Their people's disposition was immediately apparent.

Wildlings.

There were a few Hunters worthy of note. One, a wiry girl, red-hair, garbed in black leather and wielding a short-bow. She darted between the bear's swipes, releasing blue-glowing arrows with unerring speed. Her aim was impressive, but each shot glanced off the beast's thick hide, and she left herself exposed longer than she seemed to realize.

Another, a boy with blonde hair tied back in a loose knot, wearing heavy bone armor and wielding a massive greatsword that seemed almost too heavy for anyone his size. His movements, however, were fluid, deliberate, each swing attempting to find the beast's weak spots beneath its thorned hide. His style reminded me a little of my own.

But among these youths, one stood out as truly exceptional. A short, small-made girl, fair, jet-black hair, wielding twin daggers tipped with faint green mana. She moved with remarkable speed, slashing away at ankles and joints as she darted in and out, forcing the bear to hesitate and stumble occasionally, which in turn created real opportunities for the heavy-weapon wielders to deal meaningful damage. She reminded me of a certain, ridiculously fast, dual-saber wielding Gold-Rank hunter. The only difference between them were the ranges they fought at.

I observed the group's battle for a good few minutes. Despite the skill of a select few, They were...outmatched, to say the least. Spears broke against the Bear's thorny hide. Blades bounced. Arrows glanced off. And despite the clear disadvantage, they fought quite well...

...until the formations began to crumble.

It only took one mistake. One slip. The boy with the giant greatsword didn't control his swing well enough. Perhaps the exhaustion of a prolonged battle had gotten to him. Perhaps he'd gotten careless. Either way, it didn't matter. The boy toppled back alongside his sword, and the bear was on him in an instant, paws raised, colossal claws catching the light as they came down for the kill.

I'd been watching them carefully, so I knew...no one was in a position to intervene.

No one but me.

My legs moved before I knew it.

I shed the pack as I ran, the cub leaping atop my shoulders for a moment, then jumping down at the edge of the barren bowl to watch as I abused my barreling momentum and rammed straight into the bear's side with a shoulder-charge.

The beast's weight was titanic, but I was strong enough, and the angle was perfect.

Its body heaved, balance ripped from its hind legs, its roar forced into a surprised grunt.

My axe tore free in the same motion as I hefted it to my side, perfectly level with the ground.

And then I swung. A perfect Horizontal Slash.

Steel kissed fur, hide, bone. All at once.

The Bear's head separated from its body in a clean, final stroke, blood spraying high in a crimson burst, raining down over myself and everyone else in the vicinity.

The bear crashed to the earth, shaking the clearing one last time.

Silence.

"You---"

The boy behind me spoke, his tone a little different to the gratitude I'd expected to hear.

"---WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!"

I looked back to find the boy I'd saved staring back at me with wide eyes, bloodshot with rage as his weapon trembled in his grip.

Then voices erupted.

"That was ours!"

"You can't---he can't---!"

Their outrage slammed into me harder than the bears body during my shoulder-charge.

And then---

The ground lit.

Gold.

Lines pulsed outward from where the beast had fallen, veins of molten light racing across the trampled plain. The glow spread beneath my feet, through the grass, rising up the air like fireflies.

The hills surrounding us wavered. Melted. Peeled away like torn paper.

Within...were hundreds.

An ocean of eyes. Men, women, warriors. An entire audience, like a Colosseum, hidden within the hills that surrounded this giant basin.

What...in the world..?

Seated high, above the crowd, were older men, in black and crimson garb, their presence like pillars driven into the sky. All watching. All silent.

But only for a moment. The Audience burst into an outrage that made the youth's anger seem tame by comparison.

I stood there, in the center of everyone's gaze, utterly thunderstruck. Utterly confused, until my eyes met those of one of the elders above, who hadn't spoken a word so far.

The man looked like he was carved from stone, pale grey skin, hair as white as ash, lines of age marred his skin, but the physique beneath it was a force to be reckoned with. His silver eyes narrowed as they focused on me.

I gulped. Another powerhouse. I couldn't tell if he was comparable to the purple-eyed woman or not, but it was obvious he was leagues stronger than I was.

This...is some kind of ceremony...isn't it.

My gaze washed over the youths still picking themselves up off the ground, each and every one of them staring daggers at me.

...A rite of passage, maybe? That would make their reactions somewhat justified...But how was I supposed to know?

I looked back to the stone-faced elder above who's eyes had never left me.

"EXECUTION!"

"DISMEMBERMENT!"

"DEATH TO THE OUTSIDER!"

"DEATH TO THE DEFILER!"

The man continued to stare at me, unfazed by the audience.

But then, slowly, he stood. A pace all his own.

He spoke, his deep voice carrying across the space, yet not loud nor quiet.

"Silence."

And silence returned in an instant. None dared utter a syllable in the moments that followed.

Still, his eyes hadn't left mine.

"Outsider," he began, "Have you no understanding of what has just occurred?"

I looked around at the silent audience, and back to the fuming youths behind me. "I did not understand when I intervened, but now...I believe I do."

My gaze returned to the man, "This battle...it was...ceremonial. A Rite of Passage, perhaps?"

He nodded curtly, "Correct. Since you understand, we may proceed."

The man lifted one hand, palm toward the heavens, and the golden glow of the ground around me suddenly pulsed brighter, answering his gesture.

"Bear witness, my people. The Seal has judged. The trial has been completed. Outsider or not, the rules are clear: by age, he is eligible. By deed, he has claimed the kill. And by law… the rank he has earned must be granted."

The audience erupted. Gasps, curses, disbelief. The youths behind me shouted again, voices shrill with outrage.

The man continued, "If any have the grounds to do so, voice your objections here and now, or forever hold your peace."

A wave of uproar swept the arena. Some cried agreement. Others cursed. And then---

"I object, Great Chieftain."

The word cut through the crowd like a blade.

The Chief looked towards the Elder who spoke, "State your Case."

The Elder stood, a spitting image of the chief himself, but his face was narrower, his voice cold and sharp, and his robes shimmered with crimson thread, heavier and more ornate than the others.

"This… intrusion may have been sanctified by the Seal, but the trial is still invalid."

Whispers of speculation rippled through the crowd as the man continued:

"The Rite demands that a youth face a beast one stage above their own rank."

He motioned towards the group of youths behind me.

"These children are Bronze. That beast was Silver. Thus valid. But this one---" his eyes bored into me, "---he is already Silver. The Tremor was not above him. The law is plain. The Rite...is broken."

The whispers spread like wildfire, hushed voices turning loud in approval. In agreement.

My hand tightened around my axe.

The Chieftain did not sit nor speak. For a long, unreadable moment, his gaze lingered on me, before he turned to the crowd.

"Your claim is irrefutable, brother." His words rang calm, yet deliberate. "The law does not lie. The Rite...is invalid."

The crowd cheered, some banging their weapons into the ground they stood on.

But the Chief wasn't done. He looked back towards me.

"Outsider. You hear the voices of the Wild. They demand a true test of your prowess."

His silver eyes glimmered under the light of dusk as the air stilled. The other Elders' faces darkened and the crowd choked on their own demands.

"You will fight a Crisis-Class Beast, here and now. And the Wilds shall bear witness."

The Chief straightened, his voice carrying the weight of a verdict. "Do you accept?"

This man..is beyond just intelligent.

He'd just outmaneuvered every single agitated party with a single statement. The Elder's argument for Objection had to do with the validity of my trial, so a new, valid trial would solve that. The crowd demanded my death because I stole a kill, and thus wasn't worthy, but that worth is proven through a new, valid trial.

And finally, pointing the question of acceptance directly to me, made it so no one else had room to object to the suggestion, and it also cornered me in a way I hadn't expected.

Refusal would mean instant death, and acceptance...would put me in the Chieftains' debt.

My lips twitched into the faintest smile.

"I accept."

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