Kyle managed to keep himself composed as his gaze swept across the gathering, silently acknowledging that the people before him were nothing more than future corpses.
He was no exception.
At his current stage, there was no doubt he would be unable to survive the transmission.
His body would collapse beneath the strain, and the only way he could even consider the possibility of survival was if he reached the Elemental Vein Realm beforehand.
But even if he achieved that advancement, it did not guarantee more than a single day inside.
In the end, it was still a death sentence.
The precise time and day of the Breakout remained uncertain, but its nearness was undeniable.
He could attempt to flee the settlement as the beasts did, abandoning everything in search of safety, but escape itself was no certainty.
What unsettled him more was the sight of the two figures standing at the front.
...There was every possibility they already knew of this impending disaster, and yet they had chosen to keep silent, withholding any warning from the residents who trusted them.
Everyone around him likely believed they were safe within these walls, unaware that death was already moving towards them.
That, however, was of little concern to him. Their fate was irrelevant. What mattered was his own survival.
Even so, he could not afford reckless decisions.
Careful planning was essential, for beyond the settlement gates there were hundreds, perhaps even thousands, of beasts of varying types still migrating.
Attempting to slip past them would almost certainly end in his immediate death.
Remaining within the settlement offered at least a faint possibility.
If he managed to advance to Stage Two, and if fortune, which had never truly favoured him, chose this moment to change, then perhaps he might seize the smallest chance of escape.
'I should focus on reaching Stage Two and leaving this place. A real waste that I threw away fifteen essence cores, and I cannot even be sure this settlement will remain standing for another ten days...' The thought ran through his head as Colette's voice carried on, the woman finally drawing her lecture to a close.
"Now, on how to breakthrough," she announced with deliberate clarity. "First, I must repeat that advancing into Stage One is more difficult than advancing into Stage Two. Why is that? To reach Stage One, you must gamble your life, consuming essence cores and gathering roughly seventy percent of spiritual energy. That marks your entry into Stage One, but more than sixty percent fail to survive the process."
For Kyle, the looming threat of destruction was secondary.
This was the part of the lecture he had been waiting for. The path forward mattered more than any warning.
In truth, was finding that hostile manual not a twisted kind of blessing?
Without it, he might have died already, or else still been wandering the wilderness, starving and weakened.
Yet it was no simple fortune.
If he had not found it, he would never have travelled to another city in search of a Qi Condensation Pill, never crossed paths with that boss who nearly killed him, never been bound by the manual's reward system.
He would not have fought to survive a beast tide whose mind veil had lifted, nor stumbled into Na-Ri, nor reached this settlement only to find himself standing inside a time bomb.
"…I know most of you fear the breakthrough into Stage Two. Not because of the essence cores, which are barely needed at that point, but because of the near-fatal requirement. Only two of you have dared to attempt it, and both succeeded. So why can no one else try?"
Colette's gaze swept over Orion, then Na-Ri, and finally the rest of the gathered students, though their expressions remained unchanged.
They were still unshaken, withdrawn from the subject, as though even the mention of Stage Two drained the courage from them.
Kyle understood at once.
The requirement must be very deadly.
Most of them had probably reached the threshold already, but that single barrier kept them caged.
It had stalled him as well.
To him, however, their reluctance was idiocy.
His eyes lit with contempt at how foolish they all looked, standing paralysed before the same wall he intended to break.
'If they truly understood the doom closing in, they would not be wasting thought on requirements. But what did I expect from pampered fools who have never had to sleep with one eye open, wake only to run, scavenge scraps, and go days without a bite? They know nothing of hell, so of course they shrink from it,' Kyle thought with disdain sharpening his mind.
And he was not wrong...
Two of them, Orion and Na-Ri, had already broken through, Na-Ri even pressing towards Stage Three.
But their success had done nothing to stiffen the resolve of the others, who remained shackled by fear.
Just ahead, one of the students muttered to his friend with a scowl, "…Who in their right mind would attempt a breakthrough with such ridiculous requirements? I still cannot understand how Lady Na-Ri and that clown Orion managed it."
The friend only nodded in agreement without adding a word, turning back to hear what else Colette had to say.
Kyle had gleaned enough from that brief exchange.
These squids were not paralysed by fear of life or death. It was the absurdity of the requirements that kept them from trying.
Still, that didn't change his mindset towards them.
"I will repeat once again. To break through into Stage Two, the Elemental Vein Realm, one must have one hundred percent Spiritual Energy and full bodily readiness. That means the body must be modified to meet the standard." Colette's voice cut across the hall, confirming what Kyle already suspected.
His own body had yet to match the threshold, and the manual had punished him harshly for attempting to force more Spiritual Energy into his dual core.
She pressed on quickly, "The requirements are meridian elasticity within the body, generation of conduction cells which allow the body to sustain abilities, bone reinforcement, and nerve latency. With these, you can achieve breakthrough. I will stop here for today, and hope that some of you will finally take the step."
Kyle's eyes widened, one corner of his mouth twitching upward in a crooked smirk, as though he was balancing on the edge of madness.
'Ridiculous! Utterly ridiculous!' Kyle remarked mentally, finding himself, for once, in reluctant agreement with the others.
To be honest, the requirements were beyond belief!
How was he expected to achieve all that in so little time? In truth, how could anyone manage it even with years to spare?
If these were the requirements, then it seemed he and death would soon be waltzing.
Glancing at the two and at everyone else already in Stage Two or beyond, he recognised them for what they were.
Those two were monsters!
Complete monsters!
Colette stepped down from the front, walked past the students, and left the training ground.
After she was gone, the ruthless instructor took her place and raised his voice louder than the woman's had.
"Today, we are exploring a new martial art. However, since Na-Ri has just rejoined us, we will begin with a short spar. Nicholas and Na-Ri, step forward."