"Test of the Elements?" Oscar murmured. His red bulwark lifted, and he strode around the metal room with his deer anima. The hooves clanked and scraped across the metal-plated ground as they traveled to a metal podium in the center of the room.

On top of the podium was a large arrow that moved slowly around like a clock's hands. Oscar reached out to grab it, but his strength was too weak to stop and tear it off, and it continued rotating as though his hand did not exist. He clenched his teeth, wanting to exert more strength, but the sound of sharp clanging from the ceiling caught his attention.

"Incoming!" Gol-4 looked up and warned Oscar.

Oscar heard the familiar sound of swords slashing through the air and saw three figures drop down to the floor, and their appearance struck Oscar as unusual. They had blades for arms and legs with a faceless head, only smooth metal that reflected Oscar's face. Their bodies were a smooth, featureless metal molded to a general shape of a person.

These metallic blademen were the foot soldiers, the first part of the Test of the Elements. When the teleportation pads activated, the controls of the test sent Oscar and the others to the place related to their Elemental Spark. Therefore, Oscar had to face these metallic blademen and prove his metal stronger.

Oscar paced himself slowly as the metallic blademen scraped their armblades together. Sparks flew out and fizzled out before reaching the ground. Their feet made acute metallic sounds as they paced around, mirroring Oscar's movements.

Unlike the gatekeeper bronze ape who swung its polearm fiercely and unleashed fiery molten rain to match the roughness of its blows, these metallic blademen were quite cool and calm, clean like the surfaces of their bodies, a display of a true soldier.

'How will they attack? Or are they waiting for me to make a move?' Oscar wasted a few more seconds going in a full circle around the room until he decided to make a move.

'Silver Lance'

Oscar thrust his lance. The metallic blademan in the center swiftly dodged, leaning far back at an impossible right angle, and Oscar missed, hitting just above its horizontal body. The air whistled as the other two swooped in and slashed with their arms and legs.

Before their many blades could reach him, Oscar summoned his deer anima. It swung its antlers powerfully and clattered against the right blademan. The deer anima grunted, its hooves burned bright red as it poured all its speed into a deadly charge, pushing the blademan away.

On the other side, Oscar felt his arms warm up from the many sparks that flew from the left blademan's slashes. He pushed out his bulwark, a shield slam. Unfazed, unlike normal people, the blademan bounced off the floor and wall back to continue its assault.

'Tough! These things are fast, flexible, and sturdy.' Oscar's deer anima's antlers and his bulwark did no damage to the blademen. He pondered as the blademen split up and charged in from every direction. In an instant, he shot out his 'Silver Star' with a loud bang.

The blademan he aimed for did not shy away and kept running. A fast line of light went through the 'Silver Star' and split it into two; the pieces clattered on the floor and dissipated into nothingness. Oscar narrowed his eyes at how easily they cut through his 'Silver Star'.

'Even with Ein Awaken boosting my concentration to condense the Ein. It still wasn't enough.' Oscar dodged and weaved away from the three blademen while his deer anima leaped over them. Their blades scraped against nothing but each other.

Oscar had not inflicted any serious damage on these blademen because of his curiosity. He had advanced to the Middle Elite Exalt realm but had not found the opportunity to test his powers. Usually, he had partners to spar with back in the Pavilion, and he thought the opportunity would arise in the middle region of Ashen Grove.

But ever since advancing, he only fought a Lower Elite Exalt Beast, the Great Sharakas, which he defeated without a true battle, and the bronze ape golem that was big and required multiple people to fight together. Finally, he got the chance to try everything out against these blademen.

'My regular Silver Star isn't enough, not enough penetration to crack through their blades and metallic shell.' Oscar carefully observed the blademen as the winds of their slashes screeched in his ears. 'How about my lance?'

Once again, his silver lance gleamed. His blue Ein concentrated and scorched the tip, dyeing it blue. These metallic blademen were swift and tried to dodge, but Oscar stamped his foot, pouring more Ein into his 'Silver Burst', and his deer anima caught one from behind, a gift wrapped in antlers.

Before the other blademen could help, Oscar thrust the silver lance. Tangled in the metallic antlers like death's embrace, the blademan moved its body weirdly to get out, but it was too late.

Oscar stabbed his lance forward. Tiny pieces of metal scattered and flaked off the blademan's chest, but Oscar was not happy. His lance had only plunged halfway through its body, unable to penetrate to the other side.

'My strength with Ein alone is not the best. I could still defeat this trial with it, but I will be drained and tired even with Ein Awaken.'

Having had enough, Oscar charged up his Adamasreis and unleashed a half-powered Shattering Wave. The chest of the blademen burst open, and large shards flew out. Oscar defended himself with his bulwark while his deer anima retreated, the shards clinking against his defense like droplets of rain.

'One down.'

The blademan fell to the floor. Its ruptured chest with protruding scrap metal was hollow. Oscar had not time to think as the other blademen finally arrived; the entire exchange had only taken a few seconds.

A silver light flashed toward a blademan, and the blademan slashed its armblades. This time, however, Oscar's 'Silver Star,' infused with his Reis, was faster and slipped past the blades. It banged against the blademan's chest, and a tiny crack formed.

Oscar dodged the wild swings of the other blademan. It moved its arms and legs in a way a person could never accomplish, and Oscar thought it was like a strange exotic dance. He stamped his foot and slammed his bulwark again, this time with a 'Shattering Wave', and the blademan bounced from the wall to the floor.

'Blunt damage doesn't work. The Test of the Elements is trying to see how sharp my metal is.' Oscar clapped his hands together. "Thank you for your assistance. I'll be putting you all to rest now."

With the full power of his Reis and Ein, Oscar decimated the other blademen and noted that the arrow did not reach a full revolution. Then out of nowhere, five more blademen appeared, their bodies hunched and their blades scraping over the metal floor.

"More?" Oscar groaned. After a series of waves, Oscar stood in front of the scattered, broken remains of all the blademen he had faced, eighteen in total. He meditated for an hour to recover, and the arrow finally struck one full revolution.

A door appeared and opened on the other side. Oscar stretched his arms and legs and moved deeper inside.

"This place is astounding!" Gol-4 shouted.

Oscar entered a strange chamber that reminded him of the training room back in the Pavilion. A large crystal illuminated the entire place, a paved stone floor with tiled walls built to withstand any damage. However, there was nothing else in the room.

Behind him, the doors shut tight with a loud bang. Oscar turned and tried to pry them open, but they were too sturdy.

"Why am I always locked in somewhere?" Oscar lamented.

"Lad, there's writing in the center of the room." Gol-4 nudged.

Oscar noticed words engraved on the tile in the center of the room. The words were clear to read.

"Place your hand above and face your ultimate foe." Oscar read. He looked at the handprint above the words. A small needle was in the center, making him wary of its intentions; if he placed his hand on it, it would draw his blood.

"I get it. It needs your blood to form a link." Gol-4 said.

"A link?" Oscar traced his finger in the smooth groove of the handprint.

"Once you place your hand on it, the blood will flow, and the mechanism will draw your mind into a realm of thoughts. This is a typical trial back thousands of years ago. You're going to face yourself!"

"Myself? Are you serious?" Oscar asked.

"Yes! Though the risks were that the mind might be broken from the many deaths, people may suffer in the realm of thoughts." Gol-4 explained. "However, it was perfect for people to fight themselves and overcome their limits."

Oscar stroked his chin in thought. He lowered his hand onto the handprint, lowering his defenses and allowing the needle to pierce his skin. He felt a slight prick, but his eyes rolled over to blank white, and his mind wandered.

"Ah!" Oscar wheezed and noticed that he was now in a white chamber. This place was the realm of thoughts created by the trial makers, where there was only Oscar and his would-be opponent.

He tightened his grip on his bulwark and took up his stance, waiting for himself to appear from the white void. The realm trembled as a figure came into being, looking exactly like Oscar. However, Oscar unknowingly took a step back because the person in front of him was utterly terrifying.

It was him. It looked exactly like him. But those eyes were dull and lifeless, an abyss of death and hunger, and Oscar staggered.

"This isn't right….That can't be me."