Cassian grinned broadly, feeling as though he had placed the ultimate winning bet. Despite the Guardian's immense power, he hadn't noticed everything about Cassian—or he wouldn't have made such a losing wager. The old man had overlooked one of Cassian's key abilities.
Now, all Cassian had to do was bide his time until it was his turn to fight. He just needed to survive the challenges and emerge victorious to claim the best reward the old man could offer.
Cassandra, too, was beginning to show signs of struggle as she faced the eighth wave of monsters. The sheer number of them made it increasingly difficult to handle the massive creatures all at once. Small wounds had started to appear on her body, including a shallow cut on her face—a mark from narrowly dodging the sharp tail of one of the Impasi Tigers.