Sora stared at the notification in surprise.

  [Your teammate, Brodus, won a familiar duel. +500 Assion Points.]'I earn points from my teammates' wins too? I thought only the team viattered... So their performaually affects my final rating,' he realized, pieg it together quickly. 'Maybe I should help them train their familiars?'

  It dawned on him that this trial was desigo reward teamwork, pushing pyers to colborate rather than ignore each other. He g the Dark Elf, the Dragonborn, and Brodus, the Dwarf who had just won his duel. 'Maybe I work with these three,' he thought.

  Sora watched the Ice Dragon take position in the field, then turo his teammates. "If we want to maximize our points, we o work together."

  Klunor raised an eyebrow, clueless. "What more we do? We're already trainiween battles, and we 't really interfere with each other's fights."

  The demon race pyer opened his eyes, his sharp gaze studying Sora. "You're smarter than you look… Smarter than this stupid Dark Elf at least… Cooperatioo be… the answer… indeed… Do you have… tricks… up your sleeve?"

  The demon’s voice resonated deeply in the air, unpleasant in Sora’s ears, each few words drawn out with brief pauses that gave his sentences a unique feeling.

  "I help you max out the potential of your familiars and help win more duels," Sora offered, his fidence evident as he addressed the group.

  The Dragonborn, her eyes still fixed on her Ice Dragon as it cshed in the arena, turned her head slightly toward Sora, her intrigue evident. "It was to be expected... To be in Tier 1 despite being level 125, there must have been a reason. What do you want iurn?"

  "I want to know... Why are you attag humans?" Sora finally asked, voig the question that had lingered in his mind sihe war in Sweden.

  Klunor looked down, his expression hidden, and muttered, "We 't talk about that..."

  The demon spoke , his voice eg deeply, drawing out his words in his signature tohat's not... the question you should... ask us..." He paused, his smile widening. "You should wonder... what will happen after... you lose the war..."

  The atmosphere grew tehe others reacted strongly to his words.

  The Dragonborn, her gaze unwavering from her familiar’s battle, ched her fist so tightly that blood dripped down her fingers, trag dark lines on the floor. Brodus, his gaze darkening, turned away as if haunted by buried memories, his expression overe with unspokeions. Klunor flinched but quickly regained posure, his face hardening into an indifferent mask.

  Sora observed each of them carefully, pieg together the unspoken warnings in their reas. He locked eyes with the demon, surprised that he, of all people, would drop such a revealing hint.

  Expeg to see despair or fear in Sora’s eyes, the demon fouher. Instead, he was met with a calm, and curious gaze, as if Sora was analysing his every word.

  The demon's smile disappeared, his disappoi almost tangible.

  Sora’s mind raced. 'He says I should ask what will happen if we lose… But wouldn’t the system or the World just send everyone back to Earth? Or… am I being too naive? Judging by their reas, that seems far too simple an ending. If we lose, it must mean something far worse for humanity…' His initial question only gave rise to more doubts, but he pushed them aside to focus on the present.

  Bringing his attention back to the group, he addressed them. “I help everyone’s familiars get stronger, but we’ll o sign a tract first.”

  Brodus shook his head. “You sign tracts with us, Human, but don’t waste your time trying to sign deals with demons. They break tracts with little sequence. And if you’re revealing as here, he’ll make sure they’re leaked.”

  Sora was caught off guard by the revetion, feeling a surge of gratitude toward Brodus for his warning.

  Resolving to move forward cautiously, he addressed his teammates, “Let’s sign one anyway.”

  He moved ahead with tracts for the three reasoeammates, bypassing the grinning demon, who didn’t seem to mind being excluded.

  Turning to Brodus, Sora asked, “What’s your familiar’s progress like? Growth, Intelligence, and affe?”

  They began exgiails about their familiars, and Sora applied his personalized version of the [Nurturing] skills to boost each teammate’s familiar—except for the Demon’s.

  The duels between simirly ranked familiars dragged on, and every bit ress their familiars made seemed to have an impa the outes. Sora focused on providing all the support he could, making their familiars stronger aer prepared without directly using [Train] on them.

  He was especially cautious not to reveal his more unique abilities, like [Mana Evolution], which could be used to teach additional skills or elements, or [Eternal Body Craft] for refining their physical forms. Both skills were secrets he inteo keep for himself.

  After watg the Ice Dragon lose its fight and witnessing the Dark Elf’s victory, Sora saw the demon summon his familiar for the fourth match. If they won this duel, their team would secure the match.

  An enormous demon-like creature stood tall, releasireme heat. Though t at a dozeers, it had a humanoid form, with massive horns protruding from its forehead. Its skin glowed as if it was made of earth infused with flowing va. Bat-like wings spread on its back as it floated menagly toward the ter of the battlefield.

  Looking at the fire-breathi, Sora’s curiosity was aroused, and he quickly identified it as a [Balrog - Level 145].

  'It looks badass…' he thought, genuinely impressed by the creature’s aura. This was a beast that seemed designed purely for destru.

  While taking care of the various familiars, nurturing them as much as they could handle, Sora watched in awe as the Balrog demolished its oppo within minutes. However, rather than finishing the fight, it chose to spare the beateure, allowing it to recover.

  'This familiar is insanely powerful... And it's only tier 2? There 't be 400 beasts strohan this!' Sora’s mind raced, stunned by this possibility. 'This feels beyond what maximum nurturing alone could achieve. So the tier isn't a good way to pare beasts... Because the rank was determined based on the growth and intelligence. But the training, which is just as important, was not taken into at.'

  fused, Brodus turo the demon, curiosity etched on his face. "What are you doing? Why spare it?" he asked, clearly puzzled by the familiar’s behavior.

  Seeing the Demon ighe Dwarf’s question, Sora stepped in, "He's giving us time—to nurture all familiars. The trial probably has more matches, and it’s uo test us on a sich that could knock us out based on luck alohere are bound to be more rounds ahead. Spending time here might be the best way tthen our familiars even further."

  The other teammates looked at the Demon Pyer in realization. Perhaps the Demon was more of a team pyer than they’d thought, or that he just wao achieve the best possible ranking in this trial.

  As the duel's time limit approached, nearly an hour had passed.

  [Your teammate, Sollmunn, won a familiar duel. +500 Assion Points]

  I opened my eyes the moment I heard master's telepathic message.

  The battlefield was too cold for my taste, but I'll mahere, waiting for me, was my oppo—a massive beast, twice my height.

  'Master calls those big beasts... Dragons?'

  This one hovered just above the ground, its wings beating slowly, sending lightning arcs that spread across the field. Its yellow eyes locked onto me, dario fight.

  'Finally. A ce to test the power master granted me.'

  I rose from the ground, stretg my wings as I instantly appeared on my side of the battlefield. I looked over my oppo, studying its slow, heavy movements. It looked strong, maybe even strohan the fire-type beast that fought just before…

  The dragon made the first move, snapping its tail and sending a bolt of lightning right at me. I dodged easily, feeling the energy pass beside me. With a fp of my wings, I dashed forward, appearing just behind my oppo.

  I opened my beak, feeling the fire f within me, gathering in my chest before exploding outside, hotter than anything I’d summoned before. A bzing inferno shot through my mouth and ed around the dragon’s thick scales, engulfing it entirely.

  It roared, thrashing wildly as the fire stuck to his skin. This was my power, passed down through geions of phoenixes, a gift my master helped me train. My fmes could not be extinguished by someone weaker than me.

  I used my wings, to fan the fmes, watg as the dragon seemed on the break of defeat.

  I could see its thick scales reddening aing as my fire was nourished by the abundant fire and wind elements I was summoning and throwing at my oppo.

  Just as I was about to finish it off, my master’s voice echoed in my mind. 'Make this st an hour, su. We ime to traihers.'

  I pulled back, extinguishing the fmes, watg the dragon colpse to the ground. Its wings were in tatters, and its body y severely injured. 'I guess this is it ...'

  mimou

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