Chapter 10: The Wild Hunt & The Executioner's Trial

Elias climbed the staircase, his breath steady

despite the exhaustion creeping into his limbs. He had survived the first three floors, each

pushing him closer to the limits of his endurance. But there was no turning back.

He gripped the rusted sword tighter, stepping onto the fourth floor. The scenery changed instantly-from stone corridors to a vast, open hunting ground.

The ground was rough, covered in patches of dry grass and scattered bones. Towering walls of jagged rock surrounded the arena, leaving no room for escape.

And then came the smell-thick, musky, and unmistakably bestial.

A new message appeared before him.

"Floor 4: The Wild Hunt."

"Survive the predator's gaze."

A low growl rumbled through the air.

Elias tensed. He wasn't alone.

The Hunt Begins

Glowing yellow eyes appeared in the darkness.

Then another.

And another.

Five massive, wolf-like creatures stepped into

the dim light, their fur dark as night, their eyes burning with hunger. They were larger than any beast Elias had seen, their bodies rippling with raw power.

They weren't hunting to test him. They were hunting to kill.

The first beast lunged.

Elias rolled aside just in time, feeling the rush of air as claws slashed where his head had been. Dust flew up from the impact. Before he could recover, another wolf lunged.

He barely raised his sword in time. The force sent him skidding backward, his arms numb from the blow.

They were too fast. Too strong.

His heartbeat pounded in his ears. If he fought them head-on, he would die.

Then he saw it-the blood dripping from one of their legs.

A grin tugged at his lips.

That was his way out.

The wounded wolf charged, fury blazing in its eyes.

Elias stood his ground, waiting.

The beast lunged.

At the last second, he dodged, twisting his body, and drove his sword straight into its throat.

A strangled growl. A gurgle.

Then silence.

Power flooded through him.

It burned through his veins, sharp and primal. His muscles tightened, his reflexes sharpened-his body absorbing the wolf's instincts, its

speed, its predatory nature.

The other wolves hesitated.

Elias smirked. Now, they were the prey.

With a burst of newfound speed, he moved.

One by one, they fell to his blade. He dodged

their attacks with ease, anticipating their movements before they even made them,

And when the last wolf collapsed, he was no longer the same person who had stepped onto this floor.

A chime echoed.

"Floor 4: Complete." "Proceed to the next challenge."

Elias wiped the sweat from his forehead. His breathing was steady. He had survived.

But the Trial wasn't over yet.

He climbed.

Floor 5: The Executioner's Trial

The next chamber was different. Smaller.

Colder.

The air was thick with dread. The walls were lined with rusted chains, and at the center of the

room stood a single figure-a towering knight clad in blackened armor, a massive

executioner's axe resting in his hand..

The text appeared.

"Floor 5: The Executioner's Trial."

"Defeat the one who judges the weak."

The knight raised his head.

Burning red eyes locked onto Elias.

Then, with a single step, the Executioner moved.

Faster than something that size had any right to

be

Elias barely had time to raise his sword before the axe came crashing down.

The impact shattered the ground beneath him,

sending shockwaves through the room. Elias threw himself to the side, barely escaping the

devastating strike.

His breath hitched.

One hit. That was all it would take to kill him.

But he wasn't the same weakling who had entered the Trial.

The beast's instincts still thrummed in his blood.

And he would use them.

The Executioner lunged again, his movements terrifyingly precise. Elias dodged-just barely,

his heart pounding. He had to be smart. His

rusted sword wouldn't hold up against that axe.

He needed an opening.

The knight swung again. Elias feinted to the left, then twisted to the right at the last second-his stolen sword slashing at the Executioner's

exposed side.

The blade barely scratched the armor.

Elias cursed under his breath. He needed more

force.

Then he saw it-the chains lining the room.