Sevrin's fingers lightly tapped the shoulder of a short man in priestly robes, who jumped as if struck by lightning.

For the past ten minutes, that man had simply been staring at the water sphere before him, a somber expression on his face.

He had tried hitting it with his fists, screaming at it, looking at it intensely, but nothing had worked.

Now, he could only stare at it blankly.

How exactly was he supposed to destroy it when swordsmen, spearmen, axe wielders and even mages failed to do so?

In the end, he was a priest. A class that was the furthest from combat.

One might wonder why such a person had come to the Rising Stars Tournament, but that question was quickly answered when one knew that the Rising Stars Tournament was never a contest of individual strength.

After all, this priest, Helias, had passed the first and second trials were warriors much mightier than him had failed miserably.

In the first, he had placed his faith in Terras, the goddess of resilience, and he had overcome the illusion.

In the second, he had trusted in Terras, who was also the goddess of patience. Time healed all things, and even the worst of criminals could change, given enough time. So, he had defended someone who had poisoned the water source of an enemy viscounty during a territorial war, despite it being a war crime worthy of execution.

His hands dropped to his side. 'Right, I was sent here to deepen my faith… but how exactly is faith supposed to help me here?'

Helias began to doubt whether faith would aid him in this trial, but when he felt someone touch his shoulder, he turned around abruptly.

Sevrin, the young archer with night blue hair, smiled softly. "You seem to be having a hard time, priest."

Helias looked at him, then his gaze drifted to Syris behind him who seemed somewhat confused.

She raised an eyebrow. "...Sorry, but how is a priest supposed to help us with this?"

Sevrin pressed his hand together and bowed. "My name is Sevrin. I greet the priest from the Holy Temple of Terras. "

Helias, still not fully understanding the situation, pressed his hands together as well. "I-I greet the followers of the Temple. May you find strength within Terras."

Sevrin turned to the water sphere. "Perhaps you need some hel–"

Helias' eyes widened and he grabbed Sevrin's hands. "Yes!! The Goddess must have sent you to my side!! Praise be upon her! Let's work together!"

Sevrin's smile faltered for a second at the outburst from Helias, but he quickly regained his composure. "R-Right…"

—

The three of them seemed to be thinking hard, considering Sevrin's plan. He had taken no more than a minute or two to explain it.

Syris was the first to speak. "On paper… it makes sense, but I'm not sure if it can really be done."

She spoke as though the scene was unfolding before her eyes. "First, you'll shoot a [Wind Arrow], then I'll boost its speed and power using a Wind Vortex spell, and lastly or rather… first of all, Helias will bless your arrow with the Blessing of Resilience."

Sevrin nodded. "Exactly! Not too difficult, right?"

Syris sighed. "Sure… strictly speaking, it's not, but there are some issues. First, the Wind Vortex will need to be perfectly harmonized with your [Wind Arrow] or it risks either ripping it to shreds, or altering its course. Second… Can a priest even bless an object?"

Helias scratched the back of his neck. "I've done swords and shields in the past, but never an arrow. It usually works better if there's a strong connection between the object and the wielder. Still, I can try!"

Sevrin retrieved an arrow from his quiver and knocked it onto his bow. "You are correct in your first point. Ideally, we would need to spend some time tuning our skills and spells to each other, but that won't be necessary."

Both Helias and Syris looked at him with curious expressions.

Sevrin's lips parted. "[Predator]."

When Sevrin spoke the word, the air tightened. His pupils contracted like a predator's, blood vessels spiderwebbed across the whites of his eyes, and his limbs coiled with silent strength. No one nearby would mistake it: something lethal had just awakened.

Although a shiver ran down his spine, Helias did not appear to fully understand the change, but Syris' eyes widened. "By Terras… You're a Grandmaster??"

Sevrin nodded. "Yes… but I haven't been for long, so this form won't last, we should hurry." He turned to Helias. "Bless this arrow with all you have."

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Helias, though full of questions, did not bother asking any. He placed both hands on the arrow, and he began his prayer.

Meanwhile, Syris began chanting her spell without even being told to do so.

As for Sevrin, he drew his bow as hard as he could and he activated the [Wind Arrow] skill.

In a few moments, the entire thing was ready.

Helias had succeeded in bestowing a blessing upon the arrow about half as potent as he would have a sword or axe, Syris had created a powerful wind vortex between Sevrin and the water sphere, and now all that was left was for the young archer to shoot.

But that was no simple task.

For the plan to succeed, Sevrin needed to shoot in the precise location where his [Wind Arrow] would be able to siphon power from the Wind vortex and grow stronger through it.

In fact, this method could only produce incredible power in theory. In reality, it was much less efficient and reliable than simply applying a wind amplification spell onto the arrow directly, and Syris had brought this up during their conversation.

However, she was viewing this through the lens of someone who was in the presence of a 'normal' archer, which couldn't be further from what Sevrin was.

He was a Grandmaster who had achieved the fourth, and penultimate skill of the Archer class [Predator].

Skill : [Predator]

Rank : S

Level : 2

Rarity : Legendary

Type : Active

Description : The hunt has begun, and you will not let your prey escape.

Effect:

Heightened Instincts: Increases all five senses by 300%, allowing you to perceive even the slightest changes in your environment.

Predatory Surge: Boosts all physical stats (Strength, Agility, Stamina, Dexterity, Speed) by 50%.

With this skill active, shooting the 'perfect' arrow was a matter of course, not a challenge.

And so, Sevrin shot.

He shot an arrow that should not have been possible, an arrow that pierced through the wind vortex, using its momentum to propel itself at a mind-boggling speed.

It literally pierced through the air, and when it came into contact with the Water Sphere–

SPLASH

It burst into thousands of water droplets.

Syris and Helias took a few moments to fully register the success, but when they did, they erupted into cheers.

"W-WE DID IT!!"

They jumped into each other's arms.

Sevrin, however, knocker another arrow onto his bow. "What are you both doing?" He said, sweat rolling down his temple and with a clear strain in his voice. "We have two more to destroy before [Predator] becomes unusable."

Helias and Syris, still in a passionate embrace, looked at each other, their cheeks flushed, and they let go.

"O-Of course… As a follower of the goddess, I always repay my debts!" Helias managed to say through the embarrassment.

This was a turning point in the trial. Many had had the idea of cooperating, but before Sevrin, none had been brave enough to try. Hence, when the trio showed signs of serving as guinea pigs, those same challengers watched their plan unfold with a curious eye.

Of course, a faint shock traveled through the onlookers when the water sphere broke, but there was something much more important that needed their attention at that very moment.

What would the Trial Overseer say?

They all raised their heads toward the mage who had been given the task. A few moments passed, then a few more, and even when the trio had left toward another water sphere, the mage still had not said anything.

The first to speak was a blond woman wielding a greatsword twice her size. "...It's allowed! Teamwork is allowed!! I need a Fire Mage here!!"

Following in her steps, the arena erupted into shouts.

"A priest with a strengthening blessing!"

"Are there any swordsmen who can use Aura around!?"

"I'm a non-combatant, but if one of you helps, I guarantee I'll pay you back in the nex trials, or even outside of Colosseo!!!"

Money, influence, materials, weapons, power. The challengers in the arena offered everything at their disposal to destroy the water spheres before them.

Some alliances worked beautifully, while others… not so much.

A beastman from the canine family wielding a curved blade wiped the sweat from his forehead after finally breaking through his water sphere.

He looked behind him, toward another beast man from the reptilian family whose body was covered in scales. "The blessing of the Beast God, huh. I heard he was a lesser God compared to Terras, but there's nothing lesser about this strength!"

The reptilian man scratched the back of his neck. "Haha, yes. If applied on beast people, the effect is much more potent. In olden times, he was referred to as the progenitor of our people, after all."

Smiling, the canine man sheathed his sword, and began walking toward the exit.

The reptilian man extended an arm. "A-Ah, wait. I think you're forgetting to help with mine… since I helped you…haha."

The man from the canine family looked over his shoulder, and his face contorted. "Hah? Why would I do that?"

The reptilian man's expression hardened. "...B-But I helped you. Shouldn't you return the favor."

The canine man laughed loudly and looked at the reptilian man as if to say 'What an idiot'. Then, with a spring in his step, he walked toward the exit.

The reptilian man could only watch him leave with a look of utter despair in his eyes.

An alliance was based on trust, and there were many who could not be trusted. The reptilian man's story was not an isolated case within this trial, and a few fights even broke out for that very reason.

Perhaps that was why others, despite this newfound method to pass the test, still refused to work in groups.

One of them was Marco. He had tried hitting the water sphere with all his might, but it had refused to break. He had even used Aura to cover his fist, and that had still failed.

Of course, The raw power behind Marco's single strike, as the direct disciple of the Martial Emperor, could put both Felicia's and Elio's most powerful attack to shame in terms of sheer destructive scale, but this trial had been designed for the precise goal of rendering brute strength meaningless. A single water sphere was the work of several high level magi and one incredibly powerful archmage.

Now, instead of asking for help, Marco was attempting something on his own.

His veins bulged, his teeth clenched, and making use of his truly monstrous frame, Marco had wrapped his arms around the water sphere and he had begun squeezing it tight minutes ago.

'It's… going to work..!!' He thought.

And he wasn't wrong. It really looked like it would work. The water sphere was not meant to be overcome with brute strength, it really wasn't, but perhaps they had underestimated just how much brute strength Marco's body could exert, especially through this method.

He pressed on, and surely, through his effort, the water sphere would break… surely.

For her part, Hoshino was working with another mage in deconstructing the spell. It was a bold endeavor, considering that it had been reinforced against Disrupt, but there did not exist an endeavor that was too challenging for the Star of Justice.

"Just you wait, you meaningless ball of water. Soon enough you shall be spread on the ground, reflecting my splendor…!"

The mage beside her cringed slightly. 'Ugh… if I hear 'splendor' one more time I might Disrupt myself. Still, she's pulling her weight…'

—

Nearly two hours had passed. All those who had the ability to pass the trial had already passed it by this point and there were about half of the original participants left on the field.

Some had failed to break the water spheres despite cooperating, some had failed to find allies and a few still desperately tried to concoct new ways to vanquis it. Amidst all of these people, all these strategies and all of these schemes, there was still one person who had not sought help, and who had been striking the water sphere tirelessly for the two hours.

CLANG

CLANG

CLANG

CLANG

A human alchemist slumped to the ground. He turned to the man who had been incessantly striking the water sphere beside him. "Hey man, just give up. It's alright, we can't all be geniuses. Look at me, I even brought out a furnace in an attempt to concoct a mix that could interfere with the magic circle." He brought his thumb down. "Total failure, haha."

Verity ignored him, and he struck again.

'11'

Again

'12'

Again.

'13…'

And again.

'Damnit, another failure. Just what am I doing wrong…'

The alchemist lay on his back, and he stared at Verity with a pout. "Not like it's going to shatter just because you want it to," he muttered under his breath.

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