The two identical figures stood opposite one another beneath an endless sea of stars, their blades humming with anticipation as the void trembled beneath the weight of their mana.

Elion prepared himself for another flurry of exchanges, that is, until the duplicate slowly lowered its blade. The violent mana surrounding his body faded.

Elion narrowed his eyes, "What now?" he asked.

The copy studied him quietly as a faint smile appeared on his face.

"You have already answered most of what this trial wanted to know," he said. "You understand your weaknesses. You understand your fears. You understand that strength alone does not guarantee victory."

Elion remained silent.

"But there is one question left."

The stars around them dimmed slightly. The memories drifting through the void vanished one by one until only the two of them remained.

The copy stepped forward.

"If the path ahead demands that you abandon everything you believe you are fighting for in order to survive, what will you choose?"

Elion frowned.

The question echoed through the void as the duplicate continued calmly, "If becoming strong enough to protect the people you love requires you to sacrifice the very things that make them love you, is that strength worth pursuing?"

Elion’s expression hardened slightly.

"If the only way to keep them safe is to become someone they can no longer recognise, someone colder, crueler, and more ruthless than the enemies you claim to oppose..."

The copy tilted his head.

"Would you still walk that path?"

Elion stared at him without saying anything.

The question was not difficult to understand. It was asking whether his desire for strength had limits.

Whether he would allow his pursuit of power to consume everything else.

Whether protecting the people around him would still mean anything if he became a monster in the process.

Elion exhaled quietly and smiled faintly, "No."

The duplicate raised a brow.

Elion continued without hesitation, "I want strength because I want to protect the life I am building."

His grip around Kurogoroshi loosened slightly. "My goals are simple." He looked toward the endless stars surrounding them, "I want to become strong enough that no one can take anything away from me again."

The memory of his father leaving through the village gates appeared faintly within the void. Then Melroy falling from the sky, Isla crying as she bade her mother farewell, the women waiting for him outside the trial.

"But strength is not the goal itself," Elion said. "It is only a means to an end."

His gaze returned to the duplicate, "If gaining power means losing the people I am trying to protect, then I have already failed."

The copy watched him silently.

Elion’s eyes remained steady. "I will become stronger."

His voice carried through the void with quiet certainty, "I will continue moving forward. I will protect the people who chose me. And I will create the life I want. But I will not throw away my humanity just because the path ahead becomes difficult."

The stars brightened as Elion raised Kurogoroshi and rested the blade lightly against his shoulder, "If the only options placed before me are becoming a monster or losing everything..."

A faint grin appeared on his face, "Then I will find a third option."

For several long seconds, the duplicate remained silent. In the end, he laughed softly. It wasn’t from mockery or bitterness, but approval, "A third option," he repeated.

His smile became wry, "That sounds exactly like something I would say."

Cracks suddenly spread across his body. Thin lines of pale light formed along his arms, chest, and face. Elion watched quietly as the copy began to disintegrate. The duplicate looked down at his fading hands.

"I suppose that settles it."

His body slowly scattered into countless fragments of light. Before vanishing completely, he looked toward Elion one final time, "Try not to get yourself killed."

Elion smiled, "No promises."

The duplicate shook his head with a helpless expression, and then he disappeared. The fragments of light drifted upward into the endless void before fading among the stars.

If it was him from a few months ago, he might have been troubled by this trial, questioning his own path. At that time, he was alone, and he didn’t have anything to fight for, other than his own survival, but he wasn’t alone anymore.

Silence returned for a whort while before the familiar layered voices echoed through the space around him.

[Congratulations, Aspirant.]

[The Second Trial Has Been Completed.]

[Trial Type: Self-Reflection.]

[Evaluation Complete.]

[Your Will Exceeds the Required Threshold.]

[Your Understanding of Self Is Flawless.]

[You Have Demonstrated the Ability to Recognise Your Weaknesses Without Abandoning Your Convictions.]

There was a brief silence before another statement was added.

[Rewards Will Be Calculated Once the Trial Sequence Ends.]

The stars surrounding Elion began fading, and the endless void dissolved slowly into darkness. Elion remained standing quietly as his consciousness began slipping away once again.

His final thought was simple.

’That was much easier than fighting Asmodeus.’

Then everything went dark.

...

Somewhere within the same endless darkness, a small blob of light had been watching Elion’s second trial with growing disbelief.

If it had possessed a face, it would undoubtedly have been wearing a bewildered expression.

Not only was the boy’s heart unreasonably firm, but his willpower was nothing to scoff at either. The disparity became even clearer when the spirit glanced toward the other Aspirants undergoing the same trial.

Most of them were struggling.

Some were still trapped within the memories of their past, unable to confront the parts of themselves they had spent years trying to ignore. Others had already reached the final stage but were locked in bitter battles against their copies, desperately fighting opponents who understood their strengths, weaknesses, fears, and habits just as intimately as they did.

Compared to them, Elion’s performance had been almost unfair.

This strange blob of light was the spirit responsible for overseeing the ancient trial. Or, more accurately, it was merely a small fragment of that spirit’s soul.

It had not paid particularly close attention to the events of the first trial. There had been no real reason to do so.

The initial stage had always been designed to test the Aspirants under unpredictable circumstances, and its role had been limited to observing the broader situation while ensuring that nothing interfered too heavily with the intended course of events.

However, one troublesome demon woman had somehow retained her memories through repeated resets and repeatedly slipped through its grasp.

That had demanded most of its attention. Even then, the damned woman had still escaped the trial world in the end. Worse still, she had taken the little toy stone its master created with her.

The spirit dimmed slightly.

Just thinking about the scolding awaiting it once its master discovered what happened was already enough to give it a headache.

But what could it have done?

It was only a bound spirit.

This tiny blob of light was merely a fragmented extension of its true soul, and there was a strict limit to how much influence it could exert within the trial world without violating the rules its master placed upon it.

By the time it realised what the demon woman intended to do, it was already too late. The spirit released a helpless sigh.

’I should secretly send someone down to search for her.’

Perhaps it could recover the stone before its master noticed anything was wrong.

Perhaps.

The blob of light turned its attention back toward Elion.

The boy’s second trial had already concluded, and his consciousness was slowly being drawn into the next stage.

The spirit’s glow pulsed faintly with curiosity.

The third trial was the simplest and most straightforward of the three. There would be no elaborate world filled with armies and kingdoms or battles against powerful enemies.

The third trial existed solely to measure the fundamental qualities that determined the future of a Mage.

Mana affinity.

Comprehension.

Talent.

Potential.

Soul strength.

In the long life of a Mage pursuing the epitome of power, these attributes were perhaps more important than anything else. Physical strength, combat experience, techniques, and powerful artifacts could certainly provide temporary advantages, but a Mage with weak foundations would eventually reach an insurmountable wall.

Talent determined how far one could travel. Comprehension determined how quickly one could advance. Soul strength determined whether the body and mind could withstand the overwhelming power waiting at the end of the path.

The spirit watched curiously as Elion’s consciousness entered the final trial chamber. A vast, featureless white space formed around him.

Several ancient formations lit up beneath his feet. The layered female voices embedded within the trial began issuing instructions.

Elion looked around calmly before following them one by one. The first formation awakened, and mana began gathering around him.

The spirit floated closer. It was genuinely curious now, just what kind of results would this strange boy produce?

If everything the spirit had witnessed from the boy so far was any indication, then Elion was bound to produce impressive results.

Perhaps even exceptional ones. However, it was not prepared for what came next.