The walk through the ruins was mostly uneventful. Most groups hadn't explored this deep, so there was plenty of stuff to take. For Maximilian, Christmas had come early. Their trip was delayed as he collected everything from furniture to floor tiles and everything in between. He wasn't sure any of it was worth anything, but it was strong. He couldn't break it with his hands, and he wasn't willing to try Severing Disc, which was more than good enough for him. Earth would soon need the building materials. He was pretty sure they could harvest stuff, but this was nicer, and it all went into the bag. As far as he was concerned, it was a net win. He was surprised to find that the number of arrays inside the building decreased as they got further in. Their credentials still bypassed them, but it was odd. He hoped that would continue when they entered the next section, but he wouldn't hold his breath.

  "Are you done?" Alejandro asked as they finished the fifth building in the last hour. "I am not sure if I should be impressed or embarrassed by all this."

  Maximilian smiled and nodded his head. "Yeah, for now anyway. I imagine that the more valuable stuff will be further inside, but this is good. I plan on upgrading my house after this, and this will go a long way."

  "We are in a trial where we could die at any moment, and you are treating it like a shopping trip." He shook his head as he started down the street.

  "Well, I don't see why not. It's here for the taking. I am not sure what happens to this place after we leave. It's possible it gets deleted." Maximilian offered a half-hearted shrug.

  "You do know that sounds insane, right? An entire city....deleted?" Alejandro said. His eyes widened before he could finish his words. "Let's hope it isn't something that extreme."

  Maximilian shrugged. "There isn't much we can do regardless. As long as I am not here when its over I will be satisfied." The two continued their conversation for another hour before they encountered a problem. A massive wall guarded the inner section of the city. Based on what he could see, Maximilian placed it at fifty feet tall. This made climbing it nearly impossible. He wasn't sure how high he could jump with spiritual energy, but he didn't want to try. Just the thought sent a chill down his spine. It wasn't quite the same as his danger sense, but he had learned to trust his instincts, so he wasn't about to play with it. The wall was long enough that he couldn't tell which direction would bring him closer to an entrance.

  "What do you think? Left or right." He asked.

  Alejandro shrugged and pointed to his right. "We can go that way. I doubt it matters. With our speed, we should be able to make a full rotation in a day or so. Unless this place is much larger than the diagram showed."

  Maximilian nodded his agreement, and the two set off. The pair ran for the better part of an hour before they heard something of note—the sound of battle and a large one at that. Maximilian gave Alejandro a head nod before leaping onto a nearby building. What he saw made his blood boil. Two groups were locked in combat. Though to call it a battle was doing a disservice to real combat. One side was clearly outmatched—the side from Earth. The only reason the battle wasn't already over was that the people from Earth held a two-person numerical advantage. It was five on seven, but it was only a matter of time before they were killed. Unless he intervened, he ground his teeth as he scanned the other side's warriors. They were using the same strategy as the group that attacked Alejandro, only this group was weaker. Much weaker. He placed the soldiers between levels 5 and 7 while their leader was around level 9. Even with their array, they wouldn't be enough.

  "Work with the other group to hold of the four warriors. I will deal with the leaders, it shouldn't take long."

  Sam's right hand shook as he pointed his sword at his sneering opponent. The man was playing with him. They all knew it by now, but there was nothing they could do. He was stronger. They had already handed over their tokens, so they couldn't even run away. It was stupid, but they had a plan. One that was meant to keep them safe. He let out a pained grunt as he looked at his friends. They had been greedy. The trial was supposed to be the beginning of their comeback. An opportunity to be more than they were. A chance to recover after the tutorial. Yet, here they were. It wasn't fair. He forced the bitter thoughts down deep inside him as his opponent sneered.

  "I was promised a good fight in this trial. An opportunity to earn war merit, but so far I've found nothing but insects. People who are barely worth the effort needed to crush them. You all are nothing but a disappointment. I don't have time to waste enjoying, so it's time to move on." The soldier stepped forward. His short swords were poised like a viper ready to strike. Sam tried to force his body to move, to force himself to keep fighting, but he was tired. What was the point? The poisonous thoughts forced their way into his head despite his best efforts. He had people he loved. People he wanted to find, but he wasn't a fighter. He didn't want to kill. He didn't want any of this. He flinched as the sword blurred toward him. A moment later, the wind exploded in front of him. A wall made of gale-force wind appeared out of nowhere. The soldier's sword hit the wall as if it were made of steel. For a moment, the world stood still as Sam processed what had happened. He looked behind him, half expecting to see someone using a skill, but his companions were just as confused. The eerie stillness ended a moment later when the warrior snarled and slammed the sword down again. This time, Sam was sure that he would die only for the wall of wind to withstand the attack.

  Sam wasn't sure what the hell was going on. No one had used a skill as powerful as the wind throughout the battle; had someone been holding back? If so, why? He tightened the grip on his sword. His resolve sprouted from a small kernel of hope. He was about to call to renew the attack when a man appeared. He was Hispanic and tall, around five feet eight or so. He held a rapier in front of him. His other hand was outstretched toward Sam. "Sorry about that. He has a flair for the dramatic." The mystery man said with a laugh. After everything he had been through, the sound was like nails on a chalkboard. Had this man watched them the whole time? Had he let them get their asses kicked? Sam summoned strength from somewhere deep inside him. Ready to vent his anger when a bolt of bluish-white lightning slammed down. Their enemy was barely fast enough to avoid the attack. An attack that left a crater where he had been standing. Sam's anger turned to terror as he looked at the other swordman. He expected to see fury on his face, only to find hesitation. The smile was strained as if he had to work to keep it in place. Sam followed the man's gaze, where he found a person walking. His brain blanked as if the image was so impossible his mind refused to accept it as possible. A man was walking down as if the bare sky were solid.

  Unauthorized use of content: if you find this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  "That's the guy. The one from the congress." One of the people behind him said. The voice was barely loud enough to qualify as a whisper.

  Sam stared at the seraphic man in utter confusion. He had heard the people on the leaderboards were monsters, but this was insane. He was like a god.

  "Stand down—" The soldier began before a blade of wind shot toward him. Once again, the man dodged. Once again, he just fast enough to get out of the way. He then snarled. The other soldiers moved in unison, forming the weird hand signs. As soon as the man touched down, the soldier attacked. Sam flinched as the soldier's sword moved like an executioner's axe. He wanted to scream at their would-be savior to move, to do something, but he did nothing. Just as Sam thought the man would get hit, a lance of electricity arced out and slammed into the soldier's chest. The warrior was launched back as if he were a doll.

  "Greetings. My name is Maximilian. Maximilian Croft. The humans of Earth are under my protection."

  Sam stared at him, unsure whether to be happy about that or not. He had rumors of the first-place holder, but seeing him in person was different. It felt like he stared up at a divine being. A demigod from legend. Yet he spoke like a normal person. It made him seem both approachable and nonapproachable. When the soldier got back up, Sam felt relieved. There was no doubt in his mind that Maximilian could win. The more the soldier fought, the more time he had to process what was going on. Sam looked toward the other man. Half expecting him to join the fight, but no one moved—neither he nor the soldiers' partners. Everyone stood and watched the one-sided beating. When the soldier finally stopped getting up, Sam wasn't sure how to feel. On one hand, the guy had been a sadistic asshole, but on the other, he felt like he had watched an adult beat up on a child.

  "You all have one chance. Pull out your tokens, and you can live." He said.

  Sam was halfway to pulling out his own token when the Hispanic man stopped him. "Not you guys." Sam looked at him and then at Maximilian. He wasn't sure if he should trust the swordsman, but Maximilian hadn't said anything. His eyes were focused on the group of soldiers. The group looked like they had eaten a lemon, but they did as they were told. Each one threw their token to him. The tokens were placed in his bag, and he waved his hand. Just like that, the battle was over. They had nearly died, and he had dealt with it as if it were nothing. A knot formed in the knot of his stomach. He knew he should be thankful, but he couldn't help but feel dejected. How was he supposed to catch up to him? How was anyone? It was hard to believe that he was human and not some angel of justice. It was insane. When he turned his attention to them, Sam nearly turned and ran. Despite what he had seen, he doubted the man was some saint. He had to want something.

  "Really? Just like that? You will let us go?" Sam asked, dreading the answer.

  Maximilian cocked his head and shrugged. "Yeah. You are all free to go. I would recommend you guys leave soon. The inner regions are going to be more dangerous, and night will fall soon."

  Alejandro shook his head. "Everything you do is overboard. We could have handled that faster and better."

  Sam stared at the duo as they bantered. For a moment, he felt as if he had lost his mind. As if he were the weird one for seeing anything wrong with this. He looked at the "battlefield" and shuddered. He knew that this was a good thing for him. That it meant they were safe, but it was too much. He pulled his token out and stared at it. This place had filled him with hope, but now that he was actually here, it was horrible. He wasn't built for this. He didn't want this. As soon as he accepted that, he sighed. A weird sort of peace fell onto him like a blanket. He offered the strange duo a smile and then broke his token.

  Maximilian turned just as the man broke his token. Before he could say or do anything, the man was engulfed in a pillar of light. Not even a moment later, the rest of the group followed suit. Maximilian wished he could say something to them. Convince them to stay or to keep trying, but he had seen the look on the man's face. He had given up. They all had, and he couldn't blame them. He wasn't sure why he hadn't given up. He had been hurt in all kinds of ways, yet it encouraged him. He felt like a superhero. Part of him was worried that he had gone too far. He should have intervened and saved the man earlier. He stopped that train of thought. He wasn't going to blame himself, having done what he wanted. The display was over the top, but it was fun, and it discouraged the other soldiers. It worked so well that Alejandro didn't need to fight. Nor did anyone. In a way, his pompousness had been a better shield than his wind.

  "What about you?" Maximilian asked.

  Alejandro shook his head. "I am fine. I am not aiming for the big prize, but I'd like to explore a bit. There is something I'd like to do." Maximilian gestured for him to continue as they started walking again. "Well, I mean no disrespect, but I think we should split up. It's not you, it's me."

  Maximilian stared at him in utter confusion for several seconds before the man laughed. "Sorry. Sorry, I had to, but seriously, sticking with you is loco. The soldiers will tell people about you, and I don't want to slow you down or catch a stray attack. More importantly, you steal all the energy. If we fight together, I'd get nothing, and if we meditate at the same time, you take most of it."

  Maximilian nodded. He understood what he was getting at. Cultivation was a game of risk and reward. Sticking together made you safer, but it reduced your rewards, at least if you relied on other people the whole time. "Alright, when do you want to split? Before or after we enter the next zone?"

  "After. If your guess is right, everyone will be heading in this direction anyway. I can't think of any reason to deal with that alone."

  Maximilian shrugged. He was fine with that. From there, the two engaged in small talk. He wasn't in the mood to discuss the trial, and he had to admit the ruins were beautiful in an empty, solitary sort of way. It reminded him of all those apocalypse movies. When the protagonist was the last man alive. The occasional distant battle didn't help the mood. It took them half an hour to find what they were looking for. A large gate stood in the middle of the stone pathway. One that would have fit into any old fantasy movie. Unlike most of the ruins, the array defending the gate was still active. Staring at it caused his danger sense to let out a dull ache. It wasn't enough to terrify him, but it was enough to warn him. Under no circumstances would he survive it if he tried to force the gate. At first, he thought it came from the former citizens of the city. He quickly realized that was wrong. It was the Network. Either the Network had reinforced what was already there, or it had created a new array. Either way, neither of them could break it. He explained the situation to Alejandro as they discussed what to do next.

  Ultimately, they decided it was best not to try anything crazy. The Network would likely open the gate at some point, so it was best to play it safe. They also decided standing in the open was a bad idea. They both should be rather famous or infamous to the various trial takers, which wasn't the greatest thing. Instead, they decided to head back a few blocks and take refuge in one of the empty buildings. Since the arrays wouldn't threaten them, they could use them as an alarm. He wouldn't go as far as to say it was perfect, but it would be far better than normal, especially since Maximilian didn't plan to stay put for long. They also decided to go their separate ways when night fell. He planned on hunting more of the dolls to finish off his quest, and Alejandro wanted to sit tight. Maximilian also decided to take a watch while Alejandro cultivated. All in all, he had to say he had accomplished quite a bit. He knew he would face the real challenges soon. He wanted to find somewhere to learn about arrays before the trial ended. He also wanted to learn about the history of this place and who this "imperial" family was. Despite the long to-do list, he felt at ease—the calm before the inevitable storm. He was pretty sure he would gain another level in a few hours which would bring him closer to his next level.