Nez smirked at Ren’s changing expressions.

“What happened? Scared of death? You aren’t doing your species any favors! Nohoho! Don’t worry! As long as you don’t persist to the point of death, there’s always a chance to escape.”

Ren didn’t bother with the provocation. He had other important concerns.

‘Should I return after 3 days? But I’ve already hit my limits. I can’t make any significant progress in my present state.’ With a tired expression, he decided to face reality.

“Understood. Is there anything else?”

“Nn… Time flows differently in the trial. First-timers can get a lot of time. Don’t hesitate to use it lavishly. Remember, don't die! If you meet anyone in the trial, just mention that you’re the younger brother of Lord Nez! They will show leniency on my account…” Halfway, the cat realized that Ren had already left.

Pouting, he transformed into an ape and carried the block along his path.

The peak of the hill was in ruins. A broken structure stood at its center. The tall broken walls inhibited Ren’s view.

Unfortunately, Ren wasn't in the mood to admire his scenery.

‘Where am I supposed to place this boulder?’ Ren spun the large hemispherical boulder. He tried everything to calm his tensed nerves.

He scanned the area and noticed an unfathomable pit. It seemed to possess no ending in sight. He mused for a while before inserting the boulder into the pit.

The boulder sealed the endless pit to a flawless fit. The flat surface glowed in orange, revealing an ominous pattern.

‘Inscription?’ This was the last thought that crossed Ren's mind.

The orange light faded and everything returned to normal.

Thud!

Ren collapsed, unconscious.

The world was plunged into darkness. It surrounded Ren, preventing him from seeing or hearing anything. The darkness nearly turned tangible as he felt its eerie touch. It drove him insane.

Duu! Duu! Duu!

As the darkness plunged Ren into despair, three pillars of light arose from the deep, repelling the darkness.

They faded, revealing three illuminated doors. These three doors formed a triangular formation around Ren. As deliverers of peace, they illuminated the dark space, relieving Ren's soul.

He took a step towards a door when he noticed a ripple under his feet.

‘Water?’ A thin layer of black water flowed below his feet. Weirdly enough, it did not give him the feeling of wetness. Nonetheless, it made a ripple with each step.

Confused, Ren strolled towards a door. Approaching it, he noticed many abnormalities.

Two statues of gargoyles surrounded the door on its sides. An amber orb glowed at the center of the black door.

Many paintings of humans were carved on the door. They depicted scenes of fighting and murder, victory and defeat.

The door lacked a wall, allowing Ren to circumvent the door. Thus, he didn’t understand its purpose.

“Welcome to the Door of Eclipse.” A grating voice reached Ren’s ears, seizing him by surprise.

He turned to the origin of the voice. The left gargoyle moved from its initial position. Blood poured down its empty eyes. They focused on Ren.

“Kill four of your trained selves in one-to-one deathmatches. You have one year until the trial ends. Clear this door within the stipulated time.”

The gargoyle returned to its original position, and the blood in its eye sockets evaporated. The gargoyle's words disturbed Ren's composure.

‘Deathmatch… I haven’t killed anyone yet. Can I do this?’ He examined the door.

It lacked any doorknobs. He touched the glowing orb, feeling its crystallize texture.

‘Calm down. They’re just my clones. If they’re alternate versions of myself, how strong could they be?’

‘Either way, I cannot avoid this challenge.’ He punched himself, snapping out his indecisiveness. He pushed the orb, opening the door.

Passing the door, he noticed four circles on the ground. The circles glowed, illuminating the four life-like statues that stood on them. They resembled Ren in every aspect. Even Ren’s closest acquaintances would struggle to differentiate them.

‘Four clones… and I have to kill them? But they’re not moving. Do I have to enter the glowing circle?’ Looking behind him, he sighed in relief, ‘The door’s open. Worst case, I can retreat.'

Ren approached the leftmost circle. He stood on the edge of the circle. A barrier of light emerged from the circumference of the circle, enclosing the battle arena.

Taking a deep breath, he crossed the barrier of light.

Upon entry, the clone opened its eyes. Ren felt a slight chill in his heart as he stared into the eyes of the clone.

The clone’s eye sockets were empty, devoid of any eyeballs. Darkness replaced the eyeballs. He felt like they were sizing him.

‘What is this creepy abomination?’ Ren waited on the edge of the circle, his mind filled with many considerations.

His lack of knowledge frightened him. He didn’t even know the consequences of failing. Nez and Lena had warned him of the possibility of death in this trial. At the same time, he couldn't afford to lose, lest he fails the trial and becomes doomed to perish in Azen's hands.

As he studied the clone, he didn’t feel any sense of danger, but he didn’t dare to begin the attack.

The clone acted. It bent and touched the glowing ground. The white circle turned purple. The purple light coagulated to form a purplish silhouette of a wolf.

The transformation took a couple of seconds and soon a living, breathing wolf stood beside the clone. A purplish aura surrounded the grey beast. It imparted the purple aura onto its partner.

‘Two enemies?! This is cheating!’ Ren curbed the impulse to flee.

'Do- It's coming!'

Whoosh! The clone dashed towards him, closing the distance between them.

With plenty of time to prepare, Ren took a defensive stance. The clone sent a punch, directed at his face. Ren blocked it and countered with a punch of his own. The clone invested too much into its attack, neglecting its defense. Ren’s fist struck its chest, forcing it to retreat a few steps back.

‘He’s weaker than me?! Is this for real? Then, what is the real threat? Is it the wolf?’ He glanced at the wolf and gawked. His eyes bulged, unable to believe his eyesight.

The wolf ran around in circles, chasing its tail like a playful dog. It even barked occasionally, seemingly unconcerned of its master's plight.

‘…’ Even Ren’s mind fell speechless. He had struggled through immense stress, just to encounter an awkward pair of enemies.

Nevertheless, he didn't drop his guard. He had an uncanny feeling that something was wrong.

‘This trial can’t be so easy. There must be something I’m missing. But what is it?’

The clone recovered and resumed its assault. It flung its arms at Ren, almost like a child throwing a tantrum.

Ren deflected the blows with ease, leaving the clone completely open. He inserted qi into his fist, boosting the strength of his imminent retaliation.

Bam! The punch sent the clone crashing into the center of the circle. Embracing its abdomen, it flailed in pain.

‘…This is my trained alternative self? Did it grow weaker after training? That isn't what trained means!!’ Ren gaped, unsure of whether to exploit the clone's condition. In its vulnerable state, a full-powered blow to its vitals could kill it.

‘I should finish it?’ Ren took a step forward when he suddenly stopped. His instincts warned him against proceeding.

‘Danger? Could it be from that wolf? That must be it! The wolf might be the trap. Otherwise, why would the clone even summon it?’ He stared at the loitering beast. The wolf panted for a while before approaching the fallen clone. It poured purple aura into the injured clone. The clone stopped flailing. It gritted its teeth, its dark eye sockets focused on Ren.

‘It’s healing? No! I cannot waste this opportunity!’ Ren dashed towards the clone, ignoring his instincts. The wolf’s actions had cleared his greatest doubt.

The clone panicked and desperately crawled away.

Ren approached the center of the circle when he froze in his tracks. His instincts blared at him and he could no longer ignore it. It shouted at him, pleading to escape when he still had time.

Suddenly, the clone smiled. It jumped from its position and instantly arrived before Ren.

It grabbed Ren's shoulder and pushed him into the center of the circle, the domain of death.

Before he could react, Ren had already arrived at the center of the circle, far away from any escape.

A wolf stood before him while his clone blocked his back. The wolf also dropped its act. Instead, it growled at Ren, flashing its menacing purple teeth.

‘Trapped!’ Ren’s heart pounded. He recognized the clone's ploy, but the realization came too late.

Nevertheless, he didn't want to fall without a fight. He turned to battle the clone.

'No hesitation! Kill him!' A dangerous glint flashed past his eyes.

Whoo! The clone whistled, the darkness in its eyes focused on the wolf behind Ren.

Ren felt an imminent danger from his back. Gritting his teeth, he was forced to confront the wolf.

He turned around to meet a flying wolf. Its agility far surpassed his expectations.

Thud! Ren fell on his back. A putrid stench assaulted his nose.

The fox’s menacing purple teeth were the last sight he saw before his vision blackened. His reflexes kicked in as he activated his last resort, his full-powered punch.

BAAM!

He fist blasted the wolf as the oppressive weight on his chest dropped. Panicking, he crawled in a random direction.

Suddenly, he felt a sting on his neck. The next moment, a large object slammed onto the edge of his face.

‘Move!’ He lost control over his body. Despite his desperate struggle, he couldn’t even rotate his head.

‘Esca…’ Fatigue conquered his mind as his consciousness drifted away.

The clone withdrew the purplish blade on its arm. Blood dripped down its hand, splattering onto the glowing circle.

However, these drops couldn't compare to the pool of blood beside the clone. The pool originated from the headless corpse of a young blue-haired boy.

The corpse shattered into sparkling motes of light, fading into the black water.

The clone returned to the center of the circle. Closing its eyes, it returned to a motionless statue.

Silence returned to the trial world.