[You have slain Lvl 31 {FIERY NEWT}]

Hearing the notification I couldn't help but grin, as a sigh of relief escaped my mouth.

Although a bit surprised that the creature turned out to be a newt and not a salamander, not that I knew the difference but I didn't make that dampen my accomplishment, as I had done it. After having spent days preparing for it, and almost teetering on the brink of death as the I led the lizard to the goblins, I had managed to kill it with my own hands.

While it was a bit underwhelming how I defeated the beast, I couldn't help but feel a sense of exhaustion wash over me now that it was over.

Still standing on the salamanders head I decided to check the time.

________________

[Trial panel]

Duration: 7:08

________________

" Seven minutes left, kind of guessed something would happen after defeating the big boss".

A bit miffed I closed the trial panel, having nothing better to do I scanned around the battlefield ….. and that's when it hit me, I was on an actual battlefield.

Corpses and blood surrounded the area, some looked beaten to death, others eviscerated, and many burnt to a crisp. Yet, a common thread connected them all none had met a peaceful demise. Even in death, their expressions betrayed their fear or indignation.

Most of the area was also scorched by the salamanders flames, and with ash slowly descending from the burning woods below, it looked like a nightmarish wasteland.

As the poignant smell of iron and smoke entered my nose, I couldn't help but be perplexed by myself. I had caused this, although only the salamanders or Newts corpse was caused directly by me, my actions had still led to the over 400 mutilated goblin corpses around me.

Was it morally wrong of me to do?

…. maybe, but probably not, they were monsters who killed humans without a second thought, just look at what happened in the sewers.

Although looking at it now, I was also leading them to their death without a second thought, and in the trial killed many monsters, sometimes in self defense, sometimes for food, and sometimes without good reason, so was I just hypocritical in justifying their deaths because they were simply monsters?

I didn't know….. and truthfully didn't care, even looking across the battlefield although the sight made me feel a bit disgusted, it was merely the gruesomeness of it, from the inside I felt calm.

And even if it was hypocritical than so be it, I had long stopped questioning the way's of the world, simply living day by day to achieve university.

Just as I was about to descend from the salamanders head I heard a soft wheezing sound that for the first time in a while made my hart quiver and face frown.

Looking below I saw a jet black horse laying on the ground, blood was leaking out of its mouth, while it was mostly motionless the occasional, slow, ragged breaths hinted at its lingering vitality. But all in all, Charcoal was dying.

Jumping and landing next to Charcoal, for some reason I couldn't help but look at him differently than I did the rest of the monsters.

Yes Charcoal was a beast, a beast that would have surely killed me had we met under different circumstances, that is also why I didn't hesitate to sacrifice him when I attacked the salamander, heck I knew it was practically a guarantee.

But looking at him now with a lifeless look in his eyes as he struggled to breath, maybe it was because we had a contracted bond, or because I had made it a slave and virtually ordered it to kill it self, I couldn't help but feel ... unpleasant.

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Looking conflicted, I eventually sighed as I grabbed a nearby sword from a fallen goblin, "Let me at least show you this final act of mercy".

Having no idea where the horses heart was located and not knowing how else to give it a painless passing I decided to go for the head, aiming to pierce its eye into its brain, much similar to the Newt.

Raising up the sword I couldn't help but look at the stallion who was now staring at me with an emotionless gaze except for a faint shimmer of what I could only describe as relief, probably because it knew its agony would soon be over.

Feeling even more uncomfortable I swung down the sword with all my power, to make sure it died instantly. Performing the motion I whispered a quiet, "I am sorry", making the horses lifeless eye's tremble, before the blade pierced its skull, ending the life of Charcoal.

Ding! [You have slain Lvl 20 {BLACK FOREST HORSE}]

Ding! [Your bound {BLACK FOREST HORSE} has died]

Feeling truly exhausted, I allowed myself to collapse with arms spread wide. As I neared the soil I began feeling my stoic self come back, and when I hit the group I felt indifferent again albeit a little cold.

If someone would look at this scene from a second persons perspective they would see a man surrounded by two corpse that had come to a similar tragic fate, the man laid motionlessly on the ground, while staring straight up at the gray sky, covered in descending cloud's of ash that began gradually covering his body, although in reality he was just looking at the trial duration waiting for it to be over.

In my stillness, I dwelled on nothing, unperturbed by the creatures lingering in the dead forest. The Newt's corpse, even in death, served as a deterrent, keeping the beasts at bay.

Instead I just focused on the timer and the feeling of ash covering me, although feeling a bit coarse much like sand it also felt warm, making me feel a little less frigid.

Waiting out the time I saw the counter gradually go down.

Duration: 5:00

Duration: 2:30

Duration: 0:20

Duration: 0:03

Duration: 0:02

Duration: 0:01

Duration: 0:00

When the counter hit zero, it seemed as if time stopped with all the ash dancing through the air frozen in place, and then like a ripple in water with me being the center, everything surrounding me started to disappear, until only I was left floating in a black void.

Seeing all of this happen I was naturally a bit perplexed and raised an eye brow but before I could think, 'So was this all some fucked up simulation', I heard the voice of the system.

Ding! [End of trial! Achievements will now be list and personalized]

[Host {Aeron} has survived 15 day's]

[Host {Aeron} has directly slain {55} F rank, {2} E rank, and {1} D rank beast(s)]

[Host {Aeron} has indirectly slain {5480} F rank and {403} E rank beast(s)]

[Host {Aeron} formed a slave contract with {1} E rank beast(s)]

[Host {Aeron} indirectly caused the destruction of the {RED GOBLIN TRIBE}]

[Host {Aeron} indirectly caused the destruction of the {GREEN GOBLIN TRIBE}]

[Host {Aeron} slayed the tutorial boss {FIERY NEWT}]

After the incessant stream of messages I felt a bit disoriented, but processing everything I wasn't shocked, although a few things did surprise me such as that the system counted me luring the Newt to the goblins as indirectly causing its destruction, and that it counted creatures I had not directly killed in general, which was apparently around the 6,000 mark, most definitely the result of the forest fire.

Also the message proved to me that rank's worked alphabetically going from weakest F to E to D and would likely continue in that order until A.

But that also made me question why they had put a D grade into the tutorial as the creature was literally 6 times my level and two ranks higher than me. And seeing as the creature had more than 6 times my power it meant that levels increased someones power exponentially instead of adding the same base value over and over again.

It also showed how vast the gap was in ranks with me having killed 55 F ranks and only two 2 E ranks, which if I was correct about them being Charcoal and the rabid sheep then I couldn't even defeat them in a straight up fight and instead used magical leeches or ….. rather unsavory means.

Somehow the longer I looked at my achievements, the more I felt I was entirely inadequate for this trial, surrounded by monsters I couldn't defeat and instead using trickery to make my way through it.

Just as I was about to continue with my pondering, I felt a heavy pressure encapsulate me, as the system gave a somewhat personal as well as ominous sounding message.

[You have a faint wish to live but without desires or goals, you are but a slave to your physical body]

[Although you long for others you have realized that no one is like you and reject them as the truth you've come to realise is, that you are merely a husk in the image of your former self]

Ding![Because of your nature and expertise in carnage, you have no need for comrades to protect you, but as you long for equals, you will command ranks of subordinates who neither long nor wish for anything leaving in their wake only pure empty less destruction, fulfilling the fickle desire of their master]

[You have received the class {Savant of the empty husk}]

Having heard the message an abrupt surge of heat engulfed my body, making me feel like I was boiling from the inside. The excruciating pain persisted for a mere five seconds before abruptly receding just as quickly as it came, sweating, before I could form any coherent thought, I vanished from the void.