But...where do I start?
Twisting my body around, I placed my left foot perfectly inside another footprinted rock to the left.
However, with the pressure of the water, it was extremely hard to retrieve any of my feet.
Biting my lip, I yanked my right foot out, almost falling backward and meeting my end under the waterfall.
Barely managing to keep my balance, I kicked my right leg, toe first, to the right and landed it within another footprinted rock.
...it's like a game of Twister.
Awkwardly, I lifted my left leg, pivoting my weight onto my right foot, and slid my left foot ahead, locking it into place just in front of the right.
Now lunging sideways, I awkwardly glanced at the now 46 remaining footprint-imprinted stones.
Am I doing this right...?
Is there some secret order? Do I go right or left around the circle?
Despite my confusion, I had no choice but to continue, placing my right foot on another rock.
I'll go around, from right to left, and only use each rock once.
...
...
...
After a grueling two hours, I raised my legs one last time and leaped into the air, landing with my right foot in front.
One...complete circle.
Heavily panting, I leaned down and massaged my calves, which were burning like fire, sending sharp jolts of pain through my body every time I moved.
Reaching the exact rock my foot and initially been stuck in, I sighed and looked around.
Nothing had changed.
Having a heavenly-sealed tome, one of the less than fifteen in the world currently, simply lying under a waterfall probably seemed too unbelievable.
So, because I hadn't created a challenge to obtain the Taoist art, it seems that the world had made one in my place.
At least, it isn't a monster-slaying one...I believe to obtain the Legalism art, he had to defeat 100 rounds of demonic beasts, proving his loyalty to authority.
Another hour passed, then another...until finally, I lost track of time.
I had long ago thrown my tablet out of my pocket into the water, alongside everything that weighed me down in the water.
Though if I had to guess...I'd say it had been at least nine hours.
The skin on the soles of my feet was completely torn apart, revealing the bone, and blood constantly leaked out, like water out of the pyramid wall, painting the ocean a purple.
The only reason I hadn't passed out from pain was the rich mana-infested air of the pavilion, keeping me just on the brink of consciousness.
At this point, the bottom of my feet were completely numb; I couldn't even feel the rough and hard stone below my feet.
But muscle memory had taken place.
I knew the position of every footprint on every rock.
Closing my eyes, I gracefully leaped forward, landing my right and left feet perfectly within the footprints.
15 minutes.
That was how long it now took me to complete a full circle around the stones.
Around 3 minutes per rock.
Looking down, I couldn't even see the rocks anymore, as heaps of blood clouded the previously clear water.
A sharp spark of pain ignited every time I landed on one, my bone directly touching the stone, but I continued.
Even as I stood still, resting and catching my breath, bursts of pain consistently surged up my legs and through my entire body.
Why...why am I doing this to myself?
Why...don't I just leave?
The faint image of a familiar elf suddenly flashed across my vision.
It was too...late.
The elves had probably taken off with the castle's treasure already, and within hours, the humans would find out.
Complacency was no longer an option.
A happy ending was never guaranteed.
I should have known that from the moment I had seen the fortress's flag disabled.
This world was not perfectly following my book.
If I wanted to survive, I had to grow powerful.
And, with my stats limited by my D-rank potential, martial arts was the only option.
But...why did I want to survive?
Only one reason appeared in my mind.
My book.
If this world perfectly followed the final draft of my book, I could have left long ago and had the time of my life exploring the world.
Yet...it wasn't.
Perhaps it was my lingering regrets from my past life on Earth, but I wanted to see my book...enjoyed.
And this world was now my book.
Everyone here was my creation.
As the author, it was my responsibility to ensure a peaceful conclusion for them.
My right foot inadvertently jerked forward and flew through the water, as if it were air, landing on another rock and pulling my left foot with it.
My mind was blank.
Without any input from my brain, my legs simply moved while I watched, like a spectator.
Perhaps...there wasn't an order to follow.
Maybe I had to create the order.
Retaking control of my body, a bitter smile on my face as my feet surged with pain, I suddenly veered off my usual path rightward around the circle.
Leaping into the middle of the circle and onto the few rocks under the waterfall that had no footstep marks, I glanced down.
The water was clear, not yet tainted by my blood.
I was the author.
Why was I following these footsteps?
It was my job to create.
What did I want to create?
A dance to encapsulate all the pain within my body?
No... persistence.
A dance of perseverance.
My goal was to give this world a happy ending...and my body would suffer whatever it needed to make it happen.
This wasn't just a dance...it was an oath.
Whenever I felt like giving up, I would remember this moment.
A promise to myself that I would do whatever it took.
For the first time, as I leaped into the air, my entire body left the water.
My feet hovered above the water's surface for a brief moment before plummeting.