Minutes passed, and the tension around the tower slowly thickened as everyone kept their eyes fixed on the glowing windows.

Nickolas and Pamela were both stuck on the sixth floor, their progress halted as the light above them remained unchanged, while Nate and Gareth had already advanced to the seventh floor, their steady climb drawing more attention from the crowd.

Voices rose and overlapped, cheers echoing across the training ground as candidates leaned forward, some standing on their toes just to get a better view.

Time stretched.

Then...

One of the windows flickered.

Red.

Pamela stepped out.

Her boots touched the ground unevenly, her body swaying slightly as she walked forward. Sweat soaked through her clothes, her breathing rough, her face pale as if all strength had been drained from her.

Her hands trembled faintly at her sides.

Her group reacted immediately.

"You did well, Lady Pamela!"

Several voices called out at once, their tone filled with pride.

"You made it to the eighth floor and held on for a long time!"

Nina added, raising her thumb with a bright expression, but Pamela didn’t respond.

Her gaze passed through them, empty, as if she did not even hear what they said.

Then her eyes shifted to Vera standing there watching the tower not even glancing at her.

Pamela paused for only a brief second, then she looked away.

Without a word, she walked past the group, past Vera, and toward the exit of the training ground.

No farewell, no acknowledgment.

Just silence.

Her figure slowly disappeared from view.

Her group members exchanged glances, the excitement fading slightly as an awkward feeling settled in, but it did not last long, but soon...

Their attention returned to the tower because the climb was still ongoing.

Not long after Pamela left...

Nickolas came out.

"Damn it!"

He dropped to his knees the moment he stepped out, his voice breaking through the noise as he grabbed his hair tightly.

"I could have won... I could have won!"

His fingers dug into his scalp, his shoulders shaking as his frustration poured out, his other hand pressing into the soil, dragging through it as sweat dripped down his face.

"Why are you acting like a baby?!"

Tracy shouted from where she stood, her voice sharp.

Nickolas turned toward her...

Then, he froze.

Ezra.

Standing with them, his eyes were fixed on the tower and not at him, but his thoughts twisted instantly.

Fuck... he must be enjoying this... thinking he’s better than me. Tsk.

"Get over here... you’re embarrassing Sir Veda."

Mariam added, her voice stern as she glared at him.

Nickolas clenched his jaw, forcing himself to stand, though his body still felt heavy.

His eyes lifted briefly to the eighth floor.

The place where he lost. 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

His fist tightened again, then slowly...

He exhaled.

"I still have a long way to go... before I can stand beside Veda."

He muttered under his breath before walking back to his group.

They welcomed him loudly, cheering and patting his back, while Tracy and Linda immediately began teasing him, their voices mixing with laughter as Veda simply stood there smiling, clearly enjoying the moment.

At that same time...

Bess and Fay stepped into the tower with the rotation continuing without pause.

Because of ranking order, Nate had entered earlier than Bess, being just one rank below Henry, which kept the structure consistent.

Time passed.

Then...

Movement.

Gareth reached the ninth floor first.

A surge of pride spread across his group, their faces lighting up as they watched his progress.

Nate followed closely after him, stepping into the ninth floor not long after.

Priscilla and her group watched with satisfied expressions; their confidence steady.

Meanwhile...

Bess and Fay moved quickly through the lower floors.

First floor, Second, Third and Fourth.

Each one passed within minutes, they broke into the fifth floor after a long pause.

At the same time, Gareth and Nate were still engaged in their battles on the ninth floor, facing Lord Val.

And like that, minutes stretched into nearly an hour.

Bess advanced to the sixth floor while Fay remained on the fifth.

Around them, the crowd slowly quieted, the earlier excitement settling into focused silence as everyone watched carefully, waiting.

"Your highest reach is about to be broken, Ezra."

Nickolas spoke quietly, his eyes still fixed on the tower, though he tilted his head slightly toward Ezra, waiting for a reaction.

"They are both high rankers... so it’s expected." Ezra replied calmly.

"But you..." Nickolas turned toward him, his tone sharpening.

"You’re way below even me in rank... yet you reached the last floor."

He pointed at Ezra as if explaining something obvious.

"That means this trial doesn’t determine who is stronger."

He nodded to himself.

"So, it doesn’t count."

A small, satisfied smile formed on his face.

Ezra glanced at him once. Humph... skill issue. Then turned back to the tower.

No reply.

"Tsk."

Nickolas clicked his tongue, clearly dissatisfied by Ezra’s no reaction.

Time continued to pass with both Nate and Gareth reaching the final floor.

Gareth doing it first then Nate followed just moments later.

Excitement surged again, but...It ended quickly in less than a minute because the light at Nate’s window turned red.

Disappointment spread across his group immediately, they had expected more from him.

Nate stepped out, steam rising faintly around his boots as he walked forward, his breathing heavy, his face pale.

His expression was tight.

Clearly, unhappy.

He walked straight to Priscilla, leaned close, and whispered something into her ear.

Then...

Without waiting, he left the training ground.

Not long after he left, Gareth emerged as well.

Sweat covered his body, but his face remained calm, his expression gentle as always.

His group erupted in cheers.

Declaring him as the current highest performer.

Nearly four hours passed after that.

Fay and Bess continued their climb, then Fay lost on the eighth floor, almost instantly.

She had already used too much Cognis against Elder Portia, and when she faced Lord Astraea, she couldn’t keep up.

The moment the light turned green...

She was defeated in a blink of an eye. In her case, Astraea didn’t even use the Horned Pistol.

Only a revolver.

That fact alone made Fay grit her teeth in frustration because she understood what it meant.

As for Bess...

She lasted a bit longer, but in the end...

She was forced into defense, pushed back step by step, her body slowly wearing down until Astraea ended it with a single, clean shot.

After that, all the Vice leaders had finished their trial, the atmosphere changed to something heavier and more serious because now...

The leaders stepped forward.

Veda rolled his shoulders lightly as he walked toward the tower, raising a hand to wave at his group, who responded with loud cheers.

Then...

Vera.

When she stepped forward, the sound from her group surged higher, louder than before, as if competing with the others.

She walked calmly, her eyes moving across her people, a faint smile resting on her lips.

Her gaze shifted to Ezra.

Their eyes met.

She held his gaze for a moment, then smiled softly before looking away.

Henry, Priscilla, Bale, and Felix stepped forward as well.

"I wish there were six doors."

Bale muttered, touching the door at the far end.

"It would have been more fun if all of us entered at the same time."

Vera passed by him, casually placing her hand on his head and rubbing it lightly.

"They must have their reasons."

One arm folded, the other resting lazily.

"Who cares."

Priscilla scoffed, flipping her hair.

"At the end of the day, it’s all about passing the trial."

She said, calm and composed.

"Are you sure you’ll be alright?"

Vera stepped closer as she spoke, closing the distance between them without hesitation. Her tone was soft, almost gentle, but her eyes remained steady, watching Priscilla carefully as if she was measuring her reaction.

"Huh?"

Priscilla instinctively took a step back, clearly caught off guard by how suddenly Vera had moved into her space.

"Why wouldn’t I be alright?"

"You see that your little boy?"

Vera tilted her head slightly, lifting her chin just enough to point with her gaze rather than her hand. Then she leaned in a little more, her expression shifting into something that looked almost harmless, like quiet curiosity.

"He’s stronger than you."

She paused, her eyes flickering.

"Yet he couldn’t even last a minute on the last floor."

For a brief moment, her face stayed blank, then it changed into a small smile appearing sharp and amused.

"Your final stop will probably be the ninth floor."

She sighed lightly, as if she had just come to a simple conclusion.

Priscilla’s expression hardened immediately.

"You think I can’t go past the ninth floor?"

Her voice rose, anger clear as she stared directly at Vera.

"Think again."

She pointed straight at the tower, her finger firm, her posture straightening.

"I will pass this trial... and defeat every one of them."

Vera did not respond immediately.

She simply looked at her.

Silent.

Her gaze was steady, too calm.

That alone made Priscilla’s irritation rise further, her jaw tightening as she bit down on her lip.

"...Tch." She turned away abruptly. "Action speaks louder than words."

Her voice carried a sharp edge as she stepped toward her door.

Behind them, Veda and Henry both laughed quietly, clearly entertained by the exchange, while Felix stood off to the side, completely uninterested in what had just happened.

To him, it was nothing.

Just noise.

Inside his mind, only one thing repeated over and over again.

I will win... I will win... I will win...

A grin slowly spread across his face.

"What’s the hold-up?"

He said, glancing to his left at Veda, then to his right at Henry and Vera, his tone carrying a slight impatience.

Priscilla and Bale stepped aside, giving space as the four moved forward.

One after another they scanned their cards, the doors unlocked and they entered almost at the same time.

The moment they stepped inside, the blue light on the first floor shifted to white... Then, within a second...

Green.

All four moved immediately, stepping onto the next platform without hesitation.

The climb began.

Second floor...

Green.

All at the same time.

Third floor...

Green.

Again.

No delay, no time difference.

Fourth floor...

This time, there was a slight pause.

Not long, but noticeable.

Then...

Movement.

Veda and Vera advanced first, their lights shifting almost together as they stepped onto the fifth floor, their pace steady and controlled.

A brief moment later, Felix followed, then Henry.

The difference between them was small, but it was there.

Outside, the crowd reacted instantly, voices rising again as the speed of their climb became clear.

The total time it took all four of them to reach the fifth floor...

One minute Twenty-two seconds.