other creatures in the Trial, the Groom was made of flames and shadows, yet there was one difference. It was almost as if they were concealing his identity, rather than being his body.

And even though I was watching from afar, I could sense an aura around him. One that demanded subjugation.

Although I was expecting to see him, it was not as easy to spot Kurosawa Touma. There were three groups, each composed of at least six people. And most of them seemed to be quite tense, their eyes too alert.

Our eyes met briefly, yet Kurosawa neither said nor did anything. He did seem to be the type of person who took this kind of mission seriously.

[You have received a message]

Huh.

[Report me your current findings.]

I bit my lip in order not to laugh. That guy, he had no way with words at all.

I wrote him everything Kaduna and I had discovered, from the trap doors to the maps and bombs I stole. Then I remembered I never showed her the maps.

“Kaduna, here. These might be useful to us.”

I placed the maps on top of a bush, her eyes lighting up.

Her hands spread the papers around, tracing the writings with her fingers. “Interesting.”

It took me a few seconds to realize she was not only staring at the writing.

Kaduna was reading them.

“Wait, you know this language?”

At first, she seemed a bit taken aback by my question, but her surprise soon melted into curiosity and amusement.

“Indeed, I can. It’s fascinating you were able to grab these without even knowing what they were talking about.” She leaned a bit closer to me, her voice lower. “Or perhaps luck was on your side.”

Not even I was certain which case it was.

I wanted to ask her so many things.

What language was that.

What the maps were saying.

Did she know anything about tarot cards.

Yet when I opened my mouth, trumpets echoed throughout the entire garden, the entire castle.

I didn’t even need to check the schedule to know what that meant. Not when I had the system's message alongside to let me know the Third Trial was officially starting.

For the Bride had finally arrived.