On the other side of the glass, where Darius and two others watched Kaen's trial unfold, a mixture of shock and excitement filled the room. Of course, the excitement belonged to Darius, who laughed loudly and boisterously.
"Hahaha! I told you, I brought talent!" he crowed, clearly thrilled by Kaen's performance.
The woman beside him, her eyes fixed on the footage, smiled faintly. "Now this is interesting," she remarked, her voice laced with intrigue.
"Indeed it is, sister," the man next to her agreed, leaning forward as the display continued. None of them had anticipated this. They had expected Kaen to be another one of Darius's overhyped recruits—someone who showed promise only to fizzle out under pressure. Yet here he was, surpassing all expectations.
"You see?" Darius chuckled again. "I've got an eye for talent! Hahaha!"
The woman, ignoring his boasting, added, "I thought the only real contender we had to watch this year was the girl from the Portman family... but this is a surprise."
Her shock was evident as her eyes followed Kaen's movements on the screen. It wasn't just his raw talent but the way he handled each challenge with a combination of instinct and tenacity.
"And it's not just him," her brother chimed in. "The other two are proving themselves to be quite exceptional in their own right."
"Looks like this year is turning out better than expected," the woman mused, casting a glance at Darius, who was still glued to the footage, practically buzzing with excitement.
Meanwhile, on the trial floor, Kaen was sprawled on the ground, breathing heavily, trying to catch his breath. Sweat poured down his face, and he stared up at the sky, still in disbelief that he had survived this far.
"Shit," he muttered, utterly exhausted. He had expected the shadow beasts to swarm in greater numbers as the rounds progressed. Instead, after the second wave, the difficulty spiked in a different way—the beasts became stronger, more ferocious. The sheer force of them had pushed him to his limits, but after the grueling fourth round, he was finally granted a brief respite.
"I thought I was going to die," Kaen muttered to himself. Though he could feel the increase in his strength, he wasn't eager to face another round any time soon.
As he lay there, the AI's voice chimed in, dragging him from his weary thoughts.
[Your three-hour trial period is over. You will now be transported to another room.]
With a groan, Kaen hauled himself up, knowing he couldn't rest for long. The next trial was coming.