Alnea stared at the changing numbers at the bottom of the curtain of light with confusion. What was a Blood Shadow? And what was with all the restrictions? He did not even have time to read all the instructions before the countdown reached single digits. In the end, he just read the conditions for perfect clearance of the Trial, and what he had to do to break the records.

Defeating a Blood Shadow in three seconds… What was a second? A measurement of time? Was it three breaths? Three moments? Or somewhere in between? Forget it. Alnea thought. He would do his best to defeat his opponent as fast as he could, and leave the rest to Goddess Ilea. Defeating the Blood Shadow with just one move… that he could try. Or defeating his opponent without any Martial Style…

Regardless, he would only be equalling the records in either case, and not breaking them, so he would not get the extra Blood Coins. Still, equalling the record should help him in getting a better rank in the Warrior Hall. So… In the end, he came back to what he had concluded in the beginning. Doing his best to defeat his enemy as soon as he could, without letting himself get hurt. Easy, Alnea thought, just as the countdown on the curtain of light hit zero.

Right in the next moment, almost as if it was not a curtain but a piece of glass, the blood red curtain shattered into pieces and dissipated into his surroundings, just as a bright white light erupted from depths unknown, taking only a fraction of a moment to completely replace darkness. Yet, for some reason, the light was not blinding him. He could see everything around him, which was not much, considering that all that he could see was white. White floor, white skies, and white horizons… everything was white.

No, the most important point was that he could not even estimate how large the white space was. And this was just his Trial Space. Yuri and Cecilia were going through their respective Trials too. Not to mention all the other people in the Trials… How could such large spaces fit inside the Blood Hall? Folding Space? Was he experiencing something similar to what he had experienced in the Arena?

Maybe, Alnea mused in his head. Or he could also have been teleported to a different location, to a different space. But then, when had either of those things happened? Teleportation aside—he did not remember feeling dizzy or nauseous— he had not felt any fluctuations of Mysteries. Especially those of the lineage Space. What was—

Before he could fall further into his thoughts, Alnea noticed a blood red figure condensing just about ten paces in front of him. It looked like the figure of a man, with no apparent features. Its entire body was just a smooth blood red surface. Even its face was just as smooth and flat as the rest of its body, with no eyes, nose, mouth, or ears…

No wonder it was named as Blood Shadow. Except for the blood red colour, it looked almost similar to the shadowy figure his master used to often make him fight in the Night Canyons at the beginning of training trip. This would made things a little tricky. The shadow that he used to fight was much more tough than normal Oren Beasts. If it was same with the Blood Shadow…

Forget it, Alnea thought, and rushed towards the Blood Shadow, just as it rushed towards him. And since the distance between them was not too large to begin with, they were upon each other in the very next moment, wasting no moment in attacking each other. Clenching its fist, the Blood Shadow swung its right fist, adding its momentum into its punch. Coupled with his own momentum, if the punch connected, Alnea was sure that he would at least sport a black eye. If the punch connected…

The Blood Shadow was surprisingly slow. Even slower than most of the Infant Stage Oren Beasts. And despite its extra momentum, the punch did not look too strong. The Blood Shadow’s only advantage against beasts would be its technique. Yet, without power and speed, technique alone was not enough to hurt him. Not to mention that his own technique was much better than the Blood Shadow’s techniques.

However, he could not use any Martial Styles. And he had to defeat the Blood Shadow in one strike. That too, without getting hurt himself. Considering the harsh requirements, Alnea waited for the right moment, and unsheathed his sword the moment that the Blood Shadow entered his range, splitting it in half with his blade in one clean strike. After all, the Trial forbade him from using his Aspect, but it said nothing about his weapon. And in the absence of Martial Styles, only his sword could allow him to kill his enemies in a matter of just a few moments.

Expecting the Blood Shadow to fall apart like the shadows his master used to make him fight, Alnea relaxed after his strike. Contrary to his expectations though, the Blood Shadow, despite being split in half, continued its charge. Its actions made its downfall swifter, but it did not care. It was created for only one thing. To defeat its enemies. And until it faded away, it would keep charging at its enemies.

Cursing the Blood Shadow for its stupidity, Alnea used his sword as a leverage, and quickly jumped towards his right, avoiding the Blood Shadow’s blow. Even if he could not break the records, he had to get a perfect clearance. Since the Blood Shadow refused to die with one strike, he would—

Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

After swinging its fist, the Blood Shadow finally split in two parts, as its upper body slipped, and fell off from its lower body. And just like the shadows that he used to fight, the Blood Shadow did not bleed, or scream. At least something was same about the two shadows. Still, there was no denying that the two shadows were different. So, just to be safe, Alnea picked up his sword, and—

The two parts of the Blood Shadow disintegrated into countless fragments, almost like glasses, before fading away into the white surroundings, just as the white light illuminating the world faded away into the darkness that preceded the light. Right in the next moment, a blood red curtain of light once again manifested in front of him.

“Congratulations, Blood Soldier N 06 08499, for passing the first level of the Initial Stage Martial Style Trial.”

“You have cleared the Trial perfectly.”

“Time taken to defeat your opponent: Three seconds.”

“Moves made to defeat your opponent: One.”

“Martial Styles used: None.”

“Records broken: None.”

“Perfect clearance of Trials: One.”

“Blood Soldier N 06 08499, you have been rewarded with ten Blood Coins.”

“Do you wish to continue with the Trials, or do you wish to leave the Trial Space?”

“Reminder: Regardless of how many Trials you challenge, you will have to pay ten Blood Coins every time you enter the Initial Stage Trial Space.”

Alnea sheathed his sword, and read the instructions once again to make sure that he did not miss anything. On the surface, continuing with the Trials seemed to be the best choice for him. After all, no matter how difficult the Trials might be, they were still of the Initial Stage. He, on the other hand, had faced Peak Stage Wanderers, and had even taken down many Oren Beasts in the advanced phase of their Adolescent Stage. Even with all the restrictions of the Trial, Initial Stage Blood Shadows should not be a problem for him. Yet…

“Are you going to continue the Trials?”

“Are you not going to ask me how my Trial went?”

“With your level, is there anything that can go wrong with such a simple Trial?”

“…Forget it.”

“What? Did I say something wrong?”

“…I am going to continue the Trials.”

“All the way to the tenth level?”

“All the way to the tenth level.”

“…What about Cecilia?”

“Why? Are you worried about her?”

“No. I just thought that if we continue with the Trials, and she chooses to leave the Trial Space—

“She will continue with the Trials.”

“How do you know?”

“I just know.”

“…Are you angry?”

“Why should I be angry?”

“…Because I did not ask you about your Trials…”

“And yet you still have not asked me about it.”

“…How was your trial?”

“Too late,” Yuri said with a scoff. “I am going to start my Trial now.”

“Wait, I am sorry…”

“I really did not think…”

“Are you listening…”

No matter what Alnea said, Yuri never replied. Sometimes, she could be so stubborn… Yet, it was also one of her qualities that he liked the most. That, and the fact that it was only with him that she behaved a little spoiled. Normally, he would have continued trying to coax her, but at the moment, he was afraid that he might disturb her Trial. That, he could not accept.

In the end, he could only stop talking to her, and shift his attention back to the screen in front of him. Having his worries addressed, there was no reason for him to hesitate anymore. With a smile at the corner of his lips, he pressed two on the row representing the difficulty of the Trial.

“Defeat two second level Initial Stage Blood Shadows.”

“Powers outside of the path of Warriors are forbidden.”

“Usage of Aspects is forbidden.”

“You can use only one Martial Style.”

“Using more than one Martial Style, or a Martial Style above the Lowest Grade will disqualify you from the trial.”

“Perfect clearance condition: Defeating the Blood Shadows without getting injured.”

“Record one: Defeating the Blood Shadows in seven seconds.”

“Record two: Defeating the Blood Shadows in two moves.”

“Record three: Defeating the Blood Shadows without using any Martial Style.”

“Your Trial will begin at the count of sixty.”

“…Ten.”

“Nine.”

“Eight.”

“Seven.”

“Six.”

“Five.”

“Four.”

“Three.”

“Two.”

“One.”

“Zero.”