The forest grew increasingly gloomy, and the thick air made Arina feel a chill run down her spine. The deeper she ventured, the colder the feeling became. All sounds seemed to be swallowed up by the silence, leaving only the sound of their footsteps echoing steadily in the darkness. Suddenly, a rustling sound from a nearby bush made Arina flinch. She immediately stopped, looking around, on alert. A sense of danger quickly surrounded her as she thought, Another monster, huh?

She quickly drew a magical circle to see through the surroundings. In the blink of an eye, she spotted a monster lurking, its red eyes peering through the thick branches. The feeling of danger intensified, but Arina forced herself to stay calm, not allowing fear to take control.

Yui, standing beside her, immediately drew her sword, determined to eliminate the monster. "Be careful!" Arina called out, but Yui didn’t hear, already charging toward the creature. Arina’s mind raced, and she realized that only one of her spells could help Yui in this moment.

Arina quickly raised her hand and began casting a supporting spell. However, in her haste, she lost precious seconds. Those seconds felt like an eternity, and when she finally finished the spell, she realized that her magic had no effect. Worse, her spell seemed to make the monster even more aggressive. It roared and lunged toward Yui. Fortunately, Yui managed to cast a low-level protective spell just in time, shielding herself from the monster’s fierce attack.

Arina exhaled in relief, but quickly realized that the situation was far from simple. Yui, though exhausted, remained determined to face the creature. Arina hastily said, "Can you wait for me for just a moment?" She quickly grabbed a nearby branch and began drawing a complicated magic formation. She didn't have much time left, and any further delay might cost them the opportunity.

Once the formation was complete, she shouted, "Activate!" A pale green mist slowly materialized, spreading through the air and enveloping the monster. After a moment, the creature let out weak howls, gradually dissipating into the air as if it had never existed. Arina let out a sigh of relief, feeling that one challenge was over, but she couldn't forget the resolute expression on Yui's face.

Arina thought to herself, I didn’t expect my skill of reading character information could help me find the monster’s weak spot. She smiled with a sense of pride, but her gaze was fixed on Yui, who was panting and clearly exhausted.

Before she could speak, a moment later, her brother and a group of mages arrived. Her brother looked at her and immediately asked, "Arina, did you see a monster emitting an ominous aura? This monster is infected with dark magic; I can feel the strange atmosphere here."

Just then, one of the mages shouted, "Isn't this the magic stone from that monster?" Everyone turned to look, and one mage was holding a dark magic stone, its strange light emanating from it. Her brother quickly asked, "You two were so powerful, why didn’t you take more care to protect yourselves?"

A mage in a white robe stepped forward and explained, "This monster accidentally entered the testing area. At first, we thought it was weak and didn’t pay attention to it, but it wasn’t until the patrol mages discovered its dark magic infection."

He paused for a moment and continued, "Now, both monsters are exhausted. You two should rest. We’ll hold an emergency meeting about this situation."

Yui immediately asked, "If that’s the case, do we pass the test?" Another mage nonchalantly replied, "If you didn’t pass, then too bad."

Yui and Arina exchanged a glance, both feeling uneasy but not saying much more. They were both tense, but there was also an unspoken worry. Yui spoke up, "Well, I’ve been injured anyway."

After a while, Arina and Yui stepped outside, finding a quiet place to rest. Everything around them seemed to have calmed down, but the feeling of exhaustion still lingered. Arina looked at Yui and softly said, "Thank you for accepting my invitation, Yui. You don’t need to worry; I believe you're stronger than you think."

Yui gave a soft smile, her eyes carrying a hint of sadness. "Thank you, Arina. But I still feel like I’m not strong enough."

When Arina got home and collapsed onto her bed, she began to drift off to sleep. But just as she lay still, a voice echoed in her mind: "The real trial is just beginning." The words jolted her awake, and she realized that the real challenge had only just started.