Kaios currently stood on the edge of the second stairway of hovering platforms, leading upward, as the path toward the second island.
His shirt clung to him, soaked with sweat, dust covering across his arms, and a thin cut on his cheek, where a small fragment of stone had grazed him. He exhaled sharply, relaxing his shoulders, as he rolled them.
Above his head, the timer had already been reset to the fifteen minutes, and the two crimson hearts floated beside it.
"Tch…" He clicked his tongue, staring at the distant clouds, covering the platforms⁴. "Fifteen damn minutes of hell, just on that first island."
As always Raion was bursting his ass off in laughter, but this time another one joined with him, it was none other than the cute, little golden fairy Clement.
Her sharp and carefree laughter echoed all over the trial "Pfftt.. hahaha" she was laughing while holding her belly above her small cloud. "Kaios looked all serious— then whoosh, he fell!! Now Kaios looks dusty."
Kaios ignored her and her laughter throughout the trial, but his jaw tightened. The images of the misery he went through the first island flashed in his mind, whether he wanted it or not.
After his first fall, it made him realize the danger of Devouring Maw. It made him cautious, so after that all his steps were measured.
But if that had been all there was to it, he wouldn't have spent fifteen long minutes step his way forward… nor would be have heard the fairy's mocking laughter till the Island.
Each time he retraced his previous step, after being sent to the start of island, and each time he met with a new peril. Even though he made the marks to track the step, he couldn't cross it without stumbling twice there.
Sometimes, when he fell at one place, because a sudden maw opened beneath his feet, in the next attempt there rose a wall in front of him, blocking his path and pushing him back.
Other times, after crossing an apparently safe stone, from it shot out a sudden earth tongue at him, grabbing him by the waist and yanking him toward the abyss.
Then there was times, when he used the property of Gravistone to anchor himself on a wall, well that also didn't go as per his idea, cause the wall cracked apart in the next instant, collapsing and taking him down with it.
As Kaios thought about that, he let out a humourless chuckle, while shaking his head. "…Fifteen minutes, and the island still played me like a fool." Then he gazed at the horizon of clouds at the second island. "Now to see, how the second island will treat me."
With that, he stepped onto the first hovering platform. But the very instant his foot touched it, the massive slab shifted—tilting upright, as a vertical wall, and was about to hurl him sideways.
But Kaios's instincts rang at once, which was even futher sharpened by the mishaps from the first island. He launched himslef off to the air, then twisted himself in midair, and slammed on the other side of the platform.
His Gravistone pull property started to work, anchoring him fast, and locking his body to the surface, before the platform could hurl him further to the sideways and cost him another life of his.
Then as sudden as it shifted, it came back to his original position, Kaios who was also on the other side, positioned himself on the platform. He steadied his breath, his eyes scanning the next few platforms.
Nuh..uh I am not going to fall for this disgusting tricks anymore.
Kaios said in his mind, while a determined expressions appeared on his face, he already developed a technique that will help him, migrating this traps.
With this, Kaios leapt from the ground, using the repulsion property of Gravistone— his body shooting upward with so much speed that his figure blurred, when seen from below.
For the next hour, a lone figure was seen bouncing across the endless strech of floating platforms, from one to another with momentum that doesn't seem to be in human capabilities, while appearing as a monkey.
Each leap from Kaios carried him like a cannonball, sometimes going so high that his figure disappeared into the clouds, before crashing back down on a platform with a thunderous sound.
But it wasn't always so easy. There were many hurdles on his path, each one waiting for the slightest lapse in his guard to take away one of his life hearts.
One moment, the slab he aimed to land for, was rippled like water just as he touched it, his foot sunk a half a step, as it tried to swallow his leg whole. Though he kicked off instantly, blasting a force of repulsion downward, escaping with only a slight shoe damge.
Then another time, as his body twisted midair toward the next stone platform, it split open like a blooming flower, its shards transformed into spinning blades, that tried to shred him as he was about to pass through. He shifted his torso, barely slipping through the gaps, his arms and shoulder catching a small wounds from a flying piece.
Then came the circling platforms—three in a row— which were rotating like clock hands the instant he set his foot on them. The first spun slow, but the second one wheeled so fast that even Gravistone's pull struggled to keep him from being flung into the void.
Then came the third one, that rotated slowly at first, before jerked him sharply. Kaios gave his all the Psion into the Gravistone property while interchanging between the both the attraction and repulsion to help him out of this.
And still, he only crossed the 1400th after an hour of passing. He could see the endless stretch of platforms in his front.
Then Kaios reached the final step before the gateway of second Island, after facing more grueling hazards for the forty five minutes straight. Each having more creative way to drown him in the abyss, though luckily this time he didn't lose any life.
"Finally..." He muttered, his voice laced with relief, though a slight exhaustion could also be seen there.
He then entered the island, while expecting any incident like previous.Though fortunately something like that didn't happen, and he safely got into the second island without repeating the path again, like previous one.
The moment one of his foot crossed the gateway and stepped on the island, a voice echoed all around.
Kaios recognised it, this was the same voice when he took the first step in the Isle of Devouring Maw.
[Congratulations participant to arrive in the second island, it will be second step. The name of this island is Isle of Gusty Heights]
[You have to protect yourself of irregular or rhythmic winds and have to safely cross this island.]
[And just as before if you failed to do so in between the time, your life will started to decrease gradually.]
Kaios only heard this time, didn't ask any questions to the voice. He was preparing himself mentally for the future hurdles.
As the voice noticed there was not any queries from Kaios, it spoke again.
[Then your timer starts now, I wish you good luck participant.]
To which Kaios only nodded his head, while looking at the above clock, which started ticking. Though there was slight change this time, its now counting down from the 17 minutes not previously 15 minutes.
"So a total increment of two minutes." Kaios said "Then it will beore difficult from the last."
Kaios felt the things about the winds that the voice talked about. He could also see the gusts tearing the trees, even cutting the mountains before him.
Okay then....let's do it. Kaios thought to himself, as he rolled his shoulder before rushing forward at those tearing gusts.