15 Rest Before the Unknown

A blinding light engulfed Kael, swallowing his entire being as he stepped through the portal. For a fleeting moment, his body felt weightless, as if drifting between worlds, his vision an endless void of swirling colors.

Then—

Solid ground.

His boots met cold stone, and the familiar scent of damp air and aged ruins filled his nose.

Kael blinked rapidly, his vision adjusting to the dimly lit chamber.

He was back.

The same towering pillars, the same runic patterns carved into the stone walls, and the same oppressive silence that had greeted him every time he returned from a trial.

But this time—

Something was different.

People were here.

And they were staring at him.

Kael could feel the weight of their gazes, a mixture of shock, curiosity, and disbelief.

A murmur rippled through the small crowd of survivors as their eyes remained locked onto him, as if he had just emerged from the depths of hell itself.

Among them, three familiar figures stood out.

Emily, Ethan, and the Warrior.

Their eyes widened upon seeing him, their initial surprise quickly melting into relief.

Emily was the first to react. A slow grin spread across her face, her usual cocky confidence laced with genuine warmth.

Ethan, standing beside her, smiled softly, his usual nervous energy replaced with something calmer.

The Warrior nodded at him, his expression unreadable, but his posture relaxed.

Kael barely had time to process their reactions before Emily strode toward him.

"Well, well, look who finally decided to show up," Emily teased, placing a hand on her hip.

Kael raised an eyebrow, still disoriented from the transition. "What…?"

Ethan chuckled. "Congratulations, Kael. You cleared Level 5."

Kael blinked, still processing. "Wait… you guys finished too?"

Emily smirked. "Of course. But you took your sweet time."

Kael frowned slightly, turning to scan the chamber properly.

At first glance, it seemed like the same vast stone hall from before, but as he took in the number of people, he realized something.

There were… so few of them.

Just a couple dozen survivors spread across the chamber, resting, talking in hushed voices, or simply staring into nothing.

Out of the hundreds who had originally entered this place…

This is all that's left?

Kael's stomach twisted slightly.

"Are these… the only ones who completed Level 5?" he asked, his voice quieter than before.

Emily sighed, crossing her arms. "Not exactly. Some people are still stuck in Level 3 or 4 as they are waiting until there 5min timers end. Some… didn't make it at all."

Kael clenched his fists. He knew the trials had been brutal, but seeing the numbers dwindle this drastically was another thing entirely.

Emily's gaze softened slightly as she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't overthink it," she said. "You're alive."

Kael exhaled sharply before giving her a wry smile. "I guess."

"So," Emily continued, tilting her head. "What took you so long?"

Kael chuckled awkwardly. "Well, you know… I'm a Mage. We kind of need to… uh, wait for our mana to recover before pushing forward."

Emily rolled her eyes but grinned. "Right. And here I thought you got lost or something."

Ethan, who had been listening, stepped forward. "Are you hurt anywhere?"

Kael ruffled the younger boy's hair, making Ethan sputter in protest.

"I'm fine. Just tired. I need to rest for a while."

Ethan nodded, looking relieved. "Alright."

Emily crossed her arms. "That's fair. We still don't even know what happens next."

Kael's eyebrows furrowed. "You don't?"

The Warrior spoke for the first time, his deep voice even. "No announcement for Level 6 has come yet. Even when we asked the system, it didn't respond."

Kael's frown deepened.

That's… odd.

Every level had followed a strict structure. Clear the trial, receive a short break, get transported to the next one.

But this time… nothing.

It made no sense.

Kael sighed, shaking his head.

"Whatever happens, I'll think about it later. Right now, I just want to sleep."

Without waiting for a response, he lay down on the cold stone floor, exhaling deeply.

His body ached all over.

Ever since this tutorial began, he had been in constant motion—fighting, running, thinking, surviving.

For the first time in what felt like forever, he allowed himself to close his eyes and just breathe.

As his exhaustion settled, Kael absently called out to the system.

"Show me my status."

Immediately, his interface appeared before him, displaying the results of his efforts.

[Status:]

Name: Kael Veran

Race: Human

Class: Mage

Level: 5

EXP Division: Class=100% | Job=0%

Job: Spirit Mancer (Mythic) - Level 1

HP: 140/140

MP: 70/70

Base Stats:

Strength: 5

Agility: 8

Stamina: 8

Intelligence: 12

Luck: 4

Free Stat Points: 4

Job Skills:

Spirit Collection: Able to collect the spirit of any deceased organism within 1 hour of death.

Spirit Storage (Lv.1): Stores gathered spirits, including raw and synthesized spirits. (Capacity: 100)

Spirit Synthesis (Lv.1): Allows the creation of custom-made spirit familiars by merging multiple spirits. (Current Slots: 10)

Class Skills:

Charged Bolt (Lv.1): A ranged magic attack. (5 MP per use.)

Additional mana can be infused (1 MP per second) to increase power

before firing. (Proficiency Level: 01%)

Arcane Sensory (Lv.1):Allows the user to perceive mana in the surroundings. (Passive Skill)(Proficiency Level: 51%)

Mana Manipulation (Lv.1): Your control over mana has improved due to the evolution of Mana Bolt. (Passive Skill)(Proficiency Level: 0%)

Effect: Allows for more refined spellcasting, reducing energy loss and increasing spell efficiency. 

Kael stared at his status screen, taking in the changes.

He had come a long way since this nightmare began.

He was no longer just some random guy thrown into an impossible survival game.

He still frowned as there was no indication of his 10000 SP which he received from the wheel of fortune. So, he asked the system and grew shocked after hearing the response about it.