Sae remained silent for a moment, watching Lucas.

“Just… Lucas? He doesn’t have any kind of nickname?”

The thought crossed his mind briefly, but it was quickly swallowed by far more important concerns.

“All right… Lucas. An interesting name,” he said at last. “So… how exactly did you end up inside that snake’s mouth?”

Lucas looked away toward the creature’s corpse, his body still aching from the recent impact.

“I had reached a river a bit further back to drink some water,” he explained, his voice calm despite the fatigue. “But I ended up being attacked by more than twenty beasts at the same time. Obviously, I couldn’t defeat all of them.”

He paused briefly.

“Luckily… that snake showed up and got me out of there.”

Sae swallowed hard as he looked at the creature again. It wasn’t just its monstrous size that frightened him—it was what it represented.

“That’s a Brownscale Serpent…,” he said in a serious tone. “A demonic beast whose breath kills anyone within seconds.”

He stared at Lucas, incredulous.

“How did you survive inside its mouth?”

There was doubt in his voice. Not suspicion—pure astonishment.

Lucas steadied himself, stood up with some effort, and brushed the dust off his body.

“I used my Gift to stay alive,” he replied simply. “Anyway… I need to move on. It was a good talk.”

Lucas turned, ready to leave.

At that moment, Sae felt something tighten in his chest. It wasn’t physical pain—it was the quiet pain of realizing the crushing difference between them. Lucas’s strength… was on another level.

And Sae knew it. Alone, he wouldn’t pass this exam.

“Wait,” he said, almost on impulse.

Lucas stopped without turning around.

“I can help you.”

Lucas turned slowly, confused.

Sae took a deep breath before continuing.

“My backpack may look small, but it has enough food for at least four days,” he said, pointing to his back. “We can share food and water.”

Lucas watched him in silence, as if trying to see beyond the words.

“Why would you do that for me?” he asked.

Sae held his gaze, serious.

“Because I need your help,” he answered bluntly. “Together, we can deal with the beasts much faster. We help each other.”

Lucas looked away for a moment.

“I don’t need hel—”

The words died in his throat. A violent pain tore through his spine like a burning blade. His body reacted instinctively, muscles tightening as he clenched his teeth and let out a low groan.

Sae didn’t miss the opportunity.

“I also have healing ointments,” he added quickly.

Lucas remained still for several seconds, breathing deeply. Pride and reality collided inside him.

In the end… pain won. He sighed, resigned.

“Tch…,” he muttered. “Looks like I don’t have much of a choice.”

Lucas raised his eyes to Sae.

“All right. For now.”

Sae released a breath he hadn’t even realized he was holding.

“Very well… Now that we’re, in a way, ‘companions,’ I think it’s only fair that we share our Gifts.”

Lucas shot him a cautious look. Revealing one’s Gift to someone he had just met was dangerous. Every Gift had limitations. Weaknesses. And knowing them could be fatal in the future.

He remained silent for a few seconds, weighing his decision.

“There shouldn’t be a problem… as long as I only explain the basics.”

Lucas let out a restrained sigh.

“My Gift is unique,” he said at last. “It’s called Shackles Removal.”

Sae’s eyes widened. Unique Gifts were absurdly rare. Unlike elemental or non-elemental Gifts, which appeared in many people, a unique Gift was… exactly that—something that had existed only once in all known history.

There were no similar records. No precedents.

“Shackles Removal…?” Sae murmured, incredulous.

Lucas nodded.

“It allows me to remove the natural limitations of my body.”

“Strength, speed, endurance… it depends on which shackle I release.”

He briefly glanced at the snake’s corpse.

“To survive inside that thing’s mouth, I removed the endurance shackles.”

Sae swallowed hard.

“So that’s what it was…”

There was a short pause before Lucas continued.

“And you?” he asked directly. “What’s your Gift?”

Sae hesitated for a moment. Then, as if fate were mocking him, he answered with a tense smile.

“Mine is also a unique Gift.”

Lucas raised an eyebrow, visibly surprised.

“Another one?”

“Yes,” Sae confirmed. “But I think it’s better to show it than explain it.”

Lucas remained silent for a second. Then he turned slightly and pointed toward the forest.

“There’s a mini-giant nearby… How about you demonstrate your Gift by killing it?”

Sae felt the weight of the proposal. His hand instinctively tightened around the hilt of the sword at his waist. His heart raced. But after a few seconds, he took a deep breath.

“All right.”

They moved deeper into the forest. It didn’t take long for them to reach the spot Lucas had mentioned.

There it was.

A Forest Dwarf Giant, sitting casually while devouring the mutilated corpse of another beast. Its body was massive, covered in dense muscles and skin thick like tree bark. In one hand, it held a huge improvised scythe, still stained with blood.

Sae took a deep breath. Carefully, he moved to the creature’s side, hiding behind a thick tree. He crouched slowly, keeping his body close to the ground. His hand gripped the hilt of his sword—a short blade, small in size, nearly as long as his own arm.

His gaze grew serious. Heavy.

For an instant… Sae’s presence vanished.

Lucas’s eyes widened slightly as he noticed.

“That level of concentration…”

“He’s a born warrior.”

Then, without any warning—

BOOOOOM!

Sae shot forward.

His body turned into a red lightning bolt, tearing through the air like thunder. The charge was brutal, violent, and the sound echoed through the forest like an explosion.

“What an absurd amount of noise…!” Lucas instinctively covered his ears, feeling the shockwave vibrate through his bones.

Sae closed in on the monster at an incredible speed.

Too fast.

But too loud.

The Forest Giant reacted.

With a deep roar, it twisted its body and swung its massive arm.

BANG!

The blow struck Sae head-on, sending him flying like a projectile. His body cut through the air and slammed violently into the ground, rolling several times before stopping.

“Guh—!”

Sae spat blood. The impact had been brutal. Internal bones cracked under the force, and searing pain spread through his entire body.

“Aghh…,” he groaned, struggling to breathe as the pain crushed him.

The giant stood up completely.

Step.

Step.

Each movement made the ground tremble. The creature raised its massive scythe overhead, the blade reflecting the filtered light of the forest. The strike would come down to split Sae in half.

Sae tried to move. Tried to stand. Tried to activate his power.

But failed.

His Gift wavered, unstable, like a flame about to go out.

The strike descended.

And then—

SHRRRK!

The giant’s blade was intercepted. In a firm, precise motion, Lucas stepped in, cleanly severing the beast’s arm. The colossal limb hit the ground with a heavy thud, making the earth tremble.

The giant roared in pain. Lucas didn’t look at it.

He looked at Sae.

“Finish it.”

Sae nodded, still determined—

BOOOOM!

His body exploded forward again in a red flash, even more violent than before. The sound was deafening.

With a single horizontal strike—

SHRRRK!

Sae’s sword cut through the beast’s neck. The giant’s head rolled across the ground, its body collapsing moments later with a heavy crash.

Lucas frowned and looked at Sae, clearly irritated.

“What kind of shitty Gift is that?” he said bluntly. “You literally had a better chance of defeating that thing without using it.”

Sae dropped to his knees, his entire body aching. He brought a hand to his head and let out a weak, bitter laugh.

“I knew you’d say that…,” he muttered. “And you’re right.”

He stared at his own hands, clenching his fingers tightly, as if trying to force an answer out of them.

“I… I don’t understand the nature of my Gift.”

His voice came out lower. More fragile.

“I don’t know when it helps me, or when it holds me back.”

Sae took a deep breath, his ribs protesting with every movement.

“But I need to pass this exam,” he said, finally lifting his gaze to Lucas. There was desperation there. Real fear. “I really do.”

For a moment, silence fell between them. Only the distant sounds of the forest filled the space.

Sae clenched his fists.

“Lucas…,” he continued, swallowing his pride. “Please. Help me.”