He looked at the time, realizing only four to five hours had passed. Most of the time was spent grasping the virtual meaning; after that, its essence flowed just like its name.

The sun was about to rise, and he hadn't gotten any sleep for two days. Although his body had become more resilient and required less rest, he still preferred to be prepared.

He shut his eyes, trying to feel the flow in his movements, but it still looked crude and artificial. He really needed to give this thing some time if he wanted to see improvement.

---

The next day, Ash woke up with heightened mobility. As he wore his armor and strapped the short blade to his waist, a knock could be heard on the door.

Ash slowly opened it, noticing Luther.

"Today is an important day—just stay behind me," he said, looking at him with an amused expression.

He still remembered the girl getting kicked out last night. He was surprised to see a kid resist temptation—or was he interested in boys?

"Are you…?" Luther paused. "Did you sleep well?"

Ash looked at him in confusion. What was the man trying to say?

A bell rang, making everyone's ears perk up in anticipation.

"It's time. Come with me," Luther said quickly, and Ash followed behind.

Outside, on one side of the plain, among other buildings, stood a large elevated platform with a huge bell hanging from it. Two servants were ringing it with all their might.

"Ding."

"Ding."

After some time, all the people gathered around the platform, waiting for someone to appear.

Jessie and her mother stood with Luther, while Ash stood behind them.

Time kept passing, making everyone nervous. Then, a middle-aged man, who didn't look much older than Luther himself, appeared on the stage. His long green robe with golden embroidery made him stand out.

It was Luther's father—the current head of the Kael family.

He stood on the platform tall and unwavering; everyone fell silent in anticipation.

"I asked you all to come back for a reason. Those who are part of the main family, those from the side branches, and even those who parted from us in the past—it's time to unite and complete what our ancestors failed to accomplish.

Thousands of years ago, when we were not simple humans but Ethereans, our planet failed an Ascension Trial and was penalized—our race degraded."

He paused, his voice carrying both authority and conviction.

"We have been given another chance—another trial to rise and reclaim our former glory. We were tricked by other ascended races in the last trial, but this time, we have all the knowledge and important gifts from our ancestors."

The man continued, his voice commanding everyone's attention.

"Some of you may feel unstoppable because you reached B-rank or A-rank. But once the trial begins, you will face dangers beyond your ranks."

"Corresponding knowledge will be provided to every member of the family without any discrimination. We failed in the previous trial because some humans allied with other races, causing internal conflict.

Many of you think I will choose someone specific to lead during this trial."

He smiled faintly. "I won't discriminate between any of you. The position will remain open until the later part of the trial. It will be in your hands to rise to the top and claim the gift."

He paused and revealed a small, castle-shaped item.

Luther gasped at the sight—even Samantha, who was usually aloof, looked intrigued by the object.

"This is the City Core, passed down through generations since the last trial. Each of you will have a chance to obtain it—just rise above everyone else in the first part of the trial." The man paused, letting the weight of his words sink in. "Those who do not wish to take part in the trial may decline when given the option by the system. Remember—less than one percent pass the first trial, so choose wisely."

"Only three months remain before the trial begins. Use this time to prepare yourselves for the future."

A crystalline structure appeared in his hand, and with a wave, the mana density in the atmosphere began to rise.

One after another, fissures opened in the air, forming dungeon gates surrounded by blue mana.

Over two dozen dungeons appeared one after another, making everyone shiver in fear. Finally, a gate larger than all the others emerged.

"There are D, C, B, and A-rank gates. You can use them to prepare for the trial in the next three months."

With that, the man left the stage.

Ash noticed Gareth—the one who fought Jessie the previous day—looking at Luther with a wide grin, as if to say, "I told you so."

Luther himself was confused by the revelation. His grandfather had always wanted Jessie to lead the family during Ascension. She was the one destined to receive the City Core.

Nothing made sense. The only explanation he could think of was that the ancient ancestor—still alive after thousands of years, hidden from the system—was pulling the strings.

Just then, a voice echoed in everyone's mind.

"I will now transfer information regarding the Ascension. You may feel slight pain in your head; please bear with it."

Moments later, everyone felt a tingling sensation in their heads as a flood of information surged into their minds. It contained highly detailed knowledge about the upcoming trial.

For Ash, the experience was as intense as the transition when he first entered this world. But back then, he'd at least had time to gradually adapt and understand his situation. Now, the information was dumped directly into his mind, leaving him disoriented and uncomfortable.

There were many things that would make an normal person uncomfortable. The System will change its working, that there will be terrifying Beasts like dragons, races that unknown to humans. Their every move will tested and judges by the system defining the rewards after the completion of trial. But only when one survived, Survival rate was below one percent.

Slowly everyone dispersed returning to their homes.

The dungeons in front of them was a gold mine, a path to rise in the ranks.

There was no hope that they could get that City core, it was certain that main family kids will get it. There was a big gap between their upbringing and resources, they had.

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