That sphere looked like Aerth. Seeing the planet from this distance brought up an unsettling question: where was he?

There was a yellow swirling energy in the shape of half of an eclipse, the gate to leave the trial.

He wanted to investigate right away, but there was something so surreal about looking at Aerth as a distant planet rather than standing on its surface. For a long moment, he could do nothing but stare in disbelief before the rational part of his mind took over.

He glanced at his surroundings. White, rocky ground. Floating pebbles everywhere... Definitely not Aerth.

I think I’m on the moon.

The trial is on the moon?

The thought seemed absurd, but it raised an even bigger question. If that were true, then how would he be able to breathe normally?

It made more sense that he was in a simulated moon-like environment, which was a more palatable idea, so he went with it.

He summoned the Whirlwind Hands, channeling them to his legs to keep himself anchored(using them as weights).

He still couldn’t stand completely steady, his body swaying as he struggled to adapt. But he figured he’d get the hang of it with practice.

Taking a few tentative steps forward, he quickly grew more comfortable walking, though each step was slow and deliberate due to the low gravity.

After just a few paces, he remembered that Milia had been bleeding heavily when she emerged from the trial.

He looked around and spotted a dry trail of blood a short distance to his left. Deciding to follow it, he guessed she might’ve been injured in a tough fight, maybe during the final challange.

Another hidden trial clue might be there, though it was likely well concealed.

He kept to the trail, sometimes making large leaps. Thanks to the low gravity, each jump sent him soaring over eight meters in the air. The 'hands' weren't the best at keeping him grounded.

As he scanned his surroundings, he spotted something new: cracked golems. They were massive, twice his height and four times his width.

How did she even beat them? he wondered.

Milia only had a basic Fire Ball monster. Besides, there was no way she had a second one since, like him, her Core hadn’t reached the first realm yet.

Maybe she’d used a hit-and-run tactic, which would explain why she’d taken so long.

Drew landed back on the ground, still following the blood trail. A stray thought popped into his mind: A tracker monster would be useful.

No urgent reason; it was just something that would come in handy once he reached the end of this trail. That was a thought for another day, though.

Soon, he spotted a massive, triangular cave made from an unusually bright rock material.

Drew sighed, staring at it. I think I’m an idiot.

Common sense said not to go in, but… what if there were clues inside?

He was more than a little obsessed with uncovering a hidden trial that no one else had completed.

As he approached the cave, he picked up a large rock. After about five minutes, he was close enough that only four meters separated him from the entrance.

Drew paused, contemplating. Could he get another student to venture in first? If there was a trap, they’d spring it for him.

He didn’t have the charisma to get anyone to follow him around like a loyal dog, but he did have money—a lot of it. Men would throw themselves into the jaws of lions if you paid them enough.

But if the person got killed, he’d be held responsible. And he was already very disliked.

Strange as future Drew was, he had a fierce aversion to killing or torture (courtesy of his experiences with Future Shun). Of course, there were exceptions—mainly where power was concerned.

Why was this relevant? Current Drew was heavily influenced by Future Drew’s outlook and values, even in ways he wasn’t fully aware of.

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In this case, though, he rejected the idea of getting another student killed not for moral reasons but because it would ruin his life if he were caught.

Also, if he were honest with himself, it would be a really messed-up thing to do. That was his reasoning, not some moral code he’d inherited from future memories.

He reminded himself of this. Yes, he’d changed because of those memories, but he was still his own person.

Drew finally made his move, tossing the rock into the entrance. The rock clattered into the darkness, hitting the ground with an echo.

Lazy sound engineering, he thought wryly. No atmosphere for sound to travel, but we get echoes? Lazy, lazy…

He shook his head, smiling to himself. Most people in this world probably wouldn’t even notice that detail.

That kind of knowledge was a bonus that came from having your future self get punched into the moon.

Growl…

Drew froze. He could even feel a breath on his face.

His heart did more than skip a beat—it slammed into his ribs as he leaped back. Instantly, a seven-foot-tall, four-legged creature burst out of the cave, like some wrathful god. The eyes and mouth couldn't be seen, they were protected by thick shell armor. A shell over its carapace.

The creature’s body resembled a jelly-like crab, its bulky legs each about a third the size of its massive carapace. Its feet weren’t pointed but ended in three floating toes beneath the joints.

Thick purple smoke poured from the top of its carapace, spilling to the ground and swirling around its legs.

A monster...

Drew’s eyes opened in surprise. He should have been solely worried, but excitement was mixed into his emotions.

A Poison Fog Crab Monster.

"I want to conquer you and make you mine!" Drew shouted with exhilaration.

This was a rare monster, far stronger than the Ice Turtle—a creature he’d barely been able to handle before.

But that didn’t matter now.

The crab’s mouth armor/shell was now partially covered in a swirling, purple haze. The mouth armor split open, releasing a torrent of poisonous smoke that surged toward him.

His excitement faded. He dove to the ground, thrusting the ‘hands’—now gauntlet-like—over his arms for protection.

The thick smoke made it impossible to see ahead. Drew held his breath, twisting in the opposite direction. The Poison Fog Crab monster spun quickly in response, lifting a front leg to strike down and crush his head.

The fog burned his skin on contact, but the real danger lay in inhaling it—and in being blinded by its suffocating density.

He raised both arms, forcing the ‘hands’ to their maximum rotations. The crab’s leg struck with crushing force, and Drew was thrown to the left, out of the fog’s reach. The impact was strong enough to deflect the crab’s leg to the side, though not with enough power to dislocate it.

Drew hit the ground, bouncing up in the low-gravity environment. Pain flared through his arm.

Looking down, he noticed blood trickling from his arms.

Oh.

When the leg had struck the ‘hands,’ the impact had driven a part of the Whirlwind Hands into his arm, cutting him. The wound wasn’t deadly but was severe enough to concern him.

The crab released another cloud of poison. Drew quickly maneuvered to his right and threw the 'hands' forward as the creature revealed itself.

"CLASH!" he shouted angrily, echoing the move he’d once used on Shun.

He made the 'hands' slam together, creating a shockwave that struck the crab at close range. But just before impact, it raised a leg to shield its face from the blast.

Drew took a deep breath, feeling his blood drip onto the ground. This thing... it must just be an obstacle in the hidden trial, a test that wasn’t meant to be defeated.

Milia had likely dodged and evaded it, eventually losing the creature without a direct fight.

The Poison Fog Crab monster slid its eye guard up, fixing its gaze on Drew. He was panting, his arm bleeding profusely.

Drew grabbed a 20-pound rock and hurled it at the crab. The stone struck its armored shell, but it barely flinched.

The crab attacked. Drew smirked, waiting until the last moment before triggering another burst of air, angled beneath the crab, propelling the rock with enough speed to hit the monster’s exposed eye.

The crab’s leg narrowly missed Drew as the creature recoiled in pain, panicking.

Drew stepped back, sprinting away.

To me!

Two spiraling winds appeared, forming into muscular arms of air that swirled around Drew’s feet, boosting his speed as he fled.

He still planned on claiming the monster—but not now. He would grow stronger and return for it later. First, he needed to reach the first realm to form a new vessel for another monster. At that level, his Ferna would be refined enough for a creature of this caliber.

It was a tier 2 monster; the larger and more complex the form, the higher the tier.

Another roar echoed, accompanied by heavy footsteps growing closer.

Drew thought quickly, trying to increase his speed. He was using the ‘hands’ as weights, but it wasn’t enough.

There was only one option. The ‘hands’ weren’t powerful enough for it—

But he wasn’t on Aerth; gravity here was nearly nonexistent…

He leapt forward, stretching his legs like a superhero. The Whirlwind Hands shifted, forming tornado-like shapes that spun at maximum speed.

The Poison Fog Crab was falling toward him, both legs aiming for a crushing blow.

Suddenly, Drew’s speed increased drastically. He was no longer falling—he was flying!

The Whirlwind Hands were pushing air out instead of drawing it in—a kind of reverse tornado.

There was a loud boom as the crab hit the ground, missing him entirely.

Holy shit.

The monster didn’t give up. It charged after him, closing the distance rapidly.

This was the crucial moment. The gate was almost within reach.

Three meters away.

The monster closed in, releasing another cloud of poison.

Two meters away.

The ‘hands’ blew the fog back slightly, but not enough. The toxic cloud reached his waist, quickly rising higher.

One meter. The gate was within arm’s reach.

The Poison Fog Crab leaped, its massive shadow engulfing Drew. Its mouth and eyes were unguarded, fangs bared.

Its leg struck, just as his fingers were inches from the gate.

NO!

His right ‘hand’ slowed, zooming up to his extended hand, transforming from a reverse tornado into a solid gauntlet and slamming against the gate.

Drew felt the Poison Fog Crab’s weight for a split second before the gate pulled him through, and he vanished.