The second construct was twice the size.
Stone reinforced its shoulders. Iron bands wrapped its forearms. Its core glowed deeper — darker.
This was no longer calibration.
This was pressure.
Elias stepped forward before anyone else could.
He didn't know why.
Maybe curiosity.
Maybe hunger.
The construct moved faster than expected.
Its arm swung.
He blocked.
Pain exploded through his wrist.
The impact threw him backward across the stone floor.
Gasps echoed through the yard.
The Sword Saint smirked faintly.
Elias rolled to his feet.
Stronger, yes.
But not strong enough.
He circled.
The construct adjusted.
Good. It learns.
He feinted left.
Struck right.
Steel scraped stone.
A shallow crack.
The construct retaliated instantly.
Too fast.
Its fist clipped his ribs.
Something cracked.
Breath vanished from his lungs.
He hit the ground hard.
The knights did not intervene.
"Adapt," one murmured.
Elias forced himself up.
Think.
Its core brightened before it struck.
There.
Signal.
He waited.
Waited—
Now.
He stepped inside the swing instead of away from it.
The fist grazed his shoulder instead of crushing his chest.
He drove his blade up beneath its rib plating.
Deep.
Twisted.
The amber core shattered.
The construct collapsed.
Silence.
Then—
[Enemy Defeated: Advanced Training Construct]
Devour Activating…
The whisper was louder this time.
Hungry.
Greedy.
Elias felt it tear more aggressively.
The energy entering him felt unstable.
Unbalanced.
Devour Result Rolled.
–3 to a Random Stat.
(13% Category Triggered)
Stat Affected: Endurance.
The warmth vanished.
His body suddenly felt… thinner.
Weaker.
A subtle hollowness in his chest.
Endurance: 12 → 9
He swayed.
Pain sharpened.
The cracked rib screamed.
So this is the other side.
The knights exchanged glances.
One scribbled quickly on his tablet.
"Volatility detected."
The Sword Saint's eyes narrowed.
Elias clenched his jaw.
So it gives.
And it takes.
Balanced chaos.
Interesting.
Then something else flickered.
Conditional Threshold Met.
High Variance Talent Identified.
Class Awakening Available.
The air shifted.
A pressure descended — not from the constructs.
From above.
A pillar of pale light engulfed Elias.
Gasps erupted across the yard.
Even the knights stepped back.
Class Selection Initiated.
Based on Combat Behavior, Talent Type, and Moral Alignment.
Three silhouettes appeared before him.
A blade wreathed in flame.
A shield wrapped in chains.
A shadow devouring a crown.
But then—
The options flickered.
Glitched.
The third silhouette grew clearer.
Not darkness.
Not light.
Balance.
Unique Class Detected.
"Abyssal Arbitrator"
Description:
One who consumes power yet stands in judgment of its use.
Strength grows through risk. Morality influences outcome.
Devour interactions enhanced.
Accept?
He hesitated.
A whisper brushed his thoughts.
Power without restraint leads to ruin.
But power denied invites extinction.
He pressed Accept.
The light shattered outward like glass.
A shockwave rippled through the yard.
System chimes rang loudly.
Class Acquired: Abyssal Arbitrator
+5 Free Stat Points Awarded.
Skill Unlocked: Balance Sense (Passive)
Detects environmental imbalance, danger, and political tension.
Skill Unlocked: Controlled Consumption (Locked – Conditions Unmet)
His body stabilized.
The hollow feeling lessened — not healed, but managed.
Across the yard, the Sword Saint stared openly now.
"He gained a class mid-trial?" someone whispered.
"Impossible…"
On the observation balcony above, nobles leaned forward.
A robed archmage narrowed his eyes.
"That one," he murmured. "Watch him."
Elias barely noticed.
Because something else had happened.
When the light faded, a new line appeared on his status.
Luck: 1 (Revealed)
He froze.
It hadn't been visible before.
Hidden.
Now revealed.
Devour had brushed something deeper.
A knight frowned at his tablet.
"Hidden attribute disclosure…?"
The archmage on the balcony stood slowly.
"That talent is not standard."
Below, the Sword Saint stepped forward.
"You," he said, voice calm but sharp. "What did you just do?"
Elias met his gaze.
"Survived."
The tension in the yard thickened.
Another tremor shook the ground.
The gates opened once more.
But this time—
The construct that stepped through was different.
Black stone.
Red core.
Larger than the rest.
The knights went silent.
"That was not scheduled," one muttered.
The archmage's voice carried down calmly.
"Do not interfere."
The Sword Saint smiled faintly.
"Good. Let's see what you really are."
The red core construct locked onto Elias.
And for the first time—
Devour did not whisper.
It growled.