The days passed quickly.
Before Vale realised it, the thirteen remaining days had passed, and the long-awaited day of the Ritual of Death had finally arrived, knocking at his door.
During this time, he focused on three main areas of preparation.
First, he dedicated himself to learning about the eighty years he had missed.
Countless significant events had taken place, but the most crucial was the abolishment of the royal family and the rise of a new ruling state governed by a council of ten people. Suspiciously, this shift occurred shortly after the assassination that claimed the lives of Vale, his father, and all his relatives.
Of the ten council members, only five were publicly known. These five were the only Radiant Ranks in all of Verythmia, standing at the pinnacle of humanity and serving as the kingdom's protectors against the ever-emerging dangers that it faced. The identities of the remaining five were shrouded in mystery.
Vale strongly suspected that those five would know the truth behind his family's massacre, but he was far too weak to seek answers. If he ever wanted to uncover the truth, he needed to become stronger.
The second part of his preparation involved extensive research into the Second Trial of Death. Though he had studied it as a child, there was no such thing as being too prepared when it came to the Demon Realm.
Upon entering the trial, he would receive an objective called Quest, which he could track through his status window. These objectives varied—some required slaying a set number of enemies, others demanded specific knowledge, and some involved retrieving rare objects. The possibilities were endless, and the odds of every member in his group receiving the same task were slim to none.
After completing his objective, he would need to locate and consume a Fruit of Life, the only way of returning to the living world. Vale had done this once before, during the First Trial, but that didn't mean it would be easy. In many cases, finding the Tree of Life proved to be the hardest challenge of all.
Once he completes the Second Trial of Death and becomes an Awakened, he would gain the ability to travel to the Demon Realm at will—allowing him to grow stronger without the need for another trial. As dangerous as it was, the Demon Realm was the best place to grow stronger, and so having the ability to enter it at will would be highly advantageous.
The final part of his preparation focused on honing his new ability—Vine Bind.
Vale was already confident in his swordsmanship, so he devoted all his efforts to mastering the new ability. Through relentless practice, he discovered its maximum range—approximately ten meters—and its duration, which could last up to 10-15 seconds. However, sustaining it for that long took a heavy toll on his still dormant core, draining his mana essence completely.
Its strength, however, exceeded his expectations.
To test it, he tricked Dain into helping him train. It wasn't difficult as the massive student was more than happy to assist. When Vale activated Vine Bind on the massive student, he was left completely immobilized for a full 5 seconds—more than enough time to land a fatal blow if necessary.
Vale was almost certain that the ability could restrain even Awakened monsters, if only for a second or two. But in battle, where every moment counted, a brief window of opportunity could mean the difference between life and death.
Perhaps it was the confidence he gained in his preparations, or maybe he simply didn't feel like moving, but on the morning of the ceremony, Vale decided to take a rare moment of rest. He remained in bed, waiting till the afternoon for the ritual to begin.
Laying there, he realized how accustomed he had grown to his new room over the past two weeks. Though it wasn't the largest, it felt more like home than the enormous bedroom he once had in the royal estate.
There was something peaceful about just lying still, savouring the quiet, before the chaos of the trial. For a moment, he let himself forget the deadly challenge that awaited him. Soon, he would enter the Demon Realm once again.
His fingers absentmindedly traced the necklace he had received from Luna. A small number "11" was engraved on it, marking his group number.
The necklace was an Artifact crafted by the Central Academy's finest artisans—one of the few objects he could take into the Demon Realm. Its purpose was simple, to transport group members as close together as possible upon arrival.
With a group of four, the initial distance between members would range from one to four miles. Smaller groups would spawn closer together, while larger ones would be spread even farther apart. This was precisely why groups were limited to four—it maximized survival chances while keeping the distance between students as low as possible.
Vale hadn't interacted much with his group members—aside from Dain, with whom he had trained a couple of times. Everyone was too consumed with their own preparations to have any time left for socialising.
The academy's atmosphere had shifted drastically. The once cheerful students had grown stoic, their minds weighed down by the approaching trial. The endless chatter and laughter that once filled the library had faded, replaced by hushed voices and silent determination. The reality of what lay ahead pressed heavily upon them all.
Eleric, the group's instructor, had visited Vale just the day before, offering words of encouragement. Yet, even he seemed burdened by the weight of the upcoming trial—his usual confidence clouded by an unspoken fear, as if unwilling to watch another batch of his students get consumed by the Demon Realm.
Vale, however, didn't share everyone's grim outlook.
For him, this wasn't just a test of survival—it was an opportunity. He needed to grow stronger, and facing the Second Trial was the only way to do so.
There was no avoiding it.
Hours passed in peaceful solitude—a rare moment of calm.
But as Vale's gaze finally settled on the clock laying by his bedside, he let out a deep sigh.
"It's time."