Blood sprayed into the air as Trent’s left arm separated from his body and fell to the floor.

"Arrrrgggghhhhh!" A loud scream of pain erupted from his mouth

His right hand tightened on the axe, knuckles white, and in that moment, a red aura erupted from his body.

The aura was dense, kicking up a slight wind around him as he roared.

His body seemed to expand, his muscles tearing through his clothes.

His entire silhouette grew as the skill he’d activated transformed him into a giant, standing taller than anyone else on the train.

Lukas narrowed his eyes. This had to be the [Berserker] class.

Trent swung his axe down with a roar.

Unbothered, Lukas simply threw up three [Hex Shields], stacking them in front of him.

The blow hit all three in sequence, shattering two, but the third shield repelled the attack, bouncing it backwards and forcing Trent to take a few steps backwards.

Lukas dismissed the remaining shield and fired [Death Bolt] at the same time.

The bolt of necrotic energy hit Trent on his torso and sent him stumbling backwards. His enlarged body worked against him as he couldn’t stop the momentum of his stumble quickly.

But even if he could, he wouldn’t be able to stop Lukas. He dashed forward, closing the distance before Trent could stop himself and swung his sword.

Silence filled the room as he stopped behind Trent.

In the next second, a thin red line appeared across Trent’s neck.

Then his head fell from his shoulders, and the red aura died as blood spurted into the air.

Lukas reached out and activated [Pickpocket] as the body fell, palming the spatial ring from Trent’s finger.

He pocketed it, glancing up. It was generally ill-advised to keep spatial rings inside spatial rings, so he’d have to wait to see what he could sort from Trent’s ring before deciding what to do with it.

He turned to face the vault room.

The fighting inside was still ongoing with the players navigating traps and fighting each other simultaneously.

He chuckled as he took one step forward, then his hand blurred through the air.

Blood sprayed like mist, and a second later, the air ahead of him buzzed and cleared.

Master stood there, a dagger raised in his right hand, confident he could kill Lukas from within the cloak of his illusion.

Lukas glanced at his extended arm, which had pierced through Master’s chest before withdrawing it and stepping back.

Master’s body folded and hit the floor.

Lukas glanced away from it to study the vault room again. The number of contestants had dwindled. It was time for him to join the fight.

He began walking.

He crossed the threshold into the vault room at an unhurried pace, his eyes fixed on the vault door at the far end, and his foot came down on the first pressure plate without him breaking stride.

The hammer swung down from the ceiling.

[Hex Shield] appeared and the hammer stopped cold against it, a loud crack filling the room.

Lukas didn’t even flinch or break his stride, dismissing the shield as he kept walking.

The next plate triggered a volley of arrows from the left wall. Another [Hex Shield] appeared. The arrows scattered against it and fell.

The next sent a jet of pressurized flame across the floor. [Hex Shield] absorbed it without hesitation.

He kept walking.

One of the surviving players looked up from their puzzle, tracked his path, and decided that whatever he was doing represented a threat worth stopping. They moved towards him.

Lukas raised his arm without looking fully at them and fired [Death Bolt].

The necrotic energy hit the player and began its work. They stumbled, their movements slowing as the bolt ate into them, and someone else in the room saw the opportunity and beheaded them, finishing the job.

The fighting around the vault room slowed as they began to notice Lukas.

One by one, the remaining players turned and watched Lukas move through the room as if the traps didn’t even exist, blocking everything the room threw his way.

The aura around him was S-rank, the same as everyone else in the vault room, but something about it caught them off guard.

A confidence that shook their hearts and rooted them in place.

Nobody spoke or moved to stop him.

He reached the vault door, placed his hand against the surface and activated [Lockpick].

Something clicked inside the door, the sound reverberating around the door. However, the door did not open.

Instead of being discouraged, Lukas chuckled quietly.

The material was everything the conductor had promised. An Awakener ranked [Lockpick] skill couldn’t open it with a single activation, but it had unlocked one of the mechanisms into the door.

This meant it wasn’t impossible. He simply needed more than one activation of his skill to open it.

He activated [Lockpick] again, and another click resounded from the door.

He activated it a third time, but this time, three rapid clicks sounded in sequence from within the vault door, then the door swung open, revealing what was beyond.

There was simply a simple plinth which stood at waist height and sitting on the plain surface was a single key.

Lukas stepped in and picked it up.

The moment his fingers closed around it, every player remaining in the vault room disappeared.

Lukas blinked at that. He had no idea if they were alive or dead, but he knew this had to be the doing of the conductor.

This signalled the end of the game. He’d won the conductor’s game.

He stared down at the key in his palm.

It was small and plain, and its surface was dull with rust.

It looked as if it belonged in a forgotten cupboard rather than a game where people had died to claim it. Nothing about its appearance suggested value or significance.

Then a blue box appeared before him.

[Fate Key]

[Rank: Null]

[One chance to change your fate.]

He frowned. What the hell was this description?! It told him nothing about what the key was even used for.

He looked up, tensing as the conductor walked into the vault room, clapping politely.

"Well done," the man said. "Genuinely."

They stopped a few feet away. "For the remainder of your journey on this train, you are under my protection. No player, staff member, or passenger will be permitted to act against you."

"You have my word."

He raised one hand.

"Safe travels."

The Adept aura moved over him before he could form a response and the vault room disappeared.