ℭ𝔥𝔞𝔭𝔱𝔢𝔯 𝟙𝟙𝟟: 𝔖𝔱𝔯𝔞𝔫𝔤𝔢 ℍ𝔞𝔭𝔭𝔢𝔫𝔦𝔫𝔤𝔰 ⓇⒺⓋⒶⓂⓅⒺⒹ

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As MJ's five corpse-integrated monsters cleared the 31st and 32nd trial zones of their monstrous inhabitants, Jay ventured further into uncharted territory, stepping into the 33rd trial zone from Earth's trial zone. What awaited him there was unlike anything he had encountered before.

The behavior of the monsters in this zone was startlingly different. Rather than charging at him with the mindless aggression typical of Trial World creatures, these monsters displayed a strange restraint.

The instinctive bloodlust that drove monsters to attack any Alpha Chosen on sight seemed muted or entirely absent. When these creatures spotted Jay, they didn’t rush to fight—they retreated instead, their wariness clearly apparant.

Jay stood amidst the dense, shadowed forest of the trial zone, his mind racing to decipher this anomaly. Monsters in the Trial World weren’t supposed to behave this way.

Their inherent instinct was to kill Alpha Chosen on sight, something Jay had confirmed when he tried and failed to tame the Storm Eagle. Yet here, their instincts seemed to be overtaken by something else—fear, or perhaps hesitation.

Though curiosity burned within him, Jay didn’t act immediately. He had recently exited INVERSE mode, leaving him in a temporarily weakened state. Charging after the retreating monsters would be reckless, so he chose patience over pursuit.

Using the rare-grade skill║Shadow Hide║, Jay melted into the darkness of a massive tree’s shadow, blending seamlessly with his surroundings. The skill was one of hundreds in his arsenal, though he hadn’t integrated all of them.

Instead, Jay selectively merged with skills he deemed immediately useful, leaving the rest for potential use in specific situations. This approach allowed him to adapt on the fly—he could always merge with a needed skill later, using it to his advantage.

The║Shadow Hide║skill had been a recent addition to his arsenal. It wasn’t something he looted directly but rather something he created using Qew’s 1st Innate Exclusive skill,║Skill Convergence║.

By converging a few uncommon-grade skills, Jay had synthesized this rare-grade ability, which provided him a significant advantage in stealth and reconnaissance.

╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮

║Shadow Hide║

⧼Rare Grade⧽

* Enables the user to hide in any shadow. This effect will be disrupted if the user initiates an attack from within the shadow or if the shadow that the user hid in disappears.

Cost: 10 Spirit Energy per minute.

Cooldown: None

╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╯

Using this stealth skill, Jay melted seamlessly into nearby tree’s shadow, becoming one with the darkness. Minutes passed in silence before the same Tier-2 monsters that had fled earlier returned, but this time, they weren’t alone. With them were two Tier-3 Low-Phase monsters, larger and more imposing.

Jay watched intently as the Tier-2 monsters signaled to the newcomers, gesturing toward the location where they had last seen him. This behavior immediately caught Jay’s attention. Monsters in the Trial World often cooperated when attacking Alpha Chosen, but not to this extent.

For weaker monsters to actively seek reinforcements and serve as subordinates was unheard of. It suggested a level of intelligence that defied their usual behavior.

Remaining completely still within the shadow’s embrace, Jay observed as the Tier-3 monsters and the Tier-2 monsters began to scour the area. Despite their efforts, Jay was unconcerned about being discovered. None of the creatures appeared to possess a Darkness innate talent, which meant they were incapable of perceiving his presence within the shadows.

After a while, the monsters’ search yielded no results, and they eventually abandoned the area. However, instead of retreating as a group, they dispersed in different directions, continuing their search for him. This, too, was unusual—it was as though they were executing a coordinated plan.

By then, Jay had fully recovered from his weakened state, his strength restored. Seizing the opportunity, he summoned the Shadow Leopard MJ to his location.

The sleek, black feline emerged silently from the darkness, its presence blending naturally with the shadows around it. Jay issued a mental command, and the Shadow Leopard began to work, silently planting ‘Shadow Markers’ within the shadows of the two Tier-3 Low-Phase monsters.

The ability to plant Shadow Markers came from the Fenris Monocle, a Spirit Item bonded with Shadow Leopard MJ.

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║Fenris Monocle║

⧼Rare Grade⧽:

* Enables the user to implant a 'Shadow Marker' in the target's shadow to trace their location within a 250 km radius.

No. of traceable targets: 250

Effect: Spirit + 50✦

Requirements: 80 Spirit

Durability: 100/100

╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╯

Thanks to Qew’s second innate exclusive skill,║Spirit Item Convergence║, the Fenris Monocle had been upgraded from Uncommon grade to Rare grade. This upgrade significantly enhanced its capabilities, increasing its tracking range from 100 km to 250 km and expanding the number of traceable targets.

Jay made full use of its potential, commanding the Shadow Leopard MJ to stealthily follow the two Tier-3 Low-Phase monsters, carefully observing their every move.

At the same time, Jay devised a plan to draw more attention. Instead of concealing his presence, he intentionally left an obvious trail while traveling around the trial zone. His actions coincided with the start of the third assessment, which he had MJ postpone due to his preoccupation.

Not long after, a group of Tier-1 monsters picked up on Jay’s trail, and what happened next confirmed his suspicions. The Tier-3 monsters, still under the watchful eye of the Shadow Leopard, abruptly changed direction and began heading straight toward Jay’s location. The timing was no coincidence—someone or something was orchestrating their movements.

Jay quickly ruled out the possibility of an Alpha Chosen being responsible. Through MJ’s Tier-4 System access, he had already verified that no Alpha Chosen were alive within the 33rd trial zone. This left only one plausible explanation: the culprit was a monster.

MJ offered a hypothesis. The monster in question likely possessed a Hive-mind type Innate Talent, a rare ability most commonly seen among the Insectoid Race. Such a talent allowed the monster to control others within its area, turning them into an organized horde that attacked on its behalf.

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Dealing with a Hive-mind monster would be tricky. These creatures typically stayed hidden, using their subordinates as pawns to execute their will while remaining safely out of harm’s reach.

The fate of the Alpha Chosen who had previously entered the 33rd trial zone now made sense—they must have been overwhelmed by coordinated attacks from hordes of monsters under the Hive-mind’s control.

When a few Tier-3 monsters finally caught up to Jay, he stopped running. Standing his ground, he easily subdued them, one after another. With the monsters restrained, Jay activated║SOUL EYES║to delve into the memories of his targets. He hoped to uncover the location or identity of the Hive-mind monster controlling them.

But to his frustration, their memories revealed nothing about the monster’s location or even its existence. It was as if the Hive-mind’s influence had erased any trace of itself from their consciousness. This was puzzling. Normally, creatures under such control would retain at least fragments of information about their master.

Jay let out a frustrated sigh. ‘If only there was something specific—anything—that could give us a clue about how the Hive-mind monster exerts its control,’ he thought.

If such information existed, MJ could potentially search the System records for anything matching its characteristics.

Realizing that tracking the Hive-mind monster was a futile effort for the moment, Jay shifted his strategy. Rather than wasting time searching for a creature that was difficult to locate, he shifted his attention to hunting the Tier-3 monsters inhabiting the 33rd trial zone.

Whenever the Hive-mind monster retaliated by sending groups of monsters after him, Jay avoided prolonged battles. After eliminating the attackers, he would slip away from the location where he was last seen, keeping his stamina intact.

The relentless hunting stretched on, with Jay killing hundreds of monsters, yet none provided even a single clue about the Hive-mind monster’s whereabouts.

Jay’s caution wasn’t due to fear but careful planning. He could easily fight a horde in a direct confrontation if needed. However, with his INVERSE mode still on cooldown, his top priority was preserving his strength and readiness for when it became available again.

His ultimate goal remained clear: to enter as many trial zones as possible in his quest to find an Arch Spirit Essence Fruit.

Eventually, Jay stopped hunting and made his way to the far end of the 33rd trial zone. There, he carved out a small cave in the ground, using it as a safe spot to recover his Stamina and Spirit Energy.

Time passed, and when the cooldown for INVERSE mode ended, Jay activated it without hesitation, and without delay, he moved forward, breaking through the barrier to the next trial zone.

The moment Jay shattered the trial zone barrier, the commotion didn’t go unnoticed. Within a dark, foreboding area, hidden deep within the 33rd trial zone, a monster’s intelligent eyes gleamed with a tangerine glow.

Unaware of that monster’s attention, Jay pressed on. He ventured through the 34th, 35th, and 36th trial zones, finding nothing unusual about the monsters there. They behaved as expected, driven purely by instinct, with no signs of coordination or higher intelligence like those in the 33rd trial zone.

Two hours passed as Jay continued his journey. By this point, it had been six hours since the start of Day-9, and the cooldown for║Innate Talent Convergence║had ended.

Jay carved another hidden cave into the ground, ensuring his concealment from nearby monsters. Settling inside, he activated Qew’s exclusive skill to combine a new element with his existing Dual-Elemental Innate Talent.

A series of notifications appeared before him:

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﴾ You have successfully converged Grade-5║Water Innate Talent║with Grade-4║Dual-Elemental Innate Talent║, forming a Grade-4║Tri-Elemental Innate Talent║﴿

﴾ Congratulations! You are the 1st Tier-2 Existence in the entire Universe to merge three elements into one, creating the Tri-Element, Lightning Firelame in the first 10 days of the Trial Program. ﴿

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╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮

║Tri-Elemental Innate Talent║

⧼Grade-5⧽ ⧼Fire, Water & Lightning⧽ ⧼Elemental Category⧽﴿

* Gives Host the ability to comprehend the 'Lightning Flame' Element without losing the ability to individually manipulate Fire and Lightning elements and their respective skills.

* Increases its comprehension speed by five-fold.

╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╯

Jay gazed at the flickering flame over his fingertip, its brilliance illuminating the small cave he had carved out. The ‘Lightning Fire’ had transformed into ‘Lightning Flame’ with the inclusion of the Water element.

Though the change seemed subtle, its implications were profound. Flame was a higher element than Fire, one that only users of Fire and Water dual-element Innate Talents could wield—and only after reaching Stage-4 Mastery.

The purple flame danced with intense glow, streaked with bright red flashes that pulsed like living embers. Its very presence caused the temperature in the cave to spike dramatically.

Jay felt the power coursing through it, far beyond what he had expected. Not only had the attack potency of the element increased, but so had its movement fluidity and overall reach.

Jay extended his palm, letting the Lightning Flame swirl and expand slightly, watching as it burned with controlled ferocity. Its potential filled him with anticipation. Soon after conjuring the Tri-element, a new series of notifications flashed before him:

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﴾ Congratulations! You have acquired Lv.1║Minor Lightning Flame Mastery║⧼Stage-1⧽ ﴿

* Lv.1 Lightning Flame-element training methods are being transmitted into your mind. These advanced techniques will refine your control, amplify your power, and deepen your mastery, unlocking the potential for more devastating elemental combat maneuvers.

﴾ Your Lv.30║Minor Water Mastery║is compatible with Lv.1║Minor Lightning Flame Mastery║. Do you want to merge them? ﴿

╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╯

Jay quickly accepted the merge, understanding the immense benefit it would bring.

╭── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╮

Lv.30║Minor Water Mastery║

+

Lv.1║Minor Lightning Flame Mastery║

⤋

Lv.15║Minor Lightning Flame Mastery║

﴾ Congratulations! You have acquired Lv.15║Minor Lightning Flame Mastery║⧼Stage-2⧽ ﴿

* Lv.15 Lightning Flame-element training methods are being transmitted into your mind. These advanced techniques will refine your control, amplify your power, and deepen your mastery, unlocking the potential for more devastating elemental combat maneuvers.

╰── ⋅ ⋅ ── ✩ ── ⋅ ⋅ ──╯

As the methods flowed into his consciousness, Jay’s mind began to formulate possibilities for combat applications. Eager to test the capabilities of his new Tri-element, he decided it was time to move beyond theory and put it into practice.

Killing monsters, however, no longer provided a meaningful challenge. He needed something more controlled, and dynamic to push the new element’s limits.

An idea sparked. Summoning MJ, Jay issued a command. “Analyse the properties of the ‘Lightning Flame.’ Simulate its exact characteristics in the A.I. space. I need a perfect simulation for training.”

Within moments, MJ confirmed the simulation was ready. Without hesitation, Jay entered the A.I. space and spent the next half hour immersing himself in the special properties of the Tri-element.

He conjured it repeatedly, refining his control over its volatile nature, testing its movement, and pushing its destructive potential to new limits. By the time he emerged, Jay had gained a deeper understanding of the Lightning Flame and the synergy between its three core elements.

With his improved mastery, Jay turned to MJ again. “Begin the third assessment. I want to test this element in a real combat scenario, and at the same time, gauge how far Earth’s Alpha Chosen have progressed.”

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