I came back to life once again.
Alright… no matter what, I need to be in the center at around the 6:30 mark from the start of the trial.
Judging by the pattern of this trial, at around the 5-minute mark the ally on the right diagonal dies. The same goes for the left. In the center, I saw four fighters. That means I need to finish each fight in under 4 minutes—preferably 3… or even 2.
…Yeah. This is completely insane.
Alright, let's test the theory.
I immediately ran toward the right diagonal.
The same scene.
Right diagonal:
An enemy with a saber.
Another with two curved swords.
Ally: shield and chain.
As usual, I shouldn't target the faster opponent. The dual-sword fighter is quick.
So I chose the saber user.
It took me five minutes to defeat him. Too slow.
This time, I didn't help further—I ran straight to the center.
What I saw:
A warrior with a chain and shield, and another enemy in armor with a two-handed axe.
I understood instantly.
I don't even have five minutes.
"Fuck…"
Death.
…
So, I need to assist in four locations.
Not counting the center.
Which means I need to clear multiple fights within five minutes total—movement included.
…Ridiculous.
Alright. Then I start from the left. That's the most logical route.
And so began a long chain of deaths.
First, I went left, then right diagonal. At first, I was clumsy—slow, inefficient. But with each attempt, I improved. Adjusted. Learned.
By the fifteenth attempt, I finally made it in time.
The cost?
My aura was completely drained.
And worse—my ally on the left didn't manage to help the left diagonal.
"…What now?"
Helping the center directly is impossible. The gap in ranks is no joke—it's practically insurmountable. I'd get one-shot instantly.
No choice.
I need to reduce aura consumption.
The dual-axe fighter is fast—but reckless. I can punish that.
…What if I force a mistake?
A plan formed in my mind.
After landing the first wound on his right shoulder, I deliberately applied pressure from the left. Then, at a specific moment, I exposed my right side—baiting him—while trying to intercept his wrist.
The problem?
He's not an idiot.
So timing was everything.
It took ten attempts.
But it worked.
Two minutes.
Then the spearman—one minute.
Thirty seconds later, I was already at the right diagonal.
The saber user again. A strong opponent.
But now I had experience.
Three minutes.
Fifteen seconds left before the center.
I rushed in and attacked the second-rank enemy with the long katana.
Same result.
He got wounded.
I lost my arm.
I was useless.
And then—just when things were about to end—three more enemies appeared from the right.
"…Fuck."
Of course.
I hadn't helped the right diagonal ally properly.
Everything collapsed.
D.E.A.T.H.
…
Another attempt.
Calm down. Think.
I need to help everyone.
Same strategy with the axe fighter. No matter how I think about it, I can't speed that up much more.
What about the spearman?
No—too slow because of his range. And I can't afford to get injured there.
Still, I defeated him.
Slightly faster. Barely.
3 minutes 29 seconds since the start.
That means I need to finish the right diagonal by 6:15.
That gives me 2 minutes 46 seconds for both the saber and curved-sword fighters.
So I need to beat the saber user in about 1 minute 46 seconds.
…
What if I take damage—but win faster?
No.
If I lose an arm, I lose any chance against a second-rank opponent. That's instant death.
The curved blades are longer than axes, and that fighter's style is different. That trick won't work there.
…
So I made a decision.
I'd intentionally take a wound on my right side.
Ten more attempts.
And I succeeded.
With the faster clears on the spearman and curved blades, it was enough.
Now—the main boss.
Same ambush.
Same lost arm.
But this time—
Victory.
"The first stage is complete."
The old man's voice echoed.
Immediately, a strange calm spread through my body.
"What… is this?" I asked, surprised.
"I placed a calming spell on you. The pain will feel less intense," the old man replied.
"I see." I answered quietly.
"So, shall we rest? Or proceed to the second trial?" he asked.
"To the trial…" I replied, though with far less enthusiasm than before.
And once again—
The world went dark.