The path, now cleared, wasn’t a problem at all. It felt more or less like taking a walk in the park. The only difference was that everything around us was monster corpses, the heavy scent of blood, and occasionally stumbling upon scattered Denosis parts along the way… nothing too far from a casual stroll in a park, if you ask me.

  I’m much calmer now. The buzzing in my head has faded, the slight migraine is gone, and my brain can process information properly again. I expand my Personal World back to its usual maximum range.

  The Denosis leader is no longer sitting. Ogine, Brendu, and I can see him clearly from where we stand. The now-solitary monster stands upright like a temple guardian or the protector of something important.

  I hope his posture and seriousness are worth it. We put in tremendous effort annihilating all those monsters at the entrance. At the very least, I expect two Medals of Honor and something interesting.

  “He looks quite imposing.” Brendu’s words sound serious, but her smile and Imra say something entirely different.

  “Are you scared?” I ask teasingly.

  “Not at all. I’m excited. Watching you push yourself to the limit against a sea of monsters made me want to fight.” Her Imra clearly radiates an intense hunger for battle.

  She’s not the only one. Ogine is giving off similar feelings. Both of them are highly motivated and ready. Realistically speaking, they have a strong chance of defeating him. Even though he’s a grade 4 monster, he’s one of the weakest possible—he looks newly advanced.

  I imagine this level of difficulty is normal for the trial. It would be illogical to face an advanced grade 4 after fighting hundreds upon hundreds of grade 3 monsters. Other participants wouldn’t stand the slightest chance of clearing this place.

  Thinking about it, some trials might not even be designed to be cleared. They could exist to measure students’ limits and make them hit rock bottom somehow. Another possibility is that they’re meant to be cleared in teams, forcing students to rely on others—but that could easily end in tragedy.

  I shrug. There’s no way for me to know what the organizers are thinking.

  “Better focus on what matters.” Both girls have already stepped closer to the monster. The Denosis does the same, walking directly toward us without any elaborate setup, carrying his massive spear.

  Brendu wastes no time. All the mana she accumulated for her spell bursts forth instantly. I sense wood affinity as the dominant element, with poison layered beneath. Several Laws are woven into it, and her Imra binds everything together like a structured construct.

  “Looks like she gained a few levels. What do you think, Glia?” My little sister is still half-asleep. She spends most of the day resting, trying to assimilate the energy from the cores as efficiently as possible.

  I only asked because I felt her curiosity toward the Denosis. If I had to bet on who would win between the Denosis and Glia, I’d put all my money on her. She’s still categorized as grade 3, but in strength, she’s already grade 4—and a strong one.

  “Yes, training with you and me must’ve helped.” Glia’s right. Brendu has been refining this ability for months.

  Two enormous monsters nearly three meters tall are formed, made almost entirely of wood as hard as golem stone. Their fingers are replaced with long claws coated in deadly poison—potent enough to even drain my healing abilities.

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  This skill emerged from the fusion of three abilities. It’s rank IV and feels like a pseudo V. The only issue is the initial mana cost, but for Brendu, that’s not a major problem. Her mana pool is large, and as she levels up, the consumption decreases.

  Those massive tree monsters act as both protectors and melee attackers. She developed this solution to cover one of her greatest weaknesses.

  Seeing those venomous claws gives me chills. All the memories of grueling training sessions with the princess come flooding back. She often tested new poison variations on me. Sometimes I’m amazed at how inconsiderate she can be toward my well-being.

  Coming up to me and saying, “Love, I want to try something new with you,” sounds cute. It’s not when “something new” means injecting powerful poison mana directly into my body.

  I never refused for two reasons: I was helping her improve, and my healing ability kept growing in the process. A win-win. The only downside is the cruelty of being injected with poison mana nonstop.

  Those tree monsters are a real headache. They’re annoying to defeat—faster and more agile than expected.

  The Denosis is experiencing that firsthand. The constructs react almost naturally based on Brendu’s line of sight. She’s essentially activating something like autopilot. Their reactions depend heavily on her vision, and in such an open space, that’s easy for her.

  The princess has developed strong battle sense. She’s improved significantly over the past months after receiving so many beatings.

  The Denosis isn’t weak either. He’s holding his ground perfectly against Brendu’s monsters while simultaneously dodging Ogine’s sonic bombs and the princess’s massive venom splinters.

  His terrain control and combat sense make him stronger than a basic grade 4. To be honest, he’s the most refined monster I’ve seen with a weapon. He has tremendous talent with the spear. I’d even place him close to Humyr’s level.

  He’s managing to injure Brendu’s tree monsters in nearly every exchange. He avoids most damage, and when avoiding is impossible, he always chooses the route that minimizes harm.

  “Fantastic.” I’m genuinely fascinated by his terrain control and spear techniques.

  Unfortunately, that’s not enough to hold out forever against two such talented fighters. Ogine manages to conceal one sonic explosion within another. The sudden attack throws him off balance just enough for a deep wound to open in his chest.

  He’s lucky it didn’t hit a vital spot. It was nearly lethal. Blood pours out for several seconds before the monster manages to control it by sacrificing mana and energy.

  Ogine has improved greatly as well. She’s no longer just the team’s scout and healer. In those areas, almost no one in the school can match her. She surpasses many students—and even several teachers.

  Now she’s more offensive. She can create powerful attacks. Her constructs don’t just injure; they can disrupt hearing and destabilize balance, like they did moments ago. Those constructs are dangerous. Her offense must be taken seriously.

  Most importantly, she hasn’t neglected her strengths. I’m certain she’s still attentive to any shift in sonic waves around us and keeping an eye on Brendu in case healing is needed.

  Marga could learn a lot from my friend. If they attend Brendu’s graduation ceremony, I’ll take the time to introduce them and ask Ogine to help her.

  The battle continues for several minutes. The Denosis isn’t just skilled—he’s stubborn as a mule. Even severely wounded and having lost an arm, he refuses to give up. His willpower remains intact. It’s admirable.

  Brendu and Ogine aren’t having it easy either. Neither has been injured, but the issue lies in mental and mana exhaustion. The tree monsters require substantial mana to recover from damage.

  The princess keeps injecting mana constantly. The Denosis never stops inflicting damage and cuts. Ogine acts as a mana battery for Brendu, and together they’ve managed to corner the Denosis to this point.

  One of the tree monsters collapses. Brendu no longer has enough mana to keep both at optimal condition. The second tree monster is torn apart—riddled with holes and spear cuts—but it holds on just long enough to kill the Denosis.

  “You both did wonderfully. That was a true display of skill. You’ve earned a well-deserved rest.” I already have two bottles of relaxing tea prepared. It helps soothe headaches from stress and quickly reduces mental fatigue.

  “What a skilled monster! I’ve never seen or faced anything like that.” Ogine, sitting on a rock, complains loudly after finishing her first bottle.

  “He had more skill than some of the guards in my kingdom. It was frustrating.” Brendu lets out a few complaints as she wipes sweat from her face with a towel.

  “In the end, you defeated such a skilled monster. That says many good things about you.” They both smile happily. Even while complaining, I can feel their joy through their Imra.

  “Now comes the most important part. The reward is worth more when it’s hard to obtain.” I look at the cave in front of us. I can already sense a chest inside—and it’s a large one. We hit the jackpot.