The second trial had barely ended when the ground beneath me shifted again.
No rest.
No mercy.
Typical.
I exhaled slowly, steadying myself as I stepped forward into the next arena.
This place… was different.
The air was thick—humid, suffocating. The ground beneath my feet wasn’t stone or sand anymore.
It was… flesh.
I froze.
The surface pulsed faintly, like something alive beneath it. Veins of dark energy ran across the ground, glowing dimly.
A low growl echoed.
Then another.
My grip tightened around my dagger.
“Of course…” I muttered under my breath.
The third trial.
And this one—
Was going to be deadly.
The creatures emerged slowly from the shadows.
Not wolves.
Not demons.
Something worse.
Their bodies were twisted, malformed—like multiple creatures fused into one. E
