The morning sun painted Azure Vale in shades of copper and gold as Ciel stood before Gate seventeen in the dungeon facility's Level 10-20 section. Around him, thousands of candidates moved toward their designated portals, the organized chaos of Phase Two's beginning filling the massive structure with purposeful energy.
The attendant verified his badge with practiced efficiency. "Gate seventeen, Level 10-20 Hard Mode. Standard rules apply—death means death, withdrawal is permanent. Timer starts at entry."
"Understood," Ciel replied, his tone neutral.
He stepped through the portal.
Reality twisted around him—that familiar sensation of space folding, distance becoming meaningless for a heartbeat before the dungeon materialized. When the world resolved, Ciel found himself standing in what looked like an ancient fortress complex, with crumbling stone walls and corridors that stretched into shadow-filled depths.
[Dungeon Notification]
[Welcome to the Forgotten Fortress - Hard Mode]
[Monster Levels: 10-20]
[Objective: Defeat the Dungeon Boss]
The air carried the musty scent of abandonment—dust and decay mixed with something that suggested nothing living had disturbed this place in years. Broken weapons littered the corridors, rusted armor lay scattered where defenders had fallen centuries ago, and the walls bore scorch marks that told stories of battles long past.
Ciel's eyes adjusted to the dimmer light as he looked around the entrance chamber. The fortress sprawled ahead through multiple connected corridors, with staircases leading both up and down to different levels. Perfect territory for ambushes and coordinated attacks from enemies who knew the layout.
Standard fortress dungeon, he thought, already cataloging tactical considerations. Narrow passages limit mobility but also restrict enemy numbers in direct engagement. Multiple levels mean potential for vertical assaults. Likely heavy on humanoid enemies given the setting.
Cody chirped from his shoulder, golden eyes tracking movement in the shadows ahead. Through their soul bond, Ciel felt the dragon's eager anticipation—his companion wanted to fight after days of observation.
"Not this time," Ciel said quietly. "This one's going to be different from the grotto."
Movement erupted from the corridors ahead—not a small patrol group but what looked like an entire garrison's worth of enemies. Skeletal warriors in tarnished armor emerged from multiple passages simultaneously, their coordination suggesting genuine tactical organization rather than mindless aggression.
[Fortress Guardian - Level 14] ×12
[Skeletal Archer - Level 12] ×8
[Fortress Captain - Level 16] ×2
Twenty-two enemies. More would be deeper in the fortress—probably another thirty to fifty scattered through the various levels and chambers. A typical party would need to clear room by room, fighting through each encounter systematically to avoid being overwhelmed.
But Ciel wasn't typical. And he'd realized something during the past few days that changed how he approached dungeon clearing entirely.
Earlier his skill realm Seize had reached novice tier giving him the ability to seize all entities within range determined by wisdom.
Twenty-seven thousand MP means I can seize two hundred seventy targets before needing to recover, he calculated, watching the enemies advance. This fortress probably has forty to sixty monsters total. I could pull them all at once.
The thought was almost absurd. No First Stage awakener should have enough mana to relocate that many targets simultaneously. But then, no First Stage awakener should have the statistical foundation his seven-star completion had granted.
"Let's test this," Ciel murmured.
He extended his hand, not toward the approaching group but outward in a gesture that encompassed the entire fortress. His Wisdom—one hundred sixty base points, enhanced further by equipment—spread through the structure like searching fingers. Each monster registered in his awareness, their positions mapping themselves in his mind with crystalline clarity.
Forty-seven total. Scattered through three levels, some in groups, some patrolling alone. All of them within range.
Realm Seize.
The skill activated with force that made the air itself seem to ripple. Every monster, every enemy, every single threat—all of them vanished simultaneously as dimensional barriers parted to claim them.
[Realm Seize: 47 targets transferred]
[Mana Cost: 4,700]
Ciel's reserves dropped sharply—from twenty-seven thousand to twenty-two thousand three hundred in a single activation. Substantial, certainly. But nowhere near critical levels.
The fortress went silent. Completely, utterly silent in the way places became when every living thing had been removed. Dust settled in empty corridors, abandoned weapons clattered to stone floors as the hands holding them disappeared, and the ambient pressure of nearby monsters vanished entirely.
Ciel stepped into his Realm behind the transferred enemies.
The transition was instantaneous. His pocket dimension materialized around him—lush grassland under clean sky, the World Tree's branches catching light in the distance. And scattered across the plains in various states of confusion, forty-seven fortress monsters struggled to understand what had just happened.
They'd been pulled from familiar territory into an environment they hadn't anticipated. Some of the skeletal warriors were attempting to form defensive positions. The archers were looking for elevated ground that didn't exist on the open plains. The fortress captains were trying to organize their scattered forces into something resembling coherent formation.
"Good luck with that," Ciel said quietly.
He activated his talent.
[Talent: King of Realm - Stage 2 Activated]
[All Stats ×10 within Realm]
[Cost: 100 WP per minute]
Power flooded through him—that now-familiar transformation as his capabilities multiplied beyond anything second Stage should permit.
The grass beneath his feet flattened from the pressure his transformed body generated just by existing. The air seemed reluctant to approach him, creating a sphere of absolute calm despite the Realm's gentle breezes.
But Ciel didn't engage the enemies directly. That would be inefficient when he had a better option.
The monsters had finally organized themselves into something resembling formation—the captains successfully herding their scattered forces into a defensive cluster roughly twenty meters across. Forty-seven enemies gathered together, shields raised, weapons ready, waiting to see what this prey who'd somehow pulled them into unknown territory would do.
Ciel raised his hand toward the gathered formation. His Ultimate Skill charged faster than it had during practice sessions—his sixteen hundred effective Wisdom accelerating the activation to nearly instant.
Realm Echo.
The skill erupted with devastating force. A sphere of concentrated chaos energy expanded from his palm, racing across the twenty-meter distance to engulf the entire enemy formation. The power density was absurd—amplified by his multiplied Wisdom and Intelligence, compressed into a space that maximized damage potential.
The explosion was silent. Not from lack of force but because the skill worked on principles that transcended normal physics. Pure energy released directly into existence itself, bypassing conventional defenses by attacking on multiple levels simultaneously—physical, magical, and something deeper that most beings never even recognized they possessed.
When the light faded, the plains were littered with bodies.
Most of the Level 12-16 enemies had dissolved instantly. Shattered by power that exceeded their defensive capabilities by orders of magnitude. But the Level 18 mini-boss that had been among the transferred group were still moving—badly damaged but not quite eliminated.
Ciel's mana blade formed as he moved toward them, his enhanced speed making the distance disappear.
The mini-boss—a fortress commander whose armor gleamed with enchantments—lasted longer, its superior equipment and Level 18 foundation providing genuine resistance. But against twelve hundred fifty effective Strength, even exceptional defenses crumbled.
Thirty seconds. That's how long it took to eliminate the survivors after Realm Echo's initial strike.
Then the notifications began flooding his vision:
[12 Fortress Guardians Defeated]
[Experience Gained]
[8 Skeletal Archers Defeated]
[Experience Gained]
[2 Fortress Captains Defeated]
[Experience Gained]
[18 Skeletal Warriors Defeated]
[Experience Gained]
[5 Fortress Sentinels Defeated]
[Experience Gained]
[1 Fortress Mage Defeated]
[Experience Gained]
[Mini-Boss Defeated - Fortress Commander]
[Experience Gained]
The list continued, each monster type cataloged and credited. Forty-seven enemies eliminated in less than a minute of actual combat.
This is ridiculous, Ciel thought, deactivating King of Realm as the last notification faded. There's nothing at Second Stage that can even challenge me anymore with my talent active. Not when I can relocate entire dungeon populations and eliminate them in one skill activation.
He stepped back into the fortress, reality folding to return him to the now-empty structure. The silence was eerie—a dungeon cleared without fighting through a single corridor.
Only the boss remained.
Ciel moved through the abandoned passages toward the central chamber where bosses typically waited. The fortress architecture was impressive despite its age—grand halls with vaulted ceilings, defensive positions built into the walls, chokepoints designed to favor defenders over attackers.
The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.
All of it meaningless when the entire garrison had been removed before the siege even began.
The boss chamber doors stood open, their defensive mechanisms inactive without guards to maintain them. Ciel entered to find exactly what he'd expected—a final opponent waiting on a raised platform, weapons ready, fully aware that something had gone catastrophically wrong with its forces.
[Boss Monster Detected - Fortress Lord - Level 20]
The creature was massive—easily nine foot tall in full plate armor that looked like it had been forged from the fortress itself. A greatsword rested across its shoulders, the weapon radiating power that suggested serious enchantments. And its eyes—burning with spectral fire in the helmet's depths—tracked Ciel with intelligence that went beyond simple combat programming.
"Your fortress is empty," Ciel said conversationally. "Every defender gone. Just you and me."
The Fortress Lord didn't respond—either because it couldn't speak or because it saw no point in conversation. Instead it raised its greatsword in a warrior's salute, acknowledging the challenge before exploding into motion.
The speed was shocking. Something that large and heavily armored shouldn't move that fast, but dungeon bosses operated on rules where mass and momentum became suggestions rather than laws. The greatsword descended in a vertical slash meant to split Ciel in half.
Shift.
Reality bent, carrying him ten meters left. The boss's blade struck stone where he'd been standing, the impact cratering the floor and sending cracks spreading outward.
Ciel's analysis confirmed what he'd suspected—this boss was actually strong. Not threatening with his multiplied stats, certainly, but genuinely impressive for its tier. This was a boss designed to challenge exceptional First Stage parties.
Against his current capabilities? Easily manageable.
The Fortress Lord recovered from its missed strike, already repositioning for a follow-up. Its greatsword swept horizontally, the attack covering enough area that simple dodging wouldn't work.
Ciel activated Domain instead, the invisible field expanding to encompass the chamber. The boss's movements slowed fractionally—2.5% reduction across all its stats, creating small windows where perfect timing could turn defense into opportunity.
His mana blade met the greatsword mid-swing, deflecting rather than blocking. The impact sent vibrations up his arm—even without his talent active, his enhanced Strength was substantial. The Fortress Lord's follow-up came immediately, the creature adapting its pattern based on the successful parry.
What followed was actual combat. Not the overwhelming one-sided dominance his talent provided, but genuine exchange of technique versus tactical superiority. The boss's blade work was exceptional—each strike positioned to exploit gaps that should have existed, each recovery flowing into defensive positions that minimized vulnerability.
Ciel's advantage came from superior stats combined with spatial manipulation. When the Fortress Lord committed to attacks that left it momentarily exposed, Shift relocated him to advantageous positions before the creature could adjust. When its defenses became too solid to penetrate conventionally, Domain's debuff created fractional openings that his technique could exploit.
Five minutes. The fight lasted five full minutes—longer than Ciel had spent clearing the entire rest of the dungeon combined. When his blade finally found the gap in the Lord's armor plating, driving through reinforced steel to pierce the core beneath, the boss's dissolution came with what almost seemed like respect.
[Boss Defeated - Fortress Lord]
[Dungeon Cleared - Forgotten Fortress (Hard Mode)]
[Clear Time: 41 minutes, 18 seconds]
[Clear Rank: A]
[Base Reward: 10 Light Green Mana Stones]
[Additional Reward: Fortress Lord's Gauntlets]
The gauntlets materialized—heavy metal gloves inscribed with defensive runes that pulsed with contained power. Ciel examined them briefly before storing them away. The equipment was solid, though less immediately useful than the earlier rewards had been.
[Phase Two Progress]
[Dungeons Cleared: 2/5]
[Current Ranking: Calculating...]
[Next Available Instance: Level 20-30]
Two down. Three remaining.
Forty-one minutes. That was the baseline now—the time it took to relocate an entire dungeon population, eliminate them in one skill activation, and clear whatever boss remained.
This changes everything, Ciel acknowledged as he stepped through the exit portal. I'm not just faster than conventional methods—I'm operating on completely different principles. Mass relocation plus area elimination turns dungeons into time trials rather than endurance challenges.
The facility's organized chaos welcomed him back. The attendant barely glanced up as he emerged.
"Forty-one minutes?" The woman's professional mask slipped slightly, genuine surprise breaking through. "That's... that's got to be one of the fastest Level 10-20 clears we've recorded today."
"Next instance," Ciel said simply. "Level 20-30, Hard Mode."
The attendant nodded, already processing his clearance. "Gate forty-three, section C. You're cleared for immediate entry."
Ciel moved through the facility with purposeful efficiency. Around him, other candidates were still fighting through their first or second dungeons, their expressions ranging from determined to exhausted. The elimination rate was climbing—he could see it in how many empty spots had appeared in the waiting areas compared to when Phase Two began.
Gate forty-three stood ready. Ciel verified his mana reserves—down to roughly nineteen thousand from the two dungeon clears—and confirmed his equipment was undamaged. Still well above what he'd need for the next challenge.
He stepped through without hesitation.
[Welcome to the Crimson Wastes - Hard Mode]
[Monster Levels: 20-30]
The dungeon materialized as a volcanic landscape—black stone radiating heat, rivers of molten rock flowing through channels carved over centuries, and the air itself shimmering from thermal distortion. Fire-aspected creatures dominated the terrain, their forms perfectly adapted to the hostile environment.
Ciel's approach was identical to the fortress. Scan the entire dungeon, identify all threats, pull everything at once.
Sixty-three monsters this time—salamanders that moved through lava like water, flame wolves whose bodies literally blazed, and what looked like a small army of fire elementals scattered through the volcanic passages.
Realm Seize.
Six thousand three hundred mana. The entire population vanished simultaneously, pulled into his pocket dimension where the clean grassland replaced hostile volcanic territory.
King of Realm activated. Stats multiplied. The gathered monsters formed their defensive cluster.
Realm Echo.
The Ultimate Skill erupted again, and sixty-three enemies died in an explosion of concentrated power. The few survivors—Level 28-30 variants with sufficient durability to withstand the initial blast—fell to his blade within seconds.
[Level 28 Magma Serpent Defeated]
[Level 30 Greater Fire Elemental Defeated]
[Mini-Boss Defeated - Flame Tyrant]
[Experience Gained]
Back to the dungeon. Move through empty passages toward the boss chamber. Find the Level 30 Volcanic Drake waiting with the confused awareness that something had gone catastrophically wrong.
Fight for three minutes—actual combat where the drake's fire breath and physical power tested his technique. Victory when his blade found the creature's heart through accumulated damage.
[Boss Defeated - Volcanic Drake]
[Dungeon Cleared - Crimson Wastes (Hard Mode)]
[Clear Time: 38 minutes, 47 seconds]
[Clear Rank: A]
Another A-rank. Faster than the fortress despite higher monster density. He was getting more efficient with the process.
[Base Reward: 50 Light Green Mana Stones]
[Additional Reward: Drake Scale Cloak]
[Phase Two Progress]
[Dungeons Cleared: 3/5]
[Next Available Instance: Level 25-35]
Three down. Two remaining.
The fourth dungeon followed the same pattern. The Crystal Caverns—beautiful but dangerous, with sixty-eight monsters scattered through passages that refracted light into disorienting patterns.
Realm Seize. Transfer everyone. King of Realm activation. Realm Echo. Mass elimination. Boss fight against a Level 33 Crystal Golem that required four minutes of focused combat.
[Dungeon Cleared - Crystal Caverns (Hard Mode)]
[Clear Time: 36 minutes, 22 seconds]
[Clear Rank: A]
The fifth and final dungeon proved to be the most densely populated. The Abyssal Depths—an underwater labyrinth where seventy-nine monsters patrolled territories that would have taken conventional parties hours to clear systematically.
Ciel pulled all seventy-nine at once. The mana cost was substantial—seven thousand nine hundred points—but still well within his capacity. King of Realm activated, Realm Echo detonated, survivors eliminated.
The boss—a Level 40 Leviathan Spawn whose size and power exceeded anything else in the examination—forced him into his longest fight yet. Seven minutes of actual combat where the creature's tactical adaptation nearly forced him to activate his Metamorphosis title as emergency measure.
But he won through technique and patience, his enhanced stats providing just enough edge to overcome the level gap. When his blade finally pierced the spawn's heart, the victory felt earned rather than simply executed.
[Boss Defeated - Leviathan Spawn]
[Dungeon Cleared - Abyssal Depths (Hard Mode)]
[Clear Time: 39 minutes, 53 seconds]
[Clear Rank: A]
[Phase Two Progress]
[Dungeons Cleared: 5/5]
[Phase Two: COMPLETE]
[Final Ranking: Calculating...]
Ciel emerged from the final dungeon to find the facility notably quieter than when he'd begun. Hours had passed outside despite his subjective experience feeling much shorter. Other candidates were still attempting their runs, but the initial wave of competitors had thinned substantially.
The attendant who verified his exit stared at her crystal interface with undisguised shock.
"Five dungeons. All A-rank clears. Fastest recorded completion time in Level 10-40 range." She looked up at him, professional composure cracking completely. "How is that even possible?"
"Efficient methodology," Ciel replied simply.
His badge pulsed with warmth, text materializing across its surface:
PHASE TWO RANKING: 2
QUALIFICATION STATUS: ADVANCED TO PHASE THREE
Second. Out of ten thousand candidates who'd started Phase Two, only one person had scored higher. And given Kai Stromwind's Third Stage advantages, that placement made sense—the Level 40-50 dungeon he'd been clearing would have granted scoring bonuses that compensated for any time differences.
The numbers were absurd by conventional standards. But then, he'd stopped operating by conventional standards the moment his seven-star completion granted capabilities that exceeded normal progression entirely.
Ciel moved through the facility toward the recovery area, his body barely registering fatigue despite the sustained combat. His enhanced Endurance meant physical exhaustion took dramatically longer to manifest, and the tactical approach he'd developed minimized resource expenditure anyway.
Around him, successful candidates were celebrating or recovering, their expressions showing relief mixed with anticipation for Phase Three. But their numbers had been dramatically reduced—the brutal filtering Professor Thorne had warned about was clearly in effect.
Ciel found a quiet corner and settled in to wait. Sora and Veldora would still be working through their dungeons—his early completion meant he'd have hours to rest before they emerged.
The examination had been designed to test sustained performance across multiple consecutive challenges. He'd turned it into a demonstration that his seven-star foundation translated to practical advantages that transcended conventional methodology.
There's nothing at Second Stage that challenges me anymore, he acknowledged. Not when I can leverage my Realm's advantages this completely. The talent provides multiplication that breaks scaling assumptions. The mana pool supports skills that shouldn't be possible at this stage. And the Ultimate Skill ends fights before they properly begin.
It should have felt satisfying. Instead, it felt almost hollow—like playing a game with difficulty settings far below his actual capabilities.
Phase Three will be different, he reminded himself. That's where the real evaluation begins.
Hours passed slowly. Ciel remained in his quiet corner, occasionally checking the facility's displays that showed ongoing completion statistics. The numbers painted a clear picture—roughly sixty percent of qualifiers were being eliminated through Phase Two's sustained demands.
By the time Sora and Veldora finally emerged—both exhausted but triumphant—darkness had fallen over Azure Vale. The facility had grown quiet as the day's chaos gave way to evening recovery.
"Rank seven," Sora announced when they met up, her voice mixing pride with fatigue. "Four clears, one B-rank and three A-ranks. Not perfect, but good enough."
"Rank nine," Veldora added, looking equally worn. "Same pattern—four clears, mix of A and B ranks. That final Leviathan Spawn nearly did me in."
Both looked at Ciel expectantly. He'd been waiting for hours, which meant he'd either finished early or—
"Rank two," Ciel said simply. "Five clears, all A-rank."
The silence that followed carried weight. Sora's analytical mind was clearly processing what those numbers meant—five clears indicated he'd accessed one additional tier by being Level 20. All A-ranks suggested he'd maintained perfect execution throughout. And rank two meant only Kai had scored higher.
"New methodology," Ciel explained. "My mana pool lets me seize entire dungeon populations at once. I relocate everyone to my Realm, activate my talent, and use my Ultimate Skill. Most monsters die instantly. Survivors and bosses take minutes rather than hours."
"That's..." Sora paused, clearly searching for words. "That's completely broken. You've turned dungeons into assembly-line processing."
"It's efficient," Ciel agreed. "And it proves something I've been suspecting—there's nothing at Second Stage that can genuinely challenge me anymore when I leverage my advantages properly. The talent's multiplication effect is too substantial, the mana pool supports techniques that shouldn't be possible, and the Ultimate Skill ends encounters before they become difficult."
"So Phase Three will actually test you for the first time since you finished your trial," Veldora observed. "Because that's where individual fights are going to happen."
"Exactly."
They moved toward the exit together, three awakeners who'd all qualified for Phase Three through very different approaches. Sora through controlled chaos magic and creative skill application. Veldora through patient defense and economical technique. Ciel through overwhelming statistical advantages that transcended conventional progression.
The Academy entrance exams would continue, and futures remained to be decided.
But all three had proven they belonged among those who would face whatever came next.
That was enough for now.
