Aaron stepped out of the mirror.
The moment he appeared, Jade's instincts exploded with danger.
Without hesitation, Jade summoned the crimson greatsword gifted to him by Beast God.
The weapon materialized in his hand with a blood-red glow.
His eyes narrowed.
"Who are you?"
Aaron simply smiled.
That smile only made Jade more suspicious.
The next second—
Jade attacked.
BOOM!
The crimson sword cut through the air like a streak of lightning.
The strike was powerful enough to split a boulder apart.
Yet Aaron calmly sidestepped.
His movements were smooth.
Effortless.
Almost elegant.
Jade's blade passed through empty air.
Then Aaron disappeared.
Jade's eyes widened.
A hand suddenly landed on his shoulder.
He spun around.
Aaron was already behind him.
"What—"
Before Jade could react, Aaron casually grabbed the greatsword from his hand.
The sword that weighed as much as a small car felt light in Aaron's grip.
Then Aaron walked toward the mirror.
Jade stared.
"What are you doing?"
Aaron ignored him.
He thrust the sword forward.
The blade entered the mirror as though the glass was water.
Ripples spread across its surface.
The sword vanished completely.
Jade froze.
His mouth slowly opened.
"...You can store weapons inside mirrors?"
Aaron grinned.
"It is convenient."
Jade suddenly felt jealous.
That was one of the coolest abilities he had ever seen.
Then he remembered something.
Wait.
He still wasn't sure this was actually Aaron.
The teenager standing before him might be an enemy.
A creature.
A mimic.
A nightmare.
His eyes sharpened.
Without another word, essence exploded from his body.
The room trembled.
Crimson essence wrapped around him.
The temperature dropped.
The pressure became heavier.
Jade dashed forward.
BOOM!
His fist shot toward Aaron's face.
Aaron tilted his head slightly.
The punch missed.
Jade attacked again.
And again.
And again.
Every strike carried enough force to shatter stone.
Yet Aaron continued avoiding them.
One step.
Half step.
A slight turn.
A movement of the shoulder.
Nothing more.
He looked less like a fighter and more like a dancer.
Jade became increasingly frustrated.
"Stand still!"
Aaron laughed.
"That would defeat the purpose of dodging."
Jade growled.
His beast senses were screaming.
He could see flaws.
He could see weak points.
Yet somehow Aaron never allowed him to exploit them.
The teenager seemed nearly flawless.
At least in combat.
Jade attacked with a spinning kick.
Aaron blocked it with one hand.
The impact shook the room.
Furniture rattled.
The wardrobe door flew open.
A chair toppled over.
Jade's eyes widened.
The man had blocked that casually.
Then Aaron pushed.
Jade was forced backward.
His bare feet slid across the floor.
The towel around his waist nearly fell off.
Aaron looked down.
Then silently grabbed a second towel from the bed and tossed it toward him.
Jade caught it automatically.
"..."
"..."
The two stared at each other.
For a moment neither spoke.
Then Aaron pointed at the towel.
"Use it."
Jade looked down.
His face instantly darkened.
He had completely forgotten he was still half naked.
Aaron started laughing.
Jade wanted to bury himself.
Then—
BEEP!
BEEP!
BEEP!
Red lights suddenly flashed throughout the room.
A loud alarm echoed.
Jade jumped.
Aaron looked upward.
Both immediately realized what happened.
Government security systems.
A voice echoed from hidden speakers.
"Warning."
"Rule violation detected."
"Unauthorized combat detected."
"Creature summoning detected."
"Please cease activities immediately."
Jade's face darkened.
He immediately dismissed Ant Demon.
The terrifying creature vanished.
The alarms stopped a few seconds later.
Silence returned.
Aaron crossed his arms.
"Congratulations."
Jade frowned.
"For what?"
"You broke the rules less than an hour after arriving."
Jade glared at him.
Aaron looked proud.
"As expected of my friend."
Jade wanted to punch him.
Unfortunately—
A wave of dizziness hit him.
His body suddenly felt weak.
Very weak.
His knees nearly buckled.
Aaron immediately noticed.
His smile disappeared.
"Jade?"
Jade grabbed his chest.
Something was wrong.
Very wrong.
His essence.
His essence was gone.
The battle.
The transformation.
The awakening.
The soul reforming.
Everything had drained him.
Then he remembered.
His flaw.
Blood Debt.
Jade's face turned pale.
"No..."
Black veins appeared beneath his skin.
Aaron's expression froze.
"Jade?"
The veins spread rapidly.
Like ink moving through water.
His breathing became ragged.
His heartbeat accelerated.
His eyes slowly turned crimson.
Jade backed away.
"Leave."
Aaron frowned.
"What?"
"LEAVE!"
The room shook.
Aaron immediately understood.
The flaw was activating.
The corruption had begun.
Outside—
A knock sounded.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
"Resident?"
A middle-aged government supervisor stood outside.
"We received reports regarding—"
SLAM!
Jade shut the door in his face.
The supervisor blinked.
"...Rude."
Then he forcefully opened the door.
And instantly regretted it.
Standing inside wasn't a teenager anymore.
It was a monster.
Black veins covered Jade's body.
His hair had grown longer.
His pupils were blood red.
His skin looked pale.
Predatory.
Hungry.
Terrifying.
The awakened supervisor froze.
Every instinct screamed danger.
Jade looked at him.
Then smiled.
The supervisor nearly fainted.
Jade moved.
BOOM!
The floor cracked beneath his feet.
The awakened man tried dodging.
He was an Awakened.
Far stronger than an Initiate.
Yet somehow—
He couldn't move fast enough.
Jade appeared before him instantly.
His teeth sank into the man's neck.
The supervisor screamed.
Blood flowed.
Jade drank.
His corrupted body devoured the essence mixed within the blood.
The sensation was addictive.
Warm.
Comforting.
Perfect.
"JADE!"
Aaron's voice exploded through the room.
Jade turned.
His crimson eyes locked onto him.
A predator finding new prey.
Aaron cursed.
"Oh, that's not good."
The next second—
Jade lunged.
Aaron didn't dodge.
Instead he spread his arms.
"Come on then."
Jade crashed into him.
His fangs pierced Aaron's neck.
Blood flowed.
Aaron winced.
Then smiled.
"You're lucky this is only a reflection."
Jade continued feeding.
More.
More.
More.
Cracks suddenly spread across Aaron's body.
The reflection shattered like glass.
CRASH!
Thousands of mirror fragments scattered.
Jade collapsed onto the floor.
The corruption began retreating.
The black veins faded.
His breathing slowed.
His consciousness vanished.
The supervisor didn't wait another second.
He ran.
As an awakened.
As a grown man.
He ran faster than he ever had in his life.
He didn't stop.
He didn't look back.
He wasn't getting paid enough for this.
Several minutes later—
The door opened again.
The real Aaron walked inside.
He looked perfectly healthy.
Not a single injury on him.
He glanced at the shattered reflection.
Then at the unconscious Jade.
A smile appeared.
"It seems you've become much stronger."
Aaron walked over.
He lifted Jade onto the bed.
The towel around Jade's waist was somehow still intact.
Aaron stared at it.
Then nodded seriously.
"Impressive."
After everything that happened—
The battles.
The corruption.
The chaos.
The fighting.
The towel had survived.
It was truly the strongest relic in the room.
Aaron sat beside the sleeping Jade.
His expression softened.
For a moment he simply watched his friend breathe peacefully.
Then he leaned back.
The room became silent.
Outside, the government residential complex remained lively.
Inside, however—
Only two survivors of an impossible Trial remained.
One sleeping.
One waiting.
And neither of them knew that their lives in the human world were only beginning