“The trial continues… for him,” the announcement lady said, pointing at Klaus. The room fell silent. Everyone knew that once the 200 candidates had been selected after the fifth wave, the trial was supposed to end. So why was Klaus being allowed to continue?
A young man, confused, asked, “Ma’am, the 200 people have already been selected after the fifth wave. Why is he allowed to continue?”
“I don’t know. I just received an order from the higher-ups to let him continue. Also, make the footage live for the public,” the announcement lady responded.
The room buzzed with murmurs. Everyone, except the war goddess, looked astonished.
“It’s an order,” the announcement lady said firmly. “There’s no need to ask any further. Get to it.”
Just as the staff was about to carry out the orders, the war goddess spoke up. “Don’t pull out the girl too.”
The announcer lady looked surprised. “War goddess, the order was only for Klaus to stay in the trial.”
“If you don’t want to damage that young lady’s self-esteem, then let her continue as well. The worst that can happen is she dies in the virtual world, but she will wake up fine in the real world,” the war goddess replied indifferently.
“But…” the young man started.
“No buts,” the war goddess interrupted. “That young lady needs this. Don’t delay; go ahead and do it. I will take responsibility for this.”
The announcement lady hesitated but then nodded. “Understood. I’ll make the necessary arrangements.”
The room quieted down again as the staff began implementing the new orders.
The war goddess watched the screens with a thoughtful expression. She had her reasons for wanting Anna to continue.
While everyone was focused on Anna’s amazing control over the battlefield, she noticed something that made her decide to let Anna stay in the trial.
Anna was putting in her best effort solely to impress Klaus. The war goddess, who had earned her title through skill and experience, saw this and understood the significance. She knew that pulling Anna out would be a huge blow to her confidence, so she decided to let her continue.
It wasn’t just Anna who was trying to impress Klaus. Back in Felin City, Lily, who had emerged as the top competitor in the trial, was also continuing. The war goddess had given the order to ensure that both women kept their confidence.
Just like Anna, who showed remarkable skill during the fifth wave, Lily demonstrated her impressive swordsmanship, leaving everyone in awe. Both women were doing everything they could to impress Klaus, who was completely unaware of their motives.
In reality, Klaus had no idea what was happening, even if it was happening right in front of him. His relationship with Lucy had worked out because of the circumstances they were in. When it came to picking up on signals, Klaus was still quite inexperienced or more like too shameless to pick on genuine emotions.
But that is where his handsomeness comes in. With his good looks, he doesn’t have to do anything. The ladies will do all the work. All he had to do was keep showing how amazing he was, and that’s precisely what is going on now.
–
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–
Inside the virtual world, Klaus was transported to a different part of the battlefield, where he faced 300 Tier 5 Zombie Generals. From Zombie Captains to Generals, that is an upgrade.
He had expected this, knowing that no trial would require an Ascended to fight monsters four realms above them. But this is a special case and Klais was more than happy to get things done. Just like that, he started another massacre with heads flying into the air almost instantly.
Although Klaus’s speed stats might not be high, he possessed the strength and agility for quick reflexes. He could execute a series of movements effortlessly without worrying about being sneaked up on.
It took Klaus just three minutes to dispose of all 300 Zombie Generals. As he had anticipated, the next wave consisted of Tier 5 White Zombie Generals.
At this point, screens worldwide began showing Klaus’s trial. When Klaus appeared on the screens, everyone knew a thrilling show was about to begin. Originally, the plan was to release the videos after the trial, but due to Klaus’s impressive performance, an order was given to broadcast it live.
Nobody initially understood why, but it became clear almost immediately when viewers saw Klaus in action against the zombies.
Those who had failed and felt dejected realized their own shortcomings. Meanwhile, those who had learned from their mistakes began observing Klaus’s techniques, planning to improve and overcome their failures rather than letting them overwhelm them.
Klaus’s performance was inspiring. The higher-ups had hoped for this effect: seeing an Ascended battle monster’s four realms above him motivated everyone to work harder to achieve similar feats.
Anna managed to defeat the Tier 5 Zombie Generals, but when the White Zombies Gnerals arrived, she was exhausted and was ultimately defeated. Despite this, she earned some recognition. The same was true for Lily, Kay, Daniel, Danny, Kilian, and Mark, who all performed well.
It was well-known that they were friends with Klaus, so seeing their names at the top of the rankings was no surprise.
—
In a luxurious room, five powerful individuals sat behind a screen, watching Klaus effortlessly behead zombie after zombie without even breaking a sweat.
“He’s a monster,” one of them said.
“Is he even human?” another person asked. “How can an Ascended be this strong? Even the Legacy’s heirs pale in comparison.”
The others nodded in agreement, their expressions a mix of shock and admiration.
The fifth person, who had been quiet until now, spoke up. “Do you think he could be a future threat? Or someone we should recruit?”
The others exchanged glances. “He’s a wildcard,” said the first person. “His potential is huge, but we don’t know his loyalties or intentions.”
Another person sighed. “We’ll have to keep a close eye on him. A talent like his could shift the balance of power.”
“Well, we should be careful,” the first person said. “I’ve heard that he’s caught the attention of that arrogant war goddess. I hope I don’t need to tell you how unreasonable she can be. We might get into trouble if she senses anything suspicious.”
“That would indeed be troublesome,” another person agreed. “Her influence is vast, and her temper is well-known.”
The group exchanged concerned looks. The war goddess was not someone to be underestimated. Her reputation for being unpredictable and fierce was well-earned.
“We need to tread carefully,” the third person said. “If she gets involved, it could complicate matters significantly.”
“Then what should we do?” the second person asked, frustration evident in their voice. “The Five Great Clans can’t let someone like him wander around unchecked. Although he’s just a kid now, if we allow him to roam free, his arrogance will only grow. It will become a major headache.”
Another person nodded. “He’s already started targeting young heirs. We can only imagine what will come next if we don’t address this soon.”
The room fell silent as the weight of the situation sank in. Klaus is like a wildcard, one they saw no way to control.
“The Five Great Clans have always maintained a balance,” the first person said. “If we let him continue unchecked, it could upset the entire order. We need to act before it escalates further.”
The third person sighed. “But directly intervening could make things worse. We need to be strategic about this.”
The fourth person agreed. “We should find a way to limit his impact without drawing too much attention. Perhaps we can influence his environment subtly.”
“You mean targeting his friends,” one of them suggested. “They’re all from Great Families. Although we have some influence over them, antagonizing them might not be the best move in this situation.”
The room fell silent as they considered the idea. These five people were the leaders of the Five Great Clans. When the world turned apocalyptic, and the old government dissolved and powerful individuals, carved out their own territories.
The continent was unified by the Legacy Families, who led the current world order. The Great Families, on the other hand, had established their own cities within the continents.
But beyond these two groups, there are five clans. These clans had been influential even before the apocalypse and had significant power. Their influence was so vast that even the Great Families and the Legacy Families would be cautious about provoking them.
For these leaders to consider going after Klaus in such a way was indeed a serious matter.
“We need to approach this carefully,” the first person said. “Targeting his friends could have far-reaching consequences. It might provoke a backlash from the Great Families.”
Another person nodded. “True. But if we do nothing, we risk letting Klaus’s arrogance grow unchecked. He’s already causing trouble by targeting young heirs.”
They continued to watch as Klaus beheaded Zombie General after Zombie General. Deep down, they were wary of him. His explosive growth was too shocking; it made them feel threatened, and they had every reason to.
Klaus was a paragon, someone with limitless potential—except that the heavens seemed intent on eliminating him before he fully matured.
But if he did manage to grow, their positions would be in serious jeopardy. They had to handle him carefully but discreetly.
Little did they know, they weren’t the only ones looking to kill Klaus. All around the world, powerful individuals were searching for ways to suppress him. If he was allowed to grow unchecked, his arrogance could become uncontrollable.
But their major mistake was letting Klaus enter the Oracle. While everyone was plotting his downfall, Klaus cleared the trials to the point where even a thousand Tier 5 Zombies weren’t enough to stop him.
After about the 13th wave, Tier 6 Zombies appeared. Contrary to what anyone expected, Klaus took them on and defeated them within 5 minutes, setting a record as the only Ascended to battle and kill multiple Tier 6 monsters.
This scene exploded on the internet, shocking everyone, including the higher-ups at Celestial Mountain Academy, who quickly ordered the trial to end.