Mimir's Ground

As they entered inside, both of their eyes widened up, as they find themselves appearing in middle of an Colosseum, like that of an Ancient Rome.

"what is this?" Selene asked as she looked around.

{Welcome Non-Awakened in Mimir's ground}

{Survive the Monsters wave, the longer you Survive the higher your Grade will be}

Max and Selen froze for a moment, looking around cautiously. The ground beneath them trembled slightly as a large stone gate began to creak open at the far end of the cave, revealing a vast arena bathed in dim, ominous light. Several racks of weapons materialized, as if summoned from the shadows themselves, scattered throughout the arena.

Both of them exchanged a quick glance before their eyes locked onto the racks. Their instincts kicked in, and without a word, they dashed forward to grab weapons.

Selen reached the closest rack first, her sharp eyes immediately spotting a pair of sleek daggers. She gripped them tightly, the familiar weight giving her a sense of confidence as she twirled them in her hands, testing their balance.

Max wasn't far behind. His gaze shifted across the weapons, and his eyes landed on a sword with a simple but solid design. It wasn't fancy, but it looked reliable. He also grabbed a small round shield, knowing it would help with defense. The sword felt right in his hand, and the shield snug against his forearm.

"Ready?" Max asked, giving his sword a quick swing, adjusting to the feel of it.

Selen nodded, her eyes narrowed and focused. "Let's get through this... whatever it is."

Soon as they chose the Weapons, two circles formed on the Ground not far from them.

{Step on the circle and the Trial will begin}

{The higher you survive the higher your reward will be}

The same female voice said again as Max and Selene looked at each other.

"good luck"

"you too" 

Both said, they have already understood what this place is, after all Infinity Tower also have this kind of mechanism, so they just went there.

As Max stepped inside the circle, he appeared in the grass land, he looked around trying to find the Enemy.

Chew~

hearing the voice he looked back and saw a one horn rabbit looking at him with his red yes.

"A rabbit?" Max mumbled in disbelief as a small creature, resembling a rabbit but with a sharp horn on its head, suddenly leapt at him. The horn aimed directly for his chest, threatening his heart.

Max quickly sidestepped, his reflexes kicking in, and slashed downward with his sword, cleaving the creature's neck clean off in one swift motion.

[1 System Point Gained]

He exhaled in relief, muttering to himself, "Yes, with this, I might collect enough to evolve my race." A sense of determination welled up inside him as he realized this was more than just a trial—it was an opportunity to grow.

{Level 1 Cleared}

"That was easy," Max murmured, almost too casually as the notification popped up. He barely had time to gather his thoughts before the next wave came at him.

From then on, the trials continued relentlessly. Each new opponent was tougher than the last. First, goblins with crude weapons lunged at him in packs. Then came the kobolds, with their sneaky tactics and speed. He faced larger creatures next—hobgoblins, their brutish strength making them more dangerous. The shamans came shortly after, hurling spells and curses, forcing Max to adapt and think on his feet.

Finally, wolves appeared, darting at him in packs, their glowing red eyes filled with hunger and malice. He moved swiftly, parrying and slashing through them, his stamina starting to wane. Yet each successful strike only fueled his determination to survive, earning him more System Points with every kill.

Despite the exhaustion creeping in, Max couldn't help but feel a strange excitement building inside him. "If I keep this up, I'll evolve for sure."

Max looked at his points as he saw its nearing 100 mark.

{Trial 10 will now commence}

As the female voice subsided, a hulking Goblin fell from air and landed in front of Max, it was same hideous green face, with a sword in his hand, just he is big and bulky.

{Defeat Goblin Lord to complete your trial}

Max stared at the message, taking a deep breath. "This is going to be tough," he muttered to himself, feeling the weight of the challenge.

Unlike the earlier foes, this time it was different. He knew that no matter how skilled he was, if even a single strike from the Goblin Lord landed, it could be fatal. The pressure mounted as he inspected his equipment—his once reliable iron sword was now chipped and barely holding together, and his small round shield had been battered and was almost useless.

"They should've at least given me better weapons," Max grumbled, shaking his head as he ran his fingers over the chunked blade. Every battle had worn him down, and now, facing the Goblin Lord with nearly broken gear felt like the system was stacking the odds against him.

His heart pounded as heavy footsteps echoed from deeper within the grassland. From the crater, the Goblin Lord emerged—a massive, hulking creature covered in crude armor. Its red eyes glared at Max with malice, and a wicked, oversized sword rested in its hand, dragging along the ground with a menacing screech.

It stopped as he eyed Max, his eyes glowed red, as he suddenly vanished from his spot, max suddenly sensed danger as he jumper aside barely missing the Sword coming at him.

As Max jumped aside he heard a clanking sound, he looked at his sword as he find it broken from middle, the upper part fell, turning his Sword into an broken dagger.

"Ahh, fuck!" Max grumbled, once again leaping to the side just in time to dodge the massive sword that slammed into the ground, sending dirt and debris flying. He rolled and quickly circled around the Goblin Lord, looking for an opening. But even after what felt like half an hour of dodging and evading, no clear opportunity had presented itself. The Goblin Lord's movements were slow but powerful, and each swing was a lethal threat.

Max's heart pounded, his breath coming in ragged gasps. I can't keep dodging forever, he thought, frustration building inside him. His body ached, exhaustion creeping into his muscles, but he kept moving, kept looking for a weakness.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, the Goblin Lord made a mistake. Its massive sword slammed into the ground with such force that it got stuck in the earth. For a split second, the creature struggled to yank it free.

This is my chance!

Max didn't waste a second. He lunged forward with everything he had, his nearly broken sword aimed directly for the Goblin Lord's exposed face. With a desperate shout, he pushed the sword into the Goblin Lord's eye with all his strength. The blade pierced through, and the creature let out a deafening roar of pain and rage, thrashing wildly as blood sprayed from its wound.

Max held on for dear life as the creature staggered backward, blinded and furious. With one final, powerful shove, he drove the sword in deeper, and the Goblin Lord collapsed to the ground with a heavy thud.

Max fell to his knees, gasping for breath as the system's familiar chime echoed in his mind.

[Goblin Lord Defeated. Trial Complete.]

He let out a shaky laugh, his body trembling with relief. "Finally..."