An intelligent beast is a formidable opponent no matter the situation. Not because they have endless abilities or techniques, but because they maximize the potential of what they do have. Winning a fight isn’t always about having the best tools but about using them effectively.

~Cernunnos, Lord of the Wild Things

Crow climbed out of the crevice and stumbled in shock. He hadn’t been using his Mana Sense because he figured no one was this deep inside the caverns and was overconfident. To the other contenders, it was like he appeared out of nowhere, but they adapted quickly.

Not that they were waiting for him, but just that he had terrible luck. The five of them surrounded Crow, and a burly red-headed boy stepped forward with a heavy, dark smile.

“What great luck! The cripple everyone’s been looking for… give us your haul, or you could crush your token.”

“Or we could kill him and send him back. This option is good too.” A waif-like girl with thin blonde hair said. Along her arm was a tattoo that looked like ivy, and black flowers were budding from it. Out of all of them, Crow felt she was the most dangerous. At first glance, the burly redhead appears to lead them, but he kept looking at the girl as if looking for guidance. Despite the situation, he found this scenario interesting.

“What does it matter?” Crow asked. Before he left Tadd, he’d prepared a leather bag using skins from the beasts in the cave. Tadd helped him imbue it with fire so it could house the mushrooms. He knew the most dangerous part of his journey was returning. He just hadn’t expected to run into trouble so soon. Regardless, he upended the back and dumped the remaining Frigid Nightmare Mushrooms on the ground. He didn’t want to lose them, but this was almost a no-win scenario for him. “That’s all I found. Each of those is worth about ten coins, I think. Take them. I don’t have enough to pass this event.”

The girl’s shrewd eyes appraised Crow, but Ghostly Visage had taught him many methods for controlling his facial muscles. They were basic exercises that anyone could do and were necessary for disguises. He could take the appearance of anyone that he killed, but if he couldn’t copy their mannerisms, it’d be a wasted disguise. Either way, if she wanted to read his face, she’d need to be a lot more powerful or have a unique ability.

“Hmph, at least you know what’s good for you.” The burly redhead said.

“May I go now?” Crow asked.

“Let me see that bag first,” the girl said, holding out her hand. Crow shrugged and passed it over. All of them wore packs, so he doubted they would recognize the ring. Not that it mattered, nothing was in there that they could take.

“Keep it. I’m heading back to that village to wait it out.”

“Scram, cripple,” the boy said, and Crow walked away but didn’t rush. He watched two of the five pick the mushrooms with bare hands before passing them over to the others. Only the girl didn’t touch them.

“Do you know what these are?”

Crow could hear them talking, and then when the first one started screaming, he ducked behind a few rocks and disappeared from their sight. It was the burly redhead that started screaming first, and his body started shaking uncontrollably. They dropped the three mushrooms. None of them wanted to touch them anymore and frantically wiped their hands on their pants. Another scream echoed out, but this time it was the scrawny boy. What scared them all, including Crow, was that this kid’s face was almost entirely blue.

“That fucking bastard! Let’s go kill him,” the tubby boy said, but the moment he moved, his foot broke off and shattered. The cold numbed his leg so completely that he didn’t even realize it had already frozen. As the stump of his leg hit the ground, another section of it broke, but the blood that came out remained blue.

The girl dropped the leather bag and backed away from the mushrooms. After the fourth and final boy started freezing, the girl turned and ran. Not for vengeance, but because she was a survivor. Her instincts told her that Crow gave in too quickly. She remembered watching him fight, and the boy in the arena would never act this way unless he was plotting something. There was also some ruthlessness to her actions because she didn’t even warn her companions about the mushrooms.

After she fled, Crow retrieved his mushrooms and put them back into the sack. Right now, he was what others called a one-trick pony. However, it was a rather good trick since few people would suspect the mushrooms had such a lethal side to them. He pushed over the ice statues and allowed them to shatter, but it wasn’t because of perverse pleasure. Instead, Crow considered it mercy because he wasn’t sure if they were still dead or alive inside those ice statues.

All the way back to town, there weren’t any more issues. He didn’t let himself get caught unprepared again and avoided a few groups. Along the way, he also harvested a few ores and herbs. They weren’t worth much, but he wondered if they had more value outside this place. For now, he kept everything he found in the Vortex Pin.

The town was bustling, and more and more people were paying their due to upgrade their token. As those with an upgrade token approached the barrier, it glowed blue before allowing them to pass. As he watched, he wondered if this trial was also divine like that of Uru.

*Next is the wyverns.* Nin said. *They don’t have any legs but have two arms and wings. So don’t assume they can’t leave the water.*

*What is the trial?*

*I don’t know. From what I understand, it is a checkpoint, and the event itself is fluid. The rest of them will be like this because there is no telling how many of you will make it to the following areas. So it’ll adjust the event based on the number of successful trial goers.*

*And the wyverns determine this?*

*No. They host it. There should be something good at the end, but again, it changes.*

It was Crow’s turn in line, so he turned toward whatever these immortal ancient humanoids were. They gave him the same vibe as the Librarian, so he wondered if they were some sort of sentient automatons.

“Excuse me, sir. Are these coins useful beyond this area?”

“Yes,” the immortal ancient said, and by its look, it would not elaborate. Crow stared at the man’s clear eyes and bit back a sarcastic response.

“Thank you.” The response was simple, but it also curbed his ability to say anything else he’d regret. Nin’s words still held some truth. He didn’t bother wasting any more time here. The stores didn’t have many valuable goods and nothing he really wanted to buy. He purchased a few books and tossed them into the Vortex Pin, unsure if they’d cross over with him.

*Nin?* Crow asked, but after receiving no response, he sent his spirit into his Soulscape and found that she’d been updating the mountain home. Somehow, she even procured a four-post bed that was abnormally large. It left him speechless. Nin was curled up on the bed with a thin blanket over her.

“Keep staring, pervert.” She mumbled. “See if I don’t break your third leg.”

Lily flew over and pointed at Crow and then held her sides while she silently laughed.

“Uh, never mind,” Crow quickly left his Soulscape. He had obviously woke Nin up and wondered how much she actually slept. Thinking back, she started most of the conversations, and sometimes there was half a day between conversations.

All loose ends wrapped up, he entered the barrier.

The cove, on the other side, was simply breathtaking. The waters were crystal blue, and the contrast between the dark gloom around the pier and the bright sun through the watery entrance to the cove created an otherwordly experience.

Along the wooden stone piers and wooden docks were small boats with a single sail that could carry six people. He had a feeling these boats were necessary for the next trial, and other contenders had already crowded the piers, seeking to claim their seats.

“Well, that took you long enough! You kept this mommy waiting forever.” Mara shouted over, and Crow turned to see her standing on a pier with her hands on her hips. Behind her, Otto and Song Xue were also there.

“You do not know what this daddy faced.” Despite the childish banter, it felt like this was their thing. Crow wondered if Mara initially called herself ‘mommy’ because of her lioness nature. He didn’t know the whole story, but he did know the entire thing was an act to make her less desirable. She was also trying to protect her sister, so she tended to overreact on purpose to scare boys away. Either way, momma lions weren’t something to be trifled with.

“Disgusting. The cripple is already treating you like his whor—”

“Continue that thought, Duncan, and you’ll have a bigger hole between your legs than me. This mommy promises she won’t be gentle.” Mara smiled, but her comment was so dark it nearly caused Duncan to piss himself. He knew she meant every word, and even if she did that in here, who the hell would have the gall to reprimand her outside? Duncan turned pale and nearly tripped as he fled toward Esme and his cronies. Crow and Mara’s laughter followed after him.

Mara, Song Xue, Otto, and Crow stepped off to the side, not in any rush to hop on a boat. Those that were already out on the water couldn’t leave the cave yet, so there was no rush.

“Brother,” Otto slapped Crow on the shoulder, and Crow punched him on the arm.

“Now, talk,” Mara said. “We want to know what you experienced and what we might see ahead.”

Mara’s playful act fell away. This was the no-nonsense side of her that few ever saw. Crow might excel in many areas, but Mara’s ability to strategize and lead people was something he lacked. People followed him, but he didn’t lead them, not really.

While Otto and Song Xue were giving Mara strange looks, Crow had seen her behave like this during the Hunt. He almost laughed at their shocked faces and then proceeded to tell them everything except about Nin and his Soulscape. Even told them about Tadd but left off ninety percent of their conversation. Not that he didn’t trust them, but because he wanted to wait until he left this place to find out what was real and what wasn’t.

“Is this all that made it through?” Song Xue asked after looking around.

“That shouldn’t be right,” Mara replied. “There should only be a few hours left. Why are so many already eliminated.”

“There is one thing I didn’t tell you…” Crow said. “If what I’m about to say is true, we might have caused a tremendous problem. This isn’t a spiritual realm, and the realm is the Trial of the Six Dragon Gods. Tadd said that dragons despise humans, and we’ve trespassed on their holy land.”

“But… aren’t dragons extinct?” Song Xue asked. Compared to Mara’s big voice, Song Xue almost sounded meek. Crow knew it wasn’t true, but Mara was loud and outspoken, whereas Song Xue was quiet and reticent.

“I think it’s real.”

“You are hiding something from us…” Mara said with her hand on Song Xue’s shoulder. The gesture made it clear she meant those two girls, and Crow felt a cold sweat beading his forehead.

“Later. Too many eyes and ears,” Crow said while subtly flicking his eyes upward. “Just treat anyone in this place with respect. I’m trying to avoid future calamities.”

Mara snorted. “How’s that working out for you?”

Crow laughed. “When you put it that way, I guess I’m not so great at avoiding them.”

None of them said anything for a while, and Crow stared out over the water.

“Should we just leave this trial?” He asked, breaking the silence.

“Why?”

“I’ve already reached further than anyone expected, and there is little to be gained.”

“Didn’t you say you have a Soul-linked storage device? Let’s rob this place blind, including other contestants…” Mara’s wicked smile sent shivers down Crow’s spine. He did not know if it would work, but damn, this woman was crazy.

“Otto like. Do this.” The giant let out a big laugh, and even Song Xue was grinning ear to ear.

Savages. They are all savages! Crow lamented, but his racing heart betrayed his excitement.