Ren closed his eye. He wobbled his right hand over his face, protecting his last final and his left hand shuddered, defending his ribcage. These two points were hotspots for the invisible attacks.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

He endured blow after blow. Each breath felt like respiring a puff of volcanic ash. Blood leaked through the tip of his mouth.

His legs grew weak as they struggled to support his weight. Fatigue tugged at him, promising a permanent rest from this torturous experience.

'I cannot fall here! I must not collapse!' With a burning desire to win, his willpower alone carried him.

He fought all the pain and waited... Waiting for the right attack.

“He’s a hopeless case.” The lion shook its head and departed. However, an unexpected progression drew its attention.

Bam!

The invisible attack landed on Ren’s left hand.

‘NOW!’ Ren activated his familiar Forbidden Skill. His arm bulged, and his tired bones cracked.

He halted! Remaining motionless, he waited for the next attack.

1 second… 3 seconds… 5 seconds passed by, but the awaited attack didn’t arrive.

Sighing in relief, Ren collapsed onto the black water, a weary grin on his face. Despite the short duration of the battle, it was his hardest-earned victory.

A green light surrounded his body, healing his injuries.

‘Thank you, Senior.’ Ren smiled and stood up.

The lion gaped as Ren’s body recovered to perfect health.

“YOU IDIOT!” It roared.

It was Ren’s turn to feel dumbfounded.

“Who told you to use a Forbidden Skill?!” The lion's hair rose in anger.

“…Senior Kaero. Void Energy returns to its inert state after the execution of a Forbidden Skill, right?” Ren tilted his head. He couldn’t fathom the basis for the lion’s anger.

“You! You! You!! I swear you’re all conspiring against me!” The explanation further incensed the ‘Lion Sage’.

Ren’s premonition warned him of danger. Learning from the last encounter, he crouched and protected his face.

Bam! Bam! Bam! 3 different attacks flung at him.

“You want to defend again? Show me how you’ll survive this time. Evade! How is that hard to understand?” The lion grumbled, smoke arising from its nose.

‘Is this training a sham to kill me?’ Ren coughed blood. But this time, it was from excessive anger.

‘My vision?! I’m blind? Huh? I can't hear anything!? WHY?’ Ren’s face paled. Without any notice, he had inexplicably lost both his vision and hearing.

“Don’t depend on your normal senses. Trust the same feeling that guided you here. And I told you to evade!! Not defend!” The lion ground its teeth. Unfortunately, Ren couldn’t hear its words.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

The invisible attacks pushed Ren around like a broken toy. His recently healed body returned to an alternate version of its previous bloody state.

‘Three attacks! There’s no gap, and they hit in different positions. How am I supposed to incorporate all three of them in one Forbidden Skill?’

‘What am I supposed to do in this state? I can’t defend! Evade? I can’t even see the attacks! How am I- Ah! Right! The first attack! How did I predict that attack?’

‘Instinct? No… that can’t be… I have to depend on instincts to evade? Is that what I'm supposed to do? This...’ Ren blanked, but he struggling for time, he could only resort to unconventional means.

‘Ugh, I’ll just try it.’ Ren withdrew his hands. He stepped ahead.

‘Right?’ He hesitated. Three attacks simultaneously landed on his body. One of them targeted his right shoulder!

Cough! Ren coughed a mouthful of blood but his mind was filled with disbelief.

‘I predicted it?! Was that a fluke? Try it again! Ugh… concentrate! Where will the next attack come from? Left this time?’ Although unsteady, he concentrated.

Bam! Bam! Bam! Three attacks landed at once, without any warning. However, none came from the left side.

‘What?! It didn’t work this time? Why?’ Ren’s head ached.

‘This… lion! Why don’t you give me a clue?! Relying on instincts alone... This seems wrong!’ Complaints accompanied by anger drowned his brain.

‘This is a farce! I had won the test! This lion just wants to kill me! Go ahead! I’ll just accept death! I won’t this cursed door ever again!’ Ren surrendered, too tired to think.

He had relaxed his tired brain when he suddenly frowned. Immediately, he tilted his posture.

Bam! Two attacks missed. Ren’s frown worsened, but he didn’t stop. He just moved.

The next attack barely scratched his body.

‘Huh? How did I evade-’

Bam! Bam! Bam! Three attacks crashed into him, seemingly punishing him for the loss in focus.

He stopped his internal monologue and relaxed. Like a leaf in a powerful gale, he let his instincts dictate his actions. The invisible attack barely slipped past his body.

A shot of excitement gushed into his system and… he messed up.

‘I’m actually avoidi-’ Bam!

Cough! Cough! ‘Why? I was doing so well-’

Bam! Bam!

Ren realized that he would be stuck on this for a long time. Unfortunately, his tired soul couldn’t support his mistakes for much longer.

Seeing this, the lion sighed.

‘He learned the basics, but he won’t survive. Should I spare him or let him perish? Grr…’

‘KAERO!! You stinky brat! Giving cheats while I wasn’t noticing. Gahr, it was my mistake. Letting this kid die will haunt me for another decade.' The lion stopped the attacks and returned Ren’s senses to normal.

'I’ll spare you for now. Be grateful!’

The confused Ren plopped onto the ground as a wave of green energy healed his body.

‘Did it stop? Huh? I can see! I won!?’ Ren lifted his arms, but the lion poured cold water on his enthusiasm.

“Kid, rest up. We’ll continue after a small break.”

“HUH?"

'It’s not over?' Ren’s eyelids twitched. He buried his sadness and pondered over the battle. Even now, he didn’t know if relying on his instincts was the intended strategy.

“Kid, don’t think too much. You are on the right track. Your instincts led you to this path. They will guide you through this test.”

“So I was right! But then, why do they work only sometimes? I don’t understand!” Ren instantly sprang up into a cross-legged position.

“At those moments, did you think or lose focus?” The lion’s gaze seemed dead. Those dead eyes were slathered with disappointment.

Ren froze. It finally dawned on him. He understood the reason for his failure. But, this set him into greater confusion.

“Gahr, I know you’re having the wrong idea. I’ll explain.” The lion sighed and continued.

“Your mistakes were many, but they can be summarized into two points. You think too much and your mood swings too frequently. The latter can be fixed with experience. Keeping a calm mind is crucial in battles.”

“A calm mind… Understood. About the thinking part, I should stop thinking?” Ren frowned. To stop thinking in the middle of a battle… Ren couldn’t think of anything more suicidal.

“No! You dimwit! Gahr… I knew you had the wrong idea. Have you heard of Logic vs. Intuition?”

Ren shook his head.

“No wonder you’re so stupid. Read more books!” The lion shouted. Ren cringed at the ridiculousness of this moment. A lion was admonishing him, a human, over reading more books. Nevertheless, he nodded obediently.

“Gahr, I'll give you a free lesson! Don't bother me after this! Where was I? Gah! Logic and Intuition! Logic pertains to understanding your enemies’ abilities and your own limits. Based on this understanding, you can plot your way to victory. It is the reason why I picked Kaero. He’s talented, a perfect student. I have no reason to reject him.”

“On the other hand, Intuition is preferred when you don’t understand your enemy, and you have no clue as to what you’re doing! It is exactly what I feel when I take in idiots like you! The only reason you’re living is a result of Kaero’s gimmicks. I have every reason to kick you out, but my intuition refuses to let me show you my teeth.”

Ren opened his mouth before promptly closing it. He decided to suffer through this lecture.

'Complete the trial... That is all that matters... Stay calm- Damn it! If you wanted me to use my intuition, why didn't you just say so?' He raged internally to vent his frustration. Nevertheless, he paid attention to the lion's lecture.

"Intuition cannot be understood by logic. Attempting to analyze it will only hurt your head. If you are using your Intuition, then don't think. Similarly, if you are depending on your logic, then ignore your instincts. Using both of these together will lead to disaster, just like your present state."

'Ah! If only you had explained this earlier...' Ren sighed inwardly.

“Hone your Intuition because it is mandatory for Forbidden Skills. But don’t neglect your logic. Otherwise, you’ll become one of those brainless Physical Arts Practitioners. Now get back to training!”

“Ha… Ha… Ha…” Ren panted. Lying on the ground, he relaxed. He didn’t know how many days had passed. He felt like he had aged a lifetime.

The only thing he knew was that the increasing number of Kyo attacks. From three to four, five to six, all the way to nine. Towards the end, it became a competition of complicated maneuver. Any moment of distraction meant welcoming a crippling volley of attacks.

The struggle had numbed his mind. If someone told him to jump off a cliff, he would do it without a moment of hesitation.

“Good work.” He heard the lion’s familiar voice.

“How long… did it take?”

“A little over a month. You have less than 11 months left.”

Ren depreciatingly chuckled. Even after non-stop practice, it took him a month to master the basics of sensing Kyo. Thinking of the deadline, he stood and declared.

“Then let’s continue. I can’t waste any time.”

The lion hesitated before roaring.

“Kaero! Get over here! I’ll hand this kid to you. Train him or kill him. Do whatever you want.” It disappeared immediately.

‘…Good riddance!’ Ren grinned. The lion had forced him in life-and-death situations, expecting him to make extraordinary leaps just to maintain his bare survival. After his traumatic experience, he wanted little to do with the lion.

The silver-haired teen returned, a cheeky grin plastered over his face.

“You survived! Congratulations! I guess I should call you Junior-Apprentice Brother from now. Out of innumerable students, you were the second to pass this test. That’s an achievement worth celebrating.”

‘Achievement? My main target is to complete this trial. The rest does not matter.’ Ren shook his head to remove all unwanted thoughts.

‘Oh! The three criteria! I almost forgot!' Remembering the promise, he asked.

“Senior Kaero, what are three criteria for interacting with Kyo?”

Kaero let out a slight sigh and spoke.

“Fuu, I should keep my promise. Fine. The first criterion is the simplest. It’s talent! Talented Practitioners can use their natural instincts to sense Kyo. Unfortunately, this is determined upon one's birth. That is why, Kyo Practitioners from this path are quite rare, relatively speaking.” Kaero blushed and continued, “I happen to fall into this category.”

‘So it’s this type of criteria…’ Ren felt disappointed. If the rest of the criteria were along these lines, it wouldn't give him many clues. Even so, he continued to listen.

“The second criterion is to kill a talented Kyo Practitioner. By murder, you can snatch their talent. Most of the Kyo Practitioners fall into this category. A cycle of killing ensures that the talent of Kyo can be passed down generation to generation. That is why you must be careful, lest someone stronger kills you for your talent. Teacher happens to fall into this category.” Kaero shrugged.

‘Stealing Talent!? Ah! Could this be a reason why Azen is intent on killing me?’ Ren grew alarmed. Ignorant of his doubts, Kaero continued.

“The third criterion is the cruelest. It is the main reason why Forbidden Skills became ‘forbidden’. It requires a Practitioner to trudge through a path of bloodshed. With each kill, the Practitioner’s soul hinges closer to ‘Death’, accumulating the curses of their victims. They become more sensitive to killing intent. and this sensitivity can substitute natural instincts.”

“However, the number of kills required for this path… it’s unfathomable. And each kill necessitates personal investment. Otherwise, one could just destroy swarms of ants.” Kaero took a deep breath and continued, his expression forlorn.

“That is why I called it a cruel path. Not only will it create an unparalleled disaster, but it will also break the Practitioner. Fortunately, it is extremely rare to encounter a Kyo Practitioner who originated from this sea of bloodlust. Otherwise, I’d dread to think of the consequences.” Kaero laughed weakly.

“It sounds too troublesome. Why would anyone bother with such a tortuous path? If someone is capable of killing so many people, can’t they just kill a Kyo Practitioner?” Ren shrugged.

“…Yeah, you’re right, but that’s how it is.” Kaero smiled bitterly, “There are very few individuals who have succeeded in this path. However, their infamy is immortal. Go to the library and search for the most infamous individuals in history. 3 out of 5 will be Kyo Practitioners from this path. They have drowned the whole of Forbidden Skills into notoriety.”

Ren frowned slightly, but he instantly hid it.

‘He’s definitely concealing something. There’s more to this, but... it doesn’t affect me. I should prioritize the trial. Those 4 monsters at waiting for me. And there’s one door I haven’t tried yet. I can’t tarry any longer.’ He took a deep breath and said.

“Let’s move on? I have less than 11 months left.”

“Great! Let’s begin.” Kaero stretched his arms. The trial world shook.

‘Earthquake? No! This… What is …’ Ren's eyes opened wide. He could barely believe his sight.

"This will be your home for the next few months. Since Teacher has placed you under my control, I cannot spare any efforts." Kaero grinned nefariously.

Staring at 'his home', Ren gulped.

'Lion Sage, please come back.' Ren held back his tears. He had already begun to miss the white lion.