"Are all people born equal?"
That was a question he used to ask himself when he was younger. And the answer had always seemed obvious to him:
"No."
At birth, someone could be weak, sick, strong, fast, possess an absurd amount of mana, or even be a limitless prodigy. Even the place where a person was born could make a difference. Some people grew up surrounded by wealth and knowledge, while others had to work from an early age just to survive.
The only thing one could say everyone had in common was the fragility of babies. But even that had exceptions in that world. Once, he heard the story of a baby who was born with so much mana that he destroyed his own house the moment he came into the world. If everyone there had not been magicians, they would have died.
That was why his father always said:
"The world is unfair, son. And it always will be."
That phrase was never meant to make him give up. It was simply a warning, in case he decided to follow the same path.
His father had always wanted to become a great mage, even without possessing the necessary amount of mana. He pursued that dream with determination until the day when, while trying to save his mother, he lost all of his mana to a Nartheis monster capable of devouring mana.
From that day on, he retired. Not because he had given up, but because he simply could not continue anymore. From then on, he became an ordinary person and started working every day. Even so, he never seemed to regret making that choice.
His mother, eternally grateful for being saved, remained by his side. Over time, the two eventually got married.
He was born to parents who, despite being commoners, did everything they could to live comfortably. He grew up in a happy family and had a younger sister who clung to him every day.
His father was—and always would be—his greatest inspiration.
He trained every day while his mother watched him from afar with a smile, and his sister tried to imitate him beside him. Sometimes, that same question would return to his mind:
'Are all people equal?'
And he always gave the same answer.
To him, the world should not be equal. The world belonged to those who possessed merit. That was how even someone with little talent could surpass someone who had been born with much greater potential.
Because if he trained more than a prodigy who did not train, he could defeat them.
Of course, he also believed that if a prodigy trained as much as he did, they would eventually surpass him. So, in that case, the only answer was to train even harder.
To him, no one could defeat a prodigy without being prepared. It did not matter how great the difference between the two seemed at first. If there was a way to close that gap, he would find it.
And it was with that thought that he ended up being accepted into Astrong Academy, something his father had never managed to accomplish.
His father had only managed to enter an inferior academy, but he never stopped talking about how proud he was. His mother and sister celebrated behind him, sharing in that happiness. To Tolen, that moment meant more than simply entering an academy. It was the first time he felt that he was beginning to walk along the same path his father had once wanted to follow.
He entered the academy full of dreams and achieved a good ranking in Class D. He studied every day and tried not to attract the attention of those four nobles who often bothered the other students. He preferred to mind his own business and continue training without getting involved in unnecessary problems.
Until the day Enrico appeared before him.
At first, everything seemed strange. Tolen even thought that perhaps Enrico was a demon in disguise. And when Enrico defeated Kai, his first thought was simple:
"Another prodigy..."
But, over time, Tolen realized how much Enrico trained. He even saw him training late at night, before the guards passed through the dormitories.
That made Tolen gradually change the way he viewed Enrico. He was not simply someone with talent. Enrico trained as if he could not afford to stop.
Maybe Enrico was a prodigy. Maybe he was a genius. Or maybe he was simply someone like him.
The only thing he was certain of was that Enrico deserved to be strong.
That was what Tolen thought. And still thinks.
"I can't fall behind."
Tolen opened his eyes and saw Caelan protecting the two of them inside a dome, defending them from an attack that had almost broken through it. For a few seconds, he remained motionless, trying to understand what had happened. The force of that blow still seemed to linger around them, making him realize how close they had been to being hit.
When he looked at the zombie, he realized that it had changed.
Its arms were longer, extending far beyond what they should have, while its movements seemed even stranger than before. Its body was also covered in plates resembling earth, forming a kind of armor that protected almost its entire structure.
Tolen gritted his teeth when he realized that.
That was no longer the same zombie they had faced moments before.
The zombie, which had now taken the form of Terroclast, interrupted its attack and quickly turned around to defend itself against something.
"What happened?"
Tolen stood up, still trying to understand the situation. His head was confused, and for a few seconds, he could not organize his memories.
The only thing he remembered was helping Serenya pursue Enrico. After that, everything went dark.
Caelan was breathing heavily as he stood before him.
"You were hit after that monster transformed."
Tolen remained silent for a moment.
Now he remembered. The zombie had trapped him inside a dome. When he managed to get out of it, he received a direct blow. That was the last thing he remembered before losing consciousness.
Tolen spotted Sílvia and Valença unconscious. A little farther away, behind a nearby wall, Elian was breathing heavily, clearly exhausted after everything that had happened.
"That guy is the only one managing to fight it on equal terms. If it weren't for him, we'd all be dead."
Tolen turned his eyes toward the fight.
He was surprised to see Cris dodging one of Terroclast's attacks at the last moment. Then he advanced and responded with a direct punch to the monster's face, making its head snap backward.
Tolen's eyes widened.
'A prodigy?'
"You really are a little weaker than the red one."
The ground rose beneath him, but Cris jumped to the side before it could hit him. A punch came immediately afterward. He deflected it with the back of his hand and continued dodging Terroclast's attacks, keeping his eyes fixed on the monster's movements.
"I understand that you're angry, but could you calm down a little?"
One of Terroclast's earth-covered arms began to change shape. The mass of earth deformed until it took on something resembling a cannon.
The next instant, a beam was fired at high speed. Cris barely managed to dodge it, and the attack struck the wall behind him, opening a small hole.
"Everyone, he's using an earth cannon that absorbs mana from the environment to fire. Be careful."
Cris dodged another punch and took advantage of the opening to create some distance.
"Why doesn't Cris use his own magic?"
Tolen stood up while gathering mana. His body still felt heavy because of the blow he had received, but he noticed something strange.
He was recovering faster than normal.
He looked at Caelan.
"It's my water dome. It doesn't heal, but it helps with mana recovery."
Caelan simply explained quickly. After all, water magic was excellent for support, and that dome seemed to be helping not only recover Tolen's mana but also keep him in condition to continue fighting.
Tolen turned his eyes toward Terroclast.
"As for his magic, he said it's a type focused on combat."
Tolen had only spoken to Cris once, when Enrico sent him to retrieve him. At most, he had seen Cris from a distance a few times. He did not really know him. But, watching that fight, one thing was becoming clear.
Cris could face Terroclast alone to a certain extent.
Vanessa appeared from behind a wall and transformed the ground beneath Terroclast into mud. Cris took advantage of the opening and kicked the monster into the air, making it lose its balance for a few moments, and Elian advanced right afterward, holding two daggers.
"Double Wind Slash!"
Using one of his strongest spells, Elian moved in two directions at the same time and struck both sides of Terroclast's armor. Caelan dispelled the dome when he realized that both his and Tolen's mana had already recovered. Without wasting time, he ran to prepare another attack and, with his mana restored, unleashed an explosion that destroyed the hand transformed into a cannon.
Everyone attacked at the same time.
Five consecutive blows devastated the area, raising dust and destroying part of the surrounding terrain. However, before the smoke disappeared, Terroclast emerged from the middle of it and punched Vanessa. She was smashed against the wall, while the monster raised its other arm and tore a block of earth from beneath Caelan, trapping him against the ceiling.
Tolen ran to save him.
Caelan was essential to the group.
But Terroclast manipulated the earth beneath Tolen's feet and pulled him forward. Unable to regain his balance, Tolen was struck directly in the face by a punch and sent flying with a loud crash.
Cris let out a disappointed sigh and advanced. He kicked Terroclast in the neck and pushed him to the side, creating an opening for Elian to jump over him and attempt to pierce his armor with both daggers.
This time, the blades ricocheted.
"Damn! What is this thing made of?!"
Elian prepared to take the punch. Terroclast advanced with enough force to crush him, but before the blow could reach him, Cris appeared in the way and intercepted the attack. He spun his body and collided with Terroclast's armor using his shoulder, making the impact echo throughout the area. For the first time, a crack appeared in those earth plates.
Terroclast staggered back a few steps but did not fall. Cris was also pushed backward by the impact and planted his feet firmly on the ground, keeping his eyes on the monster.
Meanwhile, Tolen was lying on the ground.
The left side of his body was almost destroyed. Pain ran through his entire body, and he could barely move. One of his eyes had been lost, leaving his vision completely impaired.
Even so, his mind remained focused on a single person.
'Enrico... can I really reach him?'
The question remained in his mind as Tolen tried to stand. First, he placed one hand on the ground, then forced his legs to move. His body trembled, and he staggered as soon as he managed to stand.
He could barely see.
Everything before him was blurred, and the sounds of the battle seemed distant. Even so, Tolen raised his head and watched Cris and Terroclast continue fighting.
The two exchanged blows at a speed Tolen could barely follow. Cris dodged a punch and immediately countered, while Terroclast used the surrounding earth to try to restrict his movements. Even with all that strength, neither of them could completely dominate the other.
Clearly, they were the fastest ones there, even though one of them was heavier than everyone else in that place.
Tolen gritted his teeth.
His vision continued disappearing little by little, but he did not stop. If he stayed there, he would not be able to reach anyone. He would not be able to keep up with Enrico. He would not even be able to discover how far he could go.
Then he began to run.
Every step made his body ache, but Tolen continued advancing toward Terroclast. He did not know if he could hit it. He did not know if he still had enough strength to fight.
He only knew that he did not want to be left behind.
"I want to."
His voice came out low, almost lost amid the noise of the battle.
Tolen continued running.
"I want to be strong."
The three surrounded Terroclast, keeping a certain distance from one another to prevent it from attacking all of them at once. Each had a plan, and at that moment, they needed to execute it without hesitation.
Elian concentrated half of the mana he had left into one of his daggers. The blade began to vibrate with the accumulated energy as he gripped the handle tightly. Then, without waiting any longer, he threw it at high speed directly at Terroclast.
The dagger struck the armor and pierced exactly through the crack created by Cris's blow.
Terroclast reacted immediately.
It raised one of its hands and manipulated the earth beneath Elian's feet. The ground suddenly gave way, making him lose his balance. Since he was close to the abyss, he could not find anything to hold onto and began to fall.
"Damn!"
The situation was becoming increasingly complicated for everyone, and they could not even chase after Elian to help him because Terroclast stood in their way.
As Elian fell, Cris took advantage of the opening created when the zombie positioned itself in front of them.
He advanced without hesitation, ignoring the attack Terroclast was preparing, and struck the dagger embedded in its armor with his elbow. The impact drove the blade even deeper, widening the crack previously created by Cris and causing the dagger to pierce through another layer of the earth armor.
Terroclast retreated, as if it had finally felt the attack, but Cris gave it no time to react.
The monster tried to punch him, but Cris simply smiled. The next instant, he crouched down and let the blow pass over his head.
Terroclast's fist struck the empty space where he had been a second earlier, while Cris remained close enough to keep pushing the dagger deeper. It was then that the zombie noticed someone directly below it.
Tolen.
Even injured, with the left side of his body destroyed and only one eye to see with, Tolen had managed to follow the movement. His breathing was heavy, and his body barely responded to his commands, but he could still gather mana. He raised his hand toward the dagger and concentrated what remained of his energy.
"Magic Fire Explosion!"
The mana accumulated in his hand exploded all at once, directly striking the dagger and pushing the blade even deeper into Terroclast's armor.
The impact made the zombie's body tremble, while the crack rapidly spread across the earth plates. Cris noticed and moved away before the attack could hit him as well.
For a few seconds, Terroclast remained motionless. Then, a large crack appeared across its body and began spreading through its armor.
The earth plates began to separate, unable to withstand the combined force of the attacks they had received.
Terroclast was split in half.
The two halves of its body separated, causing a large amount of earth to fall to the ground. At the same moment, something was thrown out from inside it: its core. The small sphere shot out and fell to the ground, rolling for a few meters before finally stopping.
Tolen remained with his hand raised, breathing with difficulty as he stared at the core for a few seconds.
Even after everything that had happened, it was still difficult to believe that they had managed to defeat that monster. Cris also kept his eyes on the small sphere as silence filled the area for a brief moment.
Terroclast had finally been defeated.
Dizzy and weakened, Tolen walked toward the core. Each step seemed to require more effort than the last, but he continued moving until he reached the small sphere that had fallen to the ground.
"We did it. Now we just need to wait for the others to come back."
He crouched down with difficulty and picked up the core, holding it carefully. As he felt the object in his hand, Tolen finally let out a sigh of relief. After everything that had happened, that small sphere was proof that they had managed to defeat that aberration.
"We did it... What will my father say when he finds out?"
A weak smile appeared on his face as he looked at the core.
Then, before Tolen could even react, a blade pierced through his chest from behind. His eyes widened, and his body became completely motionless for a moment. The pain came immediately afterward, causing his breathing to falter as he looked at the blade that had pierced through his body.
Tolen slowly lowered his eyes, unable to understand what was happening. His fingers still held the core tightly, as if even at that moment his body did not want to let it go.
"Why...?"
Elian had fallen into the hole and, while plummeting, tried to regain his balance so he could drive his dagger into the wall and stop his fall. However, just as he was about to reach the surface, someone grabbed him.
His eyes widened when he realized he was being pulled upward. Enrico and Serenya were running through the air, moving toward him with enough speed to reach him before he disappeared into the abyss.
"You two?!"
Elian was shocked to see them.
"A new ability of mine."
Serenya said without interrupting her movement.
A platform appeared beneath Elian's feet, giving him support while the three continued advancing through the air. Still surprised by the situation, Elian quickly explained what had happened, telling them about the zombie's transformation, the battle against Terroclast, and the condition of the others.
Enrico listened attentively while continuing to advance alongside Serenya.
"Cris is very strong. Without him, we'd already be dead."
The three jumped between the platforms created by Serenya, advancing faster and faster. Elian was still trying to catch his breath as he explained what had happened, but Enrico seemed more focused on the information he was receiving than on the path itself.
"Well, he's Rank 121. I wouldn't expect anything less."
Serenya felt somewhat relieved upon hearing that. If Cris really had a higher ranking than her, then it made sense that he could fight Terroclast like that.
"Yeah. He has a very powerful combat magic."
"What?"
Enrico turned his head toward Elian. His expression immediately changed, and he accelerated even more, making Serenya rapidly create new platforms to keep up with him.
"What is it, Enrico?"
"Cris doesn't have close-combat magic. His magic is lava."
Enrico's words made Serenya and Elian accelerate even more alongside him, clear confusion appearing on their faces.
"Why...?"
Tolen's voice came out weak, almost devoid of strength. His body remained motionless, and blood slowly dripped from his mouth as he tried to understand what was happening.
"I'm sorry, but I need this core."
Cris was holding Elian's dagger, still embedded in Tolen's chest. His expression remained calm, as if this were nothing more than an unavoidable situation. Tolen looked at him in disbelief, unable to accept that, after everything they had faced together, Cris was responsible for that attack.
"Good thing only that Enrico really knew the boy."
Cris said with a smile.
Tolen continued staring at him, unable to hide the disbelief on his face. The pain in his chest seemed increasingly distant in the face of that revelation, while a single question remained in his mind.
Why?
"What? Didn't you realize there are six floors here?"
Tolen's eyes widened.
That's right.
Each floor had a guardian, and the last one had a boss. That meant one of them was still missing.
Tolen felt a shiver run through his body as he looked at Cris. Little by little, the answer began to become clear in his mind.
"So, Cris..."
Tolen lost his strength and fell onto his back.
"That's right. I'm the last one. The real Cris was already dead."
"Why did you help us...?"
Tolen could barely keep his eyes open. Even so, he continued looking at Cris, trying to understand why a Nartheis would help defeat those who were supposed to be his companions.
"Because I had a plan. And I needed someone. Thank you for helping me so much."
Cris replied calmly, as if he were simply finishing a step he had planned from the beginning. Then, without wasting any more time, he began swallowing the core he had stolen from Tolen.
The moment the core disappeared into his mouth, his eyes briefly glowed orange. Cris closed his eyes and remained motionless for a few seconds, feeling the energy of the core spread throughout his body.
"I only need a few seconds to evolve into a Level Two Zara..."
Suddenly, Cris raised his arm to block a flaming kick that came toward him. The impact was strong enough to send him flying backward, making him slide several meters across the floor before regaining his balance.
Enrico had arrived alongside Serenya and Elian.
As soon as he saw Tolen lying on the ground, he immediately ran toward him without even looking at Cris. He knelt beside Tolen and tried to stop the bleeding, pressing against the wound while quickly assessing his condition.
"Hang in there."
Enrico then conjured fire in his hand and brought it close to the wound to cauterize it. The pain made Tolen tremble, but he remained still, almost too weak to react.
Serenya raised her hand and used her control magic to help Enrico, trying to keep Tolen's body stable while he worked.
"Enrico... I want to ask for something..."
"Ask for anything! Just don't fall asleep!"
Enrico's face was filled with fear. It wasn't the fear of facing a stronger enemy or losing a battle. It was the fear of losing a friend. His hands remained pressed against Tolen's chest as he tried to keep the bleeding under control, but, at that moment, there seemed to be nothing else he could do.
Tolen watched Enrico's face and, little by little, his consciousness began to fade. His entire life passed before his eyes.
The memories of his childhood, his father, his mother, and his sister. He remembered the days when he trained while his father watched him, the words he had heard throughout his life, and when he entered Astrong Academy believing that, through effort, he could reach anyone.
'I don't know if he's a prodigy, a genius, or anything else...'
His thoughts turned to Enrico once again.
'His evolution is incredible.'
Tolen smiled weakly. Maybe he would never be able to catch up to Enrico. Maybe there was a gap he could never overcome, no matter how much he trained. Even so, that did not make him regret trying.
'But if I could wish for someone to reach the top in my place...'
Tears began to well up in his eyes. Even with his body completely weakened, Tolen still managed to smile.
"Tell my father I'm sorry for leaving first... and... get stronger... get stronger for me..."
The wound in his chest had already closed.
But Tolen closed his eyes forever.
Enrico remained motionless for a moment, as if he were still waiting for him to speak again. Then he shook him by the shoulders.
"TOLEN!!"