August was in a daze. He didn't know when he was dragged to the corner, but he was. Water was splashed on his face, and he heard voices echoing in his ears. He was still alive.

He felt his mouth move, but his brain wouldn't listen. It was as if motivation was sucked out of him, and every time he made an effort to do something, a looming wall would block him in his path. Words were suddenly incomprehensible. A puzzle his brain wasn't willing to solve.

But they were in the corner now, and Seven was with them. He grabbed her shoulders for support, then found himself leaning against her again. "Second time now," he said. But the words that came out of his mouth was sennimow.

Quann supported him too. "...don't fall asleep," he heard the man say. "...you'll be eliminated....skipping the next round."

That was a great decision. He'd be able to gather his wits and recover, at least for now. He shut his eyes and let his mind spin in a vortex of confusion. His arcane swirled within him, rebelling and lashing out.

Again, he felt closer to it now more than ever. Ever since he entered the tower, it was as if his power gained some sort of personality. He tried calming it down, but it was futile. It wouldn't let him use it. He tried taking a tendril of arcane, but it lashed out and snapped at him to go away. Pain flashed across his head, and a bead of blood trickled down to his lips. He tasted iron and dirt.

Perhaps in the future, once he'd calm down, he'd be able to appreciate this novel discovery. But at the moment, he needed to tap into arcane so he could run back to the field.

Quann set him down. Seven left, only to return bringing bandages and plaster to clean his wound. He thought it would get them disqualified, but apparently, asking the medical staff was a viable option as long as the next round hadn't started yet. August pondered over what else could they legally do, and if Lord Meneesh deliberately kept these details hidden for the climbers to discover. But his thoughts ended there, as if the act of thinking ahead was incomprehensible.

August still had one single ability left in him. He tried to convince his arcane to add one more, one last chance, but it slammed the door on him and told him to sleep outside in the cold without its assistance.

His arcane was furious. It made him giggle. He would try to apologize later, maybe coax it into some rejuvenation activities? Reluctantly, he felt it peek behind the metaphorical door. Swimming, it said, but he knew he was just talking to himself.

He agreed, and the arcane shut the door again, but gentler this time.

Round 6 happened and ended without much fanfare. They decided to sit this one out to recover. Team Nilvar arrived and since Alfonso was wounded and his teammate didn't have any special abilities, the two of them lost the match by elimination. It seemed that Nilvar had teamed up with the swordsman August tried to recruit before.

As the timer ticked down, August started to regain more of himself. He could stand alone now. He could even walk. When he asked his teammates for their status, Quann answered bitterly.

"Not good," he said. "I've exhausted my arcane already."

Seven told him she could perform optimally.

He analyzed their strengths and weaknesses. Quann possessed high offense, moderate defense, but poor arcane pool and recovery. He could still attack using his needles, but setting up stationary traps where he had to stand on top of them wouldn't work any longer. He wouldn't be able to create a dome either, not with the arcane he was left with.

Seven, on the other hand, had high levels of agility and stamina, but very little in offense and recovery. She couldn't heal. She could only be repaired, and she told him it would be expensive.

August was low on mana, stamina, covered in wounds and he couldn't even run properly anymore. If he makes a mistake in the last round against the last enemy, he'd cripple his teammates. He didn't want that.

But what else could he do now? He might even help them by standing in the corner and staying out of the fight. But no--he wanted to climb the tower. He didn't need to, but he wanted to explore what it looked like in the upper floors. He was already making significant progress in discovering more of his arcane than the entire several years living in that hut.

He needed a plan. And then, he received a notification. It was from Lord Meneesh, politely requesting his Identification and Status information for review. His heart lurched. What did he do wrong now?

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MENEESH

Meneesh had watched the entire Round 5 without much interest. His mind was occupied on other matters, like Team Lightbearer, who would be entering the last round: a fledgeling knight from the Order of Steel. But as the match progressed, Meneesh was left leaning forward, watching the match with such intensity that he was left speechless.

The boy August pushed his arcane to its absolute limits which baffled Meneesh. It was as if he was looking at a child raised and trained to be a soldier ever since he learned how to walk. The boy defended himself from two mages and stood his ground, gave his teammates the necessary space they needed, and survived after all that.

And while he would critic their strategy, they had already been in the arena for five entire rounds. Their potential could be harnessed. They would need a trial by fire, a constant daily struggle for survival to build their teamwork and character. After that, perhaps a regular periodic ambushes by monsters until they develop that mindset.

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Ever since the 3rd floor turned into a hellscape, training these climbers in preparation of what was to come would give them the chance to soar further than the whelps the other lords had been spitting out of their mouth.

Meneesh caught himself creating scenarios to train these fledgelings, but they haven't passed the trial yet. It would be a shame if they lost here. And, regrettably, they would. Team Lightbearer's Knight Mage whelp would enter the last round.

A shadow approached him. When he looked up, he found Lady Essa, veteran Knight Mage from the Order of Steel. "Impressive," she commented. She swirled a glass of wine. Several days ago, they had given him a fat, generous gift to give their whelp a small nudge to victory.

And Meneesh had done that. He put Lightbearer at the very last team in the arena, which would give them every opportunity to study their opponents. Now, he was regretting it.

"Your knight is coming up next," he said. Lady Essa favored a long, trailing black hair that extended down to her tailbone. It was a mark of pride in having never been touched in combat. "How do you judge this team?"

She took a sip of wine. "Quann will be shunned by the knights," she said. "And this August will no doubt catch their attention. Which House raised him?"

"The boy is houseless," he said. "A hunter."

She turned to him. "Impossible. I've trained countless knights under my retinue, but none of them have that boy's control."

"And yet here he is."

She sighed. "What a waste of talent. This is why you're criticized heavily, Meneesh. Once he's eliminated, all his potential to be a mage will be lost. How many geniuses and talented children have died or eliminated under your rule already? Such a waste. I would've taken him under my wing."

"Oh? Has he lost in your eyes already?"

"He's drained," she said. "Exhausted. Tears of blood are escaping out of his eyes. His companion Quann is out of arcane as well. And that automaton won't stand a chance against a knight I personally trained.

"Hm." Meneesh willed his info bracelet's menu into view. The Knight Mage Tulet Argav placed Rank 5 in the first trial. He brought his two squires with him for assistance. The knight himself had an impeccable profile, being from a House. But his squires, as attached he was to them, were unremarkably boring.

He decided to check Quann's profile. Then the automaton. And then August. But the boy's profile was missing--ah. Yes, of course. He didn't have an info bracelet before nor was he from a House. But he was wearing it now, so its analysis should've been completed already.

He sent a quick message to the boy asking for his identification and status. The boy looked up and stared at him. Then, wordlessly, Meneesh received his full profile. And the abilities caught his eye.

{ Arcane Proficiency 8 }

{ Sonar Weave 5 }

{ Threadlock 3 }

Was this a jest? He gaped at the abilities displayed here. Very rarely there would be a child that had an ability in the Level 5 to 8, but he had two skills here was very proficient at. Lady Essa was right. The boy was trained. His arcane proficiency was a tremendous advantage.

He noticed something else as well. All these abilities were based on the fundamental building blocks of arcane. He didn't even have an ability to manipulate anima which every mage had. He didn't have anything originating beyond the base fundamentals itself.

"Lord Meneesh," Essa said. "Can you personally extend a hand of congratulations to my knight once he's finished sweeping the rabble?"

"If the boy wins, yes," he said absentmindedly.

Her smile froze. "Anyone with a clear eye can see that the match has already been decided."

Meneesh leaned against his chair. "Quite so. But life can be full of surprises. I, for one, am looking forward to how the other team will perform. Would you like to place a bet, Lady Essa? Your knight against the other team."

She frowned. "And the terms?"

"If your boy wins, I'll give him a gift. Him and his squires."

She softened and bowed respectfully. "Why, how gracious of you."

No doubt she arrived to the conclusion that this was his way of stating that he'd give her another gift, and a bet was just a pretense for that. Though, he admit he was looking forward to how the other team would perform.

"Your boy is alone, isn't he?"

Essa smiled. "He didn't need any teammates. He's a knight."

So the two are fodders, he thought, and let out a rueful smile.

If the other team could maintain their confidence and remain alert to potential weaknesses of the enemy, they might have a chance against the knight.

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AUGUST

This match was going to end horribly and there was nothing August could do about it. At the corner of his mind, he began to wish that the other team would just disappear.

That didn't happen.

On the other side of the arena, Team Lightbearer sauntered with an air of complete confidence. One of them led at the center, and August quickly recognized him: the rank 5 mage Tulet Argav.

The man looked at him and his teammates and gave a short bow.

August returned his bow with respect. For a mage, he expected the man to carry a staff or a shield. But only his teammates were equipped with tools tied to the belts around their waist. He saw various glass flasks in an array of colors and sizes, and he worried over what they might contain.

August waited for the timer to start counting down. And when it did, Seven ran for the tower. It was such a mechanically precise reaction that she immediately ran at top spot from the beginning. She was a marvel to watch.

The Lightbearer Team calmly walked over to the tower. Maybe they already expected this to happen and saw no further reason to challenge Seven in her domain.

Wise move.

By the time all teams surrpounded the tower, Seven was already halfway to the top. The Rank 5 spoke.

"I am Tulet Argav," he said. "Knight Mage from the Order of Steel. Quann Gladis, am I correct to assume that you're the leader that represents your comrades?"

August crossed his arms. They didn't have a leader. If any of them had an idea, they would voice it. Though, glancing at Quann, the man found himself delighted at being elevated into the leadership position. He stood taller.

"That's right," Quann said.

The Knight Mage seemed satisfied. "Will you consider an honorable surrender? You are tired. Your comrades are tired. And there are people watching two Houses. This is more than both of us, and our families are watching."

Quann lost his smile. "Family," he spat. "Spiting my family is in the core of my being, I'm afraid. I refuse."

Tulet sighed. "I shall be forced to kill your comrades and end this trial posthaste."

"Fuck you."

August grinned.

But that was as far as his excitement for the match had gone. Tulet walked over to the tower, touched one of the wooden beams, and a wave crashed onto it.

That wave splintered the entire structural support of the tower and August realized he had been lifted up into the air, tumbling backwards near the edge, far from the arena.

The tower collapsed. And Seven crashed underneath the wooden rubble.