Isaac opened his eyes and found himself surrounded by nothing but blackness.
The air was still, and there was no sense of direction.
It felt like standing in an endless void.
Yet beneath his feet was a square glass tile, faintly glowing, as if it were the only anchor in this strange place.
In front of him, several system panels appeared.
[Evolutionary Trial, Difficulty setting and their rewards for Isaac Hargraves (Base Bloodline: Human, Low rank species) are as follows:]
[Easy: Small Increase in stats]
[Normal: Bloodline upgrade to Mid rank species. Increase in stats]
[Hard: Bloodline upgrade to High rank species. Increase in stats]
[Hell: Bloodline upgrade to ??? rank species. Increase in stats]
Isaac’s eyes lingered on the last line. The reward was hidden under a string of question marks.
He frowned. "Is this Apex rank species...?"
The moment he spoke, the question marks shifted.
The panel changed right before his eyes.
[Hell: Bloodline upgrade to Apex rank species. Increase in stats]
"I see," Isaac muttered, nodding to himself. "So only people who actually know about Apex rank species are allowed to see what the question marks mean."
That explained the restriction. Knowledge determined access. Without it, others would never even know the option existed.
But something bothered him. His brows drew together as he studied the panels again.
"Where is the difficulty setting for Talent Fragments?"
As if in response, the panels flickered and rearranged themselves. New lines of text appeared.
[Prerequisite met.]
[Hidden Achievements are being revealed.]
[Alert! Protocol 214AS214X-QQ is active on Isaac Hargraves’ World!]
[Removing Easy difficulty level achievements]
[Removing Normal difficulty level achievements]
[Removing Hard difficulty level achievements]
[Hell difficulty level achievements list (click to view)]
Isaac’s lips twitched.
"So they’re forcing me to only pick Hell difficulty achievements."
He rubbed his chin slowly.
"Well, the Hell difficulty achievements should be just upgraded versions of the lower ones, so it doesn’t really matter. As long as I complete the Hell difficulty achievements, I shouldn’t miss out on anything."
He looked at the panels again and spoke clearly. "System, show me the Hell difficulty achievement list."
The glowing letters responded immediately.
[Hell difficulty achievement list]
[Complete Hell mode evolutionary trial in less than one week.]
[Achievement reward: Three SSS rank Talent Fragments.]
Isaac’s eyes widened. His lips parted as he let out a breath. "Holy..."
The rewards were beyond expectations.
"Giving one SSS rank Talent Fragment to an Awakener already at SSS rank... that would push them to SSS+," he muttered, half in disbelief. "With three of them, I could push Emily, Alice, and Celia all the way up. And with the sharing function..."
A grin tugged at the corner of his mouth.
The implications were enormous.
These weren’t just strong rewards; they were game-changing.
Still, he remembered something else.
His tone grew more thoughtful as he asked, "What about the Body Evolution difficulty? Professor Catherine said there would be a hidden difficulty related to it."
The panels flickered again, and new text surfaced.
[Prerequisite met]
[Revealing Hidden Difficulty level.]
[Nightmare Hell Difficulty: Reward: Body Evolution, Bloodline upgrade to Apex rank species, Increase in stats]
[Note: No other difficulty can be attempted if you choose Nightmare Hell Difficulty. The contents of Nightmare Hell difficulty are the same as Hell difficulty. However, you are not allowed to try any other difficulty. As such, you have only one chance to succeed in your Evolutionary Trial.]
Isaac stared at the message. His expression remained steady, but his mind raced.
"I see. Normally, people can attempt each difficulty once. But if I choose Nightmare Hell, I’ll be locked into it. Fail once, and that’s the end. There will be no retries, or fallback on easier levels."
It was a simple, but brutal system.
A gamble where the stakes were everything.
He crossed his arms.
"So the system’s showing me all this because of what I know. The levels of difficulty available depend entirely on information."
He thought about Professor Catherine again.
She had been meticulous in telling him every detail, warning him about hidden paths and their risks.
Without her, he probably wouldn’t even see this option.
"I doubt there is another level above this," he murmured, narrowing his eyes at the floating panels. "If there was, Vice Principal would have told Professor Catherine, and Professor Catherine would’ve told me.
"They’ve been backing me with everything they have. They wouldn’t deliberately hold me back information."
As if waiting for his thoughts to settle, another panel appeared.
[New Achievement is being revealed.]
[Nightmare Hell Difficulty: Complete the Nightmare Hell difficulty in 24 hours.]
[Reward: Three SSS rank Talent Fragments, Calloway Family Sun Dragon Cradle]
"Huh?" Isaac blinked, caught off guard.
He read the reward again.
"Calloway Family Sun Dragon Cradle?"
That was unexpected. The system gave such a specific name for the reward, and it was related to one of his bloodline.
This reward was clearly tailored for him.
He rubbed his chin, deep in thought. "So the system scanned me and came up with a reward based on my body... or maybe my situation. If it’s specific like this, then the reward must be important."
His gaze hardened. "Alright. I choose Nightmare Hell Difficulty."
The moment he said it, all the panels vanished.
The black void remained empty for only a second before a massive gacha wheel materialized in front of him.
The wheel was enormous, and it was covered in countless glowing symbols.
Each symbol represented a type of trial—survival, solo combat, team battles, elimination rounds, endurance challenges, and more.
The wheel began to spin, faster and faster, until the symbols blurred into a kaleidoscope of light.
[Choosing type of Trial]
Isaac stood silently, watching it whirl.
His heartbeat quickened, but his expression stayed calm.
The outcome here would define the kind of nightmare he would face.
The wheel slowed down gradually.
Symbols came into focus one by one as the pointer ticked past them—solo survival, team survival, battle royale, elimination, boss raid.
Finally, it clicked into place.
[Survival Arena type of Trial chosen]
The wheel stopped on a trial type where several people would be joining.
Isaac let out a slow breath. His hands clenched into fists. "So... it’s going to be with others trial participants."
Before he could think further, a pulse of energy rippled through him.
The wheel vanished as if it had never existed.
In its place, countless silhouettes appeared all around him.
He blinked, momentarily disoriented.
Just like him, each stood on a square glass tile.
The tiles were spread in a wide circle, enclosing an empty space in the center.
From where he stood, Isaac counted more than a hundred figures.
Their bodies were pitch black, like shadows made of ink.
The sight was unsettling, but he quickly realized why.
They weren’t true shadows.
They looked like locked characters from games with no features, or detail, just humanoid outlines.
It clicked immediately.
The system was hiding appearances.
If that was the case, then the others must be seeing him in the same way. Just a black silhouette with no face or details.
Still, with a closer look, he noticed subtle differences in shape and posture.
Broad shoulders here, a tail-like extension there, clawed hands, or feathered outlines.
Some weren’t even human-shaped.
Their silhouettes betrayed other species.
As Isaac scanned them, his attention focused on one in particular.
Across the circle, a tall, shapely figure stood still.
She had large deer-like antlers branching from her head.
The system might have erased her face, but her stance, the tilt of her head, the way her body leaned forward gave the impression that her eyes were fixed directly on him.
Isaac frowned slightly. "She’s... staring at me?"
Before he could think further, a voice thundered across the circle.
"Welcome, trial takers."
The sound pulled his head toward the center.
Floating there was a massive being, dwarfing everyone else.
A giant angel hovered gracefully, her wings stretched wide.
White feathers glimmered like light itself, and strands of golden hair framed her face.
She had eight wings, each larger than buildings, spreading outward in majesty.
Her golden eyes glowed with authority, and for a moment, Isaac felt small in her presence.
His system blinked unexpectedly. A new notification appeared.
[A suitable target detected in host’s vicinity.]
Name: Seraphina Valeis
Age: 20
Rating: 98
Personality: Calm, wise, and nurturing despite her martial ties. She embodies grace under pressure, offering comfort to allies while showing unshakable discipline in battle.
Likes: Honorable duels and fair combat, training mortals to overcome fear, music played on stringed instruments, the sight of dawn after a night of battle, God of War
Dislikes: Cowardice born of selfishness (but not fear itself), cruelty without purpose, God of War, desecration of the fallen, deception in war
[Status: Seraphina Valeis is a High Seraph of the God of War. Though her countenance radiates kindness and light, she leads legions with flawless precision. Mortals often mistake her for a guardian angel rather than a commander of divine armies, and she does little to correct them, for her mission is to guide as much as it is to fight.]
Isaac’s eyes widened. His thoughts stumbled over themselves.
What the... my system works on angels too?
He glanced up at her again.
She didn’t react.
The angel didn’t seem to realize she had been scanned.
Before Isaac could dwell on it, her voice echoed again. Calm, yet carrying unshakable authority.
"The current participants belong to Sector 8XA. All of you undergoing the Hell difficulty Evolutionary Trial will face the Survival Arena together. Be warned, only one of you may win."
The words struck like a hammer.
A ripple of shock spread across the circle.
Isaac felt it too. Out of all the possible trials, this was the harshest.
A voice broke out from somewhere to his left. One of the shadowed figures raised their hand and spoke in disbelief. "Wait. How are so many people undergoing an Evolutionary Trial together? Evolutionary Trials are rare quests. How did over a hundred of us end up here at once?"
The angel, Seraphina, turned her glowing eyes toward the speaker. Her gaze was calm.
"Not all of you are here through the same path. Some among you arrived because of the Evolutionary Trial directly. Others are here as part of class advancement quests. Some were drawn here by dungeon rewards. And a few were granted entry through other hidden conditions."
Murmurs spread across the circle. The explanation only deepened the mystery.
Isaac narrowed his eyes. So the system merged multiple paths into one arena...
But Seraphina wasn’t finished.
"Additionally," she continued, her voice echoing clearly, "all of you have been gathered across a six-month span. Those who began their trials six months ago, and those who would have begun six months in the future, are all here together now."
The earlier speaker’s voice cracked with disbelief. "What? That doesn’t make sense! How can people from the past and future be here at the same time?"
Seraphina looked at him without a trace of impatience. Her tone remained calm. "The System can make anything possible. Time is merely an element to be controlled in its hands."
Her words silenced the murmurs. No one dared argue further.
Isaac, however, kept his expression neutral while his thoughts churned. So the system not only merges different quest triggers but also bends time itself to make these arenas possible... That means some of these people might already have died in their own timeline, or not even reached this point yet. But here, it doesn’t matter.
He glanced around again. The antlered woman was still staring at him. For a brief second, he felt an odd weight in her presence. But before he could focus on it, Seraphina’s wings shifted. Each movement sent waves of light across the circle.
"This is your chance," she said, her voice firm. "One will rise above the others. The rest... will fall."
The tiles beneath everyone’s feet glowed faintly. The empty space in the center began to shift, light swirling like a vortex. The arena was preparing to open.
Isaac stayed quiet, his jaw tightening. His mind was already planning.