Zael moved first.
No hesitation this time.
The moment the construct vanished—
He didn't wait to see where it would appear.
He stepped forward.
Then pivoted.
A strike tore through the space behind him a fraction too late.
Zael's eyes sharpened.
"…So it's not instant."
Close.
But not perfect.
That was enough.
He shifted again, forcing movement, refusing to stand still long enough for the construct to lock onto a stable position.
The air twisted—
Then snapped.
The construct appeared to his left—
Already mid-attack.
Zael raised his arm—
Blocked—
The compression hit harder this time.
His bones didn't break.
But they felt it.
"…You're pushing it now."
Good.
That meant it wasn't infinite either.
He slid half a step back, letting the force carry through instead of resisting it fully.
Then he moved.
Forward.
Not toward where the construct was—
But where it would reappear next.
A gamble.
A calculated one.
The space ahead distorted—
Zael's hand was already there.
His fingers closed—
Caught something mid-formation.
For the first time—
The construct didn't complete its transition cleanly.
Its body flickered.
Half-formed.
Unstable.
Zael's eyes narrowed sharply.
"…Got you."
He didn't pull.
Didn't try to overpower it.
He drove his other hand straight into its chest—
Right at the unstable point.
Impact—
The structure buckled—
But didn't collapse.
Not yet.
The construct reacted instantly.
Space twisted violently around its body—
Zael felt it—
A forced displacement.
His grip slipped—
The construct vanished—
Reappearing several meters away.
Fully stabilized again.
Zael exhaled slowly.
"…Yeah. Not that easy."
His arms felt heavier now.
Not from exhaustion—
From accumulated pressure.
Every blocked hit.
Every near miss.
The compression was stacking.
Not visible.
But present.
The construct didn't rush this time.
It stood there.
Watching.
Learning.
Zael rolled his shoulder once.
The movement wasn't as smooth as before.
"…So it builds up."
Another rule.
Noted.
He glanced at his arm briefly.
No visible damage.
But the internal strain—
That was real.
Zael clicked his tongue softly.
"…Alright."
A faint pause.
"…Let's stop playing."
His stance lowered.
Not dramatically.
Just enough.
His breathing slowed.
Further.
Deeper.
The construct moved again—
Gone.
Zael stepped—
Not reacting—
Predicting.
The moment space shifted behind him—
He turned.
His hand shot out—
This time not to grab—
To strike.
His palm slammed into the air—
Right before the construct fully appeared.
Impact landed early.
Mid-transition.
The effect—
Immediate.
The construct's form broke alignment.
Its body twisted unnaturally—
Half in—
Half out—
Zael didn't hesitate.
He stepped in fully.
Closed the distance.
His elbow drove forward—
Then his knee—
Then his hand again—
All targeting the same unstable point.
Not giving it time to correct.
Not giving it time to reset.
Each hit landed faster than the last.
Not stronger.
More precise.
More accurate.
More understanding.
The construct flickered violently now.
Its form unable to fully stabilize between impacts.
Zael's eyes sharpened further.
"…So that's how it works."
Not destruction.
Overload.
Too many interruptions.
Too fast.
Too precise.
He drove one final strike—
Directly into the core point—
While it was still misaligned.
This time—
There was no recovery.
The construct froze—
For a fraction of a second—
Then—
Collapsed inward.
Gone.
Silence returned.
Zael stood there.
Still.
Breathing steady.
But heavier now.
The pressure in his body didn't fade immediately.
It lingered.
Slowly dissipating.
"…Took longer than I wanted."
A brief pause.
"…But it works."
Then—
The system responded.
> [Blood Husk Eliminated]
[Base EXP: 2,800]
[Multiplier Applied: ×10,000]
[EXP Gained: 28,000,000]
[Level: 30,000 / 30,000 (Locked)]
[EXP Pool: 85,482,000]
Zael glanced at it briefly.
"…That pool is getting ridiculous."
Not useless.
Just… delayed.
He exhaled once more.
Then straightened.
For a moment—
Nothing happened.
No new enemies.
No immediate escalation.
Just silence.
Zael didn't relax.
He knew better.
"…So what's next."
As if on cue—
The voice returned.
> Phase One Complete.
Zael let out a quiet breath.
"…Finally."
> Performance Evaluation: Above Threshold.
A slight pause.
> Reward Conditions Adjusted.
Zael's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Adjusted how."
> Transitioning to Phase Two.
The air changed.
Not violently.
But noticeably.
The space around him deepened.
The red sky dimmed slightly—
As if something had shifted its focus.
The ground beneath his feet pulsed again—
Stronger this time.
Zael looked ahead.
Toward the deeper parts of the island.
Toward the ruined structure.
"…Yeah."
A faint exhale.
"…Knew it wasn't going to be that simple."
He stepped forward again.
Not rushing.
Not hesitating.
But ready.
Because now—
The trial had stopped testing if he could survive.
And started testing—
How far he could go.
Zael didn't get far before the island changed.
At first, it was subtle.
A shift in pressure.
A tightening in the air.
Then—
The ground pulsed.
Once.
Twice.
Not a rhythm this time.
A signal.
Zael slowed slightly.
"…Here we go again."
The voice answered immediately.
> "Phase Two—Commencing."
Zael exhaled.
"…Of course."
> "Trial Directive Updated."
"Objective: Continue traversal."
"Primary Condition: Blood Assimilation."
"Secondary Condition: Corruption Threshold Enforcement."
Zael's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…That doesn't sound optional."
> "Warning: External blood energy will continuously infiltrate the participant."
"Warning: Devour response detected—conversion enabled."
"Notice: Gains are proportional to corruption accumulation."
A short pause.
Then—
> "Failure Condition: Loss of sanity."
Zael went quiet for a second.
Then—
"…Yeah. That tracks."
The voice faded.
And the island responded.
The blood sea moved.
Not violently.
Not in waves.
It rose.
Thin streams lifted from the surface—
Then spread into the air.
A crimson mist.
Heavy.
Alive.
And then—
It rushed him.
Zael stepped back instinctively—
Too late.
The mist passed through his body.
Not touching—
Entering.
---
His entire system reacted instantly.
Dao energy surged.
Trying to expel it.
But before it could—
Devour activated.
Not passively.
Aggressively.
---
> [Devour Activated]
[Foreign Energy Detected: Blood Sea Essence]
[Conversion Initiated…]
---
Zael stiffened.
"…Wait—"
---
> [Conversion Successful]
[+8 Strength]
[+6 Endurance]
[+5 Spirit]
---
His eyes widened slightly.
"…That fast?"
Then—
Another notification.
---
> [Corruption Increased: +3%]
[Total Corruption: 3%]
---
Zael went still.
"…There it is."
The trade-off.
He rolled his shoulder once.
The stat increase was real.
Immediate.
His body felt heavier—
Stronger.
But underneath that—
Something else.
A faint irritation in his thoughts.
Nothing major.
Just—
Noise.
---
Another wave of blood mist surged in.
This time—
He didn't resist.
He watched.
Tracked.
Let Devour take over.
---
> [Devour Activated]
[Conversion Successful]
[+7 Strength]
[+7 Endurance]
[+6 Spirit]
[+4 Agility]
> [Corruption Increased: +4%]
[Total Corruption: 7%]
---
Zael exhaled slowly.
"…So more intake—more gain."
A pause.
"…And more corruption."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Balanced."
Another wave hit.
Stronger.
Denser.
---
> [Devour Activated]
[Conversion Successful]
[+10 Strength]
[+9 Endurance]
[+8 Spirit]
> [Corruption Increased: +6%]
[Total Corruption: 13%]
---
Zael's breathing changed.
Slightly heavier.
Not from exhaustion.
From pressure.
Internal.
The blood energy wasn't just being consumed—
It was leaving residue.
A stain.
---
"…So it builds."
He started walking again.
Forward.
Toward the deeper parts of the island.
Because staying still just meant slower death.
---
The mist thickened.
Every step—
More entered.
More converted.
More corruption.
---
> [Devour Activated]
[+12 Strength]
[+10 Endurance]
[+9 Spirit]
> [Corruption Increased: +8%]
[Total Corruption: 21%]
---
Zael stopped.
Not by choice.
His body—
Was fine.
Better than fine.
Stronger.
Faster.
But his mind—
Paused.
For half a second too long.
---
"…That's new."
A flicker.
Just a flicker.
A stray thought that wasn't his.
Gone immediately.
But noticeable.
---
"…So that's how it starts."
---
Another surge hit.
Harder.
---
> [Devour Activated]
[Conversion Successful]
[+15 Strength]
[+12 Endurance]
[+10 Spirit]
[+6 Agility]
> [Corruption Increased: +11%]
[Total Corruption: 32%]
---
Zael's hand twitched slightly.
Not involuntary.
But delayed.
His reaction time—
A fraction slower.
His thoughts—
A fraction heavier.
---
"…Too fast."
He inhaled slowly.
Then exhaled.
Forcing control.
---
"…Alright."
A quiet pause.
"…So I can't just take everything."
---
Another wave approached—
He stopped it.
Not physically.
Internally.
---
He suppressed Devour.
Forced it down.
The incoming blood energy entered—
Unconverted.
Uncontrolled.
---
His body reacted violently.
Pain.
Sharp.
Immediate.
---
Zael's jaw clenched.
"…So that's not an option either."
Reject it—
You take damage.
Consume it—
You lose control.
---
"…Nice system."
---
His breathing steadied again.
Slower.
More deliberate.
---
"…So I take it."
A pause.
"…But not all of it."
---
The next wave hit.
This time—
He regulated Devour.
Not fully active.
Not fully suppressed.
---
Partial conversion.
---
> [Devour Activated: Controlled State]
[Conversion Efficiency Reduced]
[+6 Strength]
[+5 Endurance]
[+5 Spirit]
> [Corruption Increased: +3%]
[Total Corruption: 35%]
---
Zael exhaled slowly.
"…There it is."
Less gain.
Less corruption.
---
Control.
---
Another wave.
Same method.
---
> [+5 Strength]
[+5 Endurance]
[+4 Spirit]
> [Corruption Increased: +2%]
[Total Corruption: 37%]
---
His thoughts steadied.
The noise receded.
Not gone.
But quieter.
Manageable.
---
Zael started walking again.
Slow.
Deliberate.
---
"…So that's the game."
A faint exhale.
"…Not resisting."
Another step.
"…Not indulging."
Another.
"…Balancing."
---
Behind him—
The blood sea stilled slightly.
As if observing.
---
Ahead—
The ruined structure loomed closer.
The mist thicker.
The pressure heavier.
---
Zael didn't stop.
Didn't rush.
Didn't panic.
---
But his eyes—
Sharpened.
---
Because now—
He understood the trial.
---
It wasn't about power.
It wasn't about survival.
---
It was about control.
---
And if he lost it—
Even for a moment—
---
He wouldn't die.
---
He'd become something else entirely.