Gomez didn't come from a rich family. He didn't have a family. He was nothing more than a bastard born on the streets of the capital. His mother was a prostitute who died from beatings at a brothel when he was five. His father was probably a nobleman, which is why Gomez had the ability of cultivation. He managed to feed himself healthily with the treasures his mother hid—stole—and which led to her death, and he worked as a woodcutter using his large body. He started cultivating by chance in this way.
He wasn't very talented, but he reached the Origin Energy Realm with the talent he probably inherited from his father. Even that was hard for him. He dealt with gangsters, beggars, and smugglers. But even so, by the time he joined the Gama clan, he had already started to leave his golden years behind and had wasted some of his potential. This was not a surprise. There were too many bad people in the capital. Most of them didn't even have the chance to stand out among other ordinary people. Even those who had to work really hard to get where they were, like Gomez, were different from the others. They didn't take enough opportunities.
That's why Gomez came here. He didn't know what would happen to him in the future. He didn't know what he wanted to do or be, but if there was anything he wanted, he could only find it by moving forward. By getting stronger and staying alive.
He had come here to become stronger, but now he understood that coming here was not a very good choice for survival.
Now, while fighting Evra and Malehit, he couldn't really think about these things, but as the wounds on his body increased, something inside him began to urge him on even more.
An instinct. It was calling him to survive. But this made Gomez want to fight more fiercely instead of running away. But if he ran away, he would definitely win this fight. He was the only one who could handle the cold.
But even in the middle of this fight, his enemies somehow survived. Gomez was much stronger than them. The only thing Evra was better than Gomez at was attacking. Although Gomez wasn't as fast as he could be at this stage, he was still able to deal Evra and Malehit a good beating. The two brothers were getting closer and closer to death because it was so cold.
At this moment, Ulam had pulled his legs up and was starting to feel very cold. His mind was growing weaker, and after enduring the curse of the third test for so long, he was starting to give in.
'Did this test... not want us to pass? Did it want us to tear each other apart?'
The air was getting colder and colder, and he wasn't sure he could survive while freezing faster than anyone else, let alone fighting.
These conditions would remain valid only if Ulam continued to stay here. The others were less affected than he was because they were fighting, but Ulam had no capacity to participate in this battle. He couldn't ignite his body with energy. But he could still move.
Ulam rose to his feet. In that moment, a vague clarity settled over him. His only option was to move forward. He had to finish the second test before he froze solid. He had to keep moving while everyone's attention was scattered.
'I thought the Fake Dragon was merciful to the young!'
His grandfather had told him that, before they came here, the Fake Dragon had shown mercy in the past—even to the young disciples of his own clan and other clans. He had said the Dragon was honorable.
But there was a problem. This was not the test of an honorable being.
And yet, Ulam had to walk. He had to tread this path and bring an end to the winter of this legacy.
He walked until he began to feel fine needles piercing his body. Before, he had merely been freezing. Now, he was reaching the limits of his flesh. He hadn't even covered much distance. His feet barely moved across the frozen ground, and each step came only after a long pause. Despite advancing as quickly as he could, he had not gone far enough to lose sight of his senseless companions—who had been fighting for their lives only half an hour ago.
"Am I… going to die… here?"
His teeth chattered violently, and he could feel his limbs slowly dying. If this test did not end—or if Gomez did not come to rescue him—then even if he survived, he might lose his limbs to frost and be left unable to cultivate ever again.
'Wouldn't it be easier to choose death? Stop walking.'
His inner voice—the same voice from the third test that had once pushed him toward death—was now far clearer. His desires were calling out to him.
But those voices had not always told him to give up.
Ulam took another step. His legs were shaking and his ears felt frozen. He could no longer hear the sounds of the battle behind him; he felt only pain and fear in his heart. He knew he had lost his hearing.
He was very young and could not suppress the dread rising within him. There was no father figure to protect him now. The reality of life was hitting him mercilessly, and he was losing much more than he had hoped to gain.
'No... Keep walking.'
Death would change nothing; it was a part of life. He could only keep moving to see what would happen.
So Ulam continued, fear still present within him. The voice of the third test did not fail to reach his heart, but obeying its commands felt utterly meaningless. All his fears would become reality the moment he stopped moving. Ulam did not dare to halt.
But he could not walk forever. He was human. Eventually, he collapsed onto the snow and ice, his whole body pierced with pain. With his eyes still fixed ahead, Ulam lay fallen amidst the winter chill.
On the other side, Evra was savagely attacking Gomez with his sword, though most of his blows went to waste. Meanwhile, Gomez's strikes were taking their toll, cutting into him; the blood froze instantly in the frigid air. Malehit had long since stopped moving. He wasn't dead, but his frozen wounds pained him so much that his wild instincts were completely dulled.
'Evra...'
Still, he could see his brother's fierce struggle against the experienced expert who was six levels above him. He was proud of him. At the same time, he wanted him to live.
Evra swung his sword once more. Its speed was formidable—certainly not that of a typical 1st level Core Realm cultivator—but despite this madness, Gomez remained patient against the onslaught and stepped aside. Evra was now exhausted. Gomez quickly realized his opponent could no longer move fast enough to close the gap. A smirk appeared on his face as he swung his hammer. The hammer struck Evra's waist; though it did not break his bones, Evra's sword met the hammer and pushed it away, reducing the force of the impact. Evra looked into Gomez's eyes. Those yellow eyes now seemed to envelop Evra's soul with a burning fire.
He was cold. He had sustained too many wounds and was no match for Gomez in anything but offensive power.
Still, he continued to swing his sword, even though he knew he would lose. He knew he couldn't turn back time. In the midst of the pain, Evra regretted rushing into this adventure so hastily in his quest to mature. If only he had been a little more patient at his father's mansion.
Perhaps Yahut had experienced a similar helplessness when he abandoned Evra's mother—perhaps an even more terrible kind. If Evra faced such helplessness, would he abandon his brother?
"This battle must end now!"
Gomez was reaching his limit. He had expended too much energy, and his opponents were certainly not weak. If Evra could land a direct attack, Gomez might even be split in two. It was a miracle he had only suffered superficial wounds so far.
He swung his hammer again, and this time Evra met the attack with his sword. But Gomez gave him no chance to rejoice. He instantly dropped the hammer and lunged at Evra's throat with his bare hands. It was a swift, experienced move. Evra barely managed to hold onto his sword as he rolled onto the ground with Gomez. When Gomez pressed a knee into his elbow, holding the sword no longer mattered. Gomez sat on his chest, choking him.
"You'll freeze to death here."
Evra's pale skin grew even paler. He could feel the last fragments of life leaving his throat. Death was approaching.
And yet, perhaps it was already there. Still, he didn't expect death to feel so warm.
"Warm... 2nd test..."
Gomez was completely focused on killing Evra. As he tried to strangle him with all his strength, Malehit saw the ice melting before his eyes. Not only that, the pain was subsiding.
"Evra!"
Malehit threw himself forward with all his might and collided with Gomez. The two rolled off Evra together. Evra clutched his throat, tears in his eyes, struggling to breathe. As he coughed and gasped, Malehit and Gomez wrestled on the ground. The ice and snow were melting, soaking them both. Despite their aching wounds, they continued to punch and grapple.
'The second test is over.'
Evra gripped his throat while glancing at the melting footprints. Ulam had succeeded.
At that moment, the voice announced the next trial:
"The fourth test is a struggle for survival. A struggle where only two shall remain."