Hazel opened her eyes to the sound of sizzling meat. Even with her consciousness barely awake, her body was honest as her stomach growled. As if scared by the rumbling of a beast, the young man in front of her was startled. The two stared at each and Hazel took the time to study him.

He was an average-looking young man with dark hair and golden eyes. If not for his eyes, he would have been someone you can pick from anywhere in the street. As she stared into his eyes, Hazel knew he was someone special. What she couldn’t understand was the fact that he wore a primitive-grade armor.

“Pfft.” A muffled laugh escaped his lips after he heard her stomach. Hazel deeply blushed as she sat up in a hurry.

“Where am I?” She asked in a fluster, but she already knew the answer. What puzzled her more was the answer of the young man in front of her.

“I don’t know? I hoped you would tell me. I was hunting when I saw you in the river. You’re the only person I found after I arrived here, so I needed some answers.”

“Arrived here? You mean The Holy Crown’s trial?” Hazel asked, dazed. How could someone be here without knowing this?

“That! The voice also said this but I didn’t understand what he meant.”

Hazel looked in a daze as if she just woke up. She had so many questions to ask, but her stomach rumbled again. The young man in front of her smiled this time as he offered her some meat to eat.

***

After a lengthy talk, Arthur finally knew where he was. The person he saved, Hazel, answered his questions as detailed as she could. He rescued her since she was his only hope of knowing where he was, but he realized she was a good person. 

She kept being polite as she answered his questions and thanked him multiple times for saving her and giving her food. Arthur dismissed it as he saw the answers that she gave him to be more valuable than some effort and food.

In summary, he got himself into a shit of a situation. This was some sort of trial between the most powerful families in the world. Doors leading here appeared worldwide, and young people from these families would have to go through them to get here. 

This was the first trial of a lengthy trial that lasted five years. There would be a similar trial every once in a while to reach a final champion, someone who would hold the ‘holy crown.’

As long as he survived this, he would be able to escape this area. However, to leave, he needed an insignia that he would get by clearing this trial.

“Then what about those who don’t?” Arthur asked, bewildered. As she heard this, Hazel’s face grew a shade darker.

“They need to remain here until they’re able to clear this trial. If the trial comes to an end, they would die with this trial.”

“Then what if they stay here until the second trial begins?” Arthur knew this place had what it takes to live. There was plenty of food, water, and natural shelters.

“That’s not possible. The moment you enter this trial, time stops in the outside world.”

“Doesn’t that mean that everyone would clear it eventually?” Arthur asked as he found this to be an extremely easy trial. He could level up and pass this trial.

“That’s impossible. There is a limited number of insignias for each trial. Only a half could pass. Furthermore…” Hazel’s words stretched for a moment. Before she could continue, a roar shook the forest, and the two people sitting facing each other.

As Arthur realized how terrifying such a monster was just by the roar it made, Hazel’s words continued in his ears.

“Monsters like that are common. Furthermore, there’s something far more terrifying. As there is a limited number of insignia given every round, you need to watch out for other humans. To leave this place early and escape the monsters here, they would kill others for a better chance.”

“Each round?” Arthur asked with confusion.

“There are seven rounds before the world collapses.”

***

On the other side of the trial area, mana bullets rained through the trees and struck a giant rhino in the eye as it howled. The rhino charged toward the sharpshooter that positioned himself on top of a tree far away. 

As it wasn’t aware of the person hiding behind the tree, it fell to the ambush of the two people and was soon dead on the ground.

“Good work, Fey. I still think you’re better off without me.” Yuran put away his gun as he turned toward the gorgeous young woman who was busy taking away the rhino’s mana core. As she heard this, she pouted and started pointing fingers at him.

“I told you to stop saying that! Without your help, I wouldn’t be here anyway!” Fey was unlike her usual self around Yuran. She acted like a spoiled kid making the latter chuckle and drop the subject. He then turned his gaze toward the tower in the distance.

“The Holy Crown…” His lips muttered unconsciously. The name was always like a dream for him as he knew he wasn’t powerful enough to obtain it. But, the question of what if lingered in his mind.

“Someone is here.” His head snapped as he warned Fey about the incoming group of people. Soon, a group appeared in front of them. They wore black robes adorned with silver engravings that Yuran couldn’t recognize.

“What family are you from?” Fey’s eyes turned cold as she couldn’t recognize the group from any of the seven families. There were five of them in the group with different statures. One person holding a black greatsword stepped forward and pointed the weapon at them.

“You don’t need to know that. What you need to know is that you won’t be leaving this place.” The man under the hood growled at them with a thick accent before the group attacked the two.

***

Arthur started with amazement as three ghosts surrounded Hazel facing the almighty bear. He couldn’t have expected such an out-of-the-ordinary ability from such a sweet person. He knew they weren’t human ghosts as they looked nothing like it. 

Her ability allowed her to summon ethereal beings from other dimensions. The restriction was the time of their summoning and their strength. They only inflected magical attacks with zero physical damage.

Against lower-tiered monsters like this Steelfur Bear, it was more than enough. As the bear thrashed and clawed the surrounding ghosts, his attacks went through them as they used their weapons to strike the bear. The stuck part would turn into a blackish color, and the bear continued to howl in agony.

As it figured out that he couldn’t harm these things, he went after Hazel as she was the nearest to him. Unfortunately, Hazel seemed prepared as she agilely avoided his attacks. The bear kept missing and getting attacked until it fell to the ground helpless. The ghosts disappeared, and only Hazel was left with a pale face.

“That’s an awesome ability!” Arthur looked at the primitive-grade bear that was quickly turning a black color. He then saw a core leaving the bear’s body and floating on top of it. He wondered if he could use this core to create a permanent rune, but he was too embarrassed to ask for it.

“Not really, it drains a lot of mana and the creatures could be harmed by magic. I would be weak against a mage that used an elemental spell or a gunman with mana bullets.” Hazel shook her head and went to grab the mana core. Arthur felt grateful that she trusted him enough to tell him this. 

He couldn’t deny that they built an instinctive trust as he saved her life, and she told him about everything happening here. The duo then returned to a shelter they made, a hidden cave not seen by the inattentive eyes.

The night drew near, ending Arthur’s first day in this place. As they created some fire to make food, the two chatted idly. As they finished their meal and decided to take turns to guard the cave, Arthur asked for a favor he had in his mind.

“Can you help me hunt primitive monsters?”