### **Trial 2: The Silent Hunt**
The world shifted again, but this time, it wasn't just a change of scenery—it was a descent into something ancient, something alive. The damp alleyway dissolved into a sprawling ruin, its stones weathered by centuries of neglect. Raven stood atop a cracked stone path, his boots barely making a sound as he adjusted his stance. The air was thick with the scent of moss and decay, and the faint hum of bioluminescent fungi cast an otherworldly glow across the ruins. The silence was oppressive, as if the temple itself was holding its breath.
Then, the chime rang.
---
**[Hidden Quest Updated: The Forgotten Trial – The Silent Hunt]**
**Objective:** Eliminate 10 targets without being detected.
**Bonus:** Complete the trial within 30 minutes for an additional reward.
**Skill Proficiency:** Increased proficiency gain for successful stealth kills.
---
Raven's grip tightened around his dagger, its hilt cool against his palm. This wasn't a test of endurance like the first trial. This was a test of precision, patience, and perfection. He crouched low, his movements fluid as he merged into the shadows. His heartbeat slowed, his breath steady. The hunt had begun.
---
### **The Hunters and the Hunted**
A flicker of movement ahead caught his eye. These weren't the mindless Shadowspawn from before. These were **Wraith Sentinels**—ghostly figures clad in ancient, tattered armor. Their faces were hidden beneath helmets, their glowing violet eyes sweeping the ruins with eerie precision. They moved with purpose, their steps deliberate, their weapons gleaming faintly in the dim light.
A system prompt materialized.
---
**[Wraith Sentinel]**
**Level:** 3
**Abilities:**
- **Enhanced Hearing:** Can detect subtle sounds within a 15-meter radius.
- **Darkvision:** Can see in low-light conditions.
- **Group Awareness:** If one is alerted, all will respond.
---
Raven's smirk faded. **Darkvision** meant the shadows wouldn't guarantee safety. **Enhanced Hearing** meant even the faintest mistake—a misstep, a rustle of fabric—would give him away. And **Group Awareness** meant a single slip could turn this trial into a death trap.
The odds had changed.
But so had he.
---
### **First Blood**
Raven stalked his first target, moving low and slow, his footfalls lighter than falling dust. The Wraith Sentinel paced along a broken archway, its armor faintly clinking as it turned its head, scanning the darkness. It wasn't blind. It was hunting.
Raven reached into his palm. A faint green-black mist curled around his fingers, forming a thin, pulsing projectile—**Poison Dart**. The energy felt volatile, like liquid venom twisting in his grasp. He took a quiet breath, steadied his aim, and flicked his wrist.
The dart whispered through the air, barely disturbing the stillness.
It struck the Wraith just below the neck.
The effect was instant.
The Wraith stiffened, a faint violet glow pulsing from the impact site. A slow paralysis crept through its limbs. It staggered, struggling to lift its weapon.
Raven didn't waste a second. He darted forward, dagger flashing. A clean, silent stab to the throat.
The Wraith collapsed.
No sound. No alarm. Just silence.
Then—the chime.
---
**[Silent Kill – Bonus Proficiency Gained!]**
- **Stealth Proficiency:** +15 → (15/300)
- **Backstab Proficiency:** +15 → (15/300)
- **Poison Dart Proficiency:** +5 → (5/100)
---
One down.
Nine to go.
And the others had no idea.
---
### **The Perfect Hunt**
Raven became a shadow. His movements were precise, calculated. He moved like a predator, his senses heightened, his mind sharp. The ruins were his hunting ground, and the Wraiths were his prey.
Another Wraith passed beneath a collapsed column, its head slowly turning as it surveyed the ruins. Raven waited, his body coiled like a spring. He could feel the beat of his own pulse, the tension in his limbs. He exhaled softly, then struck.
**Poison Dart.**
The second Wraith froze, its reaction slower than before. Raven had aimed for the spine this time, sending the venom deeper into its form. It barely had time to react before his dagger found its mark.
Another chime.
---
**[Stealth Proficiency:** +20 → (35/300)]
**[Backstab Proficiency:** +20 → (35/300)]
**[Poison Dart Proficiency:** +10 → (15/100)]
---
One after another, they fell.
A strike to the throat.
A stab to the spine.
A silent disappearance into the night.
Each **Poison Dart** was used strategically—slowing, weakening, crippling before the final blow. Raven's confidence grew with each kill, but so did his caution. The Wraiths were adapting.
---
### **The Adaptation**
Twenty minutes passed. Only three Wraiths remained.
And they had noticed.
The last three moved in a tight formation, their heads snapping to every sound, their grips on their weapons tightening. They weren't patrolling anymore. They were searching.
Raven crouched behind a crumbling pillar, his mind racing. A direct kill was too risky now. If he struck one, the others would react instantly. He needed a distraction.
---
### **The Final Kill**
Raven positioned himself atop a broken pillar, watching the Wraiths converge. He exhaled softly, then aimed his **Poison Dart**—not at the Wraiths, but at a nearby pile of debris.
The impact sent a faint crack through the air.
The Wraiths turned—blades drawn, advancing toward the sound.
Raven moved.
A step into the shadows. A blur of motion. A dagger to the throat of the last one in line.
Before the others could react—he was already gone.
Another kill. Another step deeper into the hunt.
The second Wraith barely had time to turn before Raven struck again.
The last one tried to react—too late.
A final, lethal stab to the heart.
Silence.
The last Wraith collapsed.
The ruins faded.
The chime rang one final time.
---
### **Trial Complete**
Raven stood alone in the alley, his breath calm, his body still. The weight of the battle hadn't slowed him. The system prompt materialized before him.
---
**[Trial Complete: The Forgotten Trial – The Silent Hunt]**
**Objective:** Eliminate 10 Targets Without Detection – **COMPLETE**
**Bonus Objective:** Completed Within 30 Minutes – **BONUS REWARD UNLOCKED**
**Final Skill Growth:**
- **Stealth Proficiency:** +100 → (135/300)
- **Backstab Proficiency:** +100 → (135/300)
- **Poison Dart Proficiency:** +40 → (55/100)
---
**New Reward Unlocked!**
**[Item Acquired: Wraith Cloak]**
A ripple disturbed the air. A dark cloak materialized before him—woven from shifting shadows, its surface flickering between reality and the void. A new prompt appeared.
---
**[Wraith Cloak]**
**Type:** Equipment (Cloak)
**Effect:**
- Enhances Stealth effectiveness.
- Reduces sound by 50%.
- Grants brief invisibility when standing still.
---
Raven lifted the cloak, the fabric impossibly light, almost like wearing the night itself. He draped it over his shoulders, feeling its power settle around him. It was a perfect reward for a perfect hunt.
The system was testing him.
But he was thriving.
And this was only the beginning.
---
### **Epilogue: The Shadow's Edge**
As Raven adjusted the Wraith Cloak, he felt a subtle shift in the air. The alleyway seemed darker, the shadows deeper. He glanced at his hands, now faintly shimmering with the cloak's power. The trial had pushed him to his limits, but it had also revealed his potential.
He wasn't just surviving the trials. He was mastering them.
And somewhere, in the depths of the system, something stirred. A presence, ancient and watchful, had taken notice.
The hunt was far from over.