Within the coliseum, Ascended applicants had gathered. Many bore injuries, whether from the defensive mechanisms or from clashes with other Ascended they had to defeat to ensure they did not fail this trial.

The number of Ascended present was just shy of three hundred, indicating the trial was still ongoing. Both Alexander and Sandro found themselves situated at the back of the gathering, near the coliseum's wall.

Sandro, who had regained consciousness a short while after being brought into the coliseum, was shocked at the state Alexander was in.

Alexander looked incredibly unwell, with pale skin and a sickly disposition. Vein-like splotches covered a large portion of his body. Despite this, he remained conscious through sheer force of will.

Sandro was even more shocked when he heard Alexander's plan.

“In order to pass this trial, one needs to retrieve an antidote to counter the poison and avoid being rendered unconscious,” Alexander explained. “However, that’s not the only option. If one remains conscious after three hundred applicants return, they can pass on a technicality.”

Not one to dismiss unorthodox ideas, Sandro began to consider what Alexander had said. There was some logic to it. After all, antidotes would need to be administered to Ascended who failed to procure one during the trial. The purpose of the trial was not to kill participants but to test their capabilities. The trial would likely conclude once three hundred cured applicants entered the room.

Sandro glanced at the crowd of Ascended within the coliseum, then turned to Alexander with a concerned expression.

“We seem to be close to three hundred, but... do you think you can hold out long enough?” he asked.

Taking deep, labored breaths, Alexander nodded with a focused expression.

In the end, the last group of Ascended to arrive was a familiar one—the members of their alliance.

Soon after, teams of Ascended specializing in healing began deploying, not just within the coliseum but throughout the entire city, administering antidotes to those who had failed. While also providing medical attention to those who had passed.

Alexander's unorthodox plan proved correct. He was given an antidote and successfully passed the trial.

The head administrator, Gaia, even delivered the antidote to him personally. Which drew quite a bit of attention.

As she exited one of the doorways within the coliseum and began walking toward Alexander, many applicants stared at the peculiar sight. Gaia herself wore a pleased expression as she presented Alexander with the antidote. She had an amused look as she glanced not only at Alexander but at Curie as well.

“Given that my faction is known for unorthodox paths to one’s goals, I must say I am glad there are those capable of doing so early on,” Gaia remarked.

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Upon seeing who Gaia was praising, Sandro wanted to pout. However, he restrained himself, allowing only a mockingly annoyed thought to cross his mind: Well, maybe if I hadn’t been knocked unconscious, I could have done something cool too.

After taking the antidote, Alexander finally allowed himself to collapse. He would have hit the floor, but Sandro caught him just in time. Medical personnel quickly arrived to tend to their injuries.

The members of the alliance soon approached Sandro and Alexander, curious about what had transpired with the head administrator. Sandro was about to walk over to them when one of the medical staff stopped him, stating simply, “Your wounds need to be treated.”

While glancing past the medic, Sandro rolled his eyes but didn’t argue, too exhausted to resist. He then addressed the members of the alliance, saying, “We’ll catch up later. Right now, I guess I need some R and R.”

...

Meanwhile, within the inner walls of the coliseum, Seline leaned over a railing overlooking the staff below as she viewed a hologram on her communicator.

The inner walls of the coliseum were vast, housing various facilities necessary for conducting the trials. These included medical facilities to treat applicants, observatory rooms to monitor trials and collect data, and specialized facilities for creating the trials themselves. These ranged from those focused on Ascended Objects to Spirit Alchemy and Soul Tech.

The walls were constructed from gray stone, with multiple walkways and elevators crisscrossing the structure. Seline, standing on one of these walkways, watched footage of the trials displayed on her communicator.

At some point, however, her attention shifted. Her gaze grew distant as she began to recollect her past and the time, she took the trials herself.

I wonder if any of these applicants grew up on the streets like my brother and me before our mentor took us in. He was a highly accomplished assassin, and he went out of his way to train us because he claimed we had potential. When the trials approached, his training became even harsher. Then came that fateful day when he put me up against my brother for one final test.

Seline sighed, cutting that memory short, and instead focused on a more pleasant one: the trials themselves.

The first trial I faced was the one where I met Gaia. A group of us applicants was confined in a glass box, tasked with performing basic spirit alchemy. If I remember correctly, we had to concoct a serum to change the color of a Spirit Material flower to pass. However, if the formula was even slightly wrong, the flower would mutate into a dangerous creature, which we’d then have to defeat to pass.

Seline chuckled at the memory.

I had no intention of correctly applying the formula. I figured fighting a mutated plant would be a better use of my time. So, as soon as the trial began, I deliberately caused my plant to mutate. The creature appeared so quickly that it threw off the other applicants, causing them to miscalculate and create similar plant creatures. These mutated plants eventually combined into one massive creature, far too powerful for me to handle alone. The trial administrator didn’t seem inclined to intervene either. I wonder if I would have acted the same way in their position.

It was then I witnessed something peculiar. Gaia, the only applicant to pass without creating a mutated plant, intervened. She saved not only my life but also the lives of the other applicants. I still wonder how someone could show that much concern for others when there was no apparent benefit to doing so.

After the trial, I asked Gaia why she helped me. She gave her reasoning, then scolded me like a disobedient child. She was oblivious to what I was training to become—or maybe she wasn’t. Even if she had known, she probably would have acted the same.

Finished with her musings, Seline checked the time on her communicator. She straightened up and said casually, “It’s time to help Gaia with the analysis. I don’t want to keep her waiting, so I’ll Walk through the shadows.”

She turned and looked down at her shadow, which darkened and rippled like a puddle of black ink. Stepping into it, she disappeared.