The figurative and literal high from the triple kill still coursed through Jelani's veins as he gazed up at the silver tower piercing the sky above. His chest swelled with pride, not just at surviving, but at finding a way to turn the forest itself into a weapon. Each victory brought him closer to the power he sought, the ability to control his place in the world rather than just survive in it.

His mind drifted to the possibilities awaiting at the summit. Most radiants were bound by their class restrictions – their abilities tailored but limited. He thought of Tom Connor, the country's current number one radiant.

The man was a warrior class, and for all his power, all his techniques ultimately came down to different ways of hardening light into shimmering gold sword slashes. Despite their simplicity, His attacks were like compressed nukes delivered in the form of sword slashes. Devastatingly powerful, hard to dodge, but easy to predict .

The system's limitations were both a blessing and a curse, forcing creativity within strict boundaries.

"Wonder if this special class will be different," Jelani muttered to himself. The patron had hinted at something unique, something beyond the normal awakening. But speculation wouldn't get him to the top any faster.

He checked his secondary timer: 11 minutes remaining in the Trawll zone. The numbers spurred him into motion, his feet carrying him forward in a controlled sprint. Every movement was measured, careful, no use surviving the Trawlls only to alert those he passed with careless noise.

As he passed a fallen tree, the sound of combat and trawll grunts reached his ears from the east. Jelani's instincts screamed at him to keep moving, but something about the sudden sound of combat drew his attention. He took a quick peek around a massive trunk and felt his heart skip.

Reason and Tobi were alive, but for how much longer was anyone's guess. They moved with coordinated desperation, trading off defensive duties as six Trawlls slowly boxed them in. Jelani saw Tobi holding up what could only be mystic shield, a semi dome shaped barrier of orange energy right before it shattered under the attack of a Trawlls swing. Reason's red mystic shield shimmered into existence and immediately took a crushing blow, hairline cracks spreading across its surface.

"So they survived," Jelani thought, relief washing over him before reality crashed back in. They were getting cornered, their movements growing more frantic with each passing second. The Trawlls seemed to be toying with them, like cats playing with mice before the kill.

Time. He had so little time. The smart play was clear – keep moving, reach the barrier, stay alive. Trying to help them would just draw more Trawlls if his timer hit zero, probably get all three of them killed. He'd already proven his cone strategy could work once, but could he pull it off in enough time? Counting on luck twice was a good way to end up dead.

Jelani's hands went to his locs, fingers running through them in frustration as he watched Reason's shields shatter. The timer in his vision ticked down to 10 minutes.

"Fuck," he muttered, his mind racing. He barely knew these guys. They'd shared one conversation at the start of this trial, nothing more. Was that worth dying for? Worth giving up everything he'd just fought for?

But even as the question warred in his mind, other possibilities tried to make themselves known. If they all survived, he'd have allies in two major cities. Connections. People who'd been through this trial with him, who'd understand what it meant to face these choices.

"Don't be stupid," he told himself. "Don't throw everything away trying to play hero."

But maybe... maybe there was a middle ground.

A plan formed in his mind, not perfect but workable. He could offer a little help, point them in the right direction without getting pulled into their fight. Give them a chance without sacrificing his own.

Moving quietly but quickly, Jelani positioned himself where they could see him. He pulled out one of his precious Trawll cores, its glow immediately catching the nearest monsters' attention.

"Yo!" he called out, his voice carrying just far enough. "You ready to be next?" he spoke with a nervous smirk while holding up the core to draw the attention of the goliaths.

"Jelani?" Tobi's voice cracked with surprise, nearly costing him as a Trawll's club whistled past his head.

"Make them drop the cones!" Jelani shouted, already backing away as two of the Trawlls turned toward him. "Watch the canopy and use it to your advantage!"

"Wait, what did you say about the cones!?" Reason called out as Tobi got into position to cast another mystic shield, barely blocking two massive strikes that shattered it instantly.

“THE CONES IN THE TREES! TIME THEIR DROPS TO KILL THE TRAWLLS!” Jelani roared out in the middle of his accelerating backpedal.

Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

Jelani didn't wait to see if they understood. Two Trawlls were already moving toward him, their long strides eating up the ground between them. He turned and ran, his pace quickly building from a jog to an all-out sprint.

His conscience felt lighter – he'd done something, given them a fighting chance without compromising his own goals. Whether they survived now was up to them.

But first, he had to outrun these Trawlls.

Jelani pushed his body hard, ignoring the various aches and pains accumulated throughout the trial. The Trawlls behind him moved with terrifying efficiency, their massive legs covering ground in huge strides. He zigzagged between trees, using every trick he'd learned about their movement patterns to stay ahead.

The timer hit 8 minutes. In the distance, he caught glimpses of other Trawlls turning toward the commotion, but they hadn't joined the chase. Yet. If he didn't reach the barrier soon, that would change.

At 6 minutes, a Trawll's swing came so close Jelani felt the wind of its passage ruffle his clothes. The weapon crashed into a nearby tree, and Jelani's heart sank when he saw no cones overhead. No environmental advantages here – just pure speed and endurance.

"Come on, legs," he muttered through gritted teeth. "Just a little longer."

4 minutes. He was finally starting to put some distance between himself and his pursuers, but they showed no signs of giving up. If anything, their determination seemed to be growing with each passing second.

3 minutes. Panic started to creep in around the edges of Jelani's mind. "Where the fuck is this barrier!" he gasped out, his lungs burning. He should have reached it by now. Had he gotten turned around during the chase?

2 minutes. His heart hammered against his ribs like it was trying to escape. Every breath felt like inhaling fire.

1 minute. The forest seemed to stretch endlessly ahead of him, each tree identical to the last. Time was running out, and he still couldn't see the barrier.

0:00:00

A Trawll symbol flashed in Jelani's vision, and suddenly his body was enveloped in a black miasma that clung to him like oil. The effect was immediate – the Trawlls behind him let out feral roars, their movements becoming more aggressive, more primal. The sound was quickly joined by others, a chorus of bestial rage echoing through the forest.

"Oh, you gotta be fucking kidding me," Jelani gasped out between breaths. His mind raced with new questions – would the barrier even let him through now? Or had he just been marked for death?

All around him, he could see distant Trawlls changing direction, drawn to him like moths to a flame. The two behind him were gaining ground, their enhanced speed closing the gap he'd worked so hard to create.

Jelani dug deeper, calling on every bit of athletic training he'd ever had. He cut sharper angles between the trees, trying to force his pursuers to crash or at least slow down. But whatever this enraged state was, it seemed to have enhanced their coordination along with their aggression.

Just when despair was starting to set in, he spotted it – the telltale shimmer of the barrier ahead, like heat waves rising from hot pavement. Without breaking stride, Jelani pulled a Trawll core from his inventory, pushing his tired legs into one final burst of speed.

He needed space – just enough room to interface with the barrier before the Trawlls caught him. Around him, the forest was alive with movement as more and more of the creatures converged on his position, drawn by whatever signal the miasma was sending out.

He hit the barrier at full sprint, the scroll materializing before his eyes:

TOLL BARRIER

Options:

- Sacrifice 1 hour

- Sacrifice 1 Trawll core

- Sacrifice 1 fragment of soul

- Sacrifice 1 life of another

Jelani's hand was already moving, selecting the second option before the text had fully formed. The core vanished from his grip, and he felt the barrier's resistance fade. He dove through it just as the first wave of Trawlls reached his position – at least ten of them, their massive forms practically tripping over each other in their rage to reach him.

The black miasma evaporated from his body the moment he passed through, but Jelani didn't stop to celebrate. The Trawlls had stopped moving behind the barrier but he kept running until the sounds of frustrated Trawlls faded into the distance. Only then did he allow himself to collapse against a tree, his chest heaving as he tried to pull enough air into his compressed lungs.

"That was too close," he thought between breaths. "Way too fucking close."

His thoughts drifted back to Reason and Tobi. "I did what I could," he told himself. "Hope it wasn't for nothing." If they were quick witted maybe he'd see them at the summit.

Opening his status screen, Jelani noted with relief that the aggro symbol was gone. He still had two Trawll cores left – not many, but maybe enough to get through this phase if he was careful. Ahsar had a head start, but he'd need to hunt down a Trawll on his own. He didnt know if The cone idea was one Ahsar would come to realize as well so he needed to move with haste. There was still a chance to catch up.

Forcing himself to his feet despite his body's protests, Jelani took stock of his surroundings. The terrain ahead looked different – less forest, more rocky slopes leading up to the Tower at the peak. He had no climbing experience, but he doubted the path would be empty of challenges.

The specters had become rare in this zone, but he made a mental note to keep an eye out for any he could defeat. Extra cores meant extra options, and he had a feeling he'd need every advantage he could get.

"Almost halfway," he muttered to himself, looking up at the mountain and spire that still towered impossibly high above him. "No stopping now."

The trial wasn't over – far from it. But Jelani had survived everything it had thrown at him so far. He'd adapted, learned, and channeled his creativity. Whatever came next, he'd face it the same way he'd faced everything else: head-on, with determination and the will to survive.

Still, as he began moving forward again, a small part of him wondered about his choice. Not helping Reason and Tobi directly hadn't been easy, but he offered them an opening that almost cost him his life. Hopefully It would be enough to see them both at the summit.