SSS-Ranked Awakening: I Can Only Summon Mythical Beasts - Chapter 324 - 324: The Trial of Divergence II
The arena was alive.
Grrrrnnngg~
Below the floating platform where Dean Oryll had delivered his announcement, the sprawling structure of the trial slowly locked into place with the sound of stone grinding against stone and mana surging through ancient channels.
From above, it resembled a complex labyrinth of twenty spiraling tunnels, stairs, bridges, and shadowy gates—each glowing faintly with different elemental auras.
Wind howled faintly down one tunnel. Another radiated waves of heat. A third sat cloaked in illusion, its walls shimmered like glass. Some paths twisted toward the center; others curled outward like serpents.
But only four would lead to success.
Each team had fifteen minutes to strategize.
Damon and the others stood in their designated alcove, the faint hum of a shielding ward pulsing around them like a heartbeat.
A glowing diagram of the trial structure floated before them, conjured by the ElderGlow instructor who’d handed off brief, magically encoded instructions before retreating to the sidelines.
“Four paths lead to victory,” Celeste repeated, tapping the glowing projection. “Meaning three-quarters of these lead to traps, dead ends, or failure.”
Anaya crossed her arms. “And the test isn’t just to pick right—it’s to navigate them, survive them, and reach the core.”
“Then we split up,” Damon said.
Daveon blinked. “You sure? That’s risky. These paths aren’t just puzzles. Some will have enemies. Constructs. Elementals. Maybe even illusions strong enough to simulate death.”
“I’m sure,” Damon said firmly. “We’ve all trained separately before. This is exactly the kind of test where we don’t want to stick together.”
Celeste nodded slowly. “He’s right. If we stick together and choose a trap path, we all fail. If we split, at least one of us might succeed.”
Anaya glanced sideways. “Or we all die alone in separate tunnels.”
“I like those odds better than being roasted as a group,” Damon said, lips twitching into a faint smirk. “Besides, we’ll leave signal markers. If one of us finds a success path and survives the midway point, we leave a glyph. That way, we can double back and reinforce if needed.”
Celeste studied the map. “Then the question is—which paths do we each take?”
They all looked up at the floating diagram again. Each path was color-coded subtly—green-hued corridors for nature-imbued challenges, orange and red for fire and pressure-based trials, icy blue for elemental traps, violet for illusion, silver for magical resistance puzzles.
“I’ll take the violet one,” Damon said immediately, pointing to a swirling tunnel that radiated illusion energy. “My mind’s been tested more than most. I’ll know if they try to twist my perception.”
Celeste nodded. “I’ll take silver. I’ve trained in mana disruption fields. If it’s a suppression or endurance path, I’ll last longer.”
Anaya tapped the path glowing faint green. “Nature, stealth, maybe beasts. I’ll move silently and quickly. If I can bypass everything instead of fighting, I will.”
Daveon sighed. “That leaves me with fire and pressure. Of course it does.”
“You’re a walking volcano,” Anaya said, grinning. “Hot,” she added with a whisper.
“You’ll be fine,” Damon added. “Just don’t blow up the entire structure.”
As the countdown reached its final minute, the protective shield surrounding their team dissolved with a whispering hiss. The arena rumbled again as the entryways to the twenty paths slid open.
A low chime echoed across the Colosseum.
Dean Oryll’s voice rang out. “Let the Trial of Divergence… begin.”
The air thickened with mana.
Damon turned first. “See you all at the center.”
“Or in the infirmary,” Daveon muttered as he jogged toward his glowing tunnel.
They each parted in silence, peeling away toward their chosen challenges.
As Damon stepped into the violet tunnel, the world shifted immediately.
The sound of the arena vanished. Light dimmed. And for a moment, the ground beneath his boots felt like it simply disappeared.
Then—stone again. But not the same stone.
He was no longer in the Colosseum.
He stood in what looked like an abandoned battlefield, mist curling around piles of ash, broken weapons, and flickering, ghostlike silhouettes. Whispers echoed through the fog—familiar voices. Accusations. Regrets.
‘You failed them.’
This one sounded like his voice.
‘Why did you leave?’
‘You let her die.’
This one was Daveon’s voice.
Damon narrowed his eyes.
“Nice try.”
He reached to his side and drew a small blade, then stabbed it into his own shadow.
The illusions screamed—but didn’t vanish.
He stepped forward anyway.
~~~~~
Anaya – Path of the Wild Veil
Vines coiled across every surface.
Roots reached from the ceiling, tugging at anything warm. The air was humid, thick with magical pollen. Insects the size of fists buzzed in maddening loops, and the floor itself occasionally pulsed with hidden traps.
Anaya crouched low, her short sword drawn but unused.
“I’m not here to fight you,” she whispered to the jungle. “I’m here to pass.”
She moved like a shadow, weaving between tree roots and leaping silently across moss-covered ledges. Once, a mana-beast sniffed the air just feet from her—its crystalline antlers glowing blue—but she vanished into a tree hollow before it could catch her scent.
She moved forward and she did it fast.
Celeste on the other hand had chosen the Path of Severance.
The moment she entered, her magic died.
Celeste staggered.
She looked down at her glaive—useless. Her mana was… still there, but unreachable, like trying to grasp water through glass.
“Oh. So that’s the game,” she whispered.
Around her, metallic constructs emerged—not huge, but fast. Needle-limbed, sharp-jointed things with anti-magic wards etched into their skulls.
She rolled her shoulders and grinned.
“Fine. Let’s play physical.”
Tap!
She planted her boots, twisted into a low stance, and charged the first construct with a roar. “Let’s go blow for blow!”
~~~~~
Daveon chose to walk the Path of Flame and Pressure.
Bang!
He barely stepped two feet into the tunnel before it closed behind him.
Immediately, the temperature soared. Lava channels flowed beneath glass floors. Steam hissed from vents along the walls. Floating platforms hovered above molten pits, each one timed to rise and fall in maddening intervals.
“Oh, lovely,” Daveon muttered.
A blast of fire surged toward him from the side.
He raised his arm—and absorbed it.
The fire swirled around his skin, dancing into his core. This place was kind of perfect for him.
“Wrong guy, fire trap.”
He grinned, and sprinted forward.
~~~~~
High above, in the audience tiers, the crowd watched through projected magical displays, each one following one of the four representatives.
Dean Oryll turned to the other deans behind him and murmured, “They’ve chosen well this year.”
ElderGlow’s Dean, Godsthorn, gave a small smile.
“Yes,” he said quietly. “But the paths haven’t truly tested them yet.”
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