Veyren was still out cold, and I wasn't sure whether the next Ordeal would force me to wake him. My HP had recovered a little, but if I wanted to be in top condition… I should test my new racial skill.
My current stats flashed across my mind:
HP: 70
MP: 150
I activated Regeneration.
Heat flushed through me. My wounds tightened, sealed, and vanished. My HP shot from 70 → 200, while my MP plummeted from 150 → 20.
A clean one-to-one conversion.
Efficient, but costly.
Nothing to do now but let my MP refill—so I leaned back, closed my eyes for "just a moment," and drifted off.
I didn't even realize I'd fallen asleep until something nudged my arm. I blinked awake to Veyren rubbing his head against me, his tail swaying softly.
He was up.
I pulled up the restoration timer.
[21:37]
I'd slept for a little over two hours… and somehow felt completely restored.
"Perfect timing," I murmured. "Time to finish this."
With both of us refreshed and ready, I stepped toward the gate of the 30th Ordeal.
The moment I accepted the challenge, a deep thud rolled across the training grounds. The temple doors trembled, then slowly creaked open. Hot, stale air rushed out, brushing over my skin.
Veyren padded beside me as we climbed the steps and stepped inside.
Darkness swallowed us instantly.
The temple doors slammed shut behind us.
For a heartbeat, everything was silent—then light flared.
First the left row of braziers.
Then the right.
Finally, torches suspended above the altar blazed to life, joined by those lining the dais.
And there, kneeling at the lowest step, was the Goblin Sage.
I had already sensed it there, crouched in the darkness, with Alpha's Instinct.
Except…
As the creature rose, several notifications appeared at once.
["Goblin Sage" has Felt Fear]
[Desire to Evolve Detected — No Evolutionary Pathway Found]
[Goblin Sage's Resolve and Desperation have Granted Him the Blessings of Terravahn]
[Goblin Sage has Evolved into a Goblin Earthen Apostle]
[Error Encountered]
[Difficulty Increased by Appearance of a Variant]
[Forfeit Battle and Retry / Continue the Ordeal at Increased Difficulty]
[Compensation and Additional Rewards Will Be Provided]
The Goblin's skin darkened—forest green becoming mud-brown. Intricate patterns emerged across its arms and torso: mountain ranges, scorched deserts, volcanic ridges. Like the land itself had been carved into its flesh.
The Apostle opened its hand.
The ground responded.
A spear of stone erupted into its palm—long, jagged, and far more lethal than any staff the Sage normally carried.
"…Of course it gets a pointy version," I muttered.
It brandished the spear and charged.
I dove to the side, but walls of packed earth burst upward, corralling me back toward the Apostle. Spikes rose whenever I slowed.
I activated Dash, slipping past the closing walls.
"Veyren—Dim Flash!"
A burst of pale light detonated across the Apostle's face. The creature flinched, stunned.
My opening.
[Restriction]
The world stiffened—my mana twisted—and a notification appeared:
[Target Greatly Exceeds Your Rank]
[Restriction of Target's Hearing Will Last 30 Seconds]
The Apostle staggered, deafened. It let out a muted, guttural wail, eyes snapping toward me.
Good.
I followed with shout to activate [War Echo].
[Veyren's Physical Stats Have Risen by 15%]
[Duration: 1:59]
And then—
[Blood Surge]
My body ignited with power—strength swelling, blood roaring through my veins.
I met the Apostle head-on. My blade collided with its spear—
CRACK
—forcing me back several steps. I skidded, boots digging into the stone floor.
Even with Blood Surge, I couldn't match it in a direct clash.
Veyren erupted from the Apostle's own shadow, leaping onto its back. His jaws clamped around its neck, teeth sinking deep. Energy Drain activate.
The Apostle thrashed, stumbling left and right, but Veyren held fast.
When it reached up to rip him off, I intercepted—striking its hands again and again, forcing it to defend instead of grabbing him.
The Apostle roared again.
This time, its skin hardened—brown turning to solid rock. The effect spread up its neck, reaching Veyren's fangs.
The moment the stone reached them—
CRUNCH
Veyren's fangs shattered.
As he slipped off, the Apostle grabbed him and hurled him away.
His body flew backward, slammed into the floor, and skidded across the chamber.
"Veyren!"
He didn't rise.
The Apostole stood between us, stone skin cracking and mending as it shifted its weight, spear lifting for the kill.
I swallowed.
I would be facing it alone.