Kain was awoken by a warm soft glow, even visible through his closed eyelids.

It enveloped him completely, giving his whole body the illusion of being held in a warm embrace. Almost like he’d returned to the womb.

When the last remnants of pain faded, Kain sat up, blinking away the fog from his eyes. Next to him was a tired-looking Queen, with drooping antennae and a shell with a dimmer lustre than usual.

Despite her exhaustion from healing Kain and their allies throughout the trial, she still didn’t stop working, immediately moving over to the large red mass of broken scales and blood located not far from Kain.

Kain could also see Aegis and Bea nearby. Although a little drained, they were both largely intact, and were cautiously keeping an eye on the surroundings for any new threats.

Kain also looked at the remaining Vespid guards—only five remained. Out of over 20 guards…only five.

‘Thankfully, I didn’t recall them all when we passed the trial.’ Otherwise, Queen wouldn’t have been able to heal himself and the severely injured Vauleth.

It was likely purely because Queen was capable of restoring their conditions that Kain was even allowed to remain in the relic, instead of being immediately declared a failure and booted out.

Stretching his still tender muscles, Kain looked around his new location. But there wasn’t much to see.

Just an empty, featureless, square room made of matte grey stone.

‘Perhaps a waiting room of some sort? Until the next trial begins?’

He rose to shaky feet and limped slowly toward Vauleth’s battered body. The dragon lay still—barely breathing, his wings crushed and his scales dull, matte red streaked with black bruising and fine hairline cracks. His once-proud horns had fractured near the base, and his tail lay twisted at an unnatural angle.

Vauleth had taken the full brunt of the last blow to shield Kain. And just the aftershock from that blow felt like it could have killed Kain, he couldn’t imagine the pain given by the full strike.

“Idiot…” Kain muttered, crouching beside him. His voice cracked. “You stupid… brave, magnificent idiot.”

Queen flitted around the broken body, antennae brushing Vauleth’s side. She began emitting a green light originating her abdomen—which housed the symbiont, Eve. Usually, this glow would then spread throughout her entire body before being pushed outward into the healing target. But this time, the glow remained concentrated in the tip of her abdomen before a green glowing liquid Kain had never seen before was secreted—a concentrated healing secretion she rarely used. It bubbled faintly as it touched the cracked scales, seeping in.

Kain closed his eyes for a moment, placing a hand on Vauleth’s side. Their bond was still there—but faint, like a candle in the wind. The dragon would live. But healing those kinds of internal wounds, even with Queen’s help… would take time. Weeks, if not longer.

He rose, exhaustion seeping in now that the adrenaline had worn off.

Then he noticed it.

Or rather—the lack of it.

No message from the trial relic. No pop-up saying “Trial Complete.” No reward. No chest appearing in the center of the room. Not even a line of explanation for the hell it’d put him through.

Kain blinked. Waited.

Nothing.

—————–

It must be true that there are Five Stages of Grief.

Denial.

“…Don’t tell me,” he muttered. “Don’t you dare tell me.”

“Maybe it was just waiting for me to catch my breath…surely the reward will appear any second…aaaannnnnyyyy second now…”

He waited another full minute.

Silence. Stillness. Not even a word from the relic as consolation.

Anger.

A vein on his temple throbbed. His hand slowly rose to his face.

“No reward?” he hissed through clenched teeth. “I nearly died. Vauleth almost got folded like a damn origami dragon and sent into the afterlife. I was chased by a horrifying creature that literally made my reality cave in on itself! And you’re telling me that this goddamn relic—the same relic that sent a Level 1000 boss-tier bone snake to assassinate me personally—thinks I cheated so I don’t even get a consolation prize?! It’s not like Iselected the entry order or communicated with the relic to denote the group each student belonged to!”

He turned, stomping in a slow, furious circle as Queen’s exhausted head tilted slightly to the side and Aegis’ amber stone like eyes seemed to twinkle in confusion.

“Oh sure, punish the guy who’s doing well for his age. That’s fair! Really teaches a guy to keep his head down, doesn’t it? Try too hard, and the relic slaps you with a death sentence and a zero!”

The few remaining Vespid guards buzzed anxiously, inching away from their master’s tirade.

“Maybe I should’ve dragged my feet and cried for help the whole trial. That probably would’ve scored higher on whatever sick rubric this thing’s using.”

“This bloody F$$%& G&%%$ &*&^&^!!!!”

Kain finally stopped, chest heaving.

Silence returned.

A full sixty seconds passed.

Still nothing.

Bargaining.

“I swear, if you give me even one pity reward—a rusted coin, an enchanted weapon with bite marks—I will sing your praises to every first-year I meet!”

Depression

He sighed and slumped to the floor beside Vauleth, groaning at the ache in his ribs. Queen, completely drained from restoring Vauleth as best as she could, immediately sat next to him and patted his cheek with one of her antennae in comfort.

Kain stared blankly at the ceiling with dead-fish eyes. “Maybe I hallucinated the whole thing or this entire trial is a dream. Maybe I’m actually still in the trial, but it’s a mental one where I have to break free. That’s why there is no reward… Or maybe I’m dead. Or trapped in an illusion loop.”

Queen bumped her head gently into his shoulder.

“…I know, I know. You want me to get up and stop moping around. Or maybe you’re agreeing and we’re both dead together. That’s comforting.”

Queen tilted her head and offered another affectionate pat.

“…Thanks, Queen,” he muttered. “I’ll pull myself together.”

Acceptance…

“…You bastard,” Kain muttered, staring at the ceiling. “You really aren’t giving me anything?”

“You god&*%%% f&*^%% ^&%$%&!!!!”

…Acceptance would usually follow… Unless you are Kain, who has circled right back to anger.

“You better hope…you better pray…that the day never comes when I have the strength to destroy you…”

“Arrrhgh!!!”