Evolved Miguel and Mia

Tatiana hovered in the air, her blood-red eyes scanning the dense forest below.

The wind rustled her cloak as she observed Mia and Miguel, each engaged in their own life-or-death battle against an Evolved Rank monster.

This was the final step of their evolution, the last test they had to overcome before breaking through.

Tatiana didn't plan to interfere. Not unless they were on the verge of death.

This was their fight. And if they couldn't survive it, they had no place stepping into the Abyssal Realm.

...

Mia's breath was steady, her daggers poised, her body light on her feet.

She faced a serpentine creature, its body coiling through the forest floor like a massive shadow slipping between the trees. Its glossy black scales reflected no light, making it blend seamlessly with the darkness around it.

But its eyes—two orbs of eerie silver—never stopped watching her. And so did Mia, as her eyes never left the monster.