Time flew by as days turned into months. Yet, the fourth white door showed no signs of opening.

Nonetheless, the emotionless clone guarded the main exit to the trial without uttering a single complaint.

Like this, 11 months had passed before a sudden movement broke the silence of this empty room.

The white door opened, and a young blue-haired boy entered the dark space. Noticing the clone, he smiled and strode towards the main exit.

The clone noticed the boy’s approach and opened its eyes. Those empty, eerie eyes stared at their fated enemy. The clone predicted an uphill battle, but it wouldn’t abandon its duty.

“This clone was at least as strong as when I entered this Door of Growth… Hm... I wonder how much I’ve grown.” It heard Ren’s mutter. With its shoulders outstretched, it blocked the exit. The blue-haired boy ignored it and reached for the doorknob.

Thud! The clone defiantly thrust its palm on the door, closing it.

“You’re not letting me leave?” The mute clone shook its head. However, it suddenly noticed a sudden force on the door. The door slowly moved outward.

The clone’s expression darkened. Placing both of its palms on the door, it pushed.

“This wasn’t how I envisioned our battle to take place. But, if a competition of raw strength is what you desire, I’ll happily indulge.”

[“Pain Series: Enhance.”] The blue-haired boy’s veins bulged and the door slowly swung outwards. Irrespective of whatever the clone tried, it couldn’t match Ren’s strength combined with a Forbidden Skill.

The gloomy clone recognized this fact. Its mind ran through all the possible scenarios before an idea struck its mind. Turning to Ren, it whipped out its fist.

Crack! Crack! The bones on its left arm broke, but it persisted with the crippling attack, determined to stop or even kill its target.

Tup! The punch stopped right before touching Ren. Confused, it looked down and noticed a few fingers grasping its left fist.

Like chains, they held its arm. The clone tried to withdraw its arm but the fingers were like claws of steel. They prevented any motion.

It watched in despair as the blue-haired boy tossed its broken arm and exited the door.

“Enter the last door if you wish to improve your skill.” The blue-haired boy departed. The clone closed its eyes as its body faded. It had failed its task, and demise awaited it.

…

‘Ah! Why does it hurt so much?’ Ren groaned and shook his hand. He noticed that green light on the orb had dimmed, signaling his first victory in the trial.

‘That’s one door! There are two more left… and only a month remains.' Ren let out a tired sigh. Remembering the past eleven months, he instinctively shuddered.

‘NO! Don't think about that hell. It's behind me! It's over. No more ants... No more piranhas... No more Kaero... Yes, it's over!’ Taking a deep breath, he calmed his nerves and turned to the Door of Eclipse.

‘Ah! How could I forget you? It's time I settled our grudge and I hope you’re ready. The pain… the suffering… I’ll be darned to Kaero's hell if I don’t make you suffer a minute fraction of what I went through.’ A devious grin crept up his face. He had found the perfect victim to vent his frustration.

He advanced into the leftmost circle. The clone opened its empty eyes and bent down. Touching the ground, it summoned its faithful companion, the wolf.

A purple aura surrounded both the creatures.

The clone’s actions didn’t surprise Ren. Instead, he grinned.

‘Not acting this time? Go ahead! Attack.’

Without a word of communication between them, the clone and wolf cornered Ren.

‘Embrace the pain…’ Ren took a deep breath. A ruthless gleam flashed past his eyes.

[‘Pain Series: Body Enhancement!’] The veins all over his body bulged, and his face grimaced in pain. Gritting his teeth, he dashed towards the clone.

The clone crossed its arms. The purple aura formed a shield, protecting the clone.

Ren sent a glance at the incoming wolf. He kicked the shield. The clone retreated a few steps back to regain its footing.

The wolf didn't miss this opportunity. It pounced on Ren, its menacing fangs threatening to rip Ren to shreds.

Tchish!

Ren grabbed the teeth of the beast. Blood dripped down his arm but he ignored it. His left hand grabbed the lower jaw of the beast while his upper arm grabbed the upper jaw. The pain from the Forbidden Skill drove him to the brink of insanity.

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‘You like biting my face? Show me how you’ll bite after today!’

Ren's arms shuddered, but he stretched the wolf’s maw, opening its mouth. A repulsive stench assaulted his nose, but he applied more force into his arms.

The wolf panicked. It focused all its purple aura onto its jaws, reinforcing its biting strength. However, Ren's might won in the end.

“Aaarghh! TEAR!” With a roar, Ren pulled the lower jaw with all his might.

Followed by a desperate whimper from the wolf, Ren ripped its lower jaw.

The wolf flailed in its death throes, drenched in blood. Ren glanced at the owner of the wolf and dropped the detached pound of flesh.

'You're next!' His gaze alone sent the message across.

The clone’s purple aura weakened. The wolf's plight had a profound effect on its strength. In an act of desperation, it morphed its remained purple aura into a blade.

The clone rushed towards Ren. Seeing the purple blade, Ren retreated. He didn't dare to underestimate the danger of a weapon. Soon, his back hit the barrier.

‘Huh? I can’t leave the barrier?’ Ren frowned. Even the clone paused in surprise, but only for a moment before resuming its attack.

Ren punched the barrier but it was like punching a huge block of steel. Staring at the tiny splotch of blood on the barrier, he doubted if he could penetrate it with his strongest attack.

'I'm trapped? No! Qi!' Using his qi, he climbed the barrier, only stopping when he had created an unbreachable distance between himself and the clone.

‘The wolf doesn’t know any healing... Damn it! He played me like an idiot!’ Thinking of his previous battle, Ren’s expression worsened.

‘Once the wolf perishes, I’ll take my time with you. The pain that I had to suffer, I’ll vent everything on you.’ A crazed smile crept up his face. He had a pent up immeasurable frustration throughout the trial and he had to vent it.

The clone glared at Ren. However, it felt a new emotion, one that it had never experienced. For the first time in its fleeting life, it experienced fear!

Before long, the wolf perished, and the clone lost the last bit of its purple aura. Ren pounced on the clone, signaling the end of the battle and the beginning of the clone’s misery.

…

The barrier disappeared. Ren relaxed, a tired smile on his face. The traces of blood remained witness to the brutal suffering of the clone.

‘Ha... It's over.’ He had calmed down from his heated frenzy. After dumping his anger onto the clone, he had regained his peace.

‘The real battles begin here. I can’t be careless like the last time.’ Punching himself on his face, he continued to the next circle.

‘This should be magic… Magic Crafting, was it? Is it any different from Kana’s magic?’ Ren studied the clone. Unlike the other clone, it wore a long, white robe and donned two fat pouches on its waist. Overall, it resembled a wizened scholar more than a combatant.

The clone awakened. Its empty eyes studied Ren as it dug into its pouches.

‘He’s not going to chant?’ Ren's brows furrowed.

The clone withdrew a few tiny nail-sized capsules. It held them in between its fingers.

‘This is not familiar…’ Ren squinted his eyes. The clone dropped a capsule. It cracked, and black lines emerged from the broken capsule. The lines formed a peculiar inscription on the ground.

Shooo! With a loud blast, huge spouts of water surged from the inscription. Within moments, it flooded the ring, drowning both contestants in a column of water.

The clone didn’t stop. It crushed another capsule, forming another black inscription within the water.

A violent current emerged from the inscription. It pushed the clone above the column of water. Upon exiting, the clone crushed the remaining capsules and dropped them on the water.

A layer of frost spread throughout the column of water. It instantly transformed the water into a pillar of ice.

All of the clone's actions were simultaneous as they took place in a matter of a few seconds. Even then, the emotionless clone wasn't satisfied.

It withdrew a brush. Its hands flashed as they painted stroke after stroke on the ice. As it finished the final stroke, the surface of the ice pillar glowed temporarily before returning to normal.

Even though it seemed like nothing had happened, the pillar’s hardness had multiplied by many folds. Finishing its trap, the clone relaxed.

Tik! Tik! A peculiar sound caught it by surprise.

“Incredible! The ice is so hard now. Magic Crafting is scary!” It turned around to see Ren knocking on the column of ice. Although the distance between them was negligible, it hadn’t noticed him.

Feeling the clone’s gaze, Ren grinned and explained.

“Trapping a Void Arts Practitioner isn’t the easiest thing to do. Unless your trap is airtight, you cannot- Can you not reach for your pouch while I’m explaining?” Ren bound the desperate clone.

He stripped the two pouches and studied them.

“These two pouches… What are- Stop drawing and listen to me!” Ren snatched the brush, breaking it in the process, much to the dismay of the clone.

“Like I was saying, these capsules... What are they? How do you operate them?” Ren picked a capsule and observed it in detail. It possessed a single crack on its center. He carefully split the capsule to reveal a tiny roll of paper.

‘A parchment?’ He tried to open it, but he crumbled it in the process. The paper exploded and Ren dropped it. The paper created an inscription on the ice. It sprayed huge blasts of purplish gas, which covered the insides of the barrier in moments.

Ren panicked, but he held onto the pouches. Closing his eyes, he cleared his mind.

Feeling a threat, his hand moved.

[‘Pain Series: Enhance.’] Ignorant of what to expect, he went for his familiar attack. He punched blindly, trusting his instincts. His fist landed on something, and the threat disappeared.

He awaited a follow-up attack but nothing happened. The gas faded and the ice sublimated. Soon, he was left alone and confounded.

‘Did I accidentally kill the clone?’ Staring at his hand, Ren sighed. Unfortunately, the capsules would remain a secret.

‘That was a weird battle. But Magic Crafters are dangerous. If this battle took place a year back, I would have become a frozen statue. These people are dangerous.’

‘Ah… Whatever. I won, and that's what counts! Only two more battles left.’ Ren felt optimistic. If the rest of the challengers provided the same challenge, success in the Door of Eclipse was at his arm’s reach.

----------------------------------------

The third clone looked uninspiring. Other than a sheathed sword, nothing set it apart from the rest. However, Ren's expression was grave.

‘Something’s wrong! This clone is... dangerous! Much more dangerous than the rest. Weird… Why does my instinct warn me of grave danger?’ As time continued, Ren felt a growing threat from the mediocre clone.

‘Is he accumulating strength? No! That’s not it. I’m missing something…’ Ren desired to attack, but he curbed his impulses.

Tsuiiin! The clone's sword flashed. An invisible blade of wind tore through the air. Ren jumped to the side, barely missing the fatal slash.

Krrrr! Accompanied by a large sound, the wind tore apart a gaping hole on the barrier. Staring at the damage, Ren’s heart trembled.

‘Seriously?! This is Honing? What power! It might be even stronger than my Forbidden Skills in raw strength… HOW?!’ Ren inwardly screamed. The clone didn't wait for Ren to regain his composure as it executed the next sword swing.

'He can even launch them consecutively!?' Ren's complexion paled.

The winds roared as the invisible blade sought Ren's head!