The market square in Newvale was bustling with life, the scent of roasted meat and fresh bread mingling with the earthy aroma of herbs and flowers filled the air.

  Ryan and Vynessa walked side by side, their steps steady but the pressure of the test still hanging between them. They walked past vendors calling out with enthusiasm but neither Ryan nor Vynessa seemed to notice.

  They reached Mrs. Keys' stall, nestled at the corner where the cobbled road met the dirt path that led into the woods. The elderly woman behind the stall looked up as they approached, a knowing smile on her face.

  "I see you’ve come for your key, Vynessa."

  Vynessa nodded silently, her expression stoic as always. Mrs. Keys reached beneath the counter, pulling out a small bronze key. It gleamed in the sunlight, and Vynessa’s name was etched carefully along its surface.

  "Good luck on your rank test, my dear," Mrs. Keys said. “I knew your turn was coming soon.”

  Vynessa took the key without a word and the faintest, almost imperceptible smile touched her lips. An expression so rare, Ryan could count the times he had seen it on one hand.

  "Thank you," Vynessa said. "For all the introductory keys, and this one."

  "You’ve worked hard for it, girl.” Mrs Keys said. “Knock that Master out of their square.”

  Ryan stood in the background, not wishing to interrupt the moment for Vynessa. But Mrs Keys turned her sharp gaze to him, bringing the attention to him.

  "I’m just accompanying Vynessa," he said, offering a half-smile.

  "A good companion, Ryan," she said. "Well, I see you're doing a good job with the martial arts. Keep up the practice, boy."

  Ryan flushed at the remark, his fingers tugging slightly at his tunic. "I’m... working on it," he said.

  With a final wave, Vynessa and Ryan turned to leave, but as they did, something unexpected happened.

  A low rumble vibrated through the ground and the chest behind Mrs. Keys began to glow, its contents shifting and rattling as though something inside it were struggling to break free.

  “Well, well,” Mrs Keys said. “Another has been chosen for the rank test.”

  The glow intensified for a brief moment, casting strange shadows on the stall, before it suddenly faded. The chest stilled, the tremors ceasing as quickly as they had come. Ryan and Vynessa exchanged a glance, surprise in their expressions. They knew about the bronze keys but never saw one spawn in person before.

  With a soft click, Mrs. Keys opened the chest, revealing a single key nestled inside. The bronze key gleamed with the same polished finish as Vynessa's, and upon it, etched into the metal, was another name.

  Ryan.

  Ryan’s eyes widened in disbelief as Mrs. Keys held the key out before them. Vynessa, ever composed, looked at him, but the faintest flicker of surprise crossed her features.

  "Is this… an invitation to the test too?" Ryan asked.

  Vynessa’s gaze shifted back to the key, her voice steady. “Looks like it.”

  Ryan looked at the key again, his fingers itching to take it, but he hesitated for a moment. He was merely here to accompany Vynessa but it was more than he expected.

  Much more.

  He reached forward and took the key from Mrs. Keys, giving her a slight nod.

  "Good luck to both of you," Mrs. Keys said. “I shall be waiting here to give you more keys when you’re back.”

  With the keys in their hands, Ryan and Vynessa turned and walked away from the stall, both lost in thoughts of the sudden change in plans.

  The outskirts of Newvale stretched before them, the village receding into the distance as they continued their journey. They reached a clearing on the outskirts, a wide, empty space surrounded by tall grass and scattered rocks.

  "We’re here," she said.

  He pulled his key from his pouch and stared at it for a moment, its bronze surface gleaming in the sunlight. Vynessa did the same, her hand steady as she placed her key into the air before her.

  The air rippled around them and a blue wall of light emerged, casting a cold glow over the ground.

  Ryan’s eyes traced the glowing edges of the wall, and the text appeared, etched in sharp, cursive script across the surface.

  Difficulty: Bronze

  The words felt like a punch to the gut. Bronze.

  He had died. He had died in an Introductory square, yet he was facing a Bronze. The blue walls looked menacing, a dangerous color.

  Ryan swallowed hard, his throat dry. He wasn’t like Vynessa, who seemed born for this kind of challenge. She was focused, composed while he wasn’t.

  "Hey," Vynessa said, breaking through his spiraling thoughts. “Ryan, whatever comes, we face it. No turning back now."

  Ryan nodded. He wanted to believe her. Wanted to believe that they could make it through this. But the memory of his past failures lingered in the back of his mind like an open wound.

  He clenched his fists, forcing himself to calm. Vynessa was right. They could do this.

  Without another word, Vynessa stepped forward, her key already turned in the air. The blue hue of the light rippled to a vivid red with a hint of gold.

  Vynessa stepped into the light, vanishing from his sight.

  Ryan stood there for a moment, still, his heart beating in his chest. He reached for his pouch, his fingers brushing the cool surface of the vial hidden within.

  The Demon Blood.

  His fingers tightened around the small vial, the liquid inside shimmering with an unnatural glow. The temptation to use it, to gain an advantage, to turn the tide in his favor, was almost overwhelming. But he wasn’t sure.

  No. He wouldn’t rely on it.

  With his decision made, Ryan steeled himself and turned his attention back to the now-red glowing barrier before him. He stepped forward, his feet moving with a new resolve.

  The light from the red barrier faded and the world around him shifted.

  They stood at the edge of the square, looking out over a barren landscape with sand dunes rising and falling in the distance. The heat shimmered in the air, distorting the horizon. It was nothing like the dense, sheltering woods they had grown accustomed to, nothing like the forest with its shadows and hidden corners.

  Ryan and Vynessa exchanged a glance, their gazes locking for a moment, the shared understanding passing between them without words.

  The goal for the test was simple. Get the orb. The Master, dead or alive, was irrelevant.

  "Let’s move," Vynessa said.

  They began to walk, their feet sinking slightly into the warm sand with each step. This square was unforgiving in its open space. Here, there was no place to hide, no cover to duck behind.

  "There aren’t many places to hide here," she said. "The Master will be forced to use something else."

  "But that doesn’t mean there’s no way to surprise us. The Master could still dig pits or use the terrain to their advantage."

  A bitter memory crept into Ryan’s mind. He shook it off quickly, focusing on the present. The present was different. He was ready this time.

  As they moved forward, the square seemed to stretch out endlessly before them. The only thing that broke the monotony of the golden sands was a distant oasis in the center—a small patch of green, with a sparkling pond reflecting the harsh sunlight and a few sparse palm trees in the barren land.

  "Too obvious," Ryan said. "That oasis is too perfect. It’s a trap."

  "I agree."

  They began to circle the square, the fine sand crunching beneath their feet. Then, without warning, the sand beneath Vynessa’s feet gave way.

  Instinctively, she jumped to the side, her body reacting faster than her mind, her feet skimming over the sand as she avoided the sudden fall.

  Ryan was quick to follow, reaching out a hand to steady her as she landed on firmer ground. "Watch your step," he said.

  Vynessa nodded, her eyes already looking at the pit below, her senses sharpened. The pit had not appeared out of nowhere. It was a trap by the Master.

  It had begun.

  A low, chittering sound reached their ears, sending a chill down their spines. Ryan’s eyes widened, his heart racing as he saw the dark shape shifting in the sand. Something large was emerging, something that had been waiting, hidden beneath the surface. A giant spider, its body mottled with black and white patterns, its legs long and spindly, emerged slowly from the pit.

  Before Ryan could react, the spider’s mandibles clicked together and it spat a glob of thick, viscous webbing directly at him. He dodged instinctively, the gooey substance splattering harmlessly against the sand beside him, but the threat was clear.

  "Look out!" Vynessa shouted, her eyes already shifting to the other side of the square.

  Ryan turned just in time to see another giant spider emerging from behind them, its massive form looming over the sand.

  "Two of them," Vynessa said. "We can’t afford to be cornered."

  The sand shifted beneath Vynessa’s feet as she sprang into motion. The giant spider before her hissed, its many eyes attempting to follow her, but she was faster. The force of her Bear Palm slammed into the spider’s abdomen, pushing it back, its legs flailing in the air as it skidded across the sand.

  Ryan, meanwhile, was locked in a silent, focused confrontation with the first spider, the one that had emerged from the pit.

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  He shifted into the Way of the Crane, his stance graceful, almost serene, as he extended his arms upwards, one leg raised. The spider lunged at him, its fangs bared and its mandibles clicking, but Ryan was already moving.

  With a single, fluid motion, he dove forward, his hands slicing through the air like the wings of a crane. He landed in the right spot, driving an uppercut into the underbelly of the spider with a force that sent a shock through his body.

  Rising Wing.

  The spider flew out of the pit with a sickening screech, its massive form propelled midair. Ryan followed its trajectory with a sharp, calculating gaze, already shifting his stance.

  He spun, his body a blur of power. His foot connected with the spider’s side in a spinning back kick, Soaring Talon, sending the creature flying through the air. The spider’s legs flailed, and its body was thrown around in the air. Before it could react, Ryan was already above it, his foot crashing down with a brutal force.

  Twilight Talon.

  A crushing downward kick that shattered the spider’s body in half. The once-moving form of the giant arachnid now reduced to a heap of broken legs and twitching limbs. The sand around him was stained with dark blood with Ryan’s chest heaving with exertion.

  He turned and Vynessa had already dispatched her own spider. The second creature lay crumpled on the ground, its legs twitching weakly at it died.

  "Spiders?" she said, as she wiped blood from her hands. "Urgh."

  "Better than slimes," Ryan replied.

  Vynessa didn’t respond immediately. Instead, she turned away, her eyes scanning the vast expanse of sand that stretched out before them.

  "Let’s move."

  Ryan and Vynessa climbed to the top of one of the dunes, the soft sand shifting beneath their feet with each step. From the height, they could see the entire square.

  "There’s nothing else," Vynessa said. "But the oasis is a trap."

  Ryan turned his gaze to the oasis, the pool of water shimmering in the heat. He glanced over at Vynessa. "If we know it’s a trap, is it still a trap?" he asked, his tone light, almost teasing.

  “Yes," she said. “But there isn’t anywhere else to go.”

  She was right. There were no other options. They could wear themselves down in the desert. By the sun. Or the heat. Either way, they needed to do something.

  They moved toward the oasis cautiously, their eyes vigilant for any sign of movement, any hint of danger. The palm trees stood tall and still in the center, their green fronds swaying gently in the wind.

  As they neared the water, Ryan’s eyes caught something small glinting in the sunlight. There, partially hidden behind the leaves of the palm trees, was the orb.

  Ryan's heart skipped a beat. He could feel the thirst of victory. Without hesitation, he broke into a sprint toward the orb, his breath coming faster as he neared it.

  There was a faint rustling. A shift at the top of the palm tree, almost imperceptible.

  And then Ryan saw it, long, sinewy bindings, emerging from the tree's canopy, winding down at him. They had been waiting, hidden in plain sight, ready to strike the moment they neared the oasis.

  But Ryan was already pretending to be distracted, feigning a reckless charge to treasure. He spun out of the way, the bindings snapping past him and striking the ground where he had been seconds before.

  Vynessa was already in motion as well, her sharp eyes spotting the danger. She held her fingers like tiger claws as she slashed toward the tree’s thick trunk. The force of her strike split the wood with a loud crack, and the palm tree, its bindings still writhing like snakes, toppled with a heavy thud.

  As the tree fell, something else fell with it—a creature, bound tightly in the wrappings of the palm’s roots. It was a zombie of sorts, its flesh was decayed and dry, a mockery of life. As it staggered out from the bindings, its eyes looked up at them.

  Vynessa’s sharp breath hissed out, her body tensing as she recognized the creature for what it was. "A mummy," she said.

  Ryan, his pulse still racing from the near-miss with the bindings, turned to face the mummy. The mummy’s body was wrapped in tattered, dusty cloth, its skin cracked and withered. It shambled forward, its movements stiff and jerky.

  The mummy’s bindings lashed out with a speed that did not match its decayed, brittle form. The first lashes came toward Vynessa, but she cut through it effortlessly, her Tiger Claws slicing through the fibers.

  Ryan’s heart raced as the bindings shot towards him, his instincts flaring as he leapt into the air with Sky Leap. From above, he launched himself down with a powerful Twilight Talon, his foot aimed directly at the mummy’s skull.

  The mummy barely flinched as Ryan’s foot slammed into its arm. The force of the blow should have shattered its limb, but the mummy blocked with ease. There was no give in it, no sign that the strike had affected it in any way.

  Ryan’s eyes narrowed. This thing was stronger than he had expected.

  Behind him, he could hear Vynessa charging forward, seizing the opportunity to strike while the mummy’s attention was still on Ryan. She pounced, her claws like the fangs of a great beast, burying deep into the mummy’s chest. It stood unmoving, as if the damage meant nothing to it.

  Before she could pull back, the mummy’s bindings lashed out again, wrapping tightly around Vynessa’s limbs, holding her close. A low, rumbling growl rose from its throat as its mouth cracked open.

  Vynessa’s eyes widened as a cloud of sand poured from the mummy’s gaping mouth. The fine grains shot toward her face with unnatural speed, and before she could react, they poured into her mouth, clogging her throat, suffocating her.

  Without hesitation, Ryan charged. He took a deep breath, centering himself as he summoned every ounce of his focus.

  Flurry of Strikes. But this time, it wasn’t a sword he wielded.

  His fists and feet were the weapons, each blow landing on the mummy’s body with sharp, brutal force. His punches battered its chest, his legs kicked the creature’s legs and torso, each blow landing with a sickening crunch.

  Though it seemed almost indifferent at first, Ryan could feel the resistance lessening with every blow. The mummy’s grip on Vynessa weakened. The sand in Vynessa’s mouth began to recede, her breath coming in ragged gasps.

  Ryan’s fists pounded into it, relentless, until the creature finally released Vynessa, its bindings falling slack. Vynessa staggered back, gasping for air, the remnants of sand dusting her throat.

  "This is a hard enemy," she said, her voice hoarse, but there was no fear in her eyes.

  Ryan, his chest heaving, nodded in agreement. He thought of the Demon Blood in his pouch, a reminder of the desperate measures he could take if this battle continued on its current path.

  But no. Not yet.

  He turned to Vynessa. "We need to take out its head."

  "Any plans?"

  "Follow my lead."

  Without waiting for a response, he launched himself toward the mummy once more.

  Impact Thrust.

  His fist slammed into the mummy’s torso with a thundering impact, the force of the blow reverberating through his entire frame. The mummy’s chest buckled slightly, but the creature didn’t falter.

  Instead, its bindings lashed out, wrapping around him with the speed of lightning, encircling his limbs, his torso, holding him tight. The cloth bound him in place, each struggle made the grips tighter.

  The mummy’s mouth opened wide, the rotted lips peeling back to reveal a decayed maw. Ryan’s heart pounded in his ears, anticipating the suffocating cloud of sand.

  But then, something strange happened. The sand didn’t fall. Nothing came from the mummy’s mouth.

  Vynessa.

  She had moved without a sound, her feet barely making a mark in the sand. She surged forward, her Tiger Claws extended in deadly arcs. The claws bit deep into the mummy’s neck, the flesh of the creature no match for the strength behind the strike.

  In an instant, the head of the mummy was severed from its body. The mummy’s head fell slowly, its lifeless eyes still open in a hollow stare, before the body began to shudder. The bindings around Ryan loosened, losing their grip as the headless corpse twitched.

  The mummy's body slid downward in a delayed motion, as though it had not yet fully realized it was dead. Again.

  The bindings began to disintegrate in the air, turning to dust and fading away like the remnants of an ancient spell undone.

  “You’re welcome," Vynessa said.

  “It was all part of the plan.”

  “The plan was for me to save you?”

  “I didn’t say it was a good plan.”

  Ryan took a slow breath. They weren’t finished yet, but at this moment, the world seemed a little less hostile. The square was silent now, the sand settling around them as the disintegrated remains of the mummy scattered into the wind.

  "We need to get that orb," Ryan said, looking out toward the oasis where the orb still gleamed.

  "After you," she said.

  Ryan stepped towards the orb when he heard it.

  "I didn’t want to show myself."

  The sand in front of the oasis stirred violently, swirling in a gust of wind that seemed to rise from the very ground itself. As the sand was swept away, something began to form.

  It rose from the shifting dunes. Slightly taller than a common man, the humanoid creature was crafted from solid rock.

  It was the Master.

  The creature's eyes, two dark hollows carved into the stone of its face, fixed on them as it spoke again. "You will not escape," it said, its tone flat, emotionless.

  Without a word, Ryan surged into motion, his body moving with instinct and purpose. He vaulted into the air with Sky Leap, his body twisting mid-flight as he launched into a spinning back kick, Soaring Talon, aimed squarely at the Master’s head.

  The strike landed with a thud, but the stone creature didn’t even flinch. Ryan’s kick had no more effect than a pebble thrown against a mountain.

  But Ryan was undeterred, spinning again in mid-air, twisting his body as he delivered another Soaring Talon. It hit the same spot, the same stone-hard head. Again, there was no reaction.

  Vynessa was already on the move, preparing for her own assault. She dashed forward, her hands a blur as she unleashed Bear Palm.

  The blow landed with a resounding crack, but the creature remained rooted, unmoving, as if the force of Vynessa's palm had met a wall of stone.

  The Master’s arms, solid like boulders, swung toward them with a speed and force that belied its size. Ryan leaped back just in time, narrowly avoiding the crushing blow, but Vynessa, already in motion, was too close. She dodged as best as she could, but one of the Master’s arms grazed her, sending her sprawling across the sand.

  Vynessa, though winded, was quick to recover. Her fists connected with the creature’s chest in rapid succession, three powerful blows that should have sent any living creature reeling.

  Triple Panda Punch. But the Master’s stony body didn’t give.

  The punches cracked against the stone and Vynessa gasped as the force of her own strike rattled her arms. Her fist shattered on contact, the pain shooting up her arm.

  She dropped to one knee, the agony in her arm nearly unbearable. The Master, sensing the opening, reached down with terrifying speed and grabbed her leg with an iron grip. Vynessa tried to twist free, to pull herself from its hold, but it was futile.

  The Master hoisted her into the air and slammed her back onto the sand. Before she could recover, the Master did it again, slamming her body into the ground with crushing force.

  Ryan’s heart thundered in his chest as he watched helplessly. He had to act, and fast.

  The Demon Blood. Could it save them now? Could he save her?

  His fingers fumbled for the vial. The thing he had sworn he wouldn't use, the thing he had tried to avoid. But now, in the face of this horror, it was the only choice.

  With a violent twist, he uncorked the vial and, without a second thought, poured the dark liquid down his throat.

  The effect was instant.

  His muscles seized, his entire frame trembling violently, as if something dark and primal had awakened within him. His eyes went blood-red, veins popping beneath his skin. His fists clenched and unclenched, shaking as though they were no longer his own. The air around him trembled with the raw energy pouring from his body.

  He dashed forward.

  Sand flew in every direction as he charged, his legs moving faster than they ever had, his body unstoppable. The Master, still swinging its massive, stone-bound arms at Vynessa, seemed to pause for just a heartbeat, its focus momentarily shifting toward Ryan.

  Ryan’s foot slammed into the sand, his body coiling as he launched into a spinning back kick. Soaring Talon. The kick collided with the Master’s head with a force far greater than anything he had felt before.

  The Master staggered, its heavy frame rocking back on its heels as it reeled from the strike, its grip on Vynessa faltering.

  Vynessa dropped to the ground, her body hitting the sand with a sickening thud. And in that moment, everything became clear. This power. It wasn’t about victory. It wasn’t about glory. It was never about winning or being stronger than anyone else.

  It was about protecting the ones who mattered.

  Ryan dashed to her side, his body still trembling with the aftershocks of the blood's power, and he lifted her into his arms. Her body was limp, barely breathing. He would not let her fall here. Not like this.

  Without a moment’s hesitation, Ryan turned and ran, his legs pumping beneath him with the force of the Demon Blood driving him forward. Ryan’s gaze locked onto the orb and his fingers closed around the orb’s smooth surface.

  He turned on his heel, not stopping, not pausing, and without a glance back, he ran straight toward the edge of the square. The sand and sky spun in a dizzying rush as he carried Vynessa and the orb in his arms.

  Behind him, the Master’s voice thundered. "Do not take it away!" it said, an almost pleading tone.

  The red light of the barrier was ahead, the boundary that would return them home.

  With one final, desperate burst of speed, Ryan leapt through the barrier, his feet leaving the sands of the square behind. Vynessa was still in his arms, her breathing shallow but steady now, and the orb clenched tightly in his hand.

  They had made it. They had passed.

  ******