"Back to the monarch."

"I congratulate you all."

"Ten of you making it here is no small feat."

"You’ve all passed the second phase."

"You may go back and take the third....."

He paused.

’I’m sensing an or.....,’ Xander said.

"Or you wait here, prove your worth to me, and I give you unlimited reward points."

"What’s the catch?" Zeus asked.

"Well, I’m a monarch."

"Monarch of what exactly?" Razga followed.

"It doesn’t work that way."

"It’s not like you’re a vessel of something, exactly," the monarch teased.

He was intimidating, but not by choice.

It was obvious this was because of the mana it exuded.

No, it wasn’t just mana.

It felt like all its stats were maxed out.

’Did that monarch just compare itself to us?’ Rean thought.

"Ok, so if we back down then we can just pass the first assessment by clearing the third phase, right?" Victor questioned.

"Yes."

"Ok. No rush, right? Let’s think," Kara said.

"Kara’s wrong. We all are here for ourselves. There’s no let’s," Shoba said.

’Brutal, but he’s right,’ Rean thought.

The monarch was calm.

It genuinely seemed interested.

You could tell it was threatening, but not monster-like.

Its intelligence, for one, was a clear change of pace.

The vessels welcomed it.

"So does the council know of your involvement?" Xander asked.

The question caught everyone off guard.

It was such a pivotal one.

Rean himself was surprised even he didn’t think of it.

This was just how far ahead Xander was.

He truly was prodigious.

They all turned to the monarch.

No more thinking.

’Is this thing actually hostile?’ Zeus thought.

The monarch laughed.

Then he stopped. 𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝔀𝓮𝒃𝙣𝓸𝒗𝒆𝒍.𝙘𝒐𝒎

"You’re actually dumber than the last ones."

Victor sighed.

He recalled his raid against the guardian.

This was going to be another cringe mouthful, or so he thought.

He was mistaken.

"They technically are not aware I’m here," the monarch said.

"You see, I staged the dungeon floor."

"Didn’t you notice it was a bit easy?"

"You really think the council would set a test and expect all participants to pass?"

"For crying out loud, only 30 percent of you guys made it to the second phase."

"Doesn’t that tell you anything?"

’He’s right,’ Rean said.

’That does tell us everything,’ he thought.

’This thing’s language, its manner of speaking, it’s oddly human.’

’For crying out loud. I mean, what kind of beast uses phrases like that?’

"So if you’re overriding protocol or whatever it was you’re supposed to be doing down here, then what’s your relationship with the Council?" Xali asked.

The monarch looked stunned.

Shocked.

The question wasn’t one he couldn’t answer.

It’s just that it was not centered.

"You guys aren’t asking the right questions."

He sighed.

Nodded his head in disapproval.

Shrugged it off.

"Whatever."

"Well, I’m related to the rulers, yes, but I’m not obligated to state my relationship."

"At least not yet."

"Maybe I will when you’ve thinned out."

"Thinned out?" Razga questioned.

"I don’t mean kill yourselves or anything flashy."

"Just state if you’ll like this secret assessment or not."

"If not, then get out."

’The monarch has said enough.’

’Too much even.’

’It’s not that I trust it, but if it wanted to play a foul card, it would have already,’ Xander thought.

"So what happens should we fail this assessment of yours?" he asked.

"Then you die."

"It’s really that simple."

"If you’re lucky, I’ll spare you, but you’ll be without your vessel powers."

"Sorry, I don’t actually know if you would consider it lucky."

"Non-thoughtful phrasing on my part."

The vessels were shocked.

What does all this mean?

Like lose your vessel abilities.

That basically means going back to the beginning.

Going back to being a regular hunter.

With regular lives.

Regular skills.

Stupid, unintuitive talents.

No.

That’s actually wrong.

Should they be stripped of their vessel skills, they’ll be hollow.

Vessels are awakeners with no knack for talents.

They can house no such thing.

They’re a special flaw of the source awakening, if you want to call it that.

’This threat. It’s not worth it,’ Xander thought.

’The points though, the reward. What do you mean infinite rewards? That’s too spicy a sauce to dangle in front of a hungry guy,’ Rean thought.

"Damn it all," Xander said.

He looked to Rean.

Then to Victor.

He asked.

"What do you guys think?"

Rean was shocked.

He wanted to answer, but wasn’t fast enough.

"Whatever man," Victor said.

Xander smiled.

He didn’t need an answer from Rean.

He’d made up his mind.

"I think that time has been sufficient," the monarch said.

"You’ll now make your decisions known."

"Just think it in your mind and I’ll teleport those who wish to leave away, and the rest of us can have our fun."

"In ten seconds, we’ll begin."

"Ten."

"Nine."

The countdown was brutal.

This ten seconds could determine a lot for these noob vessels.

"Eight."

The decision had to be made.

"Seven."

’Do I want to grow fast or grow far?’

"Six."

’I don’t know which to pick.’

"Five."

’Damnit.’

"Four."

’Let’s get this over with.’

"Three."

’It’s way too risky.’

"Two."

’I know what I want. This gets me there. So....’

"One."

"..."

".."

Immediately, six figures disappeared.

Rean turned to see only three others stayed behind alongside himself.

They were now clad in black.

It was probably a result of the monarch’s technique.

He didn’t want them to know who, who, and who stayed behind.

"You’ll introduce yourselves before we begin."

"I don’t need your names."

"Just your vessel skills."

"Names are unimportant to beings like us."

’It did it again,’ Rean thought.

’It compared vessels to monarchs.’

"I can evolve and assimilate talents at will," the first vessel said.

’That’s Rean, right? I knew he’d stay back.’

"I can evolve monsters at will," the next vessel said.

’Wait, isn’t that Kara?’

’Wait, why would she of all people stay back?’ one of the vessels said.

"I don’t mean to judge, but I hope you know what you’re doing, Kara."

The next vessel followed.

"I can multiply spells infinitely."

’This is what I’ve been waiting for, to test myself against those two.’

’Victor is here and so Xander is too.’

’I can’t wait.’

’I just can’t.’

"It’s fair. I can see why that guy stayed back," another said.

The last vessel followed.

"I command mana."

"What?"

Rean was shocked.

The skill was so vague.

’Who’s that?’

’None of this matters.’

’Why didn’t the last vessel say he can class change at will?’

Rean was shocked.

’Did Xander just back out?’

"That’s enough with the introductions," the monarch said.

He snapped his fingers.

They were all set.

Their mana fully replenished.

"I don’t understand," Kara asked.

"What’s there to understand?"

"You think you’re going to fight me with your mana at anything less than 100 percent and hope to pass?"

"It’s all about your strikes in."

"I don’t expect you to kill me."

"Not like you can."

"But you can try."

"Any of you who proves worthy will pass my assessment and proceed as they please."

He stood from the throne finally.

"What do you say?"

"Shall we get things started?"

"Already?"

*********

The other six returned.

They got teleported back to the castle top.

No figure of black covering anyone.

They all just saw themselves.

The shock was unanimous.

No one expected him to be here.

"What happened?" Zeus asked.

"I made the logical call," he said.

"Yuh, good on you, but I’m still surprised," Xali followed.

She knew him from their joint raid.

He was good.

No, he was really good.

"I’m surprised you’re here as well, Zeus," Sawn followed.

"Oh please. A man must know his limits."

"A hunter must understand those limits and internalize them."

"It’s a destructive method of thinking, but whatever."

Zeus said.

Zeus and Sawn turned to their other teammate.

It was Shoba.

They really had nothing to say to him.

’I kinda also expected him to stay back,’ Zeus thought.

Razga just looked around and smiled.

"So we’re the smart ones."

Those who didn’t take the monarch’s offer, as stated, counted six.

Zeus.

Razga.

Sawn.

Shoba.

Xali.

And the last was Xander.

"Let’s get to it, guys. We have a whole third phase ahead of us," Xander said.

He still wasn’t letting up.

Zeus made a comment.

"It’s funny how she decided to stay back."

"Like, I’m kinda surprised."

Sawn followed.

"Yeah, I know. That Kara...."

They headed back.

It wasn’t so much a distant walk, as at some point they got teleported back to the temple.

The council greeted them.

They immediately dismissed.

’Here I thought all of them gathered to see us, and we weren’t just going to talk to the one guy,’ Zeus joked.

’Wishful thinking,’ Sawn followed up.

"You six have passed the second phase," the fourth seat said.

"I mean, it’s technically not the same guy," Sawn commented.

"Whatever."

He opened a portal.

He gave no orders.

No explanation.

Just a casual but daring statement.

"Go in."