Kvran snapped and punched the ground.

  “FUCK!!!!”

  “Why can’t we even beat those

  bastards!!” he yelled. “And you—stop being a burden.”

  Stark frowned. “The

  hell do you mean burden? I was about to kill him, and it was your

  fault I couldn’t do it.”

  “Oh!! Really? If I didn’t save

  you, would that chance have come?” Kvran asked mockingly.

  Stark just sighed and turned his face

  away. He knew it was both of their fault. Their teamwork was lacking,

  and considering they were enemies, it made this even harder.

  I

  don’t

  want to die. Stark

  grimaced. I

  need to find a way to win.

  “If we improve our coordination, we

  can win.”

  “This is bullshit,” Kvran spat and

  got up. “I don’t care about these things. We will try once again

  tomorrow.”

  “Wait.”

  Kvran just yanked the chain forward

  toward the supply room to rest. He followed, knowing that words

  wouldn’t reach the knight’s

  ears.

  The knight retired without a single

  word.

  I

  need a plan to win…

  Stark thought.

  He sat down on the cold stone floor

  and closed his eyes to visualize the three fights he had against the

  twin guardians so far. They made up for each other’s

  flaws.

  This also meant he could learn Kvran’s

  flaws by observing the spear undead. He figured it would be useful

  for later.

  In

  the end, they were undead made of rotting flesh and bones,

  he thought. Rotting

  flesh

  As he visualized more of the fights,

  he realized there were many flaws in the undead. The main one was

  their limited use of muscles. Their muscles was too rotten and far

  less functional than that of a living human. It made sense that

  physically intensive movements, which put a lot of strain on the

  frame, would be difficult for them.

  If

  I can push them into such a situation, we can probably win.

  However, there were more variables at

  play. Kvran was not cooperating. He was a wild card—one that could

  cost him this trial. Stark needed a plan to deal with him.

  The boy spent his time replaying the

  fights in his mind and sharpening his senses. He lost track of time

  until Kvran’s crass voice

  broke through his focus.

  “Come, let’s do the trial.”

  Kvran stretched his arms. “Don’t mess it up this time.”

  Stark opened his eyes. He hadn’t

  rested, but he felt refreshed, his senses sharper than before.

  “….” Stark stayed silent,

  scowling at Kvran.

  They both took their stances, ready to

  fight the armored undead. With a screech, the spear-wielding undead

  charged straight at him, aiming to take him out first—it saw him as

  the weakest link.

  “This rotten bastard.” Kvran

  blocked the strike, stepping in between.

  Stark moved from behind, parrying the

  sword undead’s attack. Their

  blades clashed in a flurry of steel, sparks flying. He took a step

  forward, pivoted, and aimed a kick at its side. The undead promptly

  blocked it but was pushed back.

  It let out a screech as the spear

  undead also moved back to regroup.

  Stark was experiencing an immense toll

  on his mind. He was analyzing the movements of three people while

  fighting, actively predicting Kvran’s

  movements to position himself where they had the advantage.

  “Keep him occupied for a moment,”

  he requested. “I’ll take that undead out.”

  Kvran nodded briefly and accelerated

  toward the spear undead. A jab at its chest—the spear whistled

  past. The undead turned and planted a kick on his shoulder.

  The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  Pain exploded through Kvran’s

  shoulder.

  In the same instant, the undead

  brought its spear down. Kvran stopped the blow with the metal shaft

  of his own spear. His knees nearly buckled. Gritting his teeth, he

  twisted his weapon to break free and create distance.

  As the fight commenced, Stark moved

  swiftly toward the sword-wielding undead.

  They exchanged a flurry of strikes,

  sending sparks into the air.

  With a flick of his wrist, Stark shot

  a dagger at the undead, attempting to create an opening. It deflected

  the dagger, but in that instant, Stark closed in, bringing his sword

  down cleanly.

  The undead, clearly taken aback,

  stepped back. The blade grazed its chest piece, slightly cracking it.

  Stark kept up his momentum, charging at the undead relentlessly,

  pushing it back in an attempt to create an opening.

  His strikes inflicted damage, cracking

  the undead’s brittle bones

  under the relentless pressure.

  He was certain of victory in a head-on

  battle—until the undead proved to be more cunning than he had

  anticipated.

  It yanked its ally forward, throwing

  the spear undead into the fray. It quickly took cover behind its

  counterpart.

  Stark skidded to a halt as the spear

  undead slashed low at his side. He raised his guard, but it wasn’t

  enough. The impact sent him rolling several feet, yanking Kvran with

  him and breaking their momentum.

  “You little shit…” Kvran

  snapped. “Can’t you do one thing properly?”

  Stark ignored the pain, blood pooling

  at his mouth and Kvran’s

  yelling. He was too focused on the fight. That

  sword undead

  He got up, bracing for the next

  attack.

  A dagger shot toward Kvran,

  accelerating through the air. It pierced the gap in his shoulder

  armor.

  “ARGH!!” Kvran grunted, yanking

  the dagger out. His frustration boiled over. Blinded by rage, he

  threw the weapon aside and surged forward.

  Stark quickly followed, already

  predicting the next move.

  “You piss-faced fucks!” Kvran

  roared, swinging his spear in a brutal arc from low to high.

  CLANG!

  The spear undead was lifted off the

  ground by the sheer force of the strike. Kvran followed the spear

  wielder in a fit of rage.

  The sword undead moved instantly to

  cover its comrade, hurling another dagger at Kvran.

  ’s

  the sword one that’s finding the gaps. Without

  pause his sword whipped back up, parrying yet another probing strike.

  And

  another from the sword undead.

  Stark

  took a half step back, the dirty point of the undead’s

  sword coming within a hair's breadth worn-out leather armor. He

  twisted his hands. Borrowing the force of the undead parry twirl his

  sword overhead.

  He

  was too far back on his rear foot to cave in the undead's brain, but…

  The

  point of his sword ripped through the undead's rusty chest

  plate, completely shattering it. Cutting clean through its leading

  shoulder muscle. blood sprayed out from the wound, spilling free

  slowly. The creature was still primarily of flesh and bone. It needed

  muscles to move.

  Its

  arm fell weakly to its side, fully unusable.

  It didn’t

  stop the undead.

  Stark glanced at Kvran—he was

  forcing the spear undead back.

  Wasting no time, Stark turned his

  attention to the other undead and charged behind it.

  The shackle chain wrapped around the

  spear undead’s waist.

  “Kvran, switch—QUICK!” he

  shouted.

  Sensing the opportunity, Kvran

  switched sides with Stark. The chain tightened around the undead’s

  waist as they moved in opposite directions, crushing its bones.

  Then, the sword undead did the

  unexpected. It was unnaturally clever.

  It ripped off its own limp arm and

  jammed both its sword and severed limb between the chains before the

  spear undead could be fully crushed—allowing it to escape.

  “FUCK!!” Stark cursed, stepping to

  the side.

  Without hesitation, he ripped two

  daggers from his belt and hurled them at the spear undead’s

  legs.

  Both blades struck precisely, slicing

  through its hamstrings. Blood sprayed from the loose, rotten flesh.

  The undead buckled, stumbling

  backward.

  “DIE!!” Stark clenched his teeth

  and lunged, aiming for the spear undead’s.

  The sword undead stepped in between

  them, its blade still lodged in its own chest.

  It

  used its own torso as a scabbard. WHAT THE HELL IS THAT UNDEAD?!

  Without hesitation, it grabbed its

  last dagger and flung it at Stark.

  STAB

  Mid-charge, Stark twisted, but the

  dagger still found its mark—piercing deep into his obliques.

  Pain exploded. Flesh twisted. Blood

  dripped.

  Yet, he didn’t

  waver.

  He bit down hard and charged forward.

  The sword undead ripped its blade free

  from its chest, ready to defend its comrade.

  Stark’s

  sword lunged forward, its point aiming straight for the spear

  undead’s chest.

  The other undead swung to intercept

  him.

  Metal

  clashed. Sparks flew. Bones cracked.

  Anticipating the attack, Stark angled

  his strike to deflect the undead’s

  sword—redirecting it straight into its own comrade, alongside his

  own.

  Both blades pierced through the back

  of the spear undead.

  But he wasn’t

  done.

  With

  a cry of rage, he wrenched his sword upward, ripping straight through

  the spear undead’s

  skull.

  The

  undead’s

  body fell limp on the arena and the sword undead began to turn into

  ash in front of his eyes.

  Stark

  watched the rotten face of the creature shift into a grin as its body

  vanished.

  It

  moved its mouth uttering something inaudible to him.

  Huh!!

  What!!

  The

  undead’s

  bodies and the weapon vanished into nothingness.

  Stark’s

  injuries began to heal. The barrier was vanishing slowly. Kvran

  walked over as he witnessed something pretty crazy.

  The

  Room began to shift, unveiling a huge metal door with an raven emblem

  studded with red gems.

  Suddenly,

  Text began to materialize before them.

  [You

  have successfully defeated the Twin Guardians and completed the first

  trial.]

  [Rewards: Handy Backpack, Removal of

  cursed shackles]